Classic (Joe McElderry album)

Classic
Studio album by Joe McElderry
Released	19 August 2011 (see release history)
Recorded	July 2011 Smecky Studios, Prague[1]
Genre	Classical, pop, R&B.
Length	43:51
Label	Decca Records, UCJ.
Producer	Steven Baker, Morgan Pochin Music Productions
Joe McElderry chronology
Wide Awake (2010) Classic (2011) Classic Christmas (2011)

Classic is the second studio album by British singer Joe McElderry. It was released by Decca Records on 19 August 2011 in Ireland and on 22 August 2011 in the United Kingdom. Signed copies were available to pre-order on Universal Music's online store.^[2]

Background and production

After his contract with Syco expired, and winning a second TV show, Popstar to Operastar, McElderry confirmed that he would be recording his second studio album, stating, “It’s not going to be pop, it’s going to be a lot of big, lush ballads. I wanted to do a few more ballads on my first album. It’s going to appeal to all my fans. I’m going to sing a few Italian songs. I’m not going to change my voice – I don’t want to scare people too much... I can’t reveal which label it’s with but it’s an amazing label.^[3] The label was later revealed to be Decca Records.^[4] In a blog, McElderry described the album by talking about the title saying "The album is called Classic, it's classic songs, it's a classic repertoire, it's songs that everybody will know. We're kind of bringing it in and matching it to my style of my voice, but also touching a bit on the classical side as well, so it's all round a classic album". Describing the process of recording the album with a new label, saying "We're doing it quite quickly this time round, it's good to just go with the flow and just get it done and let all the creative emotions flow out very fast. It's really nice to get the experience of working with a different label that has a different kind of view on things. I've just enjoyed kind of getting in there, throwing myself into the deep end and just totally going for it."^[5]

McElderry has stated that he recorded the album in six days.^[6]

During the first half of August, McElderry did a radio tour, visiting various radio stations around the country to promote the album. "Hear My Prayer" is an English version of Nessun dorma written specially for McElderry, the original Italian version is included as a bonus track.

McElderry performed on QVC on 18 August and after the albums went on sale, the sales broke the QVC system, the first time in history to do so.^[7]

A music video was filmed for "Time To Say Goodbye", the video was filmed in Hackney on 8 August 2011, during the 2011 England riots.^[8] The music video was released on 22 August, the album's release date.^[9]

A stripped live performance was used as the music video for "Dance with My Father". The video premiered on Entertainment Focus on 13 September 2011.^[10]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
allmusic	[11]
Entertainment Focus	[12]
Heat	[13]

On 15 August 2011, Shields Gazette praised the album, saying "the balladeer is back and, with every listen, Classic gets better and better!".^[14] Jamie Tabberer of Gay Times also praised the album, saying "A year on from his massively underrated debut Wide Awake and fresh from Popstar to Operastar victory Joe's poised to release his sophomore effort. It's an album that does exactly what it says on the tin; a sophisticated, meticulously chosen collection of classic, classy, emotive anthems (including a handful of tough Italian numbers à la Operastar) sang so sweetly the knees of mums' everywhere will turn to jelly (not to mention ours - he's getting handsomer with age isn't he?)."^[15] Heat magazine gave the album 4/5 stars, saying "Joe's debut Wide Awake may have been one of the most underrated pop albums ever, but after his storming victory on PTO, he has turned his talents to singing rousing opera tunes- and crikey, does that boy have a voice."

Classic entered number two in the UK. Within 10 days after the release, the album received a Gold certification.^[16] On 7 September 2011,^[17] during an appearance on the Alan Titchmarsh Show which was broadcast the following day, McElderry was presented with his official gold disc by his grandmother, Hilda Joyce.^[18]

Tracklist

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Canto della Terra"	Francesco Sartori, Lucio Quarantotto, Stanja Vomackova	Steven Baker	3:55
2.	"She Was Beautiful" (featuring Miloš Karadaglić)	Stanley Myers, Cleo Lane	James Morgan, Juliette Pochin	2:39
3.	"Over the Rainbow"	Harold Arlen, EY Harburg	Steven Baker	4:05
4.	"I Dreamed a Dream"	Alain Boublil, Claude Michel Schonberg, Jean Marc Natal, Herbert Kretzmer	Steven Baker	3:41
5.	"Time To Say Goodbye"	Francesso Sartori, Lucio Quarantotto	Steven Baker	4:06
6.	"Il Mio Cuore Va (My Heart Will Go On)"	Will Jennings, James Horner, M.& C. La Bionda	James Morgan, Juliette Pochin	4:10
7.	"Hear My Prayer"	Giacomo Puccini, James Morgan, Juliette Pochin	James Morgan, Juliette Pochin	2:46
8.	"Solitaire"	Neil Sedaka, Phillip Cody	Steven Baker	4:21
9.	"Dance With My Father"	Luther Vandross, Richard Marx	Steven Baker	4:26
10.	"Va pensiero"	Giuseppe Verdi arr. James Morgan, Juliette Pochin	James Morgan, Juliette Pochin	3:04
11.	"To Where You Are"	Linda Thompson, Richard Marx	James Morgan, Juliette Pochin	3:48
12.	"Nessun dorma"	Giacomo Puccini, James Morgan, Juliette Pochin	James Morgan, Juliette Pochin	2:53
Total length:				43:51

Charts

Classic entered the UK Albums Chart at number 2, with retail sales of 35,609 copies in the country during the album's first week of release.^[19] During the album's second week of release, 31,001 copies were sold in the United Kingdom, and the album landed at number 5 on the chart.^[20] The album climbed two spaces to number 3 in its third week of release, selling 29,736 copies in that week.^[21] In its fourth week of release, the album dropped two positions back to number 5 on the chart, but 22,835 copies of the album were sold at retail in the United Kingdom that week, thereby putting the album over the 100,000 retail sales mark in the country.^[22] The album moved up one position to number 4 on the chart in its fifth week of release.^[23] It fell to number 9 in its sixth week of release,^[24] and then exited the Top 10 the following week, landing at number 14 at the end of its seventh week of release.^[25]

As stated above, the album received a Gold certification from the British Phonographic Industry within ten days after its release. The threshold for a Gold certification from the BPI is 100,000 copies sold by the label to British retailers.^[26]

As of 24 October 2011, 177,530 copies of the album had been sold at retail in the United Kingdom.^[27]

On the Irish Albums Chart, Classic debuted at number 48 after its first week of release.^[28] In its second week on the chart, the album moved up ten positions to number 38.^[29] In its third week of release, the album moved up one more position to number 37.^[30] The album dropped back one position to number 38 in its fourth week of release,^[31] and fell to number 54 in its fifth week of release.^[32] The following week, after an appearance by McElderry on the The Late Late Show in Ireland on 23 September 2011,^[33] the album moved up to number 20, its peak position on the chart.^[34] It then fell to number 23 in its seventh week of release,^[35] to number 33 in its eighth week of release,^[36] to number 46 in its ninth week of release,^[37] and to number 75 in its tenth week of release.^[38]

Chart (2011)	Peak Position
Irish Albums Chart[39]	20
UK Albums Chart[40]	2
Scottish Albums Chart[41]	3

Release history

Region	Date	Format
Ireland[42]	19 August 2011	CD, Digital download
United Kingdom[43]	22 August 2011

References

1. ^ Booklet accompanying the physical CD of Classic.
2. ^ Classic Universal Music Group online store. Retrieved on 17 August 2011.
3. ^ Joe wants to party at Bents Park at Shields Gazette. Retrieved on 11 July 2011.
4. ^ Joe McElderry is glad to be 'out of the X Factor machine' STV. Retrieved on 17 July 2011.
5. ^ Joe McElderry - Classic - Part One Retrieved on 5 August 2010.
6. ^ Interview on "Something for the Weekend" (28 August 2011). From YouTube. Retrieved on 5 September 2011.
7. ^ http://twitter.com/#!/joemcelderry91/status/104123777151008769
8. ^ Joe Mcelderry Filmed Video Amid London Riots Contactmusic.com. Retrieved on 18 August 2011.
9. ^ Joe McElderry videos joemcelderryofficial.com. Retrieved on 22 August 2011.
10. ^ World Exclusive: Watch Joe McElderry's New Video Entertainment Focus. Retrieved on 13 September 2011.
11. ^ http://allmusic.com/album/classic-r2250342
12. ^ Entertainment Focus review
13. ^ 'Heat magazine: issue 643. Retrieved on 23 August 2011.
14. ^ Joe’s new album - track by track Shields Gazette. Retrieved on 16 August 2011.
15. ^ Joe. My. God. Gay Times. Retrieved on 16 August 2011.
16. ^ Tweet Twitter (@joemcelderry91 verified account). Retrieved on 1 September 2011.
17. ^ http://twitter.com/#!/joemcelderry91/status/111479694469246976
18. ^ Joe McElderry's appearance on the Alan Titchmarsh Show on 8 September 2011 From YouTube. Retrieved on 9 September 2011.
19. ^ Alan Jones, Reality stars top UK sales charts. From Music Week (30 August 2011). Retrieved on 30 August 2011.
20. ^ Alan Jones, Chili Peppers top album chart From Music Week (5 September 2011). Retrieved on 9 September 2011.
21. ^ Alan Jones, Example tops the album charts as Adele hits 3 million From Music Week (12 September 2011). Retrieved on 13 September 2011.
22. ^ Alan Jones, Ed Sheeran's + tops albums chart From Music Week (19 September 2011). Retrieved on 20 September 2011.
23. ^ http://www.theofficialcharts.com/archive-chart/_/3/2011-10-01/ Retrieved on 27 September 2011.
24. ^ http://www.theofficialcharts.com/archive-chart/_/3/2011-10-08/ Retrieved on 15 October 2011.
25. ^ http://www.theofficialcharts.com/archive-chart/_/3/2011-10-15/ Retrieved on 15 October 2011.
26. ^ Explanation of BPI certified awards From the website of the British Phonographic Industry (members' area). Retrieved on 19 September 2011.
27. ^ Lewis Corner, Matt Cardle trails Leona, Burke, Ward in 'X Factor' album sales. From Digital Spy (24 October 2011). Retrieved on 24 October 2011.
28. ^ Archived Irish Albums Chart for the week ending 25 August 2011 From Chart-Track. Retrieved on 2 September 2011.
29. ^ Archived Irish Albums Chart for the week ending 1 September 2011 From Chart-Track. Retrieved on 2 September 2011.
30. ^ Archived Irish Albums Chart for the week ending 8 September 2011 From Chart-Track. Retrieved on 9 September 2011.
31. ^ Archived Irish Albums Chart for the week ending 15 September 2011 From Chart-Track. Retrieved on 16 September 2011.
32. ^ Archived Irish Albums Chart for the week ending 22 September 2011 From Chart-Track. Retrieved on 27 September 2011.
33. ^ Joe McElderry's appearance on The Late Late Show on 23 September 2011 From YouTube. Retrieved on 15 October 2011.
34. ^ Archived Irish Albums Chart for the week ending 29 September 2011 From Chart-Track. Retrieved on 30 September 2011.
35. ^ Archived Irish Albums Chart for the week ending 6 October 2011 From Chart-Track. Retrieved on 15 October 2011.
36. ^ Archived Irish Albums Chart for the week ending 13 October 2011 From Chart-Track. Retrieved on 15 October 2011.
37. ^ Archived Irish Albums Chart for the week ending 20 October 2011 From Chart-Track. Retrieved on 15 November 2011.
38. ^ Archived Irish Albums Chart for the week ending 27 October 2011 From Chart-Track. Retrieved on 15 November 2011.
39. ^ http://www.chart-track.co.uk/index.jsp?c=p%2Fmusicvideo%2Fmusic%2Farchive%2Findex_test.jsp&ct=240002&arch=t&lyr=2011&year=2011&week=36
40. ^ [1]
41. ^ [2]
42. ^ http://itunes.apple.com/ie/album/classic/id457834299
43. ^ http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/classic/id457834299