Get Even
| Get Even | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Brother Beyond | ||||
| Released | 1988 | |||
| Recorded | 1986-1988 | |||
| Genre | Electronic, downtempo, pop rock, synthpop | |||
| Length |
49:32 ("Get Even I" CD) 39:14 ("Get Even I" LP) 47:13 ("Get Even II" CD) 37:09 ("Get Even II" LP) | |||
| Label | EMI / Parlophone | |||
| Producer | various (see Credits) | |||
| Brother Beyond chronology | ||||
| ||||
Get Even is the debut album of British boy band/pop group Brother Beyond, released on EMI/Parlophone label, in two different editions, both in 1988, generally referred to as Get Even I and Get Even II. The second edition of the album saw two tracks written by the band replaced with ones produced by Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW).
The album's songs were composed between 1986, when their very first single "I Should Have Lied" - the only one Brother Beyond single not to make the UK Top 75 - was issued, and 1988, the year of the album's release. The two SAW tracks, "The Harder I Try" and "He Ain't No Competition", were added to the album after EMI won the production team's services at a charity auction and became the band's only UK Top 10 hits.
Like many British bands at the time (such as Patsy Kensit's Eighth Wonder during their earlier period), Brother Beyond enjoyed more success in continental Europe than at home, especially in Italy where their second single "How Many Times" (which only made it to Number 62 in the UK) was a big hit in 1987. In their native Great Britain it would take until the Summer of the following year and the release of the Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman produced track "The Harder I Try" for the band to score a hit. The song reached Number 2 in the UK Singles Chart, held from the top spot by Phil Collins' multi-million seller "A Groovy Kind of Love". "The Harder I Try" famously samples the drum intro from The Isley Brothers' "This Old Heart of Mine", and indeed the song has a distinct Motown feel. The same can be said of its successor "He Ain't No Competition", which reached Number 6 in November 1988. The 12" version of the song had already topped the Hi-NRG charts in October, knocked off by the Samantha Fox cover of "I Only Wanna Be with You", again produced by SAW.
Brother Beyond's final significant hits were two remixed versions of self-penned Get Even II album tracks: "Be My Twin", which got to Number 14 in January 1989, and "Can You Keep a Secret?", which got to Number 22 in April (the first version of the song had been released as the band's fourth single, reaching Number 56 in 1987). The latter would be the last significantly successful single for the group in the UK ("Drive On", the first single from their second and last album Trust would only reach Number 39 and the title-track "Trust" Number 53).
Get Even also spawned a 57-minute live video concert, entitled Brother Beyond - The Get Even Tour - Live 1989, issued in VHS format, in 1991, the same year of release of the band's final single, "The Girl I Used to Know", which bombed in Great Britain (Number 48), but was a minor hit in the United States. The group broke up shortly after its release.
Track listing
All tracks written by Carl Fysh except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Be My Twin" | 3:19 | |
| 2. | "Chain-Gang Smile" | 3:40 | |
| 3. | "How Many Times" | Carl Fysh, David White | 3:09 |
| 4. | "Restless" | 4:25 | |
| 5. | "Somebody Somewhere" | 4:36 | |
| 6. | "I Should Have Lied" | 3:44 | |
| 7. | "Can You Keep a Secret?" | 3:24 | |
| 8. | "Shipwrecked" | 4:24 | |
| 9. | "Sunset Bars" | 4:20 | |
| 10. | "King of Blue" | 4:13 | |
| 11. | "Act for Love" (Extended version) | 6:09 | |
| 12. | "Sometimes Good Sometimes Bad (Sometimes Better)" | 3:55 |
| Get Even II | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "He Ain't No Competition" | 3:19 | |
| 2. | "Can You Keep a Secret?" | 3:24 | |
| 3. | "Chain-Gang Smile" | 3:40 | |
| 4. | "Restless" | Fysh, Eg White | 4:25 |
| 5. | "How Many Times" | Fysh, D. White | 3:09 |
| 6. | "Be My Twin" | 3:27 | |
| 7. | "The Harder I Try" | 3:24 | |
| 8. | "I Should Have Lied" | 3:44 | |
| 9. | "Shipwrecked" | 4:24 | |
| 10. | "King of Blue" | 4:13 | |
| 11. | "Act for Love" (Extended version) | 6:09 | |
| 12. | "Sometimes Good Sometimes Bad (Sometimes Better)" | 3:55 | |
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (1988) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| European Albums Chart[1] | 37 |
| German Albums (Media Control Charts)[2] | 63 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[3] | 9 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/Sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[4] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
|
*sales figures based on certification alone | ||
Personnel
Get Even I
Line up
Musicians
- Steve Alexander - drums, percussion
- Belva Haney, Dee Lewis, Eric Robinson, Flakey C, Frankie Madrid, Leroy Osbourne, Mae McKenna, Vicki St. James, Tessa Niles - background vocals
- Eg White - bass, keyboards
- Dave Mattacks, Steve Ferrone - drums
- Peter-John Vettese, Richard Cottle, Rob Fisher, Ian Curnow, Steve Pigott - keyboards
- Luís Jardim - percussion
- Martin Ditcham - batteria, percussion
- Bimbo Acock, Phil Todd - saxophone
Production
Same as Get Even II, plus:
- Brother Beyond - production tracks 5, 9
- Michael H. Brauer per MHB Productions - remix and additional production
- Mike Pela per Power Plant London - sound engineer
- Carl Beatty - sound engineer track 9
- Rafe McKenna - remix and additional production track 9
Recording studios
- Abbey Road Studios
- Advision Studios
- Battery Studios
- The Chocolate Factory
- Eden Studios
- Mayfair Studios
- The Music Works
- Power Plant Studios
- PWL Studios
- Rockfield Studios
- Swanyard Studios
- Trident II Studios
Staff
- Three Associates: design
- Sheila Rock: photography
- Simon Carter for Management One: management
Get Even II
Line up
Musicians
- Eg White: drums, percussion
- Belva Haney, Dee Lewis, Eric Robinson, Flakey C, Frankie Madrid, Leroy Osbourne, Mae McKenna, Vicki St James: background vocals
- Dave Mattacks, Steve Ferrone: drums
- Peter Vetesse, Richard Cottle, Rob Fisher: keyboards
- Ian Curnow: keyboards
- Steve Pigott: keyboards
- Luis Jardim: percussion
- Martin Ditcham: drums, percussion
- Bimbo Acock, Phil Todd: saxophone
Production
- Stock Aitken Waterman: production tracks 1, 7
- Brother Beyond: production tracks 6, 11, 12
- Richard James Burgess: production track 3
- Don Was: production tracks 4, 8
- Michael H. Brauer: production track 5; remix tracks 8, 9
- Mike Pela: production track 8; sound engineer tracks 4, 8, 11
- Stephen Hague: remix track 4
- Ian Curnow: production track 2; programming
- Steve Pigott: programming
- Chris Blair: mastering @ Abbey Road Studios
- Mike Duffy: sound engineer track 2
- Phil Harding: sound engineer, mix, production track 2
- Frank Roszak: sound engineer track 3
- Phil Brown: additional sound engineer track 4
- Phil Legg: sound engineer tracks 5, 9, 10
- Mike Ging: additional sound engineer track 5
- Mark Stent: sound engineer track 6
- Rafe McKenna: sound engineer, mix track 12
- Karen Hewitt: sound engineer track 1
- Yoyo: sound engineer track 1
- Mark McGuire: sound engineer track 7
- Pete Hammond: mix tracks 1, 7
Recording studios
Same as Get Even I, plus:
- Olympic Studios (II)
- The Manor (II)
Staff
- The Artful Dodgers Ltd: design
- Cindy Palmano: front cover photography
- Simon Fowler: other photography
- Simon Carter for Management One: management
Release details
Get Even I
| Country | Date | Format | Label | Catalogue |
| Italy | 1988 | vinyl LP | EMI Italiana / Parlophone | 64 7467061 |
| United Kingdom | CD | EMI / Parlophone | CDPCS 7314 | |
| Germany | CDP 7 46706 2 |
Get Even II
| Country | Date | Format | Label | Catalogue |
| Italy | vinyl LP | EMI Italiana / Parlophone | 64 7910691 | |
| United Kingdom | CD | EMI / Parlophone | CDPCS 7327 | |
| Germany | CDP 7 91069 2 |
References
- ↑ Hits of the World – Eurochart. Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 10 December 1988.
- ↑ "Home - Offizielle Deutsche Charts". Retrieved 7 April 2017.
- ↑ "BROTHER BEYOND - full Official Chart History - Official Charts Company". Retrieved 7 April 2017.
- ↑ "British album certifications – Brother Beyond – Get Even". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 25 July 2012. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Get Even in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
External links
- Discogs: cover art, product details, track listing and credits to Get Even II, with direct links to updated biographies, detailed discographies and recent photos of all related performers participating in the album.
- EveryHit.com: UK Top 40 Hit Database.
- Nathan Moore Official: Nathan Moore's Official Website, including a detailed history and discography of Brother Beyond.
- Paul Gambaccini, Tim Rice, Jonathan Rice (1993), British Hit Singles, Guinness Publishing Ltd.