The Contino Sessions

The Contino Sessions
Studio album by Death in Vegas
Released	13 September 1999
Recorded	The Contino Rooms, London, England
Genre	Electronic, neo-psychedelia, shoegaze
Length	47:59
Label	Concrete
Producer	Richard Fearless, Tim Holmes
Death in Vegas chronology
Dead Elvis (1997) The Contino Sessions (1999) Scorpio Rising (2002)
Singles from The Contino Sessions
"Neptune City" Released: 30 August 1999 (vinyl only) "Aisha" Released: 31 January 2000 "Dirge" Released: 24 April 2000 "One More Time" Released: 10 July 2000 (vinyl only)

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	80/100[1]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Alternative Press	4/5[3]
Entertainment Weekly	B+[4]
The Guardian	[5]
Muzik	[6]
NME	9/10[7]
Pitchfork	3.9/10[8]
Q	[9]
Rolling Stone	[10]
Uncut	[11]

The Contino Sessions is the second album by the British electronic band Death in Vegas, released in 1999.

As of July 2013 it was certified gold by British Phonographic Industry for 100,000 sold units in UK.[12]

In 2000 the album was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize.

Legacy

The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[13]

The track "Aisha" was featured in the soundtrack of the 2001 racing video game Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec.

Track listing

All music is composed by Richard Fearless and Tim Holmes, except where noted

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"Dirge"			5:44
2.	"Soul Auctioneer"	Bobby Gillespie		5:59
3.	"Death Threat"			4:50
4.	"Flying"			7:06
5.	"Aisha"	Iggy Pop	Steve Hellier	5:54
6.	"Lever Street"			3:39
7.	"Aladdin's Story"	Fearless	The Unknown^[a]	4:45
8.	"Broken Little Sister"	Jim Reid	Ian Button, Mat Flint, Fearless, Holmes	5:18
9.	"Neptune City"			4:43
Total length:				47:59

Notes

• ^.mw-parser-output .citation{word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}^[a] The song was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards as The Rolling Stones song, but was never declared for publishing rights.

Personnel

Death in Vegas

• Richard Fearless – production, keyboards
• Tim Holmes – production, keyboards, engineering
• Ian Button – guitar (tracks 1, 3–9)
• Seamus Beaghen – guitar, keyboards (4–7)
• Mat Flint – bass
• Simon Hanson – drums
• Will Blanchard – drums (7, 8)

Additional musicians

• Spencer Bewley – handclaps on "Dirge"
• Gary Burns – keyboards on "Neptune City"
• Ali Friend – upright bass on "Lever Street"

Vocalists

• Dot Allison – vocals on "Dirge", choir arrangement on "Aladdin's Story"
• Bobby Gillespie – vocals on "Soul Auctioneer"
• Iggy Pop – vocals on "Aisha"
• Jim Reid – vocals on "Broken Little Sister"
• London Community Gospel Choir – choir on "Aladdin's Story"

Charts

Chart (1999)	Peak position
French Albums (SNEP)[14]	72
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[15]	39
UK Albums (OCC)[16]	19

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[17]	Gold	100,000^^
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "Reviews for The Contino Sessions by Death in Vegas". Metacritic. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
2. Raggett, Ned. "The Contino Sessions – Death in Vegas". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
3. "Death in Vegas: The Contino Sessions". Alternative Press (135): 91. October 1999.
4. Vincentelli, Elisabeth (1 October 1999). "The Contino Sessions". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
5. Sullivan, Caroline (17 September 1999). "Back in black". The Guardian.
6. Crysell, Andy (October 1999). "Death in Vegas: The Contino Sessions (Concrete)". Muzik (53): 95.
7. Martin, Piers (7 September 1999). "Death In Vegas – The Contino Sessions". NME. Archived from the original on 16 August 2000. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
8. Beatty & Garrett. "Death in Vegas: The Contino Sessions". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 12 October 2000. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
9. "Death in Vegas: The Contino Sessions". Q (157): 117. October 1999.
10. Walters, Barry (30 September 1999). "Death in Vegas: The Contino Sessions". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 27 July 2008. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
11. "Death in Vegas: The Contino Sessions". Uncut (29). October 1999.
12. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 24 September 2009. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
13. Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (23 March 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.
14. "Lescharts.com – Death in Vegas – The Contino Sessions". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
15. "Norwegiancharts.com – Death in Vegas – The Contino Sessions". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
16. "Death in Vegas | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
17. "British album certifications – Death In Vegas – The Contino Sessions". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 31 March 2022.

External links

• The Contino Sessions at Metacritic