Baby, the Stars Shine Bright (album)

{{Infobox album

| name = Baby, the Stars Shine Bright

| type = studio

| artist = Everything but the Girl

| cover = Baby the Stars Shine Bright.jpeg|border=yes

| alt =

| released = {{Start date|1986|08|25|df=yes}}

| recorded = March–April 1986

| venue =

| studio = Abbey Road Studios, London

| genre =

| length =

| label = Blanco y Negro

| producer = {{hlist|Everything but the Girl|Mike Hedges}}

| prev_title = Love Not Money

| prev_year = 1985

| next_title = Idlewild

| next_year = 1988

| misc = {{Singles

| name = Baby, the Stars Shine Bright

| type = Studio

| single1 = Come on Home

| single1date = 1986

| single2 = Don't Leave Me Behind

| single2date = 1986

| single3 = Cross My Heart

| single3date = 1987

}}

{{Album ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/baby-the-stars-shine-bright-mw0000691128 |title=Baby, the Stars Shine Bright – Everything But the Girl |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=30 November 2017 |last=Ruhlmann |first=William}}

| rev2 = Pitchfork

| rev2score = 7.2/10{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16759-reissues/ |title=Everything But the Girl: Reissues |website=Pitchfork |date=9 July 2012 |access-date=24 July 2017 |last=Harvell |first=Jess}}

| rev3 = Q

| rev3score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine |title=Everything but the Girl: Eden / Love Not Money / Baby, the Stars Shine Bright / Idlewild |magazine=Q |issue=312 |date=July 2012 |last=Rogers |first=Jude |author-link=Jude Rogers}}

| rev4 = Record Mirror

| rev4score = {{Fraction|3|1|2}}/5{{cite magazine |title=Everything but the Girl: Baby, the Stars Shine Bright |magazine=Record Mirror |date=30 August 1986 |last=Strickland |first=Andy |page=12}}

| rev5 = The Rolling Stone Album Guide

| rev5score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite book |chapter=Everything but the Girl |last=Sarig |first=Roni |title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |title-link=The Rolling Stone Album Guide |editor1-last=Brackett |editor1-first=Nathan |editor1-link=Nathan Brackett |editor2-last=Hoard |editor2-first=Christian |editor2-link=Christian Hoard |publisher=Simon & Schuster |edition=4th |year=2004 |isbn=0-7432-0169-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/288 288–289]}}

| rev6 = Spin Alternative Record Guide

| rev6score = 6/10{{cite book |chapter=Everything but the Girl |last=Crist |first=Renée |title=Spin Alternative Record Guide |title-link=Spin Alternative Record Guide |editor1-last=Weisbard |editor1-first=Eric |editor1-link=Eric Weisbard |editor2-last=Marks |editor2-first=Craig |publisher=Vintage Books |year=1995 |isbn=0-679-75574-8 |pages=136–137}}

| rev7 = Uncut

| rev7score = 5/10{{cite magazine |title=Everything but the Girl |magazine=Uncut |issue=182 |date=July 2012 |last=Richards |first=Sam |page=98}}

}}

Baby, the Stars Shine Bright is the third studio album by British musical duo Everything but the Girl. It was released on 25 August 1986 by Blanco y Negro Records. The album was reissued in 2012 as a remastered two-disc deluxe set by Edsel Records.

Background

Following the duo's distinctively "anti-rock" approach and their unwillingness to adopt a synthetic sounding production that was fashionable at the time, the album took its influence from 1960s orchestrated music and the singer Dusty Springfield.{{cite web |url=https://thequietus.com/articles/09091-everything-but-the-girl-interview |title=From Eden With Love: Everything But The Girl Interviewed |website=The Quietus |date=19 June 2012 |last=Wade |first=Ian}}

Track listing

{{tracklist

| total_length =

| title1 = Come on Home

| length1 = 3:21

| writer1 = {{hlist|Tracey Thorn|Ben Watt}}

| title2 = Don't Leave Me Behind

| length2 = 3:15

| writer2 = {{hlist|Thorn|Watt}}

| title3 = A Country Mile

| length3 = 3:04

| writer3 = Thorn

| title4 = Cross My Heart

| length4 = 3:41

| writer4 = {{hlist|Thorn|Watt}}

| title5 = Don't Let the Teardrops Rust Your Shining Heart

| length5 = 3:21

| writer5 = Watt

| title6 = Careless

| length6 = 3:26

| writer6 = Watt

| title7 = Sugar Finney

| length7 = 3:34

| writer7 = {{hlist|Thorn|Watt}}

| title8 = Come Hell or High Water

| length8 = 3:22

| writer8 = {{hlist|Thorn|Watt}}

| title9 = Fighting Talk

| length9 = 3:20

| writer9 = {{hlist|Thorn|Watt}}

| title10 = Little Hitler

| length10 = 4:05

| writer10 = Thorn

}}

=2012 Edsel Records reissue=

{{tracklist

| headline = Disc 2

| total_length =

| title1 = Come on Home

| note1 = extended mix

| length1 = 4:12

| writer1 = {{hlist|Thorn|Watt}}

| title2 = Draining the Bar

| length2 = 2:08

| writer2 = Thorn

| title3 = I Fall to Pieces

| length3 = 2:43

| writer3 = {{hlist|Hank Cochran|Harlan Howard}}

| title4 = Come on Home

| note4 = acoustic

| length4 = 2:36

| writer4 = {{hlist|Thorn|Watt}}

| title5 = Alfie

| length5 = 2:50

| writer5 = {{hlist|Burt Bacharach|Hal David}}

| title6 = Where's the Playground Susie?

| length6 = 2:30

| writer6 = Jimmy Webb

| title7 = Almost Blue

| length7 = 3:20

| writer7 = Declan MacManus

| title8 = Come on Home

| note8 = home demo, 1985

| length8 = 3:06

| writer8 = {{hlist|Thorn|Watt}}

| title9 = Sugar Finney

| note9 = home demo, 1985

| length9 = 3:21

| writer9 = {{hlist|Thorn|Watt}}

| title10 = Careless

| note10 = home demo, 1985

| length10 = 3:18

| writer10 = Watt

| title11 = Cross My Heart

| note11 = home demo, 1985

| length11 = 2:48

| writer11 = {{hlist|Thorn|Watt}}

| title12 = Little Hitler

| note12 = home demo, 1985

| length12 = 4:09

| writer12 = Thorn

}}

Personnel

;Everything but the Girl

Tracey Thorn – vocals
Ben Watt – guitar, orchestral arrangements

;Additional musicians

Micky Harris – bass
Cara Tivey – organ, piano
Rob Peters – drums
Jeff Daly, Philip Todd, Peter King, Nigel Nash, Ray Swinfield – saxophone
Alan Downey, Derek Watkins, Luke Tunney, Stuart Brooks – trumpet
Andy Fawbert, Peter Thoms, Chris Pyne, Alan Hutt – trombone
James Handy, John Pigneguy – French horn
Gavyn Wright, Wilfred Gibson, John Willison, Richard Studt, Dave Woodcock, James Archer, Levine Andrade, Basil Smart, Bill Benham, Peter Oxer, Tim Good – violin
Kenneth Essex, George Robertson, Cathy Stevens, David Emanuel, Roger Garland – viola
Chris Green, Paul Kegg, Helen Liebmann, Clive Anstee – cello
Clare Torry, Linda Allen, Bob Saker, Lance Ellington, Gary Taylor, Tony Burrows, Vicky Silva, Tessa Niles – backing vocals
Steve Henderson, Joao Bosco De Oliveira, Frank Ricotti, Martin Ditcham – percussion
Nick Ingman – conductor, director

;Technical

Caryn Gough – artwork
Richard Haughton – photography

Charts

Chart (1986) !Peak position
class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
{{album chart\|Netherlands\|30\|artist=Everything but the Girl\|album=Baby the Stars Shine\|accessdate=25 March 2018\|rowheader=true}}
{{album chart\|New Zealand\|40\|artist=Everything but the Girl\|album=Baby the Stars Shine\|accessdate=25 March 2018\|rowheader=true}}
{{album chart\|UK2\|22\|date=19860906\|accessdate=25 March 2018\|rowheader=true}}

Certifications

{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=United Kingdom|artist=Everything but the Girl|title=Baby, the Stars Shine Bright|award=Gold|relyear=1986|certyear=1989|accessdate=25 March 2018|id=647-1086-2}}

References

Category:Everything but the Girl albums

Category:1986 albums

Category:Albums produced by Mike Hedges

Category:Blanco y Negro Records albums