Tender Pervert

Tender Pervert
Studio album by Momus
Released 1988
Genre Synthpop, indie
Length 47:57
Label Creation Records
Producer Momus
Momus chronology
The Poison Boyfriend
(1987)		 Tender Pervert
(1988)		 Don't Stop The Night
(1989)
Singles from Tender Pervert
  1. "Right Hand Heart"
    Released: 1988

Tender Pervert is the third album by Scottish musician Momus, released in 1988 on Creation Records.

Background

The album's working title was The Homosexual,[1] due to the albums homosexual themes (as seen in "The Homosexual", "Love On Ice", and "Bishonen"). Momus was dissuaded by Creation Records founder Alan McGee from naming it as such due to the presumption that Canadian distributor PolyGram would not release an album under that title. The album's frequent references to homosexuality were based on Momus' reaction to homophobic rhetoric in the British media surrounding the AIDS epidemic, suggesting that, "...if gay people are not only dying but being gagged by the government while dying, it's up to straight people to promote homosexuality in their place." The album was also influenced by the themes explored by Serge Gainsbourg in his 1984 album, Love on the Beat, as well as Japanese pop culture and cultural figures such as Yukio Mishima.[2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
NME[4]
Sounds(favourable)[5]
Melody Maker(favourable)[6]

Reviews of the album tended to be positive. Steve Huey of AllMusic called Tender Pervert "the first great Momus album" in a retrospective review, noting that it was the first Momus album to incorporate his trademark use of irony in addition to the synth-pop that would serve as the basis for later albums.[3] Len Brown of Britain's NME gave the album a 9/10, noting the album's "intelligent, cutting lyrics".[4] Andy Hurt of Sounds praised Tender Pervert for its "uncomfortable strength and purity", praising Momus for his use of metaphor and autobiography on the album.[5] Christopher Dawes of Melody Maker called Momus' work on Tender Pervert "bold", saying that its "warrior poetry rarely complicated with harmony".[6]

Legacy

The artwork for Primal Scream's tenth album, More Light, designed by Scottish artist Jim Lambie, references the cover design of Tender Pervert by Thomi Wroblewski, which depicts Momus in front of a floral background, raising his index fingers above his head as if to mimic horns.[7] "I Was A Maoist Intellectual" is quoted in Patrik Sampler's novel The Ocean Container.[8]

Track listing

All songs written by Nicholas Currie (Momus).

  1. "The Angels Are Voyeurs" – 2:45
  2. "Love On Ice" – 3:54
  3. "I Was A Maoist Intellectual" – 4:34
  4. "The Homosexual" – 4:44
  5. "Bishonen" – 7:40
  6. "A Complete History Of Sexual Jealousy (Parts 17 - 24)" – 5:39
  7. "Ice King" – 4:55
  8. "In The Sanatorium" – 5:07
  9. "Situation Comedy Blues" – 3:48
  10. "The Charm Of Innocence" – 6:35
  11. "The Angels Are Voyeurs (Reprise)" – 0:56

Personnel

  • Nigel Palmer - Exquisite Engineering
  • Dave Harper - Cover Features
  • Ian Buruma - Heroes And Villains Of Japanese Culture
  • The Brothers Quay - Imaginary Videos
  • Ruth Stirling - Interpreter
  • Nicki Kefalis - Radio
  • Mika Goto - Roses And Bishonen Comics
  • Vici MacDonald - Thunder Player
  • Mike Hinc - Travel
  • Alan McGee - Worldplans
  • Thomi Wroblewski - Photography
  • Dean Klevatt - Sequential Programming And Performance
  • Nicholas Currie (Momus) - Writer, Producer, Performer[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Melody Maker interview, July 16, 1988". iMomus. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
  2. ↑ Currie, Nicholas. "Creation Advent Calendar: Tender Pervert". Click Opera. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
  3. 1 2 Huey, Steve. "Tender Pervert". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  4. 1 2 Brown, Len (July 16, 1988). "The Tender Trap". NME. United Kingdom. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  5. 1 2 Hurt, Andy (July 8, 1988). "Grand Obsessions". Sounds. United Kingdom. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  6. 1 2 Dawes, Christopher (July 9, 1988). "Tender Pervert". Melody Maker. United Kingdom. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Primal Scream vs. Momus". The International Society of Music Snobs & Elitists. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  8. ↑ Patrik., Sampler,. The ocean container (First ed.). Rome, GA. ISBN 9780979132049. OCLC 1032773267.
  9. ↑ "Discogs entry". Discogs. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
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