Life's Too Good
Encyclopedia
Life's Too Good, released in April 1988, was the first album by the Icelandic alternative rock
-pop
band The Sugarcubes
, which brought fame to lead vocalist Björk
. Through the first single, "Birthday
", the Sugarcubes received attention in Europe
and the United States
.
"Ammæli", afterwards released in English as "Birthday", entered the charts outside Iceland
, leading the band to put Icelandic music on world map. "Birthday" was chosen as "single of the week" by both NME
and Melody Maker
in August 1987 and was also selected Number 1 in John Peel
's Festive Fifty
for 1987. The album has been chosen as one of the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
.
Besides the regular green sleeve, the UK and American LPs were released in blue, yellow, orange, and pink.
Bonus tracks in some versions
The original LP release contains only tracks 1-11, track 11 not being listed on the sleeve or label.
The title of Track #10 appears as "F***ing in Rhythm & Sorrow" in the cover of the original LP, but the title is "Fucking in Rhythm & Sorrow" on Björk's official site.
and Einar Örn Benediktsson
.
Trumpet: Einar Örn Benediktsson.
Guitars: Þór Eldon Jónsson.
Keyboards: Björk Guðmundsdóttir
.
Bass: Bragi Ólafsson
.
Drums: Sigtryggur Baldursson
.
Lyrics and music: The Sugarcubes.
Acknowledgement: Friðrik Erlingson.
Production: Ray Shulman
and Derek Birkett.
Sleeve: P. White at Me Company.
Photograph: David McIntyre with collaboration of Pinks.
Publishing: Second Wind
.
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
-pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
band The Sugarcubes
The Sugarcubes
The Sugarcubes were an Icelandic alternative rock band formed in 1986 and disbanded in 1992. They received critical and popular acclaim internationally.-History:...
, which brought fame to lead vocalist Björk
Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
. Through the first single, "Birthday
Birthday (The Sugarcubes song)
"Birthday" is a song written and recorded by Icelandic band The Sugarcubes for their 1988 debut album Life's Too Good. It was their first international single and the first single released from the album...
", the Sugarcubes received attention in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
"Ammæli", afterwards released in English as "Birthday", entered the charts outside Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, leading the band to put Icelandic music on world map. "Birthday" was chosen as "single of the week" by both NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
and Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
in August 1987 and was also selected Number 1 in John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
's Festive Fifty
Festive Fifty
The Festive Fifty was originally an annual list of the year's fifty best songs compiled at the end of the year and voted for by listeners to John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show...
for 1987. The album has been chosen as one of the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die is a musical reference book edited by Robert Dimery, first published in 2005. The most recent edition consists of a list of albums released between 1955 and 2010, part of a series from Quintessence Editions Ltd...
.
Besides the regular green sleeve, the UK and American LPs were released in blue, yellow, orange, and pink.
Track listing
- Traitor - 3:08
- Motorcrash - 2:23
- BirthdayBirthday (The Sugarcubes song)"Birthday" is a song written and recorded by Icelandic band The Sugarcubes for their 1988 debut album Life's Too Good. It was their first international single and the first single released from the album...
- 3:56 - Delicious Demon - 2:43
- Mamma - 2:56
- Cold Sweat - 3:15
- Blue Eyed Pop - 2:38
- Deus - 4:07
- Sick for Toys - 3:15
- Fucking in Rhythm and Sorrow - 3:14
- Take some Petrol Darling (Hidden Track) - 1:27
Bonus tracks in some versions
- 12. Cowboy - 3:27
- 13. I Want - 2:55
- 14. Cat - 3:01
- 15. Dragon - 3:08
The original LP release contains only tracks 1-11, track 11 not being listed on the sleeve or label.
The title of Track #10 appears as "F***ing in Rhythm & Sorrow" in the cover of the original LP, but the title is "Fucking in Rhythm & Sorrow" on Björk's official site.
Singles
| Release | Title | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 1987 | Birthday Birthday (The Sugarcubes song) "Birthday" is a song written and recorded by Icelandic band The Sugarcubes for their 1988 debut album Life's Too Good. It was their first international single and the first single released from the album... |
7”/12” | One Little Indian/Elektra Elektra Records Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009.... /Columbia Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company... |
| December 1987 | Birthday Birthday (The Sugarcubes song) "Birthday" is a song written and recorded by Icelandic band The Sugarcubes for their 1988 debut album Life's Too Good. It was their first international single and the first single released from the album... |
CD | One Little Indian/Elektra Elektra Records Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009.... |
| January 1988 | Coldsweat | 12”/CD | One Little Indian/Elektra Elektra Records Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009.... |
| April 5, 1988 | Deus | 7”/10”/12”/CD | One Little Indian |
| August 1988 | Birthday Christmas Mixes Birthday (The Sugarcubes song) "Birthday" is a song written and recorded by Icelandic band The Sugarcubes for their 1988 debut album Life's Too Good. It was their first international single and the first single released from the album... |
12”/CD | One Little Indian/Elektra Elektra Records Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009.... |
| 1988 | Motorcrash | 7”/12”/MC/CD | One Little Indian/Rough Trade Rough Trade Records Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove... /Elektra Elektra Records Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009.... |
Video clips
- ”Motorcrash”, directed by Óskar Jónasson.
- ”Birthday”, directed by Óskar Jónasson.
- ”Deus”.
- ”Coldsweat.
Performers
Vocals: Björk GuðmundsdóttirBjörk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
and Einar Örn Benediktsson
Einar Örn Benediktsson
Einar Örn Benediktsson is a popular music singer and trumpet player who has worked with Björk and The Sugarcubes. Since the 2010 elections he is a member of the city council of Reykjavík....
.
Trumpet: Einar Örn Benediktsson.
Guitars: Þór Eldon Jónsson.
Keyboards: Björk Guðmundsdóttir
Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
.
Bass: Bragi Ólafsson
Bragi Ólafsson
Bragi Ólafsson is a musician and a writer.Internationally he is best known for his work as a bassist in The Sugarcubes, the avant-garde pop band from Iceland that brought fame to Björk, who went on to solo success with her unique brand of dance-pop.The Sugarcubes, who favored strange, offbeat...
.
Drums: Sigtryggur Baldursson
Sigtryggur Baldursson
Sigtryggur Baldursson is an Icelandic drummer and singer.Sigtryggur was born in Norway to Icelandic parents. He was a founding member of the Sugarcubes and has been a longtime fixture on the Icelandic punk and alternative music scene. Other bands he has played in have included Þeyr, KUKL,...
.
Lyrics and music: The Sugarcubes.
Acknowledgement: Friðrik Erlingson.
Personnel
Engineering: Kjartan Kjartansson, Gerard Johnson, Gail Lambourne, Mel Jefferson, Brian Pugsley and Ken Thomas.Production: Ray Shulman
Ray Shulman
Raymond Shulman is a British musician, and the youngest of three brothers in progressive rock band, Gentle Giant.Born in Portsmouth, Shulman's father was a trumpet player in a jazz band, and that was the first instrument he learned to play...
and Derek Birkett.
Sleeve: P. White at Me Company.
Photograph: David McIntyre with collaboration of Pinks.
Publishing: Second Wind
Second Wind
A second wind is an exercise phenomenon.A second wind is also a sleep phenomenon.Second Wind may refer to:* Second Wind , the developer of a Sodar based wind profiler and other instrumentation and software for the wind energy industry...
.