Reality Effect

For the literary concept by Roland Barthes, see Effect of Reality.

Reality Effect
Studio album by The Tourists
Released	October 1979
Recorded	Olympic Studios and DJM Studios London, August 1979
Genre	New wave
Label	Logo Records Epic Records (US/Canada)
Producer	Tom Allom
The Tourists chronology
The Tourists (1979) Reality Effect (1979) Luminous Basement (1980)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link
Smash Hits	6/10[1]

Reality Effect is the second album by the British band The Tourists, released in 1979.

This album received much more favourable reviews than the band's first album, with catchier songs and a stronger reliance on the vocals of singer Annie Lennox. The album contained two hit singles, "So Good to Be Back Home Again" (UK #8) and a cover of the 1964 Dusty Springfield song "I Only Want to Be With You" (UK #4).

Although the band featured Lennox and her future Eurythmics partner Dave Stewart on guitar, the bulk of the songs were written by singer/guitarist Peet Coombes. The album peaked at #23 on the UK Album Chart, and spent a total of sixteen weeks in the Top 100.

Track listing

All tracks composed by Peet Coombes except where indicated

Side 1

1. "It Doesn't Have to Be This Way" – 3:45
2. "I Only Want to Be With You" – 2:24 (Mike Hawker, Ivor Raymonde)
3. "In the Morning (When the Madness has Faded)" – 4:09
4. "All Life's Tragedies" – 3:48
5. "Everywhere You Look" – 3:18
6. "So Good to Be Back Home Again" – 2:39

Side 2

1. "Nothing to Do" – 3:27
2. "Circular Fever" – 3:06 (Peet Coombes, Dave Stewart)
3. "In My Mind (There's Sorrow)" – 4:44
4. "Something in the Air Tonight" – 3:42
5. "Summer's Night" – 3:17

Personnel

• Ann Lennox – Vocals, organ, piano, harpsichord, string synthesiser
• Peet Coombes – Vocals, electric 6 string & 12 string guitars
• Dave Stewart – Electric guitars, acoustic guitars, backing vocals
• Eddie Chin – Bass guitar
• Jim "Do It" Toomey – Drums, percussion

• Trumpet and string arrangements – Graham Preskett
• Engineers – Andy Lunn, Bill Gill, Dick Plant, Barry Kidd
• Producer – Tom Allom

Charts

Album

Year	Chart	Peak
1979	UK Album Charts	23

References

1. Starr, Red. "Albums". Smash Hits (November 15–28 1979): 31.

• www.allmusic.com/album/reality-effect-r20325
• The Guinness Book of British Hit Albums, fifth edition 1992