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Lovesongs for Underdogs

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Lovesongs for Underdogs
Studio album by
Tanya Donelly
ReleasedSeptember 8, 1997 (1997-09-08)
Studio
GenreAlternative rock
Length45:04
Label
Producer
Tanya Donelly chronology
Lovesongs for Underdogs
(1997) 		Beautysleep
(2002)
Singles from Lovesongs for Underdogs
  1. "Pretty Deep"
    Released: August 18, 1997
  2. "The Bright Light"
    Released: November 24, 1997

Lovesongs for Underdogs is the solo debut album by American musician Tanya Donelly, who had formerly recorded with Throwing Muses, The Breeders, and Belly. It was released on September 8, 1997 and issued by 4AD and Sire Records.

Release[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Entertainment WeeklyB[2]
The Guardian[3]
Los Angeles Times[4]
NME4/10[5]
Pitchfork8.9/10[6]
Q[7]
Rolling Stone[8]
Select4/5[9]
Uncut[10]

Lovesongs for Underdogs was released by Donelly's European label 4AD on September 8, 1997,[11] while Sire Records issued the album in the United States the following day.[12] It peaked at number 36 on the UK Albums Chart upon its release.[13]

Two singles were released from Lovesongs for Underdogs: "Pretty Deep" on August 18, 1997,[14] and "The Bright Light" on November 24, 1997.[15] Both singles were issued in CD format in two parts,[14][15] each including two newly-released B-sides. "Pretty Deep" featured "Spaghetti", "Morna", "These Days", and "Influenza",[16] while "The Bright Light" featured "Bury My Heart", "How Can You Sleep", "Life on Sirius", and "Moon Over Boston".[17] "Pretty Deep" and "The Bright Light" peaked at numbers 55 and 64 respectively on the UK Singles Chart.[18] A music video for each single was produced and aired on VH1 and MTV2. Both videos differed highly in creative and artistic direction from previous Belly videos and exclusively featured Donelly solo, in movie-like settings.

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by Tanya Donelly, except where noted.

  1. "Pretty Deep" – 4:22
  2. "The Bright Light" – 3:21
  3. "Landspeed Song" – 3:34
  4. "Mysteries of the Unexplained" – 4:52
  5. "Lantern" – 3:10
  6. "Acrobat" (Donelly, Dean Fisher) – 3:30
  7. "Breathe Around You" – 2:56
  8. "Bum" – 3:09
  9. "Clipped" – 4:01
  10. "Goat Girl" – 2:16
  11. "Manna" – 5:26
  12. "Swoon" – 4:27

Personnel[edit]

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[19]

Musicians

Production

  • Tanya Donelly – production
  • Matthew Ellard – engineering
  • Wally Gagel – production, engineering, mixing
  • Jesse Henderson – engineering (assistant)
  • Suzanne Kapa – engineering (assistant)
  • Dave Kirkpatrick – engineering (assistant)
  • Paul Q. Kolderie – mixing
  • Brian Lee – mastering
  • Dan McLoughlin – engineering
  • Carl Plaster – drum technician
  • Sean Slade – mixing
  • Gary Smith – production
  • Kelly Wohlford – engineering (assistant)

Design

Charts[edit]

Chart (1997) Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC)[20] 54
UK Albums (OCC)[13] 36
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[21] 7
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[22] 20

References[edit]

  1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Lovesongs for Underdogs – Tanya Donelly". AllMusic. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  2. ^ Kim, Wook (September 19, 1997). "Lovesongs for Underdogs". Entertainment Weekly. No. 397. p. 85. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  3. ^ Sullivan, Caroline (September 12, 1997). "Tanya Donelly: Lovesongs for Underdogs (4AD)". The Guardian.
  4. ^ Scribner, Sara (September 14, 1997). "Tanya Donelly, 'Lovesongs for Underdogs,' Reprise". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 10, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  5. ^ Wirth, Jim (September 13, 1997). "Tanya Donelly – Lovesongs For Underdogs". NME. Archived from the original on July 11, 2000. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  6. ^ Schreiber, Ryan. "Tanya Donelly: Lovesongs For Underdogs". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on April 13, 2000. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  7. ^ Henderson, Dave (September 1997). "Tanya Donelly: Lovesongs for Underdogs". Q. No. 132.
  8. ^ Chonin, Neva (September 4, 1997). "Tanya Donelly: Lovesongs for Underdogs". Rolling Stone. No. 768. p. 68.
  9. ^ Manning, Sarra (October 1997). "Tanya Donelly: Lovesongs for Underdogs". Select. No. 88.
  10. ^ Roberts, Chris (October 1997). "Tanya Donelly: Lovesongs for Underdogs". Uncut. No. 5. p. 77.
  11. ^ Sexton, Paul (August 30, 1997). "Underdog Donelly strikes out" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 14, no. 35. p. 11. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  12. ^ Morris, Chris (August 16, 1997). "Reprise Looks to Donelly's Past in Touting Solo Debut". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 33. pp. 11, 89. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  13. ^ a b "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  14. ^ a b "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. August 16, 1997. p. 35. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  15. ^ a b "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. November 22, 1997. p. 37. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  16. ^ "Tanya Donelly: 'Pretty Deep'". 4AD. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  17. ^ "Tanya Donelly: 'The Bright Light'". 4AD. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  18. ^ "Tanya Donelly". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  19. ^ Lovesongs for Underdogs (liner notes). Tanya Donelly. 4AD. 1997. CAD 7008 CD.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  20. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  21. ^ "Independent Albums" (PDF). Music Week. September 27, 1997. p. 24. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  22. ^ "Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. September 27, 1997. Retrieved June 26, 2024.

External links[edit]

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