Eye to the Telescope is the debut studio album by Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall, originally released 13 December 2004 (see 2004 in British music), and re-released 10 January 2005 by Relentless Records. On 19 July 2005, it was nominated for the 2005 Mercury Music Prize in the United Kingdom. Tunstall promoted the album in the United States and Canada in December 2005. The album was released on 7 February 2006 in the US Also, a special CD/DVD edition of the album was released in September 2006 in America, along with a different cover and a bonus track.
Critical reception
Reviews for Eye to the Telescope were positive. Mark A. Price of PopMatters gave the album a score of 7 out of 10, noting that it manages to sound "both new and familiar", mixing influences from artists like Melissa Etheridge and Fiona Apple, while adding some originality of her own.[4] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic gave it three and a half stars out of five, calling it "a promising, satisfying debut".[2] On Metacritic, Eye to the Telescope has a score of 76 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[1]
Track listing
| 13. |
"Immune" (live from One Night in Gaia) | Tunstall |
4:51 |
The original edition of the album, released in December 2004, had a slightly different track order and did not include the studio version of "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree"; the version of the track recorded on Later... with Jools Holland was included as a "bonus live track".
Personnel
- KT Tunstall – vocals (tracks 1-4, 6, 8-9, 11-12, Lead: 5, 7, 10), guitar (1-11), wurlitzer (1, 10), pianet (3, 7), Shelltone horn (3), piano (2, 5, 8, 12), doepfer bass (4, 7), chimes (8), additional percussion (4)
- Steve Osborne – shelltone horn (tracks 1-2), bass (2, 5, 11), additional guitar (2, 7, 10-11), percussion (5), moog synthesizer (7), background vocals (7, 10), audio mixing (10)
- Arnulf Lindner – double bass (tracks 1-2), bass guitar (3, 6, 8-9), baritone guitar (6, 9)
- Luke Bullen – drums (tracks 1-3, 5-12), percussion (3-4, 9-10), cajon (5-6, 9-10)
- Martin Terefe – additional keyboards (track 1)
- Ian Burdge – cello (tracks 2, 10)
Chart performance
The album entered the UK album chart at 73 and quickly dropped out again (it originally entered the lower regions of the Top 200 in its debut week, but these placings are not officially recorded for statistical purposes). It re-entered at 66 a few weeks later, and its rise was both surprising and unique for a new album on the UK charts. It improved every week for four weeks before peaking at number 36, then dropping down as low as 63 again. It then resumed a somewhat meteoric rise, culminating in a peak of number seven before slowly shifting back down. The publicity surrounding Tunstall's Mercury Music Prize nomination sent it back up the charts to an eventual peak of No. 3, after which time it became a Top 20 mainstay for the rest of 2005. It dropped out of the Top 10 in the 61st week, and has dropped continually since, before ending its run at 72 weeks. After a several month absence, the album returned at No. 66 for a 73rd non-consecutive week in August 2006.
The singles from the album became increasingly more successful, with "Other Side of the World" spending almost five months on the chart and "Suddenly I See" remaining in the Top 40 for 10 weeks. The album's next single, "Under the Weather", entered the chart at No. 39, while the fifth and final single, "Another Place to Fall", became Tunstall's first single to miss the Top 40 after more than 1.3 million copies of the album had been sold. In total, Tunstall has spent 133 weeks so far on the British charts.
The album was certified 5× platinum by the Irish album chart selling about 75,000 copies,[12] and shipping 1.5 million copies in the UK, certifying it 5× platinum there as well.[13] It was also certified platinum in Canada in January 2007.[14] Worldwide, the album has sold 2.6 million copies.[15]
Charts and certifications
Release history
| Country |
Release date |
Label |
Format |
Catalogue |
|---|
| United Kingdom |
13 December 2004 (2004-12-13) |
Relentless |
CD |
CDREL06 |
| 10 January 2005 (2005-01-10) |
CD + LP |
CDRELX06 + LPREL06 |
| United States |
7 February 2006 (2006-02-07) |
Virgin |
CD |
507292 |
| 12 September 2006 (2006-09-12) |
CD+DVD |
747292 |
References
- 1 2 "Metacritic: KT Tunstall – Eye to the Telescope". Metacritic. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
- 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Eye to the Telescope at AllMusic. Retrieved 4 April 2006.
- ↑ Sullivan, Caroline (7 December 2004). "KT Tunstall, Eye to the Telescope > Album Review". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 April 2009.
- 1 2 Price, Mark A. (15 March 2006). "KT Tunstall: Eye to the Telescope > Album Review". PopMatters. Retrieved 4 April 2006.
- ↑ Keefe, Jonathan (22 January 2006). "KT Tunstall Eye to the Telescope > Album Review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 4 July 2007.
- ↑ Gennoe, Dan (4 January 2005). "KT Tunstall – Eye to the Telescope > Album Review". Yahoo! Music. Retrieved 4 July 2007.
- ↑ "Eye to the Telescope". Q Magazine: 130. January 2005.
- ↑ "Eye to the Telescope (US Deluxe Edition) – AllMusic". Retrieved 18 January 2013.
- ↑ "iTunes – Music – Eye to the Telescope by KT Tunstall". Retrieved 18 January 2013.
- ↑ "Amazon.com: Eye to the Telescope: Kt Tunstall: Music". Retrieved 18 January 2013.
- ↑ "Amazon.com: Eye To The Telescope: Kt Tunstall: Music". Retrieved 18 January 2013.
- 1 2 "Irish album certifications – KT Tunstall – Eye to the Telescope". Irish Recorded Music Association.
- 1 2 "British album certifications – KT Tunstall – Eye to the Telescope". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Eye to the Telescope in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Click Search
- 1 2 "Canadian album certifications – KT Tunstall – Eye to the Telescope". Music Canada.
- 1 2 Cashmere, Paul (13 January 2007). "Undercover News: EMI Share Price Drops On Restructure Announcement". undercover.fm. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
- ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- ↑ "French album certifications – KT Tunstall – Eye to the Telescope" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
- ↑ "American album certifications – KT Tunstall – Eye to the Telescope". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
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