What Does Anything Mean? Basically
Studio album by
the Chameleons
Released20 May 1985
RecordedJanuary 1985
StudioHighland, Inverness, Scotland
GenrePost-punk, gothic rock[1]
Length41:34
LabelStatik
Producer
The Chameleons chronology
Script of the Bridge
(1983)		 What Does Anything Mean? Basically
(1985)		 Strange Times
(1986)
Singles from What Does Anything Mean? Basically
  1. "Singing Rule Britannia (While the Walls Close In)"
    Released: 1 August 1985

What Does Anything Mean? Basically is the second studio album by English rock band the Chameleons. It was recorded in January 1985 and released on 20 May 1985 by record label Statik.

One single was released from the album: "Singing Rule Britannia (While the Walls Close In)".

Recording

What Does Anything Mean? Basically was recorded in January 1985 at Highland Studios in Inverness, Scotland.[2]

Release

The album's sole single, "Singing Rule Britannia (While the Walls Close In)", was released on 1 August 1985.[3] This song used uncredited Lennon-McCartney lyrics, with the final passage of the song quoting key lyrics of the Beatles song "She Said, She Said".

What Does Anything Mean? Basically was released 20 May 1985 on record label Statik.[4] /2011<com.power

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[6]
MusicHound Rock[7]
OndaRock7/10[8]

What Does Anything Mean? Basically has been generally well received by critics.

In his retrospective review, Ned Raggett of AllMusic called it "[a] rarity of sophomore albums, something that at once made the band all the more unique in its sound while avoiding a repetition of earlier work. [...] an astounding record."[5] Trouser Press called it "even better" than Script of the Bridge, "with much stronger production underscoring both the band's direct power and the ghostly atmospherics of its icy church keyboards and delay-ridden guitars".[9]

Chris Jenkins, in the book The Rough Guide to Rock, however, called it "as half-baked as its title".[10]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Mark Burgess; all music is composed by the Chameleons (Burgess, Dave Fielding, Reg Smithies and John Lever)

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Silence, Sea and Sky"1:59
2."Perfume Garden"4:36
3."Intrigue in Tangiers"5:17
4."Return of the Roughnecks"3:26
5."Singing Rule Britannia (While the Walls Close In)"4:17
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."On the Beach"4:10
2."Looking Inwardly"4:29
3."One Flesh"4:28
4."Home Is Where the Heart Is"4:54
5."P.S. Goodbye"4:02
CD bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
11."In Shreds"4:03
12."Nostalgia"5:23

Personnel

The Chameleons
  • Mark Burgess – vocals, bass guitar, strings, production
  • Dave Fielding – guitar, ARP String Ensemble, production
  • Reg Smithies – guitar, acoustic guitar, album cover illustration, production
  • John Lever – drums, production
Technical

References

  1. ↑ "Record Review: The Chameleons – "What Does Anything Mean? Basically" UK CD [part 1]".
  2. ↑ What Does Anything Mean? Basically (Media notes). The Chameleons. Statik Records. 1985. Retrieved 16 July 2013.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  3. ↑ "The Chameleons – Releases". The Chameleons. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
  4. ↑ "The Chameleons – Releases". The Chameleons. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  5. 1 2 Raggett, Ned. "What Does Anything Mean? Basically – The Chameleons UK | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  6. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2011). "The Chameleons". Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0857125958.
  7. ↑ Gary Graff, ed. (1996). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide (1st ed.). London: Visible Ink Press. ISBN 978-0-7876-1037-1.
  8. ↑ "Chameleons - biografia, recensioni, streaming, discografia, foto". OndaRock.
  9. ↑ Robbins, Ira; Rabid, Jack. "trouserpress.com :: Chameleons (UK)". Trouser Press. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  10. ↑ Jenkins, Chris (2003). Buckley, Peter (ed.). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. p. 182. ISBN 1843531054. Retrieved 16 July 2013.


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