The People Who Grinned Themselves To Death by The Housemartins - DeepRiffs

ALBUM

Comparisons to the Smiths are essentially irrelevant by the point of the Housemartins' underrated sophomore effort -- the melodies and arrangements move away from the upbeat guitar pop shimmer of London 0, Hull 4 to further explore the group's fascination with Motown and gospel, while P.D. Heaton's lyrics articulate a leftist anger and scathing social commentary the likes of which Morrissey's insularly personal lyrics only hint at. (Equally noteworthy is the defiantly British outlook of Heaton's songs -- it's virtually impossible from an American standpoint to fully comprehend the sheer vitriol against the Queen espoused on the title cut, and lyrical snippets like "How come you wear Rupert Check when you think you're so hard?" and "Welcome to the new Scalextric's breed" are likely impenetrable to all but the hardiest Anglophiles.) There's some filler here -- "We're Not Going Back" and "You Better Be Doubtful" simply go through the motions, and the instrumental "Pirate Aggro" seems at best an afterthought -- but the peaks of The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death are glorious. In hindsight, however, it's obvious that the Housemartins had already run their course -- with its alternating lead vocals from Heaton and drummer Dave Hemingway, the achingly lovely piano ballad closer "Build" forecasts the twosome's continued collaboration in the Beautiful South, while the subtle yet soulful bass work of Norman Cook throughout the record anticipates the funk direction of his subsequent Beats International project.
© Jason Ankeny /TiVo

1. The People Who Grinned Themselves To Death

by The Housemartins

Bass Guitar: Norman Cook; Performer
Primary Artist: The Housemartins; Main Performer
Bass Guitar: Norman Cook; Performer
Drums: Hugh Whitaker; Performer
Guitar: Stan Cullimore
Paul Heaton; Performer
Performer: Hugh Whitaker
Stan Cullimore
Paul Heaton
Norman Cook; Performer
Vocals: Paul Heaton; Performer
Composer: Ian Peter Cullimore
Paul Heaton; Composer
Lyricist: Paul Heaton
Ian Peter Cullimore; Composer
Engineer: Phil Bodger; Production
Producer: John Williams; Production
Studio Personnel: Phil Bodger; Production
Additional Vocals: Stan Cullimore
Norman Cook
Hugh Whitaker; Other
Composer Lyricist: Paul Heaton
Ian Peter Cullimore; Other

2. I Can't Put My Finger On It

by The Housemartins

Primary Artist: The Housemartins; Main Performer
Composer: Paul Heaton
Ian Peter Cullimore; Composer
Lyricist: Ian Peter Cullimore
Paul Heaton; Composer
Producer: The Housemartins
John Williams; Production
Composer Lyricist: Paul Heaton
Ian Peter Cullimore; Other

3. The Light Is Always Green

by The Housemartins

Primary Artist: The Housemartins; Main Performer
Composer: Paul Heaton
Ian Peter Cullimore; Composer
Lyricist: Ian Peter Cullimore
Paul Heaton; Composer
Producer: The Housemartins
John Williams; Production
Composer Lyricist: Paul Heaton
Ian Peter Cullimore; Other

4. The World's On Fire

by The Housemartins

Primary Artist: The Housemartins; Main Performer
Composer: Paul Heaton
Ian Peter Cullimore; Composer
Lyricist: Ian Peter Cullimore
Paul Heaton; Composer
Producer: The Housemartins
John Williams; Production
Composer Lyricist: Paul Heaton
Ian Peter Cullimore; Other

5. Pirate Aggro

by The Housemartins

Composer: Paul Heaton
Ian Peter Cullimore; Composer
Primary Artist: The Housemartins; Main Performer
Producer: John Williams
The Housemartins; Production

6. We're Not Going Back

by The Housemartins

Primary Artist: The Housemartins; Main Performer
Composer: Paul Heaton
Ian Peter Cullimore; Composer
Lyricist: Ian Peter Cullimore
Paul Heaton; Composer
Producer: The Housemartins
John Williams; Production
Composer Lyricist: Paul Heaton
Ian Peter Cullimore; Other

7. Me And The Farmer

by The Housemartins

Primary Artist: The Housemartins; Main Performer
Bass: Norman Cook; Performer
Bass (vocal): Norman Cook; Performer
Guitar: Stan Cullimore; Performer
Performer: Stan Cullimore
Paul Heaton
Norman Cook; Performer
Vocals: Paul Heaton; Performer
Composer: Paul Heaton
Ian Peter Cullimore; Composer
Lyricist: Paul Heaton
Ian Peter Cullimore; Composer
Producer: John Williams
The Housemartins; Production
Composer Lyricist: Paul Heaton
Ian Peter Cullimore; Other

8. Five Get Over Excited

by The Housemartins

Primary Artist: The Housemartins; Main Performer
Composer: Paul Heaton
Ian Peter Cullimore; Composer
Lyricist: Ian Peter Cullimore
Paul Heaton; Composer
Producer: The Housemartins
John Williams; Production
Composer Lyricist: Paul Heaton
Ian Peter Cullimore; Other

9. Johannesburg

by The Housemartins

Primary Artist: The Housemartins; Main Performer
Composer: Paul Heaton
Ian Peter Cullimore; Composer
Lyricist: Ian Peter Cullimore
Paul Heaton; Composer
Producer: The Housemartins
John Williams; Production
Composer Lyricist: Paul Heaton
Ian Peter Cullimore; Other

10. Bow Down

by The Housemartins

Primary Artist: The Housemartins; Main Performer
Composer: Paul Heaton
Ian Peter Cullimore; Composer
Lyricist: Ian Peter Cullimore
Paul Heaton; Composer
Producer: The Housemartins
John Williams; Production
Composer Lyricist: Paul Heaton
Ian Peter Cullimore; Other

11. You Better Be Doubtful

by The Housemartins

Primary Artist: The Housemartins; Main Performer
Composer: Paul Heaton
Ian Peter Cullimore; Composer
Lyricist: Ian Peter Cullimore
Paul Heaton; Composer
Producer: The Housemartins
John Williams; Production
Composer Lyricist: Paul Heaton
Ian Peter Cullimore; Other

12. Build

by The Housemartins

Primary Artist: The Housemartins; Main Performer
Composer: Paul Heaton
Ian Peter Cullimore; Composer
Lyricist: Ian Peter Cullimore
Paul Heaton; Composer
Producer: The Housemartins
John Williams; Production
Composer Lyricist: Paul Heaton
Ian Peter Cullimore; Other

Technical Specifications

Volume

1 volume only

Tracks

12 tracks available

Type

ALBUM

Format

Digital Media

Duration

37 minutes and 18 seconds

Explicit

None

Coverart

Available and up to 1423x1423 px

Booklet

Not available

Max Quality

CD Quality (Lossless)

16bit / 44.1 kHz

Stereo

Audio Extension

Lossless: FLAC, M4A, WAV, WV, AIFF

Lossy: AAC, MP3, M4A, MP4, OGA, OGG, OPUS, WMA

Archive Format

Available in these formats: ZIP, TAR, RAR

Lyrics

11/12 tracks have lyrics

Synchronized Lyrics

11/12 tracks have synced lyrics

Genres

Pop/Rock, Adult Alternative, Alternative, College Rock, Jangle Pop

Label

Virgin EMI

Music Distribution Service

UMG Global

Country

United Kingdom

Language

English (United States)

Popularity

Release Date

Dec 31, 1986

Track Preview

Available

Delivery Charge

Free

Delivery Method

Digital download link via Email or Personal Dashboard on this site

UPC

42282833129