Waiting for a Miracle (album)

Waiting for a Miracle
Studio album by
The Comsat Angels
Released5 September 1980
RecordedJanuary 1980
GenrePost-punk
Length37:31
LabelPolydor
ProducerPeter Wilson and the Comsat Angels
The Comsat Angels chronology
Waiting for a Miracle
(1980) 		Sleep No More
(1981)
Singles from Waiting for a Miracle
  1. "Total War"
    Released: March 1980
  2. "Independence Day"
    Released: 4 July 1980
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Smash Hits7/10[2]
StylusA[3]

Waiting for a Miracle is the debut album by the Comsat Angels, released on 5 September 1980 on Polydor Records.

History

The entire album was recorded in 10 days. Frontman Stephen Fellows explained how they were able to accomplish this: "We were totally organised. Arrangements, tempos and all the lyrics were sorted out before we went in."[4] But he wasn't quite happy with everything, and in a 2002 interview, said, "The thing that bugs me most about the [early] records is my singing, particularly on the first album. I wish I'd sung more before we made that."[citation needed] The cover photograph was taken by Martyn Goddard at Sheffield Parkway, Sheffield.[5]

Release

Although the album's sales were mediocre, it was well received by critics.[6]

Compact disc versions

The album was not issued on CD until 15 years after its initial vinyl release. It has been reissued on CD three times, in 1995 by RPM Records, in 2006 by TOBRUT4D and in 2015 by Edsel Records,[7] with different track listings (see below). Two singles were taken from Waiting for a Miracle: "Total War" and "Independence Day" (the latter released on July 4).[4]

Vinyl track listing (1980)

  1. "Missing in Action"
  2. "Baby"
  3. "Independence Day"
  4. "Waiting for a Miracle"
  5. "Total War"
  6. "On the Beach"
  7. "Monkey Pilot"
  8. "Real Story"
  9. "Map of the World"
  10. "Postcard"

CD track listing (1995)

  1. "Missing in Action"
  2. "Baby"
  3. "Independence Day"
  4. "Waiting for a Miracle"
  5. "Total War"
  6. "On the Beach"
  7. "Monkey Pilot"
  8. "Real Story"
  9. "Map of the World"
  10. "Postcard"
  11. "Home Is the Range"
  12. "We Were"
  13. "Ju Ju Money"

CD track listing (2006)

  1. "Missing in Action" – 4:01
  2. "Baby" – 2:58
  3. "Independence Day" – 3:46
  4. "Waiting for a Miracle" – 2:57
  5. "Total War" – 3:47
  6. "On the Beach" – 3:41
  7. "Monkey Pilot" – 4:24
  8. "Real Story" – 3:44
  9. "Map of the World" – 3:50
  10. "Postcard" – 4:08
  11. "Home Is the Range" (EP track) – 3:34
  12. "We Were" (B-side) – 4:12
  13. "Ju Ju Money" (outtake) – 4:15
  14. "Work" (outtake) – 4:07
  15. "Independence Day" (Demo) – 3:04
  16. "Real Story" (Demo) – 3:42
  17. "Target Talk" (Demo) – 3;40
  18. "Living In" (Demo) – 3:57

CD track listing (2015)

All tracks written by Fellows/Glaisher/Bacon/Peake

CD 1

  1. "Missing in Action"
  2. "Baby"
  3. "Independence Day"
  4. "Waiting for a Miracle"
  5. "Total War"
  6. "On the Beach"
  7. "Monkey Pilot"
  8. "Real Story"
  9. "Map of the World"
  10. "Postcard"

Bonus Tracks

  1. "Home is the Range"
  2. "We Were"
  3. "Ju Ju Money"
  4. "Work"

CD 2

  1. "Red Planet"
  2. "I Get Excited"
  3. "Specimen No.2"
  4. "Independence Day" (Demo)
  5. "Real Story" (Demo)
  6. "Target Talk" (Demo)
  7. "Living In" (Demo)

John Peel Sessions

  1. "Total War"
  2. "Independence Day"
  3. "Baby"
  4. "Ju Ju Money"
  5. "Real Story"
  6. "Monkey Pilot"
  7. "Waiting for a Miracle"
  8. "Home is the Range"

Personnel

The Comsat Angels

References

  1. ^ "Waiting for a Miracle - The Comsat Angels | Album". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  2. ^ Smash Hits, Mark Ellen, 2 October 1980, p. 29
  3. ^ [1] [dead link‍]
  4. ^ a b Sleeve notes from Renascent re-issue of Waiting for a Miracle
  5. ^ "Musical Maps". Musicalmaps.com.au.
  6. ^ Trouser Press article: "Firm beats play against melancholy melodies and hushed vocals to create the impression of eavesdropping on someone's inner turmoil...." They went on to say that the album was "hailed in one UK paper as the greatest debut LP of all time, it remains a stunning masterwork...."
  7. ^ "The Comsat Angels : Waiting for a Miracle". Discogs.com. Retrieved 5 September 2024.