Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever
| Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by The Cribs | ||||
| Released | 21 May 2007 | |||
| Recorded |
 The Warehouse, Vancouver Avatar, New York | |||
| Genre | Indie rock, punk rock, alternative rock | |||
| Length | 42:23 | |||
| Label |
 Hostess | |||
| Producer | Alex Kapranos | |||
| The Cribs chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    link |
| Drowned In Sound | link |
| NME | link |
| Okayplayer | link |
| Pitchfork Media | (6.7/10) link |
| Playlouder | link |
| Robert Christgau |  [1] |
| Rolling Stone | link |
Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever was released on 21 May 2007 as the third studio album by British indie rock band The Cribs via Wichita Recordings. Critically acclaimed, the album propelled the band into a greater audience, reaching number thirteen on the UK Album Charts, number nine on the annual 'Albums of the Year' by influential UK music magazine NME and various other end-of-year lists. Lead single "Men's Needs" also reached number three in the same NME chart.
Background and Recording
At the conclusion of The New Fellas campaign, the Cribs signed a major label deal with Warner Bros. Records in North America, retaining Wichita Recordings in the UK and Ireland. Recording for the album began in autumn 2006 with Franz Ferdinand lead vocalist Alex Kapranos as producer at the Warehouse Studio, Vancouver, British Columbia. With the majority of the album recorded, the band undertook a run of small club dates to preview the new songs, captured on the accompanying Leave too Neat documentary. Further sessions took place at Avatar, New York in spring 2007, producing "Be Safe", a collaboration with Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth, and "Shoot the Poets", which closes the record. David Corcos engineered the sessions, whereas Andy Wallace mixed the record, with all the songs receiving mastering treatment at Alchemy, London, from John Davis.[2]
Composition
Rob Crane designed the cover and inlay artwork, with Bob Taylor photographing the Belle Vue stadium shot and Janette Beckman taking the couch shot. Gary plays bass and provides vocals, Ross sticks to drums and percussion whereas Ryan takes guitar and vocal duties. Lee Ranaldo takes on lead vocals for "Be Safe".
Singles
The album produced four singles: "Men's Needs" preceded on 14 May 2007, with "Moving Pictures" following on 30 July. The double a-side "Don't You Wanna Be Relevant?"/"Our Bovine Public" introduced a new song recorded shortly after the album sessions finished on 15 October, and "I'm a Realist" closed the run on 25 February 2008.
Charts
| Chart (2012) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart[3] | 13 |
Track listing
All songs written and composed by Gary Jarman, Ross Jarman and Ryan Jarman, except 'Be Safe', written by Jarman, Jarman, Jarman and Lee Ranaldo.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Our Bovine Public" | 2:17 |
| 2. | "Girls Like Mystery" | 2:51 |
| 3. | "Men's Needs" | 3:16 |
| 4. | "Moving Pictures" | 3:10 |
| 5. | "I'm a Realist" | 3:03 |
| 6. | "Major's Titling Victory" | 2:45 |
| 7. | "Women's Needs" | 4:34 |
| 8. | "I've Tried Everything" | 2:46 |
| 9. | "My Life Flashed Before My Eyes" | 3:30 |
| 10. | "Be Safe" | 5:55 |
| 11. | "Ancient History" | 4:49 |
| 12. | "Shoot the Poets" | 3:27 |
References
- ↑ Christgau, Robert. "The Cribs". Robert Christgau.
- ↑ "'The Cribs Find a Home with Alex Kapranos'". Retrieved 2012-10-15.
- ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/albums
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