Man of Colours

The cover artwork, designed by Iva Davies and Robert Kretschmer, depicts a human figure holding three different coloured flowers.{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r480046|pure_url=yes}} |title=Man of Colours (import bonus tracks) credits |publisher=allmusic guide |access-date=2008-07-05 }} An alternate Limited Black Sleeve release depicted the cover art on a reversed background from Regular Records in Australia but had the same track listing.

The album peaked at No. 1 on the Australian album charts for 11 weeks from 5 October 1987{{cite book|title=Australian Chart Book 1970-1992|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|title-link=Kent Music Report}} NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1970 until ARIA created their own charts in mid-1988. and has sold over 700,000 copies. "Electric Blue" was their only Australian No. 1 single, the release of the album and its five singles marked the zenith of Icehouse's commercial success, both locally and internationally. Several other songs from the album also charted well.

It was the first Australian album to supply five top 30 hit singles "Crazy" (No. 4 in July), "Electric Blue" (co-written by Davies and John Oates of US band Hall & Oates){{cite web |url=http://www.apra.com.au/site/public/searchworksresult.stm?worktitle=ELECTRIC%20BLUE&switchdet=Y |title="Electric Blue" search result |publisher=Australasian Performing Right Association |access-date=2008-06-25 }} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}} (No. 1, October), "My Obsession" (No. 12, December), "Man of Colours" (No. 28, February 1988) and "Nothing Too Serious" (No. 29, May 1988). With US chart success for "Crazy", which reached No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 10 on its Mainstream Rock chart, and "Electric Blue" (No. 7 Hot 100, No. 10 Mainstream), the album Man of Colours reached No. #43 on the Billboard 200.{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p4538|pure_url=yes}} |title=Billboard singles charts |publisher=Allmusic |access-date=2008-06-11 }}{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p4538|pure_url=yes}} |title=Billboard albums charts |publisher=Allmusic |access-date=2008-06-13 }}

The album won the ARIA Award for Album of the Year and ARIA Award for Highest Selling Album at the ARIA Music Awards of 1988;{{cite web|url=http://www.ariaawards.com.au/history-by-artist.php?letter=I&artist=Icehouse |title=ARIA Awards winners by artist |publisher=Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) |access-date=2008-06-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080927001843/http://www.ariaawards.com.au/history-by-artist.php?letter=I&artist=Icehouse |archive-date=27 September 2008 }} the associated song "Electric Blue" won 'Most Performed Australasian Popular Work' at the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) Music Awards for its writers Davies and Oates.{{cite web|url=http://www.apra.com.au/awards/music/winners1988.asp |title=APRA Music Awards – winners 1988 |publisher=Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) |access-date=2008-06-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080723045303/http://apra.com.au/awards/music/winners1988.asp |archive-date=23 July 2008 |url-status=dead }}

Different versions of the album have been released, the initial Australian release by Regular Records (see infobox above right) was as a ten track vinyl LP or as a music cassette or as a twelve track CD with two additional mixes of "Crazy". The US / UK release by Chrysalis Records had a different track order from the Australian LP, and the track lengths for the two big singles ("Crazy" and "Electric Blue") are longer on this version of the album. The 1997 Japanese CD version released by For Life Records had two different tracks added. In 2002, Warner Music Australia re-released Man of Colours, with Davies and Ryan Scott digitally remastering, including five bonus tracks. In Australia, the album was also offered on three limited edition coloured vinyl pressings, which were the colours of the flowers that the human figure on the cover was holding.

Songwriters according to Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA).{{cite web|url=http://www.apra.com.au/cms/worksearch/worksearch.srvlt?action=workSearch&switchDet=Y |title=Australasian Performing Right Association |publisher=APRA |access-date=2008-07-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080505235657/http://www.apra.com.au/cms/worksearch/worksearch.srvlt?action=workSearch&switchDet=Y |archive-date=5 May 2008 }} Note: requires user to input song title e.g. CRAZY

{{Track listing

|headline = Australian release

|title1 = Crazy

|writer1 = Iva Davies, Robert Kretschmer, Andy Qunta

|length1 = 3:24

|title2 = Electric Blue

|writer2 = Davies, John Oates

|length2 = 4:24

|title3 = Nothing Too Serious

|writer3 = Davies

|length3 = 3:28

|title4 = Man of Colours

|writer4 = Davies

|length4 = 5:12

|title5 = Heartbreak Kid

|writer5 = Davies, Kretschmer

|length5 = 5:19

|title6 = Kingdom

|writer6 = Davies

|length6 = 4:52

|title7 = My Obsession

|writer7 = Davies

|length7 = 4:09

|title8 = Girl in the Moon

|writer8 = Davies, Kretschmer

|length8 = 4:01

|title9 = Anybody's War

|writer9 = Davies

|length9 = 4:05

|title10 = Sunrise

|writer10 = Davies, Kretschmer

|length10 = 5:45

}}

{{Track listing

|headline = CD version bonus tracks

|title11 = Crazy

|note11 = 12" version

|length11 = 7:21

|title12 = Crazy

|note12 = Midnight Mix

|length12 = 4:48

}}

{{Track listing

|headline = 2002 remaster bonus tracks

|title13 = Shakin' the Cage

|writer13 = Davies, Kretschmer, Qunta, Simon Lloyd

|length13 = 4:00

|title14 = Over My Head

|writer14 = Davies, Kretschmer, Qunta, Lloyd

|length14 = 3:47

|title15 = Touch the Fire

|writer15 = Davies

|length15 = 3:46

|title16 = Jimmy Dean

|writer16 = Davies, Kretschmer

|length16 = 4:00

|title17 = Electric Blue

|note17 = Extended Mix

|length17 = 7:34

}}

{{Track listing

|headline = US/UK release

|title1 = Crazy

|length1 = 4:48

|title2 = Electric Blue

|length2 = 4:38

|title3 = My Obsession

|length3 = 4:07

|title4 = Man of Colours

|length4 = 5:09

|title5 = Heartbreak Kid

|length5 = 5:18

|title6 = The Kingdom

|length6 = 4:51

|title7 = Nothing Too Serious

|length7 = 3:25

|title8 = Girl in the Moon

|length8 = 4:00

|title9 = Anybody's War

|length9 = 4:05

|title10 = Sunrise

|length10 = 5:44

}}

{{Track listing

|headline = CD bonus tracks

|title11 = Crazy

|note11 = 12" mix

|length11 = 7:22

|title12 = Crazy

|note12 = Midnight Mix

|length12 = 4:49

}}

{{Track listing

|headline = Japanese release

|title1 = Crazy

|title2 = Electric Blue

|title3 = Nothing Too Serious

|title4 = Man of Colours

|title5 = Heartbreak Kid

|title6 = Kingdom

|title7 = My Obsession

|title8 = Girl in the Moon

|title9 = Anybody's War

|title10 = Sunrise

}}

{{Track listing

|headline = 1997 remixes

|title11 = Man of Colours

|note11 = 6 am Mix

|title12 = Shakin' the Cage

|note12 = D. Lord Mix

}}

Icehouse members

• Iva Davies – vocals, guitars, Roland D-50, Fairlight CMI, cor anglais
• Robert Kretschmer – guitars
• Simon Lloyd – reeds, brass, keyboards, programming
• Stephen Morgan – bass guitar
• Andy Qunta – keyboards, piano, backing vocals
• Paul Wheeler – Linn LM-1, percussion

Additional musicians

• Andy Cichon – bass guitar
• Stuart Gordon – strings
• David Lord – additional keyboards
• Glenn Tommey – guitar, percussion
• John Oates – backing vocals on "Electric Blue"
• Shena Power – backing vocals
• Tommy Dassolo – triangle
• Karl Chandler – tuba

Recording details

• Producer – David Lord
• Engineer – David Hemming, David Wright
• Assistants – Carrie Motzing, Greg Henderson
• Studio – EMI Studios 301 and Trash Studios, Sydney, Australia and Crescent Studios, Bath, Somerset
• Mixer – David Lord, assisted by Raine Shine @ Crescent Studios, except:
• "Crazy", mixed by David Lord, assisted by David Hemming @ E.M.I. Studios 301, Sydney
• "Man of Colours" mixed by Iva Davies, assisted by David Hemming @ Albert Studios, Sydney
• "Electric Blue" and "My Obsession" mixed by Michael Brauer @ Sigma Sound Studios, New York City, United States
• Mastering: Don Bartley, assisted by David Hemming @ E.M.I. Studios, Sydney
• Digital remastering (2002) – Iva Davies, Ryan Scott

Art work

• Artwork – Iva Davies, Robert Kretschmer
• Art direction and layout – Sue Goff
• Photography – Hugh Stewart

{{certification Table Top}}

{{certification Table Entry|title=Man of Colours|artist=Icehouse|type=album|region=Australia|award=Platinum|number=7|relyear=1987|certyear=2008|certref={{cite web|url=http://www.countdown.com.au/the_music.asp?ArtistID=44 |title=ABC Countdown: Icehouse |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) |access-date=2008-07-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060820194256/http://www.countdown.com.au/the_music.asp?ArtistID=44 |archive-date=2006-08-20 |url-status=dead |df= }}}}

{{certification Table Entry|title=Man of Colours|artist=Icehouse|type=album|region=Canada|award=Gold|relyear=1987|certyear=1988|certref={{cite web

|url=http://www.cria.ca/cert_db_search.php

|title=Canadian Recording Industry Association – Search Certification Database

|publisher=Canadian Recording Industry Association

|access-date=2008-06-22

|url-status=dead

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100126233429/http://www.cria.ca/cert_db_search.php

|archive-date=2010-01-26}} Note: User must define search parameters as "Icehouse."}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|type=album|artist=Icehouse|title=Sidewalk |relyear=1987|certyear=1987|award=Platinum|certref={{cite web|url=https://aotearoamusiccharts.co.nz/archive/albums/1987-12-18|title=Official Top 40 Albums|website=Recorded Music NZ|date=20 December 1987|access-date=6 December 2022}}}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Icehouse}}

{{ARIA Award for Album of the Year}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Man of Colours}}

Category:1987 albums

Category:ARIA Award–winning albums

Category:Icehouse (band) albums

Category:Chrysalis Records albums