Pop Art (album)

For the greatest hits album by the Pet Shop Boys, see PopArt: The Hits.

Pop Art
Studio album by
Transvision Vamp
Released3 October 1988 (1988-10-03)[1]
Recorded1988
StudioGarden Studio, London; Eastcote Studios, Kensal Road, London; Matrix Studios, London
GenrePop rock
Length42:20
LabelMCA
Producer
Transvision Vamp chronology
Pop Art
(1988) 		Velveteen
(1989)
Singles from Pop Art
  1. "Revolution Baby"
    Released: 1987
  2. "Tell That Girl to Shut Up"
    Released: 1988
  3. "I Want Your Love"
    Released: 1988
  4. "Revolution Baby"
    Released: 1988 (re-issue)
  5. "Sister Moon"
    Released: 1988

Pop Art is the debut studio album by the English pop rock band Transvision Vamp.[3] It was released in October 1988 and features the band's first top ten hit "I Want Your Love".[4] The album reached No. 4 in the UK,[4] and peaked at No. 13 in Australia,[5] where it was the 25th highest-selling album of 1989.[6]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
NME6/10[8]
Number One[9]
The Philadelphia Inquirer[10]
The Village VoiceB[11]

NME reviewer Stuart Bailie stated that Transvision Vamp "write some very assured singalongs, and have a smart sense of melody", but was disappointed by Pop Art, finding that it lacked the "haughty thrust" of the band's debut single "Revolution Baby".[8] In Number One, Patsy Kensit called the group "a band known more for their big mouths than their music" and commented, "what a shame after all their rantings they have come up with a package that is so astoundingly average."[9] The magazine later listed Pop Art – alongside the album Fearless by Kensit's band Eighth Wonder, in a section titled "Silly Blondes" – as one of the year's "stinkers".[12] The Philadelphia Inquirer's Tom Moon concluded that "every lyric shoots for free-associative significance, and eventually all it adds up to is a glossy empty set."[10]

Robert Christgau was more complimentary in The Village Voice, suggesting that Transvision Vamp had been criticised for simply "wearing their inauthenticity on their sleeves", while advising them to improve their "command of trash – better riffs are available for hijacking."[11]

Track listing

All tracks written by Nick Christian Sayer, except where noted.[2]

Pop Art track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Trash City" 5:09
2."I Want Your Love" 3:29
3."Sister Moon" 4:23
4."Psychosonic Cindy" 3:47
5."Revolution Baby" 4:53
6."Tell That Girl to Shut Up"Holly Beth Vincent3:06
7."Wild Star" 3:23
8."Hanging Out with Halo Jones" 4:37
9."Andy Warhol's Dead" 3:50
10."Sex Kick" 5:42

Personnel

Transvision Vamp

Additional musicians

  • Matthew Seligman – bass
  • Phil Smith – saxophone
  • D. Manic B'Man – keyboards and programming
  • Adam Peters – electric and acoustic cellos
  • Nick Marsh, China Blue, Carol and Karen – backing vocals

Production

Charts

Chart performance for Pop Art
Chart (1988) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[5] 13
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[13] 50
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[14] 25
Swiss Albums (Swiss Hitparade)[15] 20
UK Albums (OCC)[4] 4
US Billboard 200[16] 115

Certifications

Certifications for Pop Art
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[6] Platinum 70,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[1] Gold 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b "BPI > Certified Awards > Search results for Transvision Vamp (from bpi.co.uk)". Imgur.com. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Pop Art (Media notes). Transvision Vamp. MCA Records. 1988.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  3. ^ Sutherland, Steve (9 July 1988). "Albums—Trash Fantasy". Melody Maker. Vol. 64, no. 28. p. 35.
  4. ^ a b c "Official Charts > Transvision Vamp". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  5. ^ a b "australian-charts.com > Transvision Vamp – Pop Art (album)". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
  6. ^ a b "The ARIA Top 100 Albums Chart – 1989 (1–60) (from The ARIA Report Issue No. 1)". Imgur.com. Retrieved 19 May 2016. N.B. The triangle symbol indicates platinum certification.
  7. ^ Swift, Brendan. "Pop Art – Transvision Vamp". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  8. ^ a b Bailie, Stuart (8 October 1988). "'Popped In, Sold Out'". NME. London. p. 41.
  9. ^ a b Kensit, Patricia (7 December 1988). "Transvision Vamp: Pop Art (MCA)". Number One. No. 286. London. p. 41. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  10. ^ a b Moon, Tom (4 September 1988). "Transvision Vamp: Pop Art (Uni)". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 8-G.
  11. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (8 November 1988). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  12. ^ "Silly Blondes Section". Number One. No. 287. London. 14 December 1988. p. 37. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  13. ^ "charts.nz > Transvision Vamp – Pop Art (album)". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
  14. ^ "swedishcharts.com > Transvision Vamp – Pop Art (album)". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  15. ^ "hitparade.ch > Transvision Vamp – Pop Art" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  16. ^ "Billboard 200: The week of October 22, 1988". Billboard. Retrieved 21 April 2021.