Anarchy (Chumbawamba album)
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox album|
| name = Anarchy
| type = Album
| artist = Chumbawamba
| cover = Anarchychumba.jpg
| alt = a photo of a baby’s head emerging from a vagina. “Chumbawamba” is written in red all-caps on a blue background in the upper left corner; “Anarchy” is written in the same style in the lower right corner.
| released = 25 April 1994
| recorded = January 1994
| venue =
| studio =
| genre = {{hlist||Alternative rock|anarcho-punk|pop}}
| length = 41:32
| label = One Little Indian/London
| producer = Chumbawamba, Neil Ferguson
| prev_title = Shhh
| prev_year = 1992
| next_title = Showbusiness!
| next_year = 1994
| misc = {{Singles
| name = Anarchy
| type = studio
| single1 = Enough Is Enough
| single1date = 1993
| single2 = Timebomb
| single2date = 1994
| single3 = Homophobia
| single3date = 1994
}}
}}
Anarchy is the sixth studio album by anarcho-punk band Chumbawamba. Many of the tracks address specific social issues, such as homophobia, strikes or fascism.
Its graphic cover, depicting a baby's head emerging from a vagina, prompted the record to be banned from some shops and stocked in plain sleeves in others.[http://www.chumba.com/backcat2.html Chumbawamba website] The Spotify and iTunes version, as well as the Japanese physical edition of the album replaces the baby picture with a painting of red roses.
Critical reception
{{Album ratings
|rev1 = Allmusic
|rev1score = {{Rating|3|5}}[{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r371889|pure_url=yes}} Allmusic review]
|rev2 = Robert Christgau
|rev2score = {{Rating-Christgau|hm2}}[http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=chumbawamba Robert Christgau review]
|rev3 = Select
|rev3score = 2/5[http://selectmagazinescans.monkeon.co.uk/showpage.php?file=wp-content/uploads/2013/02/albums6.jpg?name=chumbawamba Select review]
}}
In a review for AllMusic, Chris Nickson praised the album's "intelligence" and stylistic diversity, but the album was only awarded three stars. Music critic Robert Christgau regarded the album as "transient punk-style agitprop with announcements," awarding the album two honourable mention stars, and praising "Timebomb" and "Mouthful of Shit" as highlights. Gina Morris gave it 2 out of 5 in the June 1994 issue of Select and called it "disappointingly uninspired, pretty rather than poignant and flooded with lame clichés and, for the most part, feeble subjects."
Commercial performance
The album was a commercial success, giving the group their first top-40 album on the UK Albums Chart. The album debuted and peaked at number 29 on the chart dated 7 May 1994; it spent a total of three weeks on the chart before exiting the top 100.{{cite web|title=Chumbawamba Chart History|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/29561/chumbawamba/|website=Official Charts|publisher=Official Charts Company|accessdate=11 May 2017}}
Track listing
{{Track listing
| all_writing = Chumbawamba
| title1 = Give the Anarchist a Cigarette
| length1 = 4:07
| title2 = Timebomb
| length2 = 3:41
| title3 = Homophobia
| length3 = 2:31
| title4 = On Being Pushed
| length4 = 0:31
| title5 = Heaven/Hell
| length5 = 2:26
| title6 = Love Me
| length6 = 3:51
| title7 = Georgina
| length7 = 2:26
| title8 = Doh!
| length8 = 0:21
| title9 = Blackpool Rock
| length9 = 0:28
| title10 = This Year's Thing
| length10 = 4:06
| writer10 =
| title11 = Mouthful of Shit
| length11 = 3:45
| title12 = Never Do What You Are Told
| length12 = 1:22
| title13 = Bad Dog
| length13 = 4:31
| title14 = Enough Is Enough
| note14 = featuring Credit to the Nation
| length14 = 4:34
| title15 = Rage
| length15 = 2:50
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Japanese edition bonus track
| title16 = Homophobia
| note16 = Sisters Mix
| length16 = 4:35
}}
Song details
- The title of Give The Anarchist A Cigarette comes from a scene in the Bob Dylan documentary Dont Look Back in which Dylan's manager Albert Grossman tells him "They're calling you an anarchist now", to which Dylan replies "Give the anarchist a cigarette".Uneasy Listening CD booklet.
- The line "give the fascist man a gunshot" from Enough is Enough was referenced by Asian Dub Foundation in their song "TH9".
- The lyrics to Georgina reference the Peter Greenaway movie The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover
- The title to the track "Doh!" is named after the catchphrase used by the cartoon character Homer Simpson. The catchphrase is heard at the end of the track.
Personnel
Chumbawamba
- Harry Hamer
- Danbert Nobacon
- Paul Greco
- Lou Watts
- Dunstan Bruce
- Boff Whalley
- Alice Nutter
- Mavis Dillon
Additional personnel
- Neil Ferguson
- MC Fusion
- Simon "Commonknowledge" Lanzon - Accordion
- Kerry and Casey - "Georgina" intro
- Geoff Reid - Mandolin