The Dream Academy (album)

The Dream Academy
Studio album by The Dream Academy
Released	November 1985
Recorded	1984
Genre	Rock, dream pop
Length	42:25
Label	Warner Bros./Blanco Y Negro
Producer	David Gilmour, Nick Laird-Clowes, George Nicholson, Gary Langan and Alan Tarney
The Dream Academy chronology
The Dream Academy (1985) Remembrance Days (1987)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

The Dream Academy is the eponymous debut studio album by the Dream Academy, released in November 1985. It was mainly produced by Pink Floyd's David Gilmour and Nick Laird-Clowes. The most notable track from the album is "Life in a Northern Town", which was written as a tribute to Nick Drake.^[2] It also proved to be their only major chart success, reaching number 7 in the US and number 15 in the UK.

The follow-up single, also from the album, "The Love Parade" was not received as well as their debut single, reaching number 36 on the US Billboard Chart and only number 68 on the UK chart, but still received solid radio airplay.

Also of note is the song, "The Edge of Forever", which plays in a prominent scene during the John Hughes film, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, resulting in many fans of 1980s films becoming more familiar with the Dream Academy's music.

The album went to number 20 on the Billboard 200 Album chart in the US.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Life in a Northern Town"	Laird-Clowes, Gabriel	Gilmour, Laird-Clowes, Nicholson	4:19
2.	"The Edge of Forever"	Laird-Clowes, Gabriel	Gilmour, Laird-Clowes, Langan	4:23
3.	"(Johnny) New Light"	Laird-Clowes, Gabriel	Gilmour, Laird-Clowes, Nicholson	4:23
4.	"In Places on the Run"	Laird-Clowes, Gabriel	Gilmour, Laird-Clowes, Nicholson	4:27
5.	"This World"	Laird-Clowes, Gabriel	Gilmour, Laird-Clowes, Nicholson	5:07
6.	"Bound to Be"	Laird-Clowes, Gabriel	Gilmour, Laird-Clowes, Langan	3:08
7.	"Moving On"	Laird-Clowes, Gabriel	Gilmour, Laird-Clowes, Nicholson	5:14
8.	"The Love Parade"	Laird-Clowes, Gabriel	Tarney	3:47
9.	"The Party"	Laird-Clowes	Gilmour, Laird-Clowes	5:07
10.	"One Dream"	Laird-Clowes	Gilmour, Laird-Clowes	2:32

Miscellanea

• "This World" was written about Nick's concerns about his friends becoming junkies.
• "Life in a Northern Town" and "The Love Parade" have two different video versions.
• Warners released a 4 video compilation from this album, including videos for "Life in a Northern Town" (2nd version), "The Love Parade" (U.S. radio version), "This World" (filmed in NYC), and "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want".
• VH-1 featured the video for the song in an episode of Pop Up Video in 1999.
• "Life in a Northern Town" was featured in an episode of King of the Hill when Kahn purchases the "largest trampoline from Buckley's estate." Hank, Bill, Dale, and Boomhauer trick Kahn into letting them repair the trampoline, and Luanne takes to going out to it at night, where she is met by Buckley's Angel. The episode provides closure for Luanne's relationship with Buckley, and while they are jumping at night, "Life in a Northern Town" plays in the background. ^[3]

Personnel

The Dream Academy

• Gilbert Gabriel: Keyboards, Vocals
• Nick Laird-Clowes: Guitars, Harmonica, Vocals
• Kate St. John: Piano, Tenor Sax, Oboe, Cor anglais, Accordion, Piano-Accordion

Additional personnel

• Gary Barnacle: Tenor Saxophone
• Dave DeFries: Trumpet
• Peter Buck: Guitars
• David Gilmour: Guitars on "Bound to Be" & "The Party"
• Greg Dechert: Hammond Organ
• Mickey Feat, Pino Palladino, Guy Pratt: Bass
• Chucho Merchan: Double Bass
• Tony Beard, Bosco DeOliveira, Luís Jardim, Ben Hoffnung, Jake LeMesurier, Dave Mattacks: Drums, Various Percussion

References

1. Tom Demalon. "The Dream Academy - The Dream Academy | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-05-22.
2. Apprentice to the stars. The Independent, 26 March 1999
3. "King of the Hill - The Complete Third Season". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2014-05-22.