Spartacus (The Farm album)

Spartacus is the debut studio album by British rock band the Farm, released on 4 March 1991 through Produce Records. Following a variety of member changes and single releases, the band solidified their line-up in 1987; after a record deal fell through, they opted to start their own label, Produce Records. They recorded the bulk of their debut album in London in 1990 with former Madness frontman Graham "Suggs" McPherson as producer; one track from 1987 was produced by the Housemartins members Paul Heaton and Stan Cullimore. Spartacus is a baggy and dance-rock album that takes influence from the work of Buzzcocks, the Clash and the Jam.

Spartacus received generally positive reviews from music critics. Although some of them were split on the album's songwriting quality, while others praised it in the context of the baggy scene. The album topped the charts in the United Kingdom. "Groovy Train" was released as its lead single in August 1990, followed by the second single "All Together Now" in November 1990. "Don't Let Me Down" appeared in April 1991, and was promoted with a supporting slot for Happy Mondays in June 1991 at the Elland Road football stadium in Leeds. They then toured the United States with Big Audio Dynamite and Downtown Science. NME and Vox included the album on their lists of the year's best 50 releases.

Background

Influenced by the likes of punk rock acts such as the Clash and the Jam, Peter Hooton decided to become a musician, initially picking up bass briefly before focusing on singing instead. He joined his friend's brother's band after their frontman failed to show up to a rehearsal. The death of John Lennon, coupled with anger towards the Tory party following a speech by leader Margaret Thatcher, inspired Hooton to become a writer. He started the fanzine The End, which chronicled his poems as well as football news, music and politics. This helped Hooton grow in his confidence as a writer, which he had shied away from after being ridiculed by his school's English teacher. Hooton's band soon became directionless and he was looking to form another band; through a mutual friend, he met Steve Grimes, guitarist for local punk rock act the Excitements. Hooton played his debut show with the Excitements in 1982 at a friend's party. Despite him wanting to keep The End and the Excitements as separate entities, readers of the zine started attending the band's shows.

Several more local gigs ensued, with them changing their name to the Farm, reflecting that they rehearsed on a farm plot in Lydiate. The band's punk rock sound was out of place in the post-punk scene in Liverpool, featuring the likes of Echo & the Bunnymen, the Teardrop Explodes and Wah!. Andy McVann, who had seen Hooton's first show, joined the Farm as their drummer. Positive reviews from the music press earned the band their first John Peel session in April 1983, where they performed "Information Man", "No Man's Land" and "Memories". In February 1984, they did another Peel session, playing "Hearts & Minds", "Too Late", "Same Old Story" and "Somewhere". In between these sessions, the band went through multiple bassists until Carl Hunter joined. They then appeared on Oxford Road Show, where they met Graham "Suggs" McPherson and Chas Smash, both formerly of Madness. Around this time, the Farm had little money, surviving off residuals from the Peel sessions. A friend of the Farm's was manning the doors at a Madness show and said the Farm were in need of help. Suggs, who had heard one of the Farm's Peel sessions, let them record some demos at Madness's studio on Caledonian Road, London for free. Suggs produced their debut single, "Hearts & Minds", later in the year. Simon Moran, who later founded SJM Concerts, became one of the band's early supporters, helping to organise shows for them.

Sometime later, a brass section consisting of Anthony Evans, Steve Levy, George Maher and John Melvin was brought into the band's line-up, shifting their sound towards Northern soul. In 1987, Roy Bulter filled in McVann's role, and second guitarist Keith Mullen and keyboardist Benjamin Leach were added to the line-up. After seeing one of the Farm's performances, Happy Mondays supported them in Liverpool in May 1987. The Farm then went on tour with the Housemartins; they almost signed to the Housemartins' Stan Cullimore's label Fair Play Committee, but the deal fell through when Cullimore decided to write children's books instead. In discussions, Moran wanted 20% of the proposed £25,000 signing bonus, claiming that as their manager he should be paid more; Hooton remarked that they considered him an equal, not a superior. Moran parted ways with the band when the deal collapsed. "Body and Soul", their next single, was released in 1988 and saw a shift to synth-pop.

Label and recording

In late 1989, Paul McKenna, who had been the Farm's merchandise aid, and Hooton had a meeting at the former's flat. McKenna introduced Hooton to Barney Moores, a fan of theirs and son of Littlewoods Pools owner John Moores. Barney Moores had spare money to invest in a business and was interested in helping the band; Hooton told him that £25,000 would cover the cost of an album and two singles. Hooton then contacted Kevin Sampson, Hooton admitted that they "didn't know anything" and trusted Sampson's judgement.

Shortly afterwards, the band began working on a cover of "Stepping Stone" (1966) by Paul Revere & the Raiders as their next single. Farley, serving as mixing engineer, suggested the band slow the track down and incorporate samples from "The Power" (1990) by Snap!. The Farm tried to record "Higher & Higher" soon after, but were not satisfied with the sound, and decided to work on "Groovy Train" with engineer Mark Saunders instead as their next single. They had played a psychedelic version of "Groovy Train" for a Peel session; for the released version, Farley moved Mullen's guitar from the middle eight to the intro section and added a loop from "The Gas Face" (1989) by 3rd Bass. Suggs produced nearly every track that would feature on Spartacus, save for "Tell the Story", which had been recorded in 1987 and was produced by Cullimore and Housemartins bandmate Paul Heaton. Kevin Petri engineered the majority of the tracks, except for "Groovy Train" (done by Gary Wilkinson) and "All Together Now" (done by Noel Rafferty). Saunders mixed "Groovy Train" at the Konk studio in London; the majority of the songs were mixed at Westside Studios in London, while "All Together Now" was done at Mayfair and "Family of Man" and "Tell the Story" were remixed at E-Zee, also based in London.

Composition and lyrics

Musically, the sound of Spartacus has been described as baggy and dance-rock, taking influence from the work of Buzzcocks, the Clash and the Jam. AllMusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine said it had all of the hallmarks of baggy, from "its rolling, neo-psychedelic grooves" to the "blissfully colorful pop hooks".

The album's opening track, "Hearts & Minds", was slowed down from its original recording, and has an offbeat reggae sound. Its title alludes to a rally cry spoken by celebrities and politicians of the time; two years before including it on the album, Hooton said that some lyrics were added to "incorporate the plastic gangster fraternity". Hooton wrote the lyrics in the weeks following an encounter with a girl at a nightclub in Liverpool. Journalist Paul Lester wrote that the song consisted of an "iridescent African hi-life [atmosphere], quintessentially baggy 'Funky Drummer' shufflebeat and slashing" Steve Jones-aping guitarwork. Alongside this, Hooton had read newspaper articles about the Christmas truce during the First World War, which he learned about from training as a history teacher. The band did not attempt to match them until after they had bought the sample; while it worked, the song still lacked a chorus section. They refined the song while in the studio, where they came up with an appropriate chorus. At Suggs' recommendation, the six verses were cut down to three, and half of the music for the chorus was similarly dropped. After some persuading from Sampson, the band travelled to Ibiza, where they would shoot A Short Film About Chilling... Ibiza '90. The location was rising in popularity amongst the British youth and dance cultures. The film coincided with the release of "Groovy Train", helping to grow the band's stature. The CD and 12-inch vinyl versions included different remixes of "Groovy Train"; the CD version also featured a remix of "Stepping Stone". The music video for it featured Bill Dean singing into a piece of rock at a Southport fun fair, cut with some footage of their trip to Ibiza. Produce Records also received orders to license out "Groovy Train". One such request was from Sire Records, which was operated by Seymour Stein. The CD edition featured remixes of the song by Farley & Pete Heller and Rocky & Diesel. The music video for "All Together Now", directed by Angus Cameron, sees the band and members of their families drinking in a pub. It was shot in a pub next to Shepherd's Bush Empire in London; they were concerned that if they had shot the video in Liverpool, too many people would try to gain entry. Following this, they embarked on a UK tour in February and March 1991, all the dates of which sold out. Ahead of the album's release, promotional remixes of "Very Emotional" and "Higher & Higher" done by Farley and Heller were released as a white label 12-inch vinyl record.

Album release and touring

After initially being planned for release on 25 February 1991, Spartacus was released on 4 March 1991 through Produce Records in the UK. The album's artwork was created by Hunter, who had experience illustrating from attending a graphic arts school. Grimes explained that the band were being referred to in the British music press as a "very unglamorous band. We should be, like, working in a building profession, or we should be electricians, that type of thing". He decided that since the press thought that they looked like ordinary people, they would make the artwork "as something you'd see in a supermarket, that you wouldn't look twice at". Around this time, they released their first video album, Groovy Times; it consisted of a live performance of the entire album shot at the London Astoria in December 1990. It also included interviews and the music videos to "Stepping Stone" and "Groovy Train".

Hooton, while appreciative of the attention the band was receiving, felt burnt out from interviews, causing him to lose his voice. The other members of the band similarly suffered from restlessness; Hooton recounted how they were performing in Brighton the same night that the album went to number one "and I don't think we celebrated. We all became blasé even when everywhere on the tour was sold out". "Don't Let Me Down" was released as the album's third single on 22 April 1991; remixes by Farley and Rocky & Diesel were included as its B-sides. Sampson was insistent on reissuing "Stepping Stone" instead of releasing "Don't Let Me Down", while everyone else at Produce Records were in favour of "Don't Let Me Down". The band were concerned they would be seen as sell outs if they went with Sampson's proposal, although they later admitted that his idea would have been a better choice. The music video for "Don't Let Me Down" was filmed in London and starred Frankie Howerd, who the band hired based on his performance in Up Pompeii! (1969). They had to change one of the lyrics, from "stand up and fight" to "stand up, stand up", as the song would not have received airplay or TV airings due to the Gulf War.

Sire Records released Spartacus in the US on 30 April 1991. Warner Bros. Records product management vice president Steven Baker said Reprise Records was brought in to help the band at alternative radio stations in the hopes of having them crossover to top 40 stations. Initially support came from the "Groovy Train" video being on active rotation at MTV. On 1 June 1991, they supported Happy Mondays at the Elland Road football stadium in Leeds. On 3 September 1991, "Groovy Train" was released as a single in the US; it featured remixes of "Groovy Train", "All Together Now" and "Stepping Stone", alongside the non-album single "Mind". As Sire did not like the original music video for "Groovy Train", another one was shot with the band travelling around Manhattan on a London-themed bus. At that point, Suggs stopped managing the band and returned to this own music career.

Later in the year, the band failed to sell-out a show in Newcastle; Moran told them that Nirvana was playing a show in the city that same night and had affected the attendance as a result. Hooton explained that they were "reading about it [in the press] and we saw the Melody Maker attacking us and we realised they wanted to get rid" of Madchester and baggy and "replace it with something that they were more comfortable with". Around this time, the band's second video album, Spartacus Live, was released, featuring footage from a show at the Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool in March 1991. "All Together Now" was released as a single in the US on 6 February 1992, featuring remixes of "All Together Now" and a live demo of "Over Again".

In 1991, a box set of Spartacus three singles, plus "Stepping Stone" and "Mind", was released on 12-inch vinyl under the name Boxsetacus; a CD version followed in 1993. In January 1999, NME reported that Produce Records initiated a legal dispute against BMG Entertainment, claiming that "Macarena" (1993) by Los del Río had copied from "Higher & Higher". The World Intellectual Property Organization later reported that BMG settled out of court on the matter. In May 2004, Edsel Records released Spartacus as double-CD edition under the name Spartacus... Plus, which included B-sides and remixes. The Farm were originally scheduled to perform the album in its entirety on a UK tour in April and May 2012, but the tour was postponed to September and October 2012. Spartacus was included in The Complete Studio Recordings 1983–2004 (2015) box set, alongside all of the band's studio albums plus bonus discs of B-sides, remixes and radio sessions. BMG Rights Management released an EP of "All Together Now" remixes to celebrate the song's 30th anniversary. In March 2021, BMG released a digital expanded edition of the album to celebrate its 30th anniversary.

"Groovy Train", "Don't Let Me Down" and "All Together Now" were included on the Farm's second compilation album, Best of the Farm (1998). All of the songs from Sparatacus were included, albeit in a different running order, on their third compilation album, The Very Best of the Farm (2001). Thieir fourth compilation album, All Together Now: The Very Best of the Farm (2001), included all of the albums tracks except for "Very Emotional". For their fifth compilation album, Alltogethernow – The Very Best of the Farm (2004), "Very Emotional" was included and "How Long" was not ; the accompanying DVD featured the music videos for "Groovy Train", "Don't Let Me Down" and "All Together Now". The whole album was again included on their sixth and seventh compilation albums, All Together Now: The Very Best of the Farm (2009) and Groovy Train: The Very Best of the Farm (2017).

Reception and legacy

Critical opinion was split on the quality of Spartacus songwriting. While noting that a few of the songs had been previously released, Andrew Collins of NME wrote that it was "as solid as a rock record, yet roomy enough to accommodate" experimentation on tracks such as "Hearts & Minds" and "Tell the Story". Doug Iverson of Toledo Blade felt that aside from the first two singles, "it's doubly disappointing that Spartacus ... is so lame". In a review for Select, writer Graham Linehan countered this by stating that it "keeps you alert and live. There's very little filler, very few signs of exhaustion". He went on to praise the songwriting quality and stated that their "honey appreciation of what [makes] a song danceable and memorable guarantees them a longer shelf-life than most".

Erlewine wrote that the album was "one of the more ridiculous by-products of baggy, ... yet [with] very little of its charm, character, or substance". He added that since the genre was "never about substance, this is particularly damning". and included in Vox magazine's 50 Albums of 1991 list. The NME placed the album at number 32 in their list of the Top 50 Albums of 1991. In 1998, Melody Maker considered it the 20th worst album of all time. In 2014, journalist John Robb wrote that "All Together Now" was "not only a great anthemic and uniting pop record, it also came out" during "one of those rare periods when people felt optimistic and [the song] soundtracked this, add[ing] a poignant working class memory".

Track listing

All songs written by Peter Hooton and Steve Grimes.

The Farm

Peter Hooton – lead vocals
Keith Mullin – guitar
Steve Grimes – guitar
Carl Hunter – bass
Ben Leach – synthesizers
Roy Boulter – drums

Additional musicians

Paula David – backing vocals
Pete Wylie – additional backing vocals

Production and design

Graham "Suggs" McPherson – producer (all except track 8), remixing (track 8)
Kevin Petri – engineer (tracks 1–3, 5–7 and 9), remixing (track 8)
Gary Wilkinson – engineer (track 4)
Mark Saunders – mixing (track 4)
Paul Heaton – producer (track 8)
Stan Cullimore – producer (track 8)
Noel Rafferty – engineer (track 10)
Terry Farley – remixing (tracks 11 and 12)
Pete Heller – remixing (tracks 11 and 12)

Charts

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+Chart performance for Spartacus

! scope="col"| Chart (1991)

! scope="col"| Peak position

! scope="row"| Australian Albums (ARIA)

|align="center"| 106

References

Bibliography

Books and AV media

Journals and magazines

External links

Interview with Pete Hooton with the Xs Noize Podcast – via YouTube