She Was Only a Grocer's Daughter

Infobox Album
Name = She Was Only a Grocer's Daughter
Type = studio
Artist = The Blow Monkeys


Released = 1987
Recorded =
Genre = Pop rock / New wave
Length = 50:48 (LP) / 64:13 (CD)
Label = RCA/Ariola (1987);
BMG/Camden (2002)
Producer = Michael Baker
for Simple Simon Inc.
with help from
The Axeman
Reviews =
* Allmusic Rating|4.5|5 [http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:wbfpxql5ldje link]
Last album = "Animal Magic"
(1986)
This album = "She Was Only a Grocer's Daughter" (1987)
Next album = "Whoops! There Goes the Neighbourhood "
(1988)

She Was Only a Grocer's Daughter was the third album from British band, The Blow Monkeys, originally released in 1987.

The album title is a reference to the then-Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Margaret Thatcher, whose Conservative government was unpopular with several left wing, pro-Labour Party music acts of the 1980s (including The Blow Monkeys) who joined the Red Wedge movement as part of their political activism.

The titles and lyrics of some of the songs on this album reflect the dissatisfaction of Dr Robert and The Blow Monkeys with the political situation in the UK during this period. After the first shift in genre, from the initial New wave sound to a more Pop rock-oriented style, the album continues with the latter in most of the songs, but also introduces a dance beat (most notably in the first single, and in the two CD extended bonus tracks), which will become a constant feature of the band's future releases.

Due to its positive reception, the album was issued in many editions, all more or less different from one another (e.g. the vinyl LP included 10 songs and a thick photo book, while the CD was released in two versions, with bonus tracks and alternative track listings, as well as slightly modified song titles), typical indeed of successful products.

She Was Only a Grocer's Daughter was, in fact, the only long-playing work from The Blow Monkeys to ever enter the UK Album Chart, peaking at Number 20, in April 1987 (only their 1989 greatest hits compilation, "Choices - The Singles Collection", fared better, getting to Number 5, their highest-charting work ever). It was also their only album which succeeded in placing all its four singles into the UK Top 70, even scoring a Top 30 and a Top 5 hit, the latter with the popular opening track, titled "It Doesn't Have to Be This Way", the most successful single ever from the band, in their homecountry.

The other three singles were: the suggestive ballad "Out With Her", which climbed up to reach Number 30; the duet with Curtis Mayfield "(Celebrate) The Day After You", which was remixed for the single version, enhancing the already dancey rhythm of the original, and inverting its title's two parts. The song was banned by the BBC as it was released during election time and was deemed to be too political. The final single "Some Kind of Wonderful", the least successful of the four, only reached Number 67.

She Was Only a Grocer's Daughter also included another remarkable ballad, closing the original vinyl track listing, entitled "Beautiful Child" (of which a duet version also exists, with Curtis Mayfield again, but does not feature on the album), while the song called "Checking Out", only sort of sketched here, will re-appear on a later album, "Springtime for the World", the last to be issued by the group, in a much more defined and powerful version.

Track listing

Words and music by Dr. Robert

# "It Doesn't Have to Be This Way" - 4:00
# "Some Kind of Wonderful" - 3:33
# "Out with Her" - 4:40
# "How Long Can a Bad Thing Last?" - 4:07
# "Man at the End of His Tether" - 4:00
# "Rise Above" - 4:53
# "The Day After You (Celebrate)" - 5:00
# "Checking Out" - 4:58
# "Don't Give It Up" - 5:46
# "Cash" - 6:01
# "Beautiful Child" - 3:50
# "This Is the Way It Has to Be" (CD only) - 6:05
# "The Grantham Grizzler" (CD only) - 7:20

BMG / Camden 2002 re-release

# "It Doesn't Have to Be This Way"
# "Some Kind of Wonderful"
# "Out with Her"
# "How Long Can a Bad Thing Last?"
# "Man at the End of His Tether"
# "Rise Above"
# "(Celebrate) The Day After You"
# "Checking Out"
# "Don't Give It Up"
# "Cash"
# "Beautiful Child"
# "It Doesn't Have to Be This Way" [Long]
# "(Celebrate) The Day After You" [Unity Mix]
# "Smile on Her Face" (Sweet Murder)
# "Grantham Grizzler"

ingles from the album

* "It Doesn't Have To Be This Way" (1987) [UK Singles Chart: Number 5]
* "Out With Her" (1987) [UK Singles Chart: Number 30]
* "(Celebrate) The Day After You" (1987) [UK Singles Chart: Number 52]
* "Some Kind of Wonderful" (1987) [UK Singles Chart: Number 67]

Release details

External links

* [http://www.drrobert.net Fencat Online] : Dr Robert's Official Website.