Pillows & Prayers
Encyclopedia
Pillows & Prayers is compilation album released Christmas 1982 featuring artists on the Cherry Red
record label at the suggestion of A&R head Mike Alway. The record was originally sold at 99 pence (in fact, "pay no more than 99p" was printed on the original sleeve), which helped ensure that the album peaked and remained at number 1 on the UK Indie Chart
for 19 weeks and sold over 120,000 copies. Of note are tracks by English post-punk
groups Everything But The Girl
-- whose singer Tracey Thorn
also sang on her own solo track and as part of Marine Girls
-- The Monochrome Set
and Felt
, as well as a spoken word
piece by writer Quentin Crisp
.
In 2007 the album was repackaged as a 3-CD plus DVD box set featuring complementary tracks from the same period and an extended essay by Alex Ogg. This revised edition won the 2008
MOJO Award
for Catalogue Release of the Year, with three of the key artists, Martyn Bates (Eyeless In Gaza
), Lawrence (Felt) and Bid (Monochrome Set) appearing on stage to collect the award, alongside Cherry Red founder Iain McNay.
"Un Homme et Une Femme" is the theme from the film of the same name, composed by Francis Lai
and with lyrics by Pierre Barouh. "It's A Fine Day" was later a hit single when covered by Opus III
several years later, and Red Box went on to chart success after signing to WEA
.
Cherry Red
Cherry Red is a London-based independent record label formed in 1978.-History:Cherry Red grew from the rock promotion company founded in 1971 to promote rock concerts at the Malvern Winter Gardens...
record label at the suggestion of A&R head Mike Alway. The record was originally sold at 99 pence (in fact, "pay no more than 99p" was printed on the original sleeve), which helped ensure that the album peaked and remained at number 1 on the UK Indie Chart
UK Indie Chart
The UK Independent Chart or Indie Chart is a chart of the best-selling independent record releases in the UK.- History :In the wake of punk, small record labels began to spring up, as an outlet for artists that were unwilling to sign contracts with major record companies, or were not considered...
for 19 weeks and sold over 120,000 copies. Of note are tracks by English post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
groups Everything But The Girl
Everything but the Girl
Everything but the Girl was a two-person English band, formed in Hull during 1981, consisting of lead singer and occasional guitarist Tracey Thorn and guitarist, keyboardist, and singer Ben Watt . They are currently inactive although vocalist Tracey Thorn hinted that they may reform someday...
-- whose singer Tracey Thorn
Tracey Thorn
Tracey Anne Thorn is an English pop singer and songwriter. She is best known as being one half of the duo Everything but the Girl, which is currently on extended hiatus.-Personal life:...
also sang on her own solo track and as part of Marine Girls
Marine Girls
Marine Girls were a post-punk group from Hatfield, Hertfordshire. The group was formed in 1980, by two sixth form school friends: Tracey Thorn and Gina Hartman. Originally, Thorn just played guitar and Hartman was the lead vocalist and percussionist. Thorn overcame her shyness and started singing...
-- The Monochrome Set
The Monochrome Set
The Monochrome Set are an English post-punk band originally formed in 1978 from the remnants of a college group called The B-Sides...
and Felt
Felt (band)
Felt were a 1980s British alternative rock band led by Lawrence, whose surname was never listed in any credits or press; the band's name was inspired by Tom Verlaine's emphasis of the word "felt" in the Television song "Venus"...
, as well as a spoken word
Spoken word
Spoken word is a form of poetry that often uses alliterated prose or verse and occasionally uses metered verse to express social commentary. Traditionally it is in the first person, is from the poet’s point of view and is themed in current events....
piece by writer Quentin Crisp
Quentin Crisp
Quentin Crisp , was an English writer and raconteur. He became a gay icon in the 1970s after publication of his memoir, The Naked Civil Servant.- Early life :...
.
In 2007 the album was repackaged as a 3-CD plus DVD box set featuring complementary tracks from the same period and an extended essay by Alex Ogg. This revised edition won the 2008
2008 MOJO Awards
The 2008 MOJO Honours List Winners were announced at a ceremony at The Brewery in London, England on June 16, 2008.-Nominees:Complete list of nominees :*Song of the Year**LCD Soundsystem - "All My Friends"...
MOJO Award
MOJO Awards
The MOJO Awards is an awards ceremony that began in 2004 by Mojo, a popular music magazine published monthly by Bauer in the United Kingdom...
for Catalogue Release of the Year, with three of the key artists, Martyn Bates (Eyeless In Gaza
Eyeless in Gaza
Eyeless in Gaza is a bestselling novel by Aldous Huxley, first published in 1936. The title originates from a phrase in John Milton's Samson Agonistes:The chapters of the book are not ordered chronologically...
), Lawrence (Felt) and Bid (Monochrome Set) appearing on stage to collect the award, alongside Cherry Red founder Iain McNay.
Side one
- Five Or SixFive or SixFive or Six was a UK post-punk band, originally signed to Cherry Red Records by A&R head Mike Alway, who deemed them to be the act with the most potential from the scene he had helped create around the Snoopies club in south-west London...
— "Portrait" (2:52) - The Monochrome SetThe Monochrome SetThe Monochrome Set are an English post-punk band originally formed in 1978 from the remnants of a college group called The B-Sides...
— "Eine Symphonie Des Grauens" (2:19) - Thomas LeerThomas LeerThomas Leer is a British musician who as well as releasing a number of albums and singles in his own right, was also one half of the 1980s electropop band Act...
— "All About You" (3:50) - Tracey ThornTracey ThornTracey Anne Thorn is an English pop singer and songwriter. She is best known as being one half of the duo Everything but the Girl, which is currently on extended hiatus.-Personal life:...
— "Plain SailingPlain Sailing (song)- Overview :The original version appeared on Thorn's first solo album A Distant Shore in 1982. It was re-recorded and released as Thorn's first single on 7" vinyl later that year...
" (2:01) - Ben WattBen WattBenjamin Brian Thomas Watt is a British musician, DJ, and record producer, best known as one half of the duo, Everything but the Girl.-Family:...
— "Some Things Don't Matter" (4:25) - Kevin CoyneKevin CoyneKevin Coyne was a musician, singer, composer, film-maker, and a writer of lyrics, stories and poems. The former "anti-star" was born on 27 January 1944 in Derby, UK, and died in his adopted home of Nuremberg, Germany, on 2 December 2004....
— "Love in Your Heart" (2:55) - Piero MilesiPiero MilesiPiero Milesi was an Italian musician, composer, and music arranger.-Biography:Milesi began his career by studying cello, composition, and experimental electronic music. He joined the International Folk Group of Moni Ovadia in 1977 as a performer and composer.The composition Modi was created...
— "Modi 2 (Extract)" (1:02) - Joe Crow — "Compulsion" (4:23)
Side two
- Marine GirlsMarine GirlsMarine Girls were a post-punk group from Hatfield, Hertfordshire. The group was formed in 1980, by two sixth form school friends: Tracey Thorn and Gina Hartman. Originally, Thorn just played guitar and Hartman was the lead vocalist and percussionist. Thorn overcame her shyness and started singing...
— "Lazy Ways" (2:42) - FeltFelt (band)Felt were a 1980s British alternative rock band led by Lawrence, whose surname was never listed in any credits or press; the band's name was inspired by Tom Verlaine's emphasis of the word "felt" in the Television song "Venus"...
— "My Face Is on Fire" (3:04) - Eyeless in GazaEyeless in Gaza (band)Eyeless In Gaza are a Post-punk musical duo of Martyn Bates and Peter Becker, based in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England. They have described their music as "veer[ing] crazily from filmic ambiance to rock and pop, industrial funk to avant-folk styles." Formed in 1980, the group went into hiatus in...
— "No Noise" (2:49) - The PassageThe Passage (band)The Passage were a post-punk band from Manchester, UK who appeared on several record labels including Cherry Red Records, and their own label Night & Day, a subsidiary label to Virgin Records.-Biography:...
— "XOYO" (3:26) - Everything But The GirlEverything but the GirlEverything but the Girl was a two-person English band, formed in Hull during 1981, consisting of lead singer and occasional guitarist Tracey Thorn and guitarist, keyboardist, and singer Ben Watt . They are currently inactive although vocalist Tracey Thorn hinted that they may reform someday...
— "On My Mind" (3:08) - Attila the StockbrokerAttila the StockbrokerAttila the Stockbroker is a punk poet, and a folk punk musician and songwriter. He performs solo and as the leader of the band Barnstormer...
— "A Bang and a Wimpey" (1:41) - The MisunderstoodThe MisunderstoodThe Misunderstood were a psychedelic rock band originating from Riverside, California in the mid-1960s. The band moved to London early in their career, and although they recorded only a handful of songs before being forced to disband, they are considered highly influential in the then-emerging...
— "I Unseen" (1:58) - The NightingalesThe NightingalesThe Nightingales are a British punk/alternative band formed in 1979 in Birmingham, England. Original members were Robert Lloyd , Joe Crow on guitar, Eamonn Duffy on bass and Paul Apperley on drums, all formerly of The Prefects...
— "Don't Blink" (4:00) - Quentin CrispQuentin CrispQuentin Crisp , was an English writer and raconteur. He became a gay icon in the 1970s after publication of his memoir, The Naked Civil Servant.- Early life :...
— "Stop the Music for a Minute" (1:00)
Pillows and Prayers 2
In 1984 a sequel, Pillows and Prayers 2, was released in Japan. This time, there was no special price. In 2000 the album was reissued on CD (CDMRED 169) with volume 1.Tracks
- Marine GirlsMarine GirlsMarine Girls were a post-punk group from Hatfield, Hertfordshire. The group was formed in 1980, by two sixth form school friends: Tracey Thorn and Gina Hartman. Originally, Thorn just played guitar and Hartman was the lead vocalist and percussionist. Thorn overcame her shyness and started singing...
- "A Place in the Sun" (2:29) - Jane - "It's a Fine DayIt's a Fine Day"It's a Fine Day" is a song written by English poet and musician Edward Barton. It was originally recorded in 1983 by Jane, and later by Opus III for whom it was a major international hit in 1992.-Original recording by Jane:...
" (2:45) - Kevin HewickKevin HewickKevin Hewick is an English singer-songwriter who was an early member of the Factory Records roster. In the present day he is known for his recording on Pink Box records, an independent label based in Leicester and his recent work with Italian collective Unfolk.-The Factory years:Newly added to the...
- "Feathering the Nest" (3:51) - Fantastic Something - "If She Doesn't Smile" (3:14)
- Eyeless in GazaEyeless in Gaza (band)Eyeless In Gaza are a Post-punk musical duo of Martyn Bates and Peter Becker, based in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England. They have described their music as "veer[ing] crazily from filmic ambiance to rock and pop, industrial funk to avant-folk styles." Formed in 1980, the group went into hiatus in...
- "New Risen" (2:47) - The Monochrome SetThe Monochrome SetThe Monochrome Set are an English post-punk band originally formed in 1978 from the remnants of a college group called The B-Sides...
- "Jet Set Junta" (2:04) - Morgan FisherMorgan FisherMorgan Fisher is an English keyboard player / composer, and is most known for being a member of Mott the Hoople in the early 1970s. However, his career has covered a wide range of musical activities, and he is still highly active in the music industry...
- "Un Homme et une Femme" - (2:45) - Felt - "Penelope Tree" (4:15)
- Maurice DeebankMaurice DeebankMaurice Deebank is a classically trained English guitarist. He was the lead guitarist of the British indie band Felt from its debut album until 1986, and was responsible for the ornate, atmospheric guitar work found on many of the band's early recordings...
- "The Watery Song" (4:54) - In Embrace - "Shouting in Cafes" (3:33)
- Grab, Grab the Haddock - "I'm Used Now" (3:17)
- Ben Watt & Robert WyattRobert WyattRobert Wyatt is an English musician, and founding member of the influential Canterbury scene band Soft Machine, with a long and distinguished solo career...
- "Walter and John" (4:05) - Five or Six - "Another Reason" (3:04)
- Red Box - "Chenko" (3:40)
"Un Homme et Une Femme" is the theme from the film of the same name, composed by Francis Lai
Francis Lai
Francis Lai is a French accordionist, and composer noted for his film scores.While in his twenties, Francis Lai left home and went to Paris where he became part of the lively Montmartre music scene...
and with lyrics by Pierre Barouh. "It's A Fine Day" was later a hit single when covered by Opus III
Opus III
Opus III were a techno and house music group from England who had success on the UK Singles Chart and on the U.S. Dance charts. The group consisted of vocalist Kirsty Hawkshaw and producers/musicians Kevin 'The Fly' Dodds, Ian Munro and Nigel 'Spider' Walton...
several years later, and Red Box went on to chart success after signing to WEA
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
.