Gossip (album)
Encyclopedia
Gossip is the double LP debut album by Australian rock
group Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls
. Produced by Alan Thorne and Paul Kelly, it was released on Mushroom Records
in September 1986, which peaked at No. 15 on the Australian Kent Music Report
Albums Chart, and achieved gold record status. There was commercial success for "Before Too Long
" which peaked at No. 15 and "Darling It Hurts
" reached No. 25 on the related Singles Chart. Gossip was released in different forms, initially as a double album with 24 tracks, it was edited down to a single 15-track LP for North American and European release on A&M Records
, when released on CD in North America, it featured 17 tracks.
Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls had been named for a lyric in Lou Reed
's song "Walk on the Wild Side", but all North American and European releases were credited to Paul Kelly and the Messengers due to possible racist interpretations. "Darling It Hurts" peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart
in 1987. The initial 1987 Australian CD release contained 21 tracks; in 2005, a special deluxe 2-CD version was released in Australia which contained all 24 tracks. In October 2010, it was listed at No. 7 in the book, 100 Best Australian Albums
.
to Sydney
in 1985, Paul Kelly had recorded and released a solo album Post
. Kelly then 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. Their first release was "From St. Kilda to King's Cross" but it did not chart. The line-up of the Coloured Girls changed rapidly with some stability late in 1985 as Barclay, Bull, Connolly and Schofield. Stuart Coupe, Kelly's manager, advised him to sign with Regular Records due to difficulty re-signing with Mushroom's Michael Gudinski
. Michelle Higgins, Mushroom's Public relations officer
, was a Kelly supporter and locked herself into a Sebel Townhouse Hotel
room for nearly a week in mid-1986, refusing to leave until Gudinski had signed Kelly to a two-album recording contract.
In September 1986 Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls released the 24-track double LP Gossip. The album included remakes of songs from Post and also featured "Maralinga (Rainy Land)", a song about the effects of British atomic testing
on the Maralinga Tjarutja
– indigenous people of Maralinga
, South Australia
. Gossip peaked at No. 15 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Charts, with singles chart success for "Before Too Long
" which peaked at No. 15 and "Darling It Hurts" reaching No. 25. A single LP version of Gossip featuring 15 tracks was released in North America and Europe by A&M Records
in July, 1987. 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. "Darling It Hurts" peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart
in 1987. The New York Times
rock critic, John Pareles wrote "Mr. Kelly sang one smart, catchy three-minute song after another - dozens of them - as the band played with no-frills directness." following the band's performance at the Bottom Line Club in New York.
^^ = previously recorded on Kelly's 1985 solo release, Post
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 and 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...
. Produced by Alan Thorne and Paul Kelly, it was released on 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 September 1986, which peaked at No. 15 on the Australian 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...
Albums Chart, and achieved gold record status. There was commercial success for "Before Too Long
Before Too Long
"Before Too Long" was the first single released by Australian rock group Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls from their debut double album, Gossip. The single was released in June 1986 on the original White Label Records, a subsidiary of Mushroom Records. It reached No. 15 on the Australian Kent...
" which peaked at No. 15 and "Darling It Hurts
Darling It Hurts
"Darling It Hurts" was the second single by Australian rock group Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls released in September 1986 from their debut double album, Gossip. The song, written by Kelly with lead guitarist, Steve Connolly, reached No. 25 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart...
" reached No. 25 on the related Singles Chart. Gossip was released in different forms, initially as a double album with 24 tracks, it was edited down to a single 15-track LP for North American and European release on 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:...
, when released on CD in North America, it featured 17 tracks.
Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls had been named for a lyric in 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", but all North American and European releases were credited to Paul Kelly and the Messengers due to possible racist interpretations. "Darling It Hurts" peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart
Mainstream Rock Tracks
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock tracks are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981, issue...
in 1987. The initial 1987 Australian CD release contained 21 tracks; in 2005, a special deluxe 2-CD version was released in Australia which contained all 24 tracks. In October 2010, it was listed at No. 7 in the book, 100 Best Australian Albums
100 Best Australian Albums
100 Best Australian Albums is a compendium of rock and pop albums of the past 50 years as compiled by music journalists Toby Creswell, Craig Mathieson and John O'Donnell. The book was published on 25 October 2010 by Hardie Grant Books...
.
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 had recorded and released a solo album Post
Post (Paul Kelly album)
Post is the first solo album by Australian singer-songwriter rock musician, Paul Kelly. Kelly had moved to Sydney by January 1985, after leaving his Melbourne-based Paul Kelly Band and the breakup of his marriage to Hilary Brown....
. Kelly then 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. Their first release was "From St. Kilda to King's Cross" but it did not chart. The line-up of the Coloured Girls changed rapidly with some stability late in 1985 as Barclay, Bull, Connolly and Schofield. Stuart Coupe, Kelly's manager, advised him to sign with Regular Records due to difficulty re-signing with Mushroom's Michael Gudinski
Michael Gudinski
Michael Solomon Gudinski, AM is an Australian entrepreneur and businessman currently based in Melbourne who is a leading figure in the Australian music industry...
. Michelle Higgins, Mushroom's Public relations officer
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
, was a Kelly supporter and locked herself into a Sebel Townhouse Hotel
Sebel Townhouse Hotel
The Sebel Townhouse Hotel was a hotel in Elizabeth Bay, Australia. It was constructed in 1963 by furniture salesman Harry Sebel. It began as a small European styled family hotel and formed part of the tourist precinct in and around Kings Cross....
room for nearly a week in mid-1986, refusing to leave until Gudinski had signed Kelly to a two-album recording contract.
In September 1986 Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls released the 24-track double LP Gossip. The album included remakes of songs from Post and also featured "Maralinga (Rainy Land)", a song about the effects of British atomic testing
British nuclear tests at Maralinga
British nuclear tests at Maralinga occurred between 1955 and 1963 at the Maralinga site, part of the Woomera Prohibited Area, in South Australia. A total of seven major nuclear tests were performed, with approximate yields ranging from 1 to 27 kilotons of TNT equivalent...
on the Maralinga Tjarutja
Maralinga Tjarutja
The Maralinga Tjarutja are the Indigenous Australian people who traditionally inhabit the remote western areas of South Australia. They are a Southern Pitjantjatjara people.The lands of the Maralinga Tjarutja bear their own name...
– indigenous people of Maralinga
Maralinga, South Australia
Maralinga, South Australia in the remote western areas of South Australia was the home of the Maralinga Tjarutja, a southern Pitjantjatjara Indigenous Australian people. Maralinga was the site of the secret British nuclear tests in the 1950s. The site measures about 3,300 km² in area...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. Gossip peaked at No. 15 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Charts, with singles chart success for "Before Too Long
Before Too Long
"Before Too Long" was the first single released by Australian rock group Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls from their debut double album, Gossip. The single was released in June 1986 on the original White Label Records, a subsidiary of Mushroom Records. It reached No. 15 on the Australian Kent...
" which peaked at No. 15 and "Darling It Hurts" reaching No. 25. A single LP version of Gossip featuring 15 tracks was released in North America and Europe 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 July, 1987. 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. "Darling It Hurts" peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart
Mainstream Rock Tracks
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock tracks are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981, issue...
in 1987. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
rock critic, John Pareles wrote "Mr. Kelly sang one smart, catchy three-minute song after another - dozens of them - as the band played with no-frills directness." following the band's performance at the Bottom Line Club in New York.
Track listing
All tracks written by Paul Kelly unless otherwise indicated.- "Last Train to Heaven" - 4:51
- "Leaps and Bounds" (Paul Kelly, Chris Langman) - 3:25
- "Before the Old Man Died" - 2:35 Remixed by Scott LittScott LittScott Litt is an American record producer who mostly works with artists in the alternative rock genre and is best known for producing six R.E.M. albums.-Biography:...
for North American issues - "Down on My Speedway" - 3:25
- "White Train" - 2:47^^
- "Randwick Bells" - 3:38
- "Before Too LongBefore Too Long"Before Too Long" was the first single released by Australian rock group Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls from their debut double album, Gossip. The single was released in June 1986 on the original White Label Records, a subsidiary of Mushroom Records. It reached No. 15 on the Australian Kent...
" - 3:24 - "Adelaide" - 3:39^^ Omitted from North American LP and CD issues
- "I Won't Be Torn Apart" - 2:51 Omitted from North American LP issue
- "Going About My Father's Business" - 3:34 Omitted from North American LP issue
- "Somebody's Forgetting Somebody (Somebody's Letting Somebody Down)" - 3:41
- "The Ballroom" - 2:02 Omitted from North American LP and CD issues
- "Tighten Up" - 2:57 Remixed by Scott LittScott LittScott Litt is an American record producer who mostly works with artists in the alternative rock genre and is best known for producing six R.E.M. albums.-Biography:...
for North American issues - "I've Come for Your Daughter" - 3:21 Omitted from North American LP and CD issues, 1993 Australian CD issue
- "So Blue" - 3:32 Omitted from North American LP and CD issues
- "The Execution" - 5:17 Remixed by Scott LittScott LittScott Litt is an American record producer who mostly works with artists in the alternative rock genre and is best known for producing six R.E.M. albums.-Biography:...
for North American issues - "Incident on South Dowling" - 3:13^^
- "Maralinga (Rainy Land)" - 3:57 Omitted from North American LP and CD issues
- "Darling It HurtsDarling It Hurts"Darling It Hurts" was the second single by Australian rock group Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls released in September 1986 from their debut double album, Gossip. The song, written by Kelly with lead guitarist, Steve Connolly, reached No. 25 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart...
" (Kelly, Steve Connolly) - 3:19 - "Look So Fine, Feel So Low" (Kelly, Maurice FrawleyMaurice FrawleyMaurice Gerard Frawley was an Australian rock and country blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.-Biography:Maurice Gerard Frawley was born on 5 May 1954, the son of Gerard Patrick and Eileen Marie Frawley, he grew up with three siblings, Brendan, Mary and Leo on the family farm near Elmore in...
) - 3:22^^ - "Stories of Me" - 2:45
- "Don't Harm the Messenger" - 3:47
- "Gossip" (Kelly, Chris Coyne) - 2:56 Omitted from North American LP and CD issues, 1993 Australian CD issue
- "After the Show" - 3:17 Omitted from North American LP and CD issues, 1993 Australian CD issue
^^ = previously recorded on Kelly's 1985 solo release, Post
Chart positions and releases
| Year | Chart | Peak |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 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... |
15 |
| Format | Country | Label | Catalogue No. | Year |
| LP | AUS | Mushroom | L45961/2 | 1986 |
| Cassette | AUS | Mushroom | C45961/2 | 1986 |
| LP | USA | A&M | SP 5157 | 1987 |
| CD | USA | A&M | CD 5157 | 1987 |
| CD | AUS | Mushroom/White | MUSH32282.2 | 1993 |
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 Armiger — bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(tracks 8, 14, 20) - 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...
, vocals - Steve Connolly — guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, 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...
, saxophone (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...
) (tracks 3, 4, 6, 9, 10, 19) - John Schofield — bass, vocals
Additional musicians
- Richard Burgman — electric rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
- 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 (track 3) - Mike Cleary — piccolo trumpetPiccolo trumpetThe smallest of the trumpet family is the piccolo trumpet, pitched one octave higher than the standard B trumpet. Most piccolo trumpets are built to play in either B or A, using a separate leadpipe for each key. The tubing in the B piccolo trumpet is one-half the length of that in a standard B...
- Wayne Freer — tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
(tracks 3, 4, 6, 9, 10, 19) - Graham LeeGraham Lee (Australian musician)Graham Lee is an Australian rock musician and record producer, best known as the steel guitar player of the 1980s band The Triffids, where he was nicknamed 'Evil Graham Lee'....
— pedal steel guitarPedal 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"...
(tracks 1, 11, 21) - Grant McLennanGrant McLennanGrant William McLennan was an Australian singer-songwriter with the alternative rock band The Go-Betweens, which he co-founded with Robert Forster in Brisbane, Australia in 1977...
— talking (track 21) - Astrid Munday — vocals (tracks 7, 17)
- Brian Nixon — timpaniTimpaniTimpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
- Dianne Spence — saxophone (track 20)
- 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...
(tracks 1, 11, 16)
Recording details
- Producer — Alan Thorne, Paul Kelly
- Engineer — Alan Thorne
- Remixer — Scott LittScott LittScott Litt is an American record producer who mostly works with artists in the alternative rock genre and is best known for producing six R.E.M. albums.-Biography:...
(tracks 3, 13, 16 for North American release)
Art work
- Cover Art — Ann Redmond
- Photography — Wayne O'Farrell