The Martyr Mantras
Studio album by
Jesus Loves You
Released3 September 1990
Recorded1988−90
Genre
LabelMore Protein/Virgin
Producer
Jesus Loves You chronology
High Hat
(1989)		 '''The Martyr Mantras'''
(1990)		 Cheapness and Beauty
(1995)
Singles from The Martyr Mantras
  1. "After The Love"
    Released: 1989
  2. "One on One"
    Released: 1990
  3. "Bow Down Mister/Love Hurts"
    Released: 1991
  4. "Generations of Love"
    Released: 1991
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic link
Calgary HeraldB[1]
Entertainment Weekly(favorable)[2]
Melody Maker(mixed)[3]
Music & Media(favorable)[4]
NME6/10[5]
Record Mirror7/10[6]

The Martyr Mantras is the only studio album by Jesus Loves You and the fourth studio album by Boy George. It was credited to Jesus Loves You worldwide except in North America, where it was credited to Boy George upon its release there in 1991.

Composition

The Martyr Mantras contains many dance-orientated tracks, most of them with an electronic production. It is partly a collection of some of the songs that were released as one-off singles many months before ("No Clause 28" in 1988, "After the Love" in 1989, "Generations of Love" and "One On One" in 1990). The lead single was the Indian and house mash-up "Bow Down Mister" which reached the Top 30 in the UK Singles Chart.

George's songwriting credits are also on another alias, as "Angela Dust".

Critical reception

In a contemporaneous review in Keyboard, Jim Aikin described the album as "blue-eyed soul for the '90s". He added that "[George] updates his British R&B roots very effectively with hip-hop beats and techno tricks". Aikin also noted that, whatever the mood of any particular track, "you feel that George is sincere".[7] Dave Obee from Calgary Herald remarked that the former head of the Culture Club "has turned to house music, with all the computerized repetition a listener can stand. But that wonderfully pure voice rises above the rigid format, giving real life to each song." He highlighted George's "husky singing" on "Love's Gonna Let U Down", and his "stirring work" on "I Specialize in Loneliness".[1] Andrew Smith from Melody Maker wrote, "With the first two singles, the gorgeously melancholic "Generations of Love" and "One on One", George seemed to be demanding for the first time, to be taken seriously as an artist, and with great success. [...] If anyone ever doubted it, songs like the aforementioned singles, the gritty "Love's Gonna Let U Down" and lingering devastation of "I Specialize in Loneliness" establish beyond doubt that George O'Dowd still possesses one of the finest soul voices we've got."[3]

In an retrospective review for AllMusic, William Ruhlmann found the music to be "largely anonymous, if danceable", but singled out "Bow Down Mister" as an exception.[8]

Commercial performance

The Martyr Mantras was not a strong seller, only reaching #60 on the UK Albums Chart. Although it did fare better in European countries, The Martyr Mantras failed to enter the US Billboard Top 200.[9]

Track listing

  1. "Generations of Love" (Oakenfold Mix) (Angela Dust, Caron Geary, Simon Rogers) - 7:12
  2. "One on One" (Brydon L.P. Mix) (Dust, Mark Brydon) - 4:41
  3. "Love's Gonna Let U Down" (Popcorn Mix) (Dust, Brydon) - 6:08
  4. "After the Love" (Ten Glorious Years Mix) (Dust, Jon Moss) - 7:41
  5. "I Specialise in Loneliness" (Dust, John Themis) - 6:24
  6. "No Clause 28" (Pascal Gabriel Mix) (Boy George O'Dowd, Glenn Nightingale, Ian Maidman, Richie Stevens, Steve Fletcher) - 6:20
  7. "Love Hurts" (L.P. Mix) (Dust, Bruce Forest, Richard Cottle) - 6:29
  8. "Siempre Te Amare" (Dust) - 6:07
  9. "Too Much Love" (Dust, Brydon) - 6:00
  10. "Bow Down Mister" (Dust) - 6:32
  11. "Generations of Love" (Seventies Mix) (CD only)

Personnel

Production

  • Simon Rogers – producer (track 1 & 11)
  • Mark Brydon – producer (tracks 2 & 3)
  • Angela Dust – producer (tracks 4 & 9)
  • Jon Moss – producer (track 4)
  • John Themis – producer (track 5)
  • Bobby Z – producer (track 6)
  • Jeremy Healy – producer (track 6)
  • Bruce Forest – producer (tracks 7 & 10)
  • Zeo – producer (track 8)

Charts

Chart (1990-91) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA Charts)[10] 136
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[11] 13
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[12] 44
UK Albums (OCC)[13] 60

References

  1. 1 2 Obee, Dave (24 February 1991). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald.
  2. ↑ Farber, Jim (8 February 1991). "The Martyr Mantras". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  3. 1 2 Smith, Andrew (23 March 1991). "Albums". Melody Maker. p. 36. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  4. ↑ "New Releases: Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. 9 February 1991. p. 12. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  5. ↑ Page, Betty (30 March 1991). "Long Play". NME. p. 34. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  6. ↑ Cheeseman, Phil (6 April 1991). "Albums". Record Mirror. p. 16. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  7. ↑ Aikin, Jim, "In Review" Keyboard Volume 17, Number 7 (Issue #181) May 1991, page 17
  8. ↑ Ruhlmann, William. "The Martyr Mantras". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  9. ↑ "Artist Search for "boy george"". AllMusic.
  10. ↑ "Bubbling Down Under Week Commencing 20 May 1991". Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  11. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Jesus Loves You – The Martyr Mantras" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Jesus Loves You – The Martyr Mantras" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Jesus Loves You | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.
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