Under The Sun
Encyclopedia
Under the Sun is the second album by Australian rock
group Paul Kelly & The Coloured Girls
and was originally released in December 1987 by Mushroom Records
. In the North American and European markets, it was released by A&M Records
in 1988 with the band credited as Paul Kelly & The Messengers, with a different track order and listing.
On the Australian albums charts it peaked at #19 with the single "To Her Door
" peaking at #14. Another single, "Dumb Things" peaked at #36 in early 1989, on the Australian Recording Industry Association
(ARIA) singles charts; it reached #16 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart
. The song was included in the soundtrack for the 1988 Yahoo Serious
film Young Einstein
.
"To Her Door" won an ARIA Award
in 1988 for 'Best Video' directed by Claudia Castle. In 2001, the Australasian Performing Rights Association (APRA) listed the Top 30 Australian songs
of all time, including "To Her Door" written by Kelly.
to Sydney
in 1985, Paul Kelly began to play and record with a full-time band, which included Michael Armiger on bass guitar
, Michael Barclay on drums
, Steve Connolly on guitar, eventually bassist Jon Schofield, and keyboardist
Peter Bull joined. Through a joke based on Lou Reed
's song "Walk on the Wild Side", the band became known as Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls. In September 1986 the band released their debut double LP Gossip. Due to possible racist connotations the band changed its name, for international releases, to Paul Kelly and the Messengers. They made an American tour, initially supporting Crowded House
and then head-lining, travelling across the United States by bus. Jon Schofield replaced Armiger on bass guitar, Chris Coyne on tenor saxophone
and Chris Wilson on harmonica
On the Australian albums charts it peaked at #19 with the single "To Her Door" peaking at #14. First single from the album, "Bradman" had been released in January 1987 as a double-A side with "Leaps and Bounds" from Gossip but had little chart success. The third and fourth singles, "Forty Miles to Saturday Night" and "Don't Stand So Close to the Window" also had little chart success. Another single, "Dumb Things" peaked at #36 in early 1989, on the Australian Recording Industry Association
(ARIA) singles charts; it reached #16 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart
. The song was included in the soundtrack for the 1988 Yahoo Serious
film Young Einstein
.
In 1988, "To Her Door" won an ARIA Award
for 'Best Video' directed by Claudia Castle. In 2001, the Australasian Performing Rights Association (APRA) listed the Top 30 Australian songs
of all time, including "To Her Door" written by Kelly.
Original Australian LP/MC release
Bonus tracks for Australian CD release
North American/European release
(^^) The European release featured slightly different mixes of these tracks.
Additional musicians
Recording details
Art work
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
group Paul Kelly & The Coloured Girls
Paul Kelly (musician)
Paul Maurice Kelly is an Australian rock music singer-songwriter, guitarist, and harmonica player. He has performed solo, and has led numerous groups, including the Dots, the Coloured Girls, and the Messengers. He has worked with other artists and groups, including associated projects Professor...
and was originally released in December 1987 by Mushroom Records
Mushroom Records
Mushroom Records is an Australian recoJrd company formed by Michael Gudinski and Ray Evans in Melbourne in 1972. After its sale in 1998, it merged into Festival Mushroom Records. From 2005 to 2009, it is one of the record labels operated by Warner Bros...
. In the North American and European markets, it was released by A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
in 1988 with the band credited as Paul Kelly & The Messengers, with a different track order and listing.
On the Australian albums charts it peaked at #19 with the single "To Her Door
To Her Door
"To Her Door" was the first single released by Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls ahead of their second album, Under the Sun...
" peaking at #14. Another single, "Dumb Things" peaked at #36 in early 1989, on the Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
(ARIA) singles charts; it reached #16 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart
Modern Rock Tracks
Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs...
. The song was included in the soundtrack for the 1988 Yahoo Serious
Yahoo Serious
Yahoo Serious , born Greg Pead , is an Australian film actor, director and score composer. He is best known for his 1988 comedy Young Einstein. He also created Reckless Kelly in 1993 and Mr. Accident in 2000...
film Young Einstein
Young Einstein
Young Einstein is an Australian comedy film directed by and starring Yahoo Serious, released in 1988.-Plot:Albert Einstein, the son of an apple farmer in Tasmania in the early 1900s, splits a beer atom with a chisel in order to add bubbles to beer, discovers the theory of relativity and travels to...
.
"To Her Door" won an ARIA Award
ARIA Music Awards of 1988
The Second Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards was held on 29 March 1988 at the Sheraton Wentworth Hotel in Sydney. Cliff Richard was the host, with Bryan Ferry, Feargal Sharkey and Ian "Molly" Meldrum included as presenters of the 21 awards...
in 1988 for 'Best Video' directed by Claudia Castle. In 2001, the Australasian Performing Rights Association (APRA) listed the Top 30 Australian songs
APRA Top 30 Australian songs
APRA's Top 30 Australian songs between 1926 and 2001 was a list created by the Australasian Performing Right Association to celebrate its 75th anniversary...
of all time, including "To Her Door" written by Kelly.
Background
After relocating from MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
in 1985, Paul Kelly began to play and record with a full-time band, which included Michael Armiger on bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, Michael Barclay on drums
Drum kit
A 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 ....
, Steve Connolly on guitar, eventually bassist Jon Schofield, and keyboardist
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
Peter Bull joined. Through a joke based on Lou Reed
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...
's song "Walk on the Wild Side", the band became known as Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls. In September 1986 the band released their debut double LP Gossip. Due to possible racist connotations the band changed its name, for international releases, to Paul Kelly and the Messengers. They made an American tour, initially supporting Crowded House
Crowded House
Crowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne, Australia and led by New Zealand singer-songwriter Neil Finn. Finn is the primary songwriter and creative director of the band, having led it through several incarnations, drawing members from New Zealand , Australia and the United States...
and then head-lining, travelling across the United States by bus. Jon Schofield replaced Armiger on bass guitar, Chris Coyne on tenor saxophone
Tenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
and Chris Wilson on harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
On the Australian albums charts it peaked at #19 with the single "To Her Door" peaking at #14. First single from the album, "Bradman" had been released in January 1987 as a double-A side with "Leaps and Bounds" from Gossip but had little chart success. The third and fourth singles, "Forty Miles to Saturday Night" and "Don't Stand So Close to the Window" also had little chart success. Another single, "Dumb Things" peaked at #36 in early 1989, on the Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
(ARIA) singles charts; it reached #16 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart
Modern Rock Tracks
Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs...
. The song was included in the soundtrack for the 1988 Yahoo Serious
Yahoo Serious
Yahoo Serious , born Greg Pead , is an Australian film actor, director and score composer. He is best known for his 1988 comedy Young Einstein. He also created Reckless Kelly in 1993 and Mr. Accident in 2000...
film Young Einstein
Young Einstein
Young Einstein is an Australian comedy film directed by and starring Yahoo Serious, released in 1988.-Plot:Albert Einstein, the son of an apple farmer in Tasmania in the early 1900s, splits a beer atom with a chisel in order to add bubbles to beer, discovers the theory of relativity and travels to...
.
In 1988, "To Her Door" won an ARIA Award
ARIA Music Awards of 1988
The Second Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards was held on 29 March 1988 at the Sheraton Wentworth Hotel in Sydney. Cliff Richard was the host, with Bryan Ferry, Feargal Sharkey and Ian "Molly" Meldrum included as presenters of the 21 awards...
for 'Best Video' directed by Claudia Castle. In 2001, the Australasian Performing Rights Association (APRA) listed the Top 30 Australian songs
APRA Top 30 Australian songs
APRA's Top 30 Australian songs between 1926 and 2001 was a list created by the Australasian Performing Right Association to celebrate its 75th anniversary...
of all time, including "To Her Door" written by Kelly.
Track listing
All tracks written by Paul Kelly unless otherwise indicated.Original Australian LP/MC release
- "Dumb Things" (aka "I've Done all the Dumb Things) - 2:31
- "Same Old Walk" - 4:08
- "Big Heart" - 3:22
- "Don't Stand So Close to the Window" (Paul Kelly, A McGregor) - 2:35
- "Forty Miles to Saturday Night" - 3:11
- "I Don't Remember a Thing" - 2:04
- "Know Your Friends" - 3:37
- "To Her DoorTo Her Door"To Her Door" was the first single released by Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls ahead of their second album, Under the Sun...
" - 3:18 - "Under the Sun" - 4:18
- "Untouchable" - 2:04
- "Desdemona" - 2:07
- "Happy Slave" - 3:46
- "Crosstown" - 2:30
- "Bicentennial" - 3:04
Bonus tracks for Australian CD release
- "Bradman" - 7:26
- "Pastures of Plenty" (Woody GuthrieWoody GuthrieWoodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie is best known as an American singer-songwriter and folk musician, whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children's songs, ballads and improvised works. He frequently performed with the slogan This Machine Kills Fascists displayed on his...
) - 2:26
North American/European release
- "Dumb Things" - 2:31 ^^
- "Same Old Walk" - 4:08
- "Big Heart" - 3:22
- "Don't Stand So Close to the Window" (Paul Kelly, A McGregor) - 2:35
- "Forty Miles to Saturday Night" - 3:11 ^^
- "Untouchable" - 2:04
- "Know Your Friends" - 3:37
- "To Her Door" - 3:18 ^^
- "Under the Sun" - 4:18
- "Desdemona" - 2:07
- "Happy Slave" - 3:46
- "Crosstown" - 2:30
- "Little Decisions" - 2:25
- "Bicentennial" - 3:04
(^^) The European release featured slightly different mixes of these tracks.
Chart positions and releases
| Year | Chart | Peak |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Australian Albums Chart Kent Music Report Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998... |
19 |
| Format | Country | Label | Catalogue No. | Year |
| LP | AUS | Mushroom | RML 53248 | 1987 |
| CD | AUS | Mushroom | MUSH32281.2 | 1987 |
| Cassette | AUS | Mushroom | RMC53248 | 1987 |
| LP | USA | A&M Records | SP 5157 | 1988 |
| CD | USA | A&M | CD 5207 | 1988 |
| CD | Germany | A&M | 396979-1 | 1988 |
| CD | AUS | Mushroom/White | MUSH322812 | 1997 |
Personnel
Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls- Paul Kelly — acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
, vocals - Michael Barclay — 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 ....
, vocals - Peter Bull — keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
- Steve Connolly — guitar (electricElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
), vocals - Chris Coyne — saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
(tenorTenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
) - John Schofield — bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Chris Wilson — harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
, vocals, saxophone (baritoneBaritone saxophoneThe baritone saxophone, often called "bari sax" , is one of the largest and lowest pitched members of the saxophone family. It was invented by Adolphe Sax. The baritone is distinguished from smaller sizes of saxophone by the extra loop near its mouthpiece...
)
Additional musicians
- Jessica Kenny — vocals
- Joe CamilleriJoe CamilleriJoseph Vincent "Joe" Camilleri, aka Jo Jo Zep or Joey Vincent, is an Australian vocalist, songwriter and saxophonist. Camilleri has recorded as a solo artist and as a member of Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons and The Black Sorrows...
— saxophone (tenor) - Steve Miller — whistleWhistleA whistle or call is a simple aerophone, an instrument which produces sound from a stream of forced air. It may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means...
(humanWhistlingHuman whistling is the production of sound by means of carefully controlling a stream of air flowing through a small hole. Whistling can be achieved by creating a small opening with one's lips and then blowing or sucking air through the hole...
) - Lucky OceansLucky OceansLucky Oceans is a pedal steel guitarist and a former member of Country/Western Swing band Asleep at the Wheel. He is now a broadcaster in Perth, Western Australia with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
— guitar (steelPedal steel guitarThe pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"...
) - Ian Simpson — banjoBanjoIn the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
Recording details
- Producer — Alan Thorne, Paul Kelly
- Engineer — Alan Thorne
- Assistant engineer — Kathy Naunton
- Recording & mixing studio — Alberts and Trafalgar Studios
Art work
- Design — Melanie Nissen
- Photography — Francine McDougall (cover photo), Isabel Snyder