Stars of CCTV
Encyclopedia
Stars of CCTV is the debut album by English
indie rock
band Hard-Fi
. It was first released on 4 July 2005 on Necessary/Atlantic and Warner Music UK. It was nominated for the 2005 Mercury Music Prize, and reached #1 in the UK albums chart in January 2006, taking it about 5 months to reach #1 mainly due to the preceding single "Cash Machine
" catching the sellers' attention; its original peak position was #6. It has reached sales of 1.2 million copies worldwide, with over 300,000 in the UK
alone. The single "Gotta Reason" is included on the soundtrack of the football video game FIFA 06
. The cover of Stars of CCTV does not bear the "Parental Advisory" sticker
, despite the profanity
used in the single "Living for the Weekend
".
s, pubs
, and played back in their producer Wolsey White's BMW
. 1,000 copies of this record were pressed with only 500 going on public sale, and the initial plan was to sell 1000 each time. However it quickly sold out, receiving critical acclaim and radio play, proving a lot more successful than the band had imagined. Most of the album was recorded in a disused mini cab
office, which cost them about £300, and it's known to this day as the "Cherry Lips" Studio (due to the colour of the paint on the walls). The band tried to make their music sound more environmental by putting a microphone in the corridor, which added echo, but background noises caused by people walking past or planes flying overhead could be heard while the band recorded. These background noises can still be heard on the record. The band used the TL Audio Fatman compressor for the album, Archer said "It's alright, it's cheap, you don't have to know what you're doing...".
Stars of CCTV was originally released as a mini album, a very limited release which sold out very quickly. A few months after, the album had been going on sale on websites such as eBay
for £25. Talking about the situation, frontman Richard Archer
said;
The album's launch party was scheduled to be July 7, 2005 at Cheekees night club in Staines
(where their top ten single "Hard to Beat" was filmed), but this was cancelled due to the ill health of Richard's mother, and the London bombings
also occurring that day. Her death resulted in the band pulling out of the Glastonbury festival
. The launch party was rescheduled for July 13, 2005 and the venue changed to Ladbroke Grove
, London
. Richard says that he is no longer friends with Cheekee because of an incident involving him describing his nightclub to a newspaper like "a bad wedding". Richard defended himself by saying "...but everyone likes a bad wedding so I don't see what the problem is."
After a successful campaign by Atlantic, the Stars of CCTV album re-entered the official UK album chart at #4 on January 1, 2006. Two places higher than it originally went in on the week of its release. Stars of CCTV finally got to #1 on January 22, 2006. The band's re-release of Cash Machine entered the official Top 40 singles chart at #14 on January 1.
The album was listed for 102 weeks in 7 different charts and was certificated platinum by BPI
. Its first appearance in the UK Albums Chart
was the Top 75 in week 28 in 2005 with its last appearance being week 40 in 2007 in the UK Album Chart Top 75. Its peak position was number 1 on the UK Album Chart.
described the album as "the album of the year" and gave the album 9/10 in a very positive review. Q
gave it 4 stars and said that it was "A rousing debut". Other magazines to give it positive reviews were given by Billboard
and Now Magazine
.
In the band's biography, there is an odd description of the album.
When Richard Archer
was told of this description he seemed rather confused and said, "What's a disco wig factory?"
.
's debut album Stars of CCTV.
Like all of the Hard-Fi releases, various formats carried subtle changes to differentiate them on the shelf, making them all collectable, such as "Hard to Beat"'s changing sky to "Living for the Weekend"'s countdown to 18:00.
The Tina mentioned on some of the sleeves formed a subplot throughout all the single releases. She later became a bit of a talking point both in the music press and on the fans forums.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band Hard-Fi
HARD-Fi
Hard-Fi are an English indie rock band formed in Staines, Surrey in 2003. The band's members are Richard Archer , Ross Phillips , Kai Stephens and Steve Kemp .They achieved chart success with their third single, "Hard to Beat" and then followed by other successful singles such as...
. It was first released on 4 July 2005 on Necessary/Atlantic and Warner Music UK. It was nominated for the 2005 Mercury Music Prize, and reached #1 in the UK albums chart in January 2006, taking it about 5 months to reach #1 mainly due to the preceding single "Cash Machine
Cash Machine
"Cash Machine" is the debut single by English indie rock band Hard-Fi, taken from their debut album Stars of CCTV. It was originally released on 24 January 2005, where it was ineligible in the UK Singles Chart due to the inclusion of a sticker...
" catching the sellers' attention; its original peak position was #6. It has reached sales of 1.2 million copies worldwide, with over 300,000 in the UK
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...
alone. The single "Gotta Reason" is included on the soundtrack of the football video game FIFA 06
FIFA 06
FIFA 06, also known as FIFA Soccer 06, is a video game developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts based around the game of football. It was released in the United States on 4 October 2005 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Windows, PlayStation Portable, Game Boy Advance, and...
. The cover of Stars of CCTV does not bear the "Parental Advisory" sticker
Sticker
A sticker is a type of a piece of paper or plastic, adhesive, sticky on one side, and usually with a design on the other. They can be used for decoration, depending on the situation. They can come in many different shapes, sizes and colours and are put on things such as lunchboxes, in children's...
, despite the profanity
Profanity
Profanity is a show of disrespect, or a desecration or debasement of someone or something. Profanity can take the form of words, expressions, gestures, or other social behaviors that are socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rude, vulgar, obscene, desecrating, or other forms.The...
used in the single "Living for the Weekend
Living for the Weekend
"Living for the Weekend" is the fourth single from English indie band Hard-Fi, from their debut album Stars of CCTV. It was released on 5 September 2005 and peaked at #15 on the UK charts. "Living for the Weekend" was written by Hard-Fi frontman Richard Archer and has been heavily featured in a...
".
History
The majority of Stars of CCTV was recorded in a variety of unusual acoustic environments - bedroomBedroom
A bedroom is a private room where people usually sleep for the night or relax during the day.About one third of our lives are spent sleeping and most of the time we are asleep, we are sleeping in a bedroom. To be considered a bedroom the room needs to have bed. Bedrooms can range from really simple...
s, pubs
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
, and played back in their producer Wolsey White's BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
. 1,000 copies of this record were pressed with only 500 going on public sale, and the initial plan was to sell 1000 each time. However it quickly sold out, receiving critical acclaim and radio play, proving a lot more successful than the band had imagined. Most of the album was recorded in a disused mini cab
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
office, which cost them about £300, and it's known to this day as the "Cherry Lips" Studio (due to the colour of the paint on the walls). The band tried to make their music sound more environmental by putting a microphone in the corridor, which added echo, but background noises caused by people walking past or planes flying overhead could be heard while the band recorded. These background noises can still be heard on the record. The band used the TL Audio Fatman compressor for the album, Archer said "It's alright, it's cheap, you don't have to know what you're doing...".
Stars of CCTV was originally released as a mini album, a very limited release which sold out very quickly. A few months after, the album had been going on sale on websites such as eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
for £25. Talking about the situation, frontman Richard Archer
Richard Archer
Richard John "Rich" Archer is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is the lead vocalist, guitarist, principal songwriter and main composer of indie rock band Hard-Fi. Hard-Fi have produced several top 10 hits and two #1 albums. The influence of Archer's hometown of Staines is often...
said;
"We had no money but time was a luxury that we did have. So we spent a year planning, then recording it ourselves, and we did all the artworkWork of artA work of art, artwork, art piece, or art object is an aesthetic item or artistic creation.The term "a work of art" can apply to:*an example of fine art, such as a painting or sculpture*a fine work of architecture or landscape design...
ourselves too. Even our websiteWebsiteA website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
was designed by us. We got a book out of the library so we could learn how to do it. Then we had to do it again cos it was a right palaverPalaverPalaver is a 1969 Belgian fantasy film directed by Emile Degelin. The film was entered into the 1969 Moscow International Film Festival. The film was selected as the Belgian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 42nd Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.-Cast:* Umberto...
. So after all that, things took off really quickly and went crazy in the space of two months, which was quite surprising."
The album's launch party was scheduled to be July 7, 2005 at Cheekees night club in Staines
Staines
Staines is a Thames-side town in the Spelthorne borough of Surrey and Greater London Urban Area, as well as the London Commuter Belt of South East England. It is a suburban development within the western bounds of the M25 motorway and located 17 miles west south-west of Charing Cross in...
(where their top ten single "Hard to Beat" was filmed), but this was cancelled due to the ill health of Richard's mother, and the London bombings
7 July 2005 London bombings
The 7 July 2005 London bombings were a series of co-ordinated suicide attacks in the United Kingdom, targeting civilians using London's public transport system during the morning rush hour....
also occurring that day. Her death resulted in the band pulling out of the Glastonbury festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
. The launch party was rescheduled for July 13, 2005 and the venue changed to Ladbroke Grove
Ladbroke Grove
Ladbroke Grove is a road in west London, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is also sometimes the name given informally to the immediate area surrounding the road. Running from Notting Hill in the south to Kensal Green in the north, it is located in North Kensington and straddles...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Richard says that he is no longer friends with Cheekee because of an incident involving him describing his nightclub to a newspaper like "a bad wedding". Richard defended himself by saying "...but everyone likes a bad wedding so I don't see what the problem is."
After a successful campaign by Atlantic, the Stars of CCTV album re-entered the official UK album chart at #4 on January 1, 2006. Two places higher than it originally went in on the week of its release. Stars of CCTV finally got to #1 on January 22, 2006. The band's re-release of Cash Machine entered the official Top 40 singles chart at #14 on January 1.
The album was listed for 102 weeks in 7 different charts and was certificated platinum by BPI
British Phonographic Industry
The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...
. Its first appearance in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
was the Top 75 in week 28 in 2005 with its last appearance being week 40 in 2007 in the UK Album Chart Top 75. Its peak position was number 1 on the UK Album Chart.
Critical acclaim
The NMENME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
described the album as "the album of the year" and gave the album 9/10 in a very positive review. Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
gave it 4 stars and said that it was "A rousing debut". Other magazines to give it positive reviews were given by Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
and Now Magazine
NOW (magazine)
Now is a free weekly newspaper in Toronto, Canada. It was first printed on September 10, 1981 by Michael Hollett and Alice Klein. Now is an alternative weekly mixing arts and entertainment news with political coverage....
.
In the band's biography, there is an odd description of the album.
When Richard Archer
Richard Archer
Richard John "Rich" Archer is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is the lead vocalist, guitarist, principal songwriter and main composer of indie rock band Hard-Fi. Hard-Fi have produced several top 10 hits and two #1 albums. The influence of Archer's hometown of Staines is often...
was told of this description he seemed rather confused and said, "What's a disco wig factory?"
Track listing
All tracks written by Richard ArcherRichard Archer
Richard John "Rich" Archer is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is the lead vocalist, guitarist, principal songwriter and main composer of indie rock band Hard-Fi. Hard-Fi have produced several top 10 hits and two #1 albums. The influence of Archer's hometown of Staines is often...
.
- "Cash MachineCash Machine"Cash Machine" is the debut single by English indie rock band Hard-Fi, taken from their debut album Stars of CCTV. It was originally released on 24 January 2005, where it was ineligible in the UK Singles Chart due to the inclusion of a sticker...
" — 3:42 - "Middle Eastern Holiday" — 3:44
- "Tied up too Tight" — 4:48
- "Gotta Reason" — 2:49
- "Hard to BeatHard to Beat"Hard to Beat" is the third single from indie band Hard-Fi, from their album Stars of CCTV. Despite being released as third single it was Hard-Fi's first top ten single, reaching #9 in the UK, and was released on 20 June 2005...
" — 4:13 - "Unnecessary Trouble" — 3:44
- "Move On Now" — 5:08
- "Better Do BetterBetter Do Better"Better Do Better" is the fifth single from Indie band Hard-Fi, taken from their debut album Stars of CCTV. It was released on 27 February 2006 where it reached #14 in the UK singles chart sharing a similar chart success with all the other singles released from Stars of CCTV. The video was directed...
" — 4:37 - "Feltham Is Singing Out" — 4:36
- "Living for the WeekendLiving for the Weekend"Living for the Weekend" is the fourth single from English indie band Hard-Fi, from their debut album Stars of CCTV. It was released on 5 September 2005 and peaked at #15 on the UK charts. "Living for the Weekend" was written by Hard-Fi frontman Richard Archer and has been heavily featured in a...
" — 3:42 - "Stars of CCTV" — 3:58
Mini album track listing
- "Cash MachineCash Machine"Cash Machine" is the debut single by English indie rock band Hard-Fi, taken from their debut album Stars of CCTV. It was originally released on 24 January 2005, where it was ineligible in the UK Singles Chart due to the inclusion of a sticker...
" — 3:42 - "Hard to BeatHard to Beat"Hard to Beat" is the third single from indie band Hard-Fi, from their album Stars of CCTV. Despite being released as third single it was Hard-Fi's first top ten single, reaching #9 in the UK, and was released on 20 June 2005...
" — 4:13 - "Middle Eastern Holiday" — 4:48
- "Stronger" — 3:23
- "Hard to Beat (Mix)" — 3:28
- "Gotta Reason" — 2:49
- "Feltham Is Singing Out" — 4:36
- "Move On Now" — 5:08
- "Cash MachineCash Machine"Cash Machine" is the debut single by English indie rock band Hard-Fi, taken from their debut album Stars of CCTV. It was originally released on 24 January 2005, where it was ineligible in the UK Singles Chart due to the inclusion of a sticker...
" (Wrongtom Mix) — 3:43
Bonus tracks
- "Seven Nation ArmySeven Nation Army"Seven Nation Army" is the first track on the album Elephant by American alternative rock band The White Stripes. It was released as a single in 2003. "Seven Nation Army" reached #1 on the Modern Rock Tracks for three weeks and won 2004's Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. The song is known for its...
" (White Stripes cover) (iTunes) - "Sick of it AllCash Machine"Cash Machine" is the debut single by English indie rock band Hard-Fi, taken from their debut album Stars of CCTV. It was originally released on 24 January 2005, where it was ineligible in the UK Singles Chart due to the inclusion of a sticker...
" (JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese CD, iTunes) - "StrongerHard to Beat"Hard to Beat" is the third single from indie band Hard-Fi, from their album Stars of CCTV. Despite being released as third single it was Hard-Fi's first top ten single, reaching #9 in the UK, and was released on 20 June 2005...
" (JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese CD, iTunes)
Charts
| Chart (2005–2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Top 75 | 1 |
| Ireland Albums Top 75 | 5 |
| Germany Albums Top 50 | 20 |
| World Albums Top 40 | 29 |
| Austria Albums Top 75 | 47 |
| France Albums Top 150 | 68 |
| Dutch Albums Top 100 | 91 |
| Italian Albums Top 100 | 79 |
Singles
Singles from Hard-FiHARD-Fi
Hard-Fi are an English indie rock band formed in Staines, Surrey in 2003. The band's members are Richard Archer , Ross Phillips , Kai Stephens and Steve Kemp .They achieved chart success with their third single, "Hard to Beat" and then followed by other successful singles such as...
's debut album Stars of CCTV.
Like all of the Hard-Fi releases, various formats carried subtle changes to differentiate them on the shelf, making them all collectable, such as "Hard to Beat"'s changing sky to "Living for the Weekend"'s countdown to 18:00.
The Tina mentioned on some of the sleeves formed a subplot throughout all the single releases. She later became a bit of a talking point both in the music press and on the fans forums.
| Information |
|---|
| "Cash Machine Cash Machine "Cash Machine" is the debut single by English indie rock band Hard-Fi, taken from their debut album Stars of CCTV. It was originally released on 24 January 2005, where it was ineligible in the UK Singles Chart due to the inclusion of a sticker... "
|
"Tied up too Tight"
|
| "Hard to Beat Hard to Beat "Hard to Beat" is the third single from indie band Hard-Fi, from their album Stars of CCTV. Despite being released as third single it was Hard-Fi's first top ten single, reaching #9 in the UK, and was released on 20 June 2005... " June 20, 2005 (UK) April 18, 2006 (US)
|
| "Living for the Weekend Living for the Weekend "Living for the Weekend" is the fourth single from English indie band Hard-Fi, from their debut album Stars of CCTV. It was released on 5 September 2005 and peaked at #15 on the UK charts. "Living for the Weekend" was written by Hard-Fi frontman Richard Archer and has been heavily featured in a... "
|
| "Cash Machine Cash Machine "Cash Machine" is the debut single by English indie rock band Hard-Fi, taken from their debut album Stars of CCTV. It was originally released on 24 January 2005, where it was ineligible in the UK Singles Chart due to the inclusion of a sticker... " (re-release)
|
| "Better Do Better Better Do Better "Better Do Better" is the fifth single from Indie band Hard-Fi, taken from their debut album Stars of CCTV. It was released on 27 February 2006 where it reached #14 in the UK singles chart sharing a similar chart success with all the other singles released from Stars of CCTV. The video was directed... "
|