Hail is the debut album released in 1988 by New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 band, Straitjacket Fits

Straitjacket Fits

Straitjacket Fits formed in Dunedin, New Zealand in 1986 and were a prominent band in the Flying Nun label's second wave of the Dunedin Sound.-Biography:...

. There were three releases of the album, a New Zealand release in 1988, a United Kingdom and United States release also in 1988 and an extended album in 1989. The UK/US release featured tracks which had earlier been released in New Zealand on the Life in One Chord

Life in One Chord

Life in One Chord is an EP released in 1987 by New Zealand band, Straitjacket Fits. It was the band's debut release. All of the tracks from the EP were later released as part of an extended version of their first full album, Hail, in 1989. All of the songs on the EP are credited to Shayne...

EP

Extended play

An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...

; the 1989 release contained all the songs from both the New Zealand album and the earlier EP.

Most of the songs on the album were credited to Shayne Carter

Shayne Carter

Shayne Carter is best-known for being the Straitjacket Fits' principal singer/songwriting/guitarist in the late 80s/early 90s, and later on a founding member of Dimmer.Carter comes from a musical family...

/Straitjacket Fits, the exceptions being "Sparkle That Shines", "Take From The Years" and "Fabulous Things" (all Andrew Brough

Andrew Brough

Andrew Brough is a singer, songwriter and guitarist from Dunedin, New Zealand, who is best known for his work with the New Zealand Music Hall of fame inductees, Straitjacket Fits.- Early career :...

/Straitjacket Fits), and a cover

Cover version

In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...

 of Leonard Cohen

Leonard Cohen

Leonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...

's song "So Long, Marianne

So Long, Marianne

So Long, Marianne is a compilation album by Leonard Cohen, issued in 1989. It features songs from his first four albums.-Track listing:All songs written by Leonard Cohen except as noted.#"Who by Fire" – 2:30#"So Long, Marianne" – 5:37...

". This was the only cover version recorded on any of Straitjacket Fits' albums.

The album was well received, though the band were disappointed that the sound of the finished release failed to capture either their live sound or the intensity of their debut EP. Rip It Up

Rip It Up (magazine)

Rip It Up is a bi-monthly New Zealand music magazine. Started in June 1977 as a free monthly giveaway, it grew rapidly, with its monthly print run reaching 30,000 copies by the mid 1980s...

described it as having "tidal waves of sweetly distorted guitar noise that spill over and arouind the vocal harmonies."

The title track and "Sparkle That Shines" were both released as singles from the album.

Track listing

• NZ release

1. "Telling Tales" (2:53)
2. "Dead Heat" (3:40)
3. "Hail" (4:05)
4. "Only You Knew" (2:56)
5. "Take From The Years" (3:10)
6. "So Long, Marianne
   So Long, Marianne
   So Long, Marianne is a compilation album by Leonard Cohen, issued in 1989. It features songs from his first four albums.-Track listing:All songs written by Leonard Cohen except as noted.#"Who by Fire" – 2:30#"So Long, Marianne" – 5:37...
   
   " (3:59)
7. "Grate" (3:18)
8. "Fabulous Things" (3:38)
9. "Life In One Chord" (3:10)
10. "This Taste Delight" (4:21)

• UK/US release

1. "Dialling A Prayer" (3:53)
2. "All That That Brings" (4:17)
3. "Hail" (4:05)
4. "Sparkle That Shines" (3:57)
5. "She Speeds
   She Speeds
   She Speeds is a song by Dunedin, New Zealand band Straitjacket Fits. The song was released on their debut 'Life in One Chord EP' in 1987. The EP was recorded at the in Auckland, New Zealand and reached number 10 on the NZ Top 40 charts later that year. A video was filmed for She Speeds for just...
   
   " (4:05)
6. "So Long, Marianne" (3:59)
7. "Grate" (3:18)
8. "Fabulous Things" (3:38)
9. "Life In One Chord" (3:10)
10. "This Taste Delight" (4:21)

• 1989 compilation

1. "Dialling A Prayer" (3:53)
2. "Telling Tales" (2:53)
3. "Dead Heat" (3:40)
4. "Hail" (4:05)
5. "Only You Knew" (2:56)
6. "She Speeds" (4:05)
7. "Sparkle That Shines" (3:57)
8. "Take From The Years" (3:10)
9. "So Long, Marianne" (3:59)
10. "Grate" (3:18)
11. "Fabulous Things" (3:38)
12. "All That That Brings" (4:17)
13. "Life In One Chord" (3:10)
14. "This Taste Delight" (4:21)