Candleland

1989 studio album by Ian McCulloch

Candleland

Studio album by

Ian McCulloch

Released

17 September 1989

Recorded

Early 1989

Studio

The Church, Orinoco and Tower Bridge Studios, London; The Grande Armée, Paris

Genre

Alternative rock

Length

41:45

Label

Warner Bros.
Sire

Producer

Ray Shulman

Ian McCulloch chronology

Candleland
(1989)

Mysterio
(1992)

Singles from Candleland

"Proud to Fall"
Released: 21 August 1989
"Faith and Healing"
Released: 6 November 1989
"Candleland (The Second Coming)"
Released: 30 April 1990

Candleland is the debut solo album by the English musician Ian McCulloch.^[1] It was released 17 September 1989. The album marked McCulloch's departure from Echo & the Bunnymen, in 1989. It features a guest appearance by the Cocteau Twins' Elizabeth Fraser on the title song. The producer, and McCulloch's main musical collaborator on the album, was the producer, programmer, multi-instrumentalist, composer and vocalist Ray Shulman, bassist and main co-writer for 1970s progressive rock group Gentle Giant.^[2] The album reached number 18 on the UK Albums Chart and number 179 on the Billboard 200.^[3]^[4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[5]
Chicago Tribune	^[6]

The Chicago Tribune noted that "the new material is even more brooding and self-reflective than usual".^[6]

Track listing

All tracks written by Ian McCulloch.

"The Flickering Wall" – 3:35
"The White Hotel" – 3:15
"Proud to Fall" – 3:57
"The Cape" – 4:09
"Candleland" – 3:18
"Horse's Head" – 4:47
"Faith and Healing" – 4:36
"I Know You Well" – 4:06
"In Bloom" – 5:02
"Start Again" – 5:00

Personnel

Ian McCulloch – vocals, guitar
Ray Shulman – bass, keyboards, producer, programming
Boris Williams – drums on "The White Hotel" and "Proud to Fall"
Mike Jobson – bass on "The Flickering Wall" and "The White Hotel"
Elizabeth Fraser – backing vocals on "Candleland"
Dave Bascombe – remix on "Candleland"
Billy McGee – string arrangement on "Horse's Head"
Olle Romo – programming on "Horse's Head" and "Start Again"
Henry Priestman – string arrangement on "I Know You Well"

References

^ Mico, Ted (23 September 1989). "Albums: Edge of Darkness". Melody Maker. Vol. 65, no. 38. p. 33.
^ "Ian McCulloch". Trouser Press.
^ Roberts, David, ed. (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). HIT Entertainment. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
^ "Ian McCulloch". Billboard. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
^ AllMusic review
^ ^a ^b Kot, Greg (21 December 1989). "Ian McCulloch Candleland". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 13.