Phantoms (The Fixx album)

Phantoms
Studio album by
the Fixx
Released14 August 1984 (US)[1]
3 September 1984 (UK)[2]
Recorded1984
StudioFarmyard Studios (Little Chalfont, Buckinghamshire)
GenreNew wave
Length41:52
LabelMCA
Producer
The Fixx chronology
Reach the Beach
(1983) 		Phantoms
(1984) 		Walkabout
(1986)
Singles from Phantoms
  1. "Are We Ourselves?"
    Released: August 1984
  2. "Sunshine in the Shade"
    Released: 1984
  3. "Less Cities, More Moving People"
    Released: 1984
  4. "I Will"
    Released: 1984

Phantoms is the third studio album by the English new wave band the Fixx, released in 1984 by MCA Records.[3]

It contains the American hit "Are We Ourselves?", which reached No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the fall of 1984. The song hit No. 1 on Billboard's Album Rock Tracks chart, staying at the summit for several weeks. It was also assisted by a popular MTV music video. The album's cover art was provided by George Underwood, who had also provided artwork for the band's previous album, Reach the Beach (1983), and went on to illustrate future Fixx releases including Calm Animals (1989) and Beautiful Friction (2012).[4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[6]

The Rolling Stone Album Guide considered the album to be "interesting only as a matter of nostalgia."[6]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Dan K. Brown, Cy Curnin, Rupert Greenall, Jamie West-Oram, and Adam Woods, except where noted.

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Lose Face" 3:03
2."Less Cities, More Moving People" 3:53
3."Sunshine in the Shade" 2:26
4."Woman on a Train"
3:56
5."Wish" 4:08
6."Lost in Battle Overseas" 4:10
Side two
No.TitleLength
7."Question"3:26
8."In Suspense"3:45
9."Facing the Wind"3:20
10."Are We Ourselves?"2:27
11."I Will"3:54
12."Phantom Living"3:50
Total length:41:52

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the Phantoms liner notes.[7]

Charts

Chart (1984) Peak
position
Canada (RPM)[8] 18
Dutch Charts[9] 41
German Charts[10] 59
US Billboard 200[11] 19

Singles

Year Single Chart Position
1984 "Are We Ourselves?" Billboard Hot 100[12] 15
Top Rock Tracks 1
"Sunshine in the Shade" Billboard Hot 100[12] 69
Top Rock Tracks 37
1985 "Less Cities, More Moving People" Billboard Hot 100[12] –
Top Rock Tracks –
Club Play Singles 68

References

  1. ^ "Radio Highlights". The Indianapolis Star. 14 August 1984. p. 15.
  2. ^ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 15.
  3. ^ "The Fixx Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  4. ^ Album covers by George Underwood https://www.georgeunderwood.com/#/albumcovers/
  5. ^ "Phantoms Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  6. ^ a b The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. pp. 247–248.
  7. ^ Phantoms (CD booklet). the Fixx. MCA Records. 1984.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^ "The Fixx". Library and Archives Canada. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  9. ^ "Dutch Album Charts". dutchcharts. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  10. ^ "The Fixx". Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  11. ^ "The Fixx Chart History". billboard. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  12. ^ a b c "The Fixx – Billboard Hot 100 Chart history | Billboard". www.billboard.com. Retrieved 14 December 2016.