Put The Needle On The Record - Week #35

Put The Needle On The Record Week #35 Blancmange - Happy Families

For this weeks feature we go back to September 1982 and the Blancmange album "Happy Familes".

This was the bands debut album and I first came across Blancmange via the "Some Bizarre Album" compilation that featured the brilliant "Sad Day", incidently the Some Bizarre album also included unknown acts at the time, Depeche Mode, B-Movie, Soft Cell and The The. They soon got signed to London Records and released the double A side "I've Seen The Word" (one of my top 3 favourite Blancmange tracks) and God's Kitchen (a track I have never liked and baffled why it was released as a single). The album has aged well and is still an album I enjoy listening too. Why later re-issues have the orchestrated version of "Waves" rather than the original version baffles me, the original is miles better. At the time of release the album received mixed reviews and, for me, it is an essential 80s album. One thing is for sure it was a unique sounding album.

I can't recall where I bought this album from, but I do remember the DJ and the Rotters Club in Manchester playing a promo of the new version of "Waves" as part of his set!

The album featured 4 singles, "I've Seen The Word"/"God's Kitchen" (which reached number 65 in the UK Singles chart), "Feel Me" (which reached number 46 in the UK Singles chart), "Living On The Ceiling", their biggest hit (which reached number 7 in the UK Singles chart) and "Waves" (which reached number 19 in the UK Singles Chart).

The album reached number 30 in the UK Album Chart.

Track Listing

I Can't Explain
Feel Me
I've Seen The Word
Wasted
Living On The Ceiling
Waves
Kind
Sad Day
Cruel
God's Kitchen

If you have this album in your collection, dig it out and give it a spin!