Six (Mansun album)

Six
Studio album by Mansun
Released 7 September 1998 (Europe)
20 April 1999 (US)
Recorded 1998
Genre
Length 70:37
Label Parlophone, Epic Records
Producer Paul Draper, Mark Stent and Mike Hunter
Mansun chronology
Attack of the Grey Lantern
(1997)		 Six
(1998)		 Little Kix
(2000)
Singles from Six
  1. "Legacy"
    Released: 29 June 1998
  2. "Being a Girl"
    Released: 24 August 1998
  3. "Negative"
    Released: 26 October 1998
  4. "Six"
    Released: 1 February 1999
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1] (US edition)
AllMusic[2] (Japanese edition)
Melody Maker[3]
Pitchfork Media(7.8/10)[4]
PopMatters(Positive)[5]
Q
The Guardian[6]
Uncut

Six is the second album by English alternative rock band Mansun, released in September 1998 via Parlophone. It was released in the US on 20 April 1999 with an alternative running order, different artwork, and the re-recorded single version of the title track. In an interview prior to the release of Six, Paul Draper stated that the "interlude" "Witness to a Murder (Part Two)" was included to separate the album into two parts as a tribute to old-style vinyl albums.

Packaging

The album's sleeve art was a painting produced by Max Schindler, and commissioned especially for the album. It contains many references to personal interests and obsessions of the band, such as a TARDIS and an image of Tom Baker as Doctor Who, and Patrick McGoohan as Number 6 (sitting in the ball chair commonly occupied by the different Number 2's), from The Prisoner. There is also a depiction of Winnie the Pooh standing close to a painting that may be a reproduction of Vinegar tasters, a Taoist allegorical painting. Guitarist Dominic Chad is known to be both a Taoist and a fan of A. A. Milne, and the album's name is in fact a reference to Milne's book Now We Are Six.

The cover art also depicts a number of (perhaps non-existent) books, including:

The inlay booklet includes enlarged images of the piles of books from the cover, making it easier to read the authors and titles.

Release

Six was released in September 1998, it débuted at #6[7] on the UK Albums Chart. The album spawned four singles, each one was altered for single release. The alterations ranged from subtle to dramatic. The first single "Legacy" and the third single "Negative" were given slight trims. Conversely, "Being a Girl" was literally cut in half with the opening two-minute section labelled 'Part One' and released as a single. The title track was completely re-recorded with producer Arthur Baker and released in the winter of 1999. "Legacy" was the most successful single and reached the top ten on the UK Singles Chart.[7] "Being a Girl (Part One)" and "Six" made the top twenty,[7] while "Negative" peaked at #27.[7]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Paul Draper; except where indicated. 

Part One
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Six"    8:07
2. "Negative"  Draper, Chad, King, Rathbone 4:21
3. "Shotgun"  Draper, Chad 6:38
4. "Inverse Midas"  Chad 1:44
5. "Anti-Everything"    2:25
6. "Fall Out"    3:47
7. "Serotonin"    2:33
8. "Cancer"    9:31
Interlude
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
9. "Witness to a Murder (Part Two)" (monologue performed by Tom Baker)Chad 3:06
Part Two
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
10. "Television"  Draper, Chad 8:21
11. "Special / Blown It (Delete as Appropriate)"    5:32
12. "Legacy"    6:33
13. "Being a Girl"    7:59
14. "I Care" (Japanese only bonus track)  3:42

US track listing

The US release of Six restructured the track listing considerably at the behest of Epic Records. The chapters and interlude were removed and the running order was rearranged with "Legacy" and "Shotgun" swapped. More significant was the omission of "Inverse Midas" and "Witness to a Murder (Part Two)" both of which were composed by Dominic Chad. The full eight-minute recording of the title track is substituted for the Arthur Baker re-recording. Small edits appear throughout the remaining track listing: the opening guitar from "Legacy", the feedback from the opening of "Negative" and the removal of silence from the end of "Cancer".

All songs written and composed by Paul Draper; except where indicated. 

Personnel

Mansun
Production

B-sides

from "Legacy" (Eight EP)
  • "Can't Afford to Die"
  • "Spasm of Identity"
  • "Check Under the Bed"
  • "Wide Open Space (The Perfecto Remix)"
  • "GSOH"
  • "Face in the Crowd"
  • "The Impending Collapse of it All (Acoustic Version)"
  • "Ski Jump Nose (Acoustic Version)"
from "Being a Girl (Part One)" (Nine EP)
  • "Hideout"
  • "Railings"
  • "I Care"
  • "Been Here Before"
  • "Wide Open Space (Trouser Enthusiast Mix)"
  • "Mansun's Only Acoustic Song"
from "Negative" (Ten EP)
  • "When the Wind Blows"
  • "King of Beauty"
  • "I Deserve What I Get"
  • "Take It Easy Chicken (Live)"
  • "Mansun's Only Live Song"
from "Six" (Eleven EP)
  • "Church of the Drive Thru Elvis"
  • "But the Trains Run on Time"
  • "What It's Like to Be Hated"
  • "Being a Girl (Parts One & Two) (Live)"
  • "Live Television"

References

  1. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Review: Six – Mansun". Allmusic. Retrieved 4 August 2009.
  2. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Review: Six (Japan) – Mansun". Allmusic. Retrieved 4 August 2009.
  3. ↑ Booth, Daniel (Sept 1998). "Review Six - Mansun". melody maker. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ↑ DiCrescenzo, Brent (20 April 1999). "Review: Mansun – Six (Parlophone UK; 1999)". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 4 August 2009.
  5. ↑ Garrett, Jon (29 October 2002). "Review: MANSUN – Six (import edition) (Parlophone)". popmatters.com. Retrieved 4 August 2009.
  6. ↑ Sullivan, Caroline. "Review: Mansun – Six (Parlophone)". Friday Review (11 September 1998): 26.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Mansun at chartstats.com". Archived from the original on 2 January 2013. Retrieved 4 August 2009.

External links

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