Radiator (album)
Encyclopedia
Radiator is the second album by the Super Furry Animals
. It peaked at #8 on the UK charts. In 2005, it was reissued with a bonus disc of other tracks from the time.
In 2000 Q magazine placed Radiator at number 73 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever.
Singer Gruff Rhys
has described Radiator as "more interesting" than the band's debut Fuzzy Logic
with the group taking advantage of producer Gorwel Owen's
"Atari
computers, and banks of old vintage synths
" to create an album which was "musically ... much more adventurous".
The track 'Download' repeatedly appeared on the hit Welsh TV Show 'Lois' about a young teenage girl struggling to come to terms with her anorexia.
named Radiator in a list of "Ten essential albums" released by Creation Records
in a 2003 article about the label.
.
"nO.K." plays the theme of "The International Language of Screaming" on an acoustic guitar, without the vocals, accentuating the alphabet being read in both English and Welsh in the background. As the title implies, the recitations of the alphabets omit the letter "K". This was in response to the popularity of Kula Shaker
at the time who had adopted the letter K as part of their manifesto. SFA recorded nO.K leaving out the letter K as an anti Kula-Shaker stance.
Super Furry Animals
Super Furry Animals are a Welsh rock band that lean towards psychedelic rock and electronic experimentation. Since their formation in Cardiff, Wales in 1993, the band has consisted of Gruff Rhys , Huw Bunford , Guto Pryce , Cian Ciaran and Dafydd Ieuan Super Furry Animals are a Welsh rock band...
. It peaked at #8 on the UK charts. In 2005, it was reissued with a bonus disc of other tracks from the time.
In 2000 Q magazine placed Radiator at number 73 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever.
Singer Gruff Rhys
Gruff Rhys
Gruffydd Maredudd Bowen Rhys is a Welsh musician, performing solo and with several bands, including Super Furry Animals who obtained mainstream success in the 1990s. He also most recently formed the electro-pop outfit Neon Neon with Boom Bip. Their album Stainless Style was nominated for the 2008...
has described Radiator as "more interesting" than the band's debut Fuzzy Logic
Fuzzy Logic (album)
Fuzzy Logic is the debut album by the Super Furry Animals. It was listed in Q Magazine's Best British Albums Ever in July 2004, and in the same magazine's Top 10 Britpop Albums Ever in December 1996 and features in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die...
with the group taking advantage of producer Gorwel Owen's
Gorwel Owen
Gorwel Owen is a Welsh producer and musician. He has worked with Datblygu, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Super Furry Animals and Hwyl Nofio. He is also a member of Pondman with his wife, the poet Fiona Owen.-Discography:...
"Atari
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
computers, and banks of old vintage synths
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
" to create an album which was "musically ... much more adventurous".
The track 'Download' repeatedly appeared on the hit Welsh TV Show 'Lois' about a young teenage girl struggling to come to terms with her anorexia.
Release and reception
Stylus MagazineStylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine was an online music and film magazine launched in 2002. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, a number of different podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog....
named Radiator in a list of "Ten essential albums" released by Creation Records
Creation Records
Creation Records was a British independent record label headed by Alan McGee. Along with Dick Green and Joe Foster, McGee founded Creation in 1983. The label lasted until its demise in 1999. The name came from the 1960s band The Creation , whom McGee greatly admired. McGee, Green and Foster were...
in a 2003 article about the label.
Track listing
All songs by Super Furry AnimalsSuper Furry Animals
Super Furry Animals are a Welsh rock band that lean towards psychedelic rock and electronic experimentation. Since their formation in Cardiff, Wales in 1993, the band has consisted of Gruff Rhys , Huw Bunford , Guto Pryce , Cian Ciaran and Dafydd Ieuan Super Furry Animals are a Welsh rock band...
.
- "Furryvision" – 1:26
- "The Placid Casual" – 2:49
- "The International Language of ScreamingThe International Language of Screaming"The International Language of Screaming" is the seventh single by Super Furry Animals. It reached #24 on the UK Singles Chart on its release in July 1997.-Release and critical reception:...
" – 2:14 - "DemonsDemons (Super Furry Animals song)"Demons" is the eighth single by Super Furry Animals and the last to be taken from the album Radiator. It reached #27 on the UK Singles Chart on its release in November 1997.The video was filmed in Colombia.-Release and critical reception:...
" – 5:11 - "Short Painkiller" – 0:38
- "She's Got Spies" – 4:43
- "Play It Cool" – 3:16
- "Hermann ♥'s Pauline" – 4:43
- "Chupacabras" – 1:26
- "Torra Fy Ngwallt Yn Hir" – 1:54
- "Bass Tuned to D.E.A.D" – 3:20
- "Down a Different River" – 5:37
- "Download" – 3:19
- "Mountain People" – 6:18
Reissue bonus disc
- "Mu-tron" – 3:16
- "nO.K." – 2:12
- "Foxymusic" – 3:49
- "Hit & Run" – 3:29
- "Wrap It Up" – 3:25
"nO.K." plays the theme of "The International Language of Screaming" on an acoustic guitar, without the vocals, accentuating the alphabet being read in both English and Welsh in the background. As the title implies, the recitations of the alphabets omit the letter "K". This was in response to the popularity of Kula Shaker
Kula Shaker
Kula Shaker are an English psychedelic rock band. Led by outspoken frontman Crispian Mills, the band came to prominence during the Post-Britpop era of the late 1990s. The band enjoyed great commercial success in the UK between 1996 and 1999, notching up a number of Top 10 hits on the UK Singles...
at the time who had adopted the letter K as part of their manifesto. SFA recorded nO.K leaving out the letter K as an anti Kula-Shaker stance.
Personnel
- Gruff RhysGruff RhysGruffydd Maredudd Bowen Rhys is a Welsh musician, performing solo and with several bands, including Super Furry Animals who obtained mainstream success in the 1990s. He also most recently formed the electro-pop outfit Neon Neon with Boom Bip. Their album Stainless Style was nominated for the 2008...
- vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, Moog, claps - Huw BunfordHuw BunfordHuw "Bunf" Bunford is the guitarist in the rock band, Super Furry Animals.-Biography:...
- electric guitar, backing vocals - Cian CiaranCian CiaranCian Ciaran is the keyboard player in the band, Super Furry Animals.Ciaran is the brother of Dafydd Ieuan . He plays keyboards, electronics and occasional guitar, drums, steel drum and vocals...
- electronics, Rhodes piano, piano, backing vocals, claps - Guto PryceGuto PryceGuto Dafydd Pryce is a bass guitar player in the band Super Furry Animals.The name Guto is pronounced in Welsh....
- bass, sub-bass, claps - Dafydd Ieaun- drums, percussion, backing vocals, piano
- Les Morrison- banjo (Demons)
- Gorwel OwenGorwel OwenGorwel Owen is a Welsh producer and musician. He has worked with Datblygu, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Super Furry Animals and Hwyl Nofio. He is also a member of Pondman with his wife, the poet Fiona Owen.-Discography:...
- E-Bow, samples, electric harpsichord, backwards Rhodes - Martin Smith- trumpet
- Simon James- tenor sax and flute
- Andrew Frizzell- trombone and alto sax
- The Electra Strings:
- Sonia Slany- violin
- Jules Singleton- violin
- Clair Arster- viola
- Dinah Beamish- cello