Raoul (song)
Encyclopedia
"Raoul" is both second and fifth single from Not Accepted Anywhere, the debut album by Welsh band The Automatic
. The single was released twice, first on 27 March 2006 and then again on 8 January 2007 at the decision of the bands record labels Polydor and B-Unique.
was where the band would go during days spend in their studio to get away from this drill. The vocals on Raoul were originally split three ways between Rob - providing lead, Pennie - providing shouts over the top and Frost - singing joint lead in the second verse and backing in the choruses. After Pennie's departure and the addition of Paul Mullen
in 2007 the vocals continued to be split three ways. In 2008 the band re-worked the track, replacing the guitar and bass in the first verse, with both Frost and Paul playing synthesizer's, building into two guitars in the choruses.
in March 2006, with Raoul pre-order passwords handed out on flyers on the tour dates. The release would feature two new tracks along with "Raoul" - "On The Campaign Trail" on the CD single and "Trophy Wives" on the 7" vinyl. Three in-store signings with performances were used to mark the singles release - Bridgend Jungle on 27 March Cardiff Spillers on 28 March and Manchester
Fopp
on 30 March. The release was also celebrated by a sandwich giveaway courtesy of Cardiff sandwich shop - Obriens, limited to 500 through the bands website. The band were asked in an interview with The Sun if Raoul had befitted from the song endorsement and in actuality the shop had been closed down.
In 2007 the bands record labels Polydor Records
and B-Unique Records
decided to re-release "Raoul" against the bands wishes to release another track from Not Accepted Anywhere or there newly recorded tracks "Steve McQueen
" and "Revolution" The re-release was accompanied by a cover of Kanye West
's "Gold Digger
" as a b-side, as well as a new track "Easy Target"
The band made their TV debut performing "Raoul" on London Live
, also performing the track on Channel 4
's Popworld
, The Friday Night Project
and T4 on the Beach
2006. The track was played live on Later with Jools Holland
, along with "Thats What She Said and "Monster".
Raoul has been featured on Soccer Am's
2006 Soundtrack, as well as being remixed by Culprit 1
- however unlike "Recover" and "Monster" remixes by Culprit 1 the remix was not released on the single.
All of the releases artwork were created by Dean 'D*Face' Stockton, except for the original artwork which ended up only being used for promo CD's - which was created by Antar. The globe style artwork was recreated by 'Rock Drops' and used throughout tour and festival appearances by the band as a stage banner.
", another man does not seem to appreciate this and pushes him against a wall, this possibly showing how the band are not happy with just being known for playing the song "Monster". The video then goes on to show the band members working in the office, firstly Robin Hawkins
is delivering mail to the other employers, whilst in clips the whole band are shown at an office party, performing "Raoul", whilst Alex Pennie
makes out with another older employee, whose husband is in a meeting with James Frost
's character, the video ends with Iwan Griffiths urinating in a bowl.
stated how the song didn't match up to the standards of the bands first single from 2005 - "Recover". Joanne Nugent of Contactmusic.com
praised the track saying "definitely worth a listen and easily likeable" Tim Lee of Music OHM had mixed feeling on the song, ending his review with "as derivative additions to an over-saturated genre go, it's damn fine".
after 'Monster' left the top 40, and re-entered when Downloads via itunes and other online stores were allowed to be included in the Single charts. Ultimately the single only got to #30, with Monster staying at re entering at #33.
Production
The Automatic
The Automatic , are a Welsh rock band. The band is composed of Robin Hawkins on vocals, bass and synthesizers, James Frost on guitar, synthesizers, backing vocals and occasional bass, Iwan Griffiths on drums and Paul Mullen on vocals, guitar and synthesizer - since 2007...
. The single was released twice, first on 27 March 2006 and then again on 8 January 2007 at the decision of the bands record labels Polydor and B-Unique.
Composition
The songs lyrics deal with the drill of peoples day-to-day lives - getting stuck in the same routines and casting aside ambitions, Raoul - a sandwich shop owner in CardiffCardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
was where the band would go during days spend in their studio to get away from this drill. The vocals on Raoul were originally split three ways between Rob - providing lead, Pennie - providing shouts over the top and Frost - singing joint lead in the second verse and backing in the choruses. After Pennie's departure and the addition of Paul Mullen
Paul Mullen
Paul Mullen is an English musician, most notable recognized for being the primary vocalist and guitarist with Yourcodenameis:milo who went on hiatus in 2007, and the joint lead vocalist, guitarist and synthesizer player for The Automatic from 2007 onwards...
in 2007 the vocals continued to be split three ways. In 2008 the band re-worked the track, replacing the guitar and bass in the first verse, with both Frost and Paul playing synthesizer's, building into two guitars in the choruses.
Release
"Raoul" was originally released on 27 March 2006 on CD, digital download and limited edition 7" vinyl. Selected Tastemaker Stores stocked limited amounts of signed Raoul 7" vinyls. The release was promoted on the bands tour with Goldie Lookin ChainGoldie Lookin Chain
Goldie Lookin Chain is a comedic rap music group based in Newport, South Wales. The group produces humorous, controversial and often explicit songs that satirise hip hop, today's consumer society, the ‘chav’ culture and life in Newport and south Wales in general.-Background:Many of the songs...
in March 2006, with Raoul pre-order passwords handed out on flyers on the tour dates. The release would feature two new tracks along with "Raoul" - "On The Campaign Trail" on the CD single and "Trophy Wives" on the 7" vinyl. Three in-store signings with performances were used to mark the singles release - Bridgend Jungle on 27 March Cardiff Spillers on 28 March and Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
Fopp
Fopp (retailer)
Fopp is a chain of retail stores selling music, film, books and other entertainment products in the United Kingdom.-History:From its origins as a one-man stall in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1981, it expanded to a chain of over 100 branches throughout the country in 2007...
on 30 March. The release was also celebrated by a sandwich giveaway courtesy of Cardiff sandwich shop - Obriens, limited to 500 through the bands website. The band were asked in an interview with The Sun if Raoul had befitted from the song endorsement and in actuality the shop had been closed down.
In 2007 the bands record labels Polydor Records
Polydor Records
Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
and B-Unique Records
B-Unique Records
B-Unique Records is a London-based record label, founded in 2001 by Mark Lewis and Martin Toher.B-Unique has been a division of Atlantic Records UK since February 2008...
decided to re-release "Raoul" against the bands wishes to release another track from Not Accepted Anywhere or there newly recorded tracks "Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen (The Automatic song)
"Steve McQueen" is the first and ultimately only single from Welsh rock band The Automatic's second album This Is A Fix. It is their fifth single overall...
" and "Revolution" The re-release was accompanied by a cover of Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
's "Gold Digger
Gold Digger
"Gold Digger" is a song recorded by American rapper Kanye West featuring guest vocals by Jamie Foxx. Released as the second single from West's second album, Late Registration, "Gold Digger" peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 on September 6, 2005, becoming West's and Foxx's second...
" as a b-side, as well as a new track "Easy Target"
It's not something us as a band wanted to do, but the radio were begging for us to re-release it again. Basically we had radio stations begging us saying if you release this song we'll play it. It's really frustrating for a band to be releasing the same things when all you want to do is put out new stuff and get people to listening to your other music— Iwan Griffiths discusses the "Raoul" re-release
The band made their TV debut performing "Raoul" on London Live
London Live
London Live is a music television programme showcasing live performances of artists from The Album Chart Show, shot in the United Kingdom. It is hosted by Sara Cox. It airs on MOJO HD in the United States on Friday nights at 9 p.m., on ABC2 in Australia on Monday nights at 8 p.m. and on...
, also performing the track on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
's Popworld
Popworld
Popworld was a British television programme that was broadcast on Channel 4, offering pop news, trivia, gossip, interviews and music videos, as well as musical performances from the most recent top artists....
, The Friday Night Project
The Friday Night Project
The Sunday Night Project was a British comedy-variety show by Princess Productions that first aired on Channel 4 in February 2005 under the title The Friday Night Project...
and T4 on the Beach
T4 on the Beach
T4 On The Beach is a British one day music event which is held on the beach at Weston-super-Mare and televised for Channel 4. The event began in 2003 as Pop Beach in Great Yarmouth, changing to the current title and venue in 2005....
2006. The track was played live on Later with Jools Holland
Later with Jools Holland
Later... with Jools Holland is a contemporary British music television show hosted by Jools Holland. A spin-off of The Late Show, it has been running in short series since 1992 and is a part of BBC Two's late-night line-up, usually at around 11pm to 12 midnight...
, along with "Thats What She Said and "Monster".
Raoul has been featured on Soccer Am's
Soccer AM
Soccer AM is a British Saturday-morning football-based comedy/talk show, predominantly based around the Premier League...
2006 Soundtrack, as well as being remixed by Culprit 1
Culprit 1
Culprit 1 aka Culprit One is a London-based DJ, remixer and electronica producer. He is considered 'The DJ Shadow of Wales' by BBC Radio 1 and 'The Bastard Son of Orbital and RJD2' by XFM....
- however unlike "Recover" and "Monster" remixes by Culprit 1 the remix was not released on the single.
All of the releases artwork were created by Dean 'D*Face' Stockton, except for the original artwork which ended up only being used for promo CD's - which was created by Antar. The globe style artwork was recreated by 'Rock Drops' and used throughout tour and festival appearances by the band as a stage banner.
Music video
Original
The video directed by Charlie Paul depicts the 'taking a break' from studio work, the band leave the studio and begin walking through a 1970s style concert where the look at themselves playing, they then walk through a gym, and into another room where they are playing in a smaller dark venue. The video ends up with them at Raoul's sandwich shop, with an actor who represents 'Raoul', making their sandwiches. the line from the song "Let's Go Back To Work" then links in to the video, as they leave.Re-release
The 2007 video directed by Up the Resolution is set in an office, and opens with a man singing "MonsterMonster (song)
Monster is the third UK single by Cardiff-based band The Automatic, taken from their debut album Not Accepted Anywhere. The track was released on 5 June 2006 in the UK and subsequently reached #4 in the UK Singles Chart. It was released in the United States under the alias of The Automatic...
", another man does not seem to appreciate this and pushes him against a wall, this possibly showing how the band are not happy with just being known for playing the song "Monster". The video then goes on to show the band members working in the office, firstly Robin Hawkins
Robin Hawkins
Robin Hawkins, commonly known as Rob is the primary vocalist and bassist for Welsh band The Automatic.-Personal life:Rob studied at Cowbridge Comprehensive School, completing his A-levels and going on to take a chance with The Automatic in his gap year...
is delivering mail to the other employers, whilst in clips the whole band are shown at an office party, performing "Raoul", whilst Alex Pennie
Alex Pennie
Alexander Gregor Pennie is the lead vocalist of Welsh Hardcore punk band Goodtime Boys. Pennie was previously in Welsh band The Automatic, where he provided backing vocals as well as playing synthesizers and keyboards for the act...
makes out with another older employee, whose husband is in a meeting with James Frost
James Frost
James Martin Frost is the guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalist of Welsh band The Automatic, and guitarist and backing vocalist for Cardiff based band Effort. As well as his musical duties for The Automatic, Frost has also directed two of the bands music videos and their tour video daries...
's character, the video ends with Iwan Griffiths urinating in a bowl.
Reception
The single received fairly mixed reviews on both of its releases, many reviewers believing it did not match up to its predecessors "Recover" and "Monster". Lee Eynon of God Is In The TV reviewed the track stating; "it isn’t really the colossal moby dick sized hook they need to follow their summer blockbuster", Donna Dobson of Click Music also listed how the track does not have "the charm or quirkiness of 'Monster'". During its original single run in 2006 Scott Colothan at Gigwise.comGigwise.com
Gigwise.com is an online music magazine that features music news, photos, album reviews, music festivals, concert tickets, and a community forum. Founded in 2001, the magazine is based in the United Kingdom....
stated how the song didn't match up to the standards of the bands first single from 2005 - "Recover". Joanne Nugent of Contactmusic.com
Contactmusic.com
Contactmusic.com is a Leeds UK based entertainment magazine/webzine. The site was launched in April 2000 by a small team and has now expanded to 12 fulltime staff and many freelance contributors from across the globe...
praised the track saying "definitely worth a listen and easily likeable" Tim Lee of Music OHM had mixed feeling on the song, ending his review with "as derivative additions to an over-saturated genre go, it's damn fine".
Charting
'Raoul' and 'Monster' both competed for success in the UK Singles ChartUK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
after 'Monster' left the top 40, and re-entered when Downloads via itunes and other online stores were allowed to be included in the Single charts. Ultimately the single only got to #30, with Monster staying at re entering at #33.
| Chart | Peak | Date |
|---|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | #32 original release | 9 April 2006 |
| UK Single Chart | #30 re-release | 14 January 2007 |
Track listing
Personal
Musicians- Robin Hawkins - bass guitar, lead vocals
- Alex Pennie - synthesizer, percussion, vocals
- James Frost - guitar, vocals
- Iwan Griffiths - drums
Production
- Stephen Harris - producer
- Richard Jackson producer, mixing (b-sides only)
- Sean Sinnot - engineer
- Simon Francis - mixing
External links
- Behind the scenes video shoot photos by Peter HillPeter HillPeter Hill may refer to:* Peter Hill , British music photographer and journalist* Peter Hill , British pianist and authority on the music of Olivier Messiaen...