Mayhem (Imelda May album)
Encyclopedia
Mayhem is the third studio album by Irish rockabilly
singer Imelda May
, released on 3 September 2010 in Ireland and on 4 October 2010 in the United Kingdom
.
, and recorded her second studio album, the highly-acclaimed Love Tattoo
. Reaching No.1 in Ireland, the album caught the attention of Jools Holland
, whom she later supported on tour, which led him to request that she appear on his well-known music show Later... with Jools Holland. Performing to an audience that included Jeff Beck
, Elbow
and Roots Manuva
, May gained further recognition in the United Kingdom. The following year also saw May release her first two singles, "Johnny Got a Boom Boom" and "Big Bad Handsome Man", appear on several talk shows, win Female Artist of the Year 2009 at the 2009 Meteor Awards and also tour the United States.
were "freaking out" and "drove all the way to the middle of nowhere to have a look" after hearing the studio was a cowshed. The recording of the album took two weeks in total and production was completed in late summer 2010 at Electric Mastering.
Speaking of about the recording and production of the album, May said in an interview with RTÉ
:
with Jeff Beck and at major music festivals, such as the Eurosonic Festival
in Groningen, Netherlands, promotion for Mayhem began with the release of the first of the album's three singles, "Psycho
", on 27 June. Mayhem was released in Ireland on 3 September 2010 and in the United Kingdom on 4 October 2010 after delays. Between the two release dates, the title single "Mayhem
", was released on 13 September.
On the album's release night, May appeared on The Late Late Show
performing the title track and being interviewed by host Ryan Tubridy
and the following day performed at Electric Picnic
. The following week, the album entered the charts at No.1 and Love Tattoo remained at No.4, also going triple platinum. Less than a month later, May began a short tour of the United Kingdom which included five shows and while in London, was featured on Weekend Wogan on BBC Radio 2
. Her final performance of the tour was an appearance on Later... with Jools Holland where she first gained prominence in the United Kingdom. Recorded on 12 October and broadcast on 15 October, May performed "Mayhem", "Psycho" and "Tainted Love." The same week, May also appeared as a guest on satirical pop music quiz, Never Mind the Buzzcocks
, and despite the amount of promotion, the album initially failed to chart in the United Kingdom.
The album's third single, "Kentish Town Waltz
", was released on 15 November and the following month, May returned to Ireland. She appeared on The Saturday Night Show
on 11 December and performed "Kentish Town Waltz" and "Santa Claus is Back in Town." Following her appearance, May performed a four-night sold-out stay at Dublin's Olympia Theatre
from 15 December to 18 December. The album's fourth, and possibly final, single "Inside Out
" was released on 16 January 2011 and Mayhem entered the United Kingdom albums chart on the same day. Two weeks later, Mayhem peaked at No.7 in the United Kingdom charts, and is May's best-selling album to date.
described May as "an imperious, take-no-prisoners personality who can certainly electrify a tune with the tigerish yelps and whoops that run deep into the marrow of the blues", The Telegraph
praised "the lyrical wit of the songs and a subtle variance in musical shading", and Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian
highlighting the songs on the album, stating that "she [May] brings them to passionate, reverb-drenched life on an album that positions her as one of 2010's more interesting finds."
Guest musicians
Technical personnel
except where noted.
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
singer Imelda May
Imelda May
Imelda Mary Higham, Clabby , known as Imelda May, is an Irish vocalist and musician. She began her career in music at 15 and released her debut album in 2005. She also plays the bodhrán and guitar...
, released on 3 September 2010 in Ireland and on 4 October 2010 in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Background
Three years prior to the release of Mayhem, in 2007, Imelda May received a recording contract with Ambassador Records, a sublabel of Universal Music IrelandUniversal Records
Universal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...
, and recorded her second studio album, the highly-acclaimed Love Tattoo
Love Tattoo
Love Tattoo is the second album by Irish singer Imelda May. "Johnny Got A Boom-Boom" and "Big Bad Handsome Man" were released as singles. The album reached number 1 in the Official Irish Top 100 Album Chart.-Track listing:...
. Reaching No.1 in Ireland, the album caught the attention of Jools Holland
Jools Holland
Julian Miles "Jools" Holland OBE, DL is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer, and television presenter. He was a founder of the band Squeeze and his work has involved him with many artists including Sting, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, The Who, David Gilmour and Bono.Holland is a...
, whom she later supported on tour, which led him to request that she appear on his well-known music show Later... with Jools Holland. Performing to an audience that included Jeff Beck
Jeff Beck
Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck is an English rock guitarist. He is one of three noted guitarists to have played with The Yardbirds...
, Elbow
Elbow (band)
Elbow are an English rock band. They have played together since 1990 and recorded five studio albums, the most recent of which is Build a Rocket Boys!, released in March 2011...
and Roots Manuva
Roots Manuva
Rodney Hylton Smith , better known by his stage name Roots Manuva, is a British rapper from Stockwell, South London. He is currently signed to Big Dada.-Biography:...
, May gained further recognition in the United Kingdom. The following year also saw May release her first two singles, "Johnny Got a Boom Boom" and "Big Bad Handsome Man", appear on several talk shows, win Female Artist of the Year 2009 at the 2009 Meteor Awards and also tour the United States.
Recording and production
After touring throughout the world promoting Love Tattoo, May took a short break before entering the studio to record Mayhem. Choosing Embassy Studios, a sixteen track analogue recording studio in a converted cow shed, May's record label DeccaDecca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
were "freaking out" and "drove all the way to the middle of nowhere to have a look" after hearing the studio was a cowshed. The recording of the album took two weeks in total and production was completed in late summer 2010 at Electric Mastering.
Speaking of about the recording and production of the album, May said in an interview with RTÉ
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
:
"This new album, I didn't feel any pressure on it. People have being saying to me, 'Oh it must've been hard doing another album' [but] it's what I do and it's what I love to do. The only stress I'd say that I had was convincing the record company to let me produce it, because that's unusual. I'd done quite a decent job on 'Love Tattoo' but it was very basic. I wanted it to be basic; I wanted to capture a live sound. On this one I wanted to do a bit more production on it but I didn't want to lose the charm of the last one. I wanted just to have a bit more fun with it and maybe get better mics in or better equipment in - you can hear the slap of the bass, that kind of stuff. I wanted it to be a step up but [to] not lose the plot either.
So that was my only stress, trying to convince them [the label] because they were trying to set up meetings with big shot producers and I wasn't into it at all. When they heard what I was doing - because I secretly went in and started working on it! - they were happy with it and then they backed me."
Release and promotion
Mayhem received more promotion than Love Tattoo due to the being more financed than its predecessor. Following performances on 30 January 2010 at the 52nd Grammy Awards52nd Grammy Awards
The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards took place on January 31, 2010, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Neil Young was honored as the 2010 MusiCares Person of the Year on January 29, two days prior to the Grammy telecast. Only ten of the 109 awards were received during the broadcast...
with Jeff Beck and at major music festivals, such as the Eurosonic Festival
Eurosonic Festival
Eurosonic is Europe’s largest showcase festival and takes place on a yearly basis on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday previous to Noorderslag festival in the dutch city Groningen. Eurosonic is part of The European Music Conference and Showcase Festival Eurosonic Noorderslag. During the festival 250...
in Groningen, Netherlands, promotion for Mayhem began with the release of the first of the album's three singles, "Psycho
Psycho (Imelda May song)
"Psycho" is a song by Irish rockabilly singer Imelda May. Written solely by May, the song was released as her third single on June 28, 2010 and the lead single from her third studio album, Mayhem...
", on 27 June. Mayhem was released in Ireland on 3 September 2010 and in the United Kingdom on 4 October 2010 after delays. Between the two release dates, the title single "Mayhem
Mayhem (Imelda May song)
"Mayhem" is a song by Irish rockabilly singer Imelda May. Written solely by May, the song was released as her fourth single on September 13, 2010 and the second single from her third studio album of the same name...
", was released on 13 September.
On the album's release night, May appeared on The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show, sometimes referred to as The Late Late, or in some cases by the acronym LLS, is the world's longest-running chat show by the same broadcaster and the official flagship television programme of Irish broadcasting company RTÉ...
performing the title track and being interviewed by host Ryan Tubridy
Ryan Tubridy
Ryan Tubridy , affectionately known as "Tubs", is an Irish broadcaster and writer, a presenter of live shows on radio and television in Ireland. He has been described as "one of Ireland's most gifted broadcasters"...
and the following day performed at Electric Picnic
Electric Picnic
The 2005 festival took place on Saturday 3 September and Sunday 4 September. It is best remembered for Arcade Fire's performance which came before their subsequent mainstream success...
. The following week, the album entered the charts at No.1 and Love Tattoo remained at No.4, also going triple platinum. Less than a month later, May began a short tour of the United Kingdom which included five shows and while in London, was featured on Weekend Wogan on BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
. Her final performance of the tour was an appearance on Later... with Jools Holland where she first gained prominence in the United Kingdom. Recorded on 12 October and broadcast on 15 October, May performed "Mayhem", "Psycho" and "Tainted Love." The same week, May also appeared as a guest on satirical pop music quiz, Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks is a comedy panel game television show with a pop music theme, currently without a permanent presenter. It stars Phill Jupitus and Noel Fielding as team captains. The show is produced by Talkback Thames for the BBC, and is usually aired on BBC Two...
, and despite the amount of promotion, the album initially failed to chart in the United Kingdom.
The album's third single, "Kentish Town Waltz
Kentish Town Waltz
"Kentish Town Waltz" is a song by Irish rockabilly singer Imelda May. Written solely by May, the song was released as her fifth single on November 15, 2010 and the third single from her third studio album, Mayhem...
", was released on 15 November and the following month, May returned to Ireland. She appeared on The Saturday Night Show
The Saturday Night Show
The Saturday Night Show is an Irish chat show hosted by Brendan O'Connor that has been broadcast on RTÉ One since 2010. The show features guest interviews, audience participation and live music...
on 11 December and performed "Kentish Town Waltz" and "Santa Claus is Back in Town." Following her appearance, May performed a four-night sold-out stay at Dublin's Olympia Theatre
Olympia Theatre, Dublin
The Olympia Theatre is a concert hall/theatre venue in Dublin, Ireland, located in Dame Street.-History:Built in 1879, it was originally called the "Star of Erin Music Hall". Two years later in 1881, it was renamed "Dan Lowrey's Music Hall" and was renamed again in 1889 to "Dan Lowrey's Palace of...
from 15 December to 18 December. The album's fourth, and possibly final, single "Inside Out
Inside Out (Imelda May song)
"Inside Out" is a song by Irish rockabilly singer Imelda May. Written solely by May, the song was released as her sixth single on January 16, 2011 and the third, and assumingly final, single from her third studio album Mayhem.-Origin and recording:...
" was released on 16 January 2011 and Mayhem entered the United Kingdom albums chart on the same day. Two weeks later, Mayhem peaked at No.7 in the United Kingdom charts, and is May's best-selling album to date.
Critical reception
Mayhem received unanimous critical acclaim similar to that of Love Tattoo. Kevin Le Gendre of BBC MusicBBC Music
BBC Music is a team working in the department of Audio and Music Interactive at the BBC. Responsible for the BBC Music website - the portal site to music content across the BBC website....
described May as "an imperious, take-no-prisoners personality who can certainly electrify a tune with the tigerish yelps and whoops that run deep into the marrow of the blues", The Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
praised "the lyrical wit of the songs and a subtle variance in musical shading", and Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
highlighting the songs on the album, stating that "she [May] brings them to passionate, reverb-drenched life on an album that positions her as one of 2010's more interesting finds."
Musicians and personnel
The Imelda May Band- Imelda MayImelda MayImelda Mary Higham, Clabby , known as Imelda May, is an Irish vocalist and musician. She began her career in music at 15 and released her debut album in 2005. She also plays the bodhrán and guitar...
- vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, bodhránBodhránThe bodhrán is an Irish frame drum ranging from 25 to 65 cm in diameter, with most drums measuring 35 to 45 cm . The sides of the drum are 9 to 20 cm deep. A goatskin head is tacked to one side... - Darrel HighamDarrel HighamDarrel Higham is an English rockabilly guitarist.-Career:Higham started playing lead guitar with British rockabilly bands in the late 1980s. By the mid-1990s, he had created the band that would become his main gigging and recording project: Darrel Higham & The Enforcers...
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s - Al Gare - bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, double bassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2... - Stevew Rushton - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussion - Dave Priseman - trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
, flugelFlügelFlügel may refer to:*The Harpsichord in the 18th and early 19th centuries*The Grand Pianoforte in the late 19th century *The flugelhorn*The "wing" or tenor joint of the Bassoon*The following persons:...
, percussion
Guest musicians
- John QuinnJohn QuinnJohn Quinn or Jack Quinn is the name of:*Jack Quinn , White House counsel, 1995–1996*Jack Quinn , Congressman from New York*Jack Quinn III, Assemblyman from Erie County, New York and son of the Congressman...
- fiddleFiddleThe term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
(on "Kentish Town Waltz") - Stewart Johnson - steel guitarSteel guitarSteel guitar is a type of guitar or the method of playing the instrument. Developed in Hawaii in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a steel guitar is usually positioned horizontally; strings are plucked with one hand, while the other hand changes the pitch of one or more strings with the use...
(on "I'm Alive") - Olly Wilby - clarinetClarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
(on "Inside Out") - Andy Wood - tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
(on "Inside Out") - Dean Beresford - drums (on "Johnny Got a Boom Boom" remix)
Technical personnel
- Imelda May - producer, mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
- Andy Wright - producer, mixing
- Gavin Goldberg - producer, mixing
- Graham Dominy - engineer
- Darrel Highham - mixing
- Guy Davie - mastering
- StylorougeStylorougeStylorouge is a graphic design studio currently based in Shoreditch, London. Formed by creative director Rob O'Connor in 1981, it is notable for creating record sleeve designs for bands such as Blur, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Stereophonics, Killing Joke, Sandie Shaw, Adam Ant, Catatonia, Jesus...
- art direction, design- Front cover illustration by Mark Higenbottam
- Photography by Chris Clor
- Band photography by Lisa @ Cherry Bomb Rock Photography
Tracklisting
All songs written by Imelda MayImelda May
Imelda Mary Higham, Clabby , known as Imelda May, is an Irish vocalist and musician. She began her career in music at 15 and released her debut album in 2005. She also plays the bodhrán and guitar...
except where noted.
Chart positions
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Irish Albums Chart Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
1 |
| UK Album Chart | 7 |
| Australian Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
46 |
| Spanish Albums Chart | 57 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Ireland Republic of Ireland Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,... |
3 September 2010 | CD Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... , limited edition CD, digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
| United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
4 October 2010 | |