Wikipedia

World Outside

This article is about the Psychedelic Furs album. For other uses, see The World Outside.

World Outside is the seventh studio album by the English rock band the Psychedelic Furs, released 1 July 1991 by Columbia Records in the US.[2] It includes the single "Until She Comes", which hit No. 1 on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart in September 1991.[3][4] "Don't Be a Girl" was the second single.[5]

World Outside
Studio album by
The Psychedelic Furs
Released1 July 1991[1]
Recorded1990−91
GenreAlternative rock, art rock, pop
LabelColumbia
ProducerStephen Street, the Psychedelic Furs
The Psychedelic Furs chronology
Book of Days
(1989) 		World Outside
(1991) 		Here Came the Psychedelic Furs: B Sides and Lost Grooves
(1994)

Production

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Completed in seven weeks, the album was produced by Stephen Street and the band.[6][7] Knox Chandler contributed on guitar.[8] The three core band members tried to be more open to collaborating with the additional musicians, rather than always directing how songs should be played.[9] The band started recording a week after their tour for Book of Days ended, and used few overdubs.[10][11] Singer Richard Butler constructed lyrics that were more personal than on previous albums.[12] He decided to use cello on some tracks after growing tired of employing a saxophone.[13] "All About You" was edited down from two jams that totaled 30 minutes.[14]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [2]
Calgary HeraldD[15]
Chicago Tribune    [16]
Los Angeles Times     [17]
Rolling Stone     [18]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide     [19]
St. Petersburg Times     [20]
Spin Alternative Record Guide3/10[21]

The Los Angeles Times wrote that "there is once more the bracing tension of understated melodic elegance scraping against understated musical discord."[17] The Ottawa Citizen determined that the band "maintains the most irresistible aspects of its art-rock sound including the melancholy underbelly, but it also focuses them into a commanding pop songs."[22] The Calgary Herald opined that "Richard sings wearily of romance in ruins... It's all so shoulder-shrugging boring."[15]

The Globe and Mail deemed the album "a crafty return to the edgy, intelligent rock of its earliest incarnation."[23] The Boston Globe called it "B-level pop songs."[24] The Vancouver Sun panned the "sameness in synth sounds, sameness in melodies, sameness in meter."[25] The Times concluded that "the album is leavened by a significantly keener sense of melody and somehow pulled into focus by the context of the times."[26]

The Wisconsin State Journal listed the album as one of the 10 best of 1991.[27]

Track listing

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All songs written by the Psychedelic Furs.

  1. "Valentine" – 4:47
  2. "In My Head" – 3:30
  3. "Until She Comes" – 3:50
  4. "Don't Be a Girl" – 3:46
  5. "Sometimes" – 4:14
  6. "Tearing Down" – 5:22
  7. "There's a World" – 4:45
  8. "Get a Room" – 3:45
  9. "Better Days" – 4:32
  10. "All About You" – 4:01

Personnel

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The Psychedelic Furs

Additional personnel

Charts

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Chart (1991) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA Charts)[28] 108
UK Albums Chart[29] 68

References

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  1. ^ "New Releases: Albums" (PDF). Music Week. 29 June 1991. p. 12. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  2. ^ a b "World Outside overview". allmusic.com. Retrieved 6 April 2009.
  3. ^ Burliuk, Greg (3 October 1991). "World Outside The Psychedelic Furs". Entertainment. The Kingston Whig-Standard. p. 1.
  4. ^ "'Until She Comes' - Chart History". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media, Inc.). Retrieved 31 January 2010.
  5. ^ Eichenberger, Bill (12 December 1991). "Psychedelic Furs Back in Form". Features. The Columbus Dispatch. p. 88.
  6. ^ Fox, Barry (2 March 1992). "Psychedelic Furs fly high". The Patriot-News. p. C5.
  7. ^ "World Outside by The Psychedelic Furs". Billboard. Vol. 103, no. 33. 17 August 1991. p. 68.
  8. ^ Shaw, Norman S. (6 September 1991). "P-Furs' new disc is strong effort". The Indianapolis Star. p. C7.
  9. ^ Blackstock, Peter (5 November 1991). "Furs' unearth identity". Austin American-Statesman. p. D6.
  10. ^ Sigworth, David (6 December 1991). "Furs brush off past instabilities". Weekend Guide. New Haven Register. p. 37.
  11. ^ Considine, J.D. (5 March 1992). "Psychedelic Furs restore a raw edge to their music". The Baltimore Sun. p. 1G.
  12. ^ Harrison, Tom (14 February 1992). "Psychedelic Furs on heartfelt tour". The Province. p. C25.
  13. ^ Harris, Paul A. (7 November 1991). "A Solid Core Makes Fur Fly Psychedelically". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 1E.
  14. ^ Mitchell, Justin (16 February 1992). "Psychedelic Furs Stripped to the Skin". Weekend. Rocky Mountain News. p. 138.
  15. ^ a b Muretich, James (1 September 1991). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald. p. D7.
  16. ^ Heim, Chris (31 October 1991). "Recordings". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 7.
  17. ^ a b Hochman, Steve (25 August 1991). "Record Rack". Los Angeles Times. Calendar. p. 67.
  18. ^ "The Psychedelic Furs: World Outside : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 15 June 2009.
  19. ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 565.
  20. ^ Jacks, Jeff (4 October 1991). "The Psychedelic Furs World Outside". Weekend. St. Petersburg Times. p. 26.
  21. ^ Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. pp. 313–314.
  22. ^ Erskine, Evelyn (31 August 1991). "The Psychedelic Furs World Outside". Ottawa Citizen. p. F3.
  23. ^ "World Outside, The Psychedelic Furs". The Globe and Mail. 5 September 1991. p. C1.
  24. ^ Sullivan, Jim (6 September 1991). "Psychedelic Furs' surprise show turns into a yawner". Arts & Film. The Boston Globe. p. 26.
  25. ^ Potter, Greg (14 September 1991). "Pop/Rock". Vancouver Sun. p. D23.
  26. ^ Sinclair, David (28 June 1991). "Melancholia sounds modern". Features. The Times.
  27. ^ Kovalic, John (8 December 1991). "Holiday's Best Bets in Music". Wisconsin State Journal. p. 1I.
  28. ^ "Bubbling Down Under Week Commencing 12 August 1991". Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  29. ^ "Psychedelic Furs". Official Charts. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
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