Released 7 September 1998 Length 70:37 Artist Mansun Label EMI Music Japan | Recorded 1998 Six
(1998) Little Kix
(2000) Release date 7 September 1998 Producers Paul Draper, Spike Stent | |
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Genres Rock music, Progressive rock, Alternative rock, Art rock, Experimental rock Similar Mansun albums, Progressive rock albums | ||
Six is the second album by English alternative rock band Mansun, released in September 1998 via Parlophone. It was released in the US on 20 April 1999 with an alternative running order, different artwork, and the re-recorded single version of the title track. In an interview prior to the release of Six, Paul Draper stated that the "interlude" "Witness to a Murder (Part Two)" was included to separate the album into two parts as a tribute to old-style vinyl albums.
Contents
Packaging
The album's sleeve art was a painting produced by Max Schindler, and commissioned especially for the album. It contains many references to personal interests and obsessions of the band, such as a TARDIS and an image of Tom Baker as Doctor Who, and Patrick McGoohan as Number 6 (sitting in the ball chair commonly occupied by the different Number 2's), from The Prisoner. There is also a depiction of Winnie the Pooh standing close to a painting that may be a reproduction of Vinegar tasters, a Taoist allegorical painting. Guitarist Dominic Chad is known to be both a Taoist and a fan of A. A. Milne, and the album's name is in fact a reference to Milne's book Now We Are Six.
The cover art also depicts a number of (perhaps non-existent) books, including:
The inlay booklet includes enlarged images of the piles of books from the cover, making it easier to read the authors and titles.
Release
Six was released in September 1998, it débuted at #6 on the UK Albums Chart. The album spawned four singles, each one was altered for single release. The alterations ranged from subtle to dramatic. The first single "Legacy" and the third single "Negative" were given slight trims. Conversely, "Being a Girl" was literally cut in half with the opening two-minute section labelled 'Part One' and released as a single. The title track was completely re-recorded with producer Arthur Baker and released in the winter of 1999. "Legacy" was the most successful single and reached the top ten on the UK Singles Chart. "Being a Girl (Part One)" and "Six" made the top twenty, while "Negative" peaked at #27.
Track listing
All tracks written by Paul Draper; except where indicated.
US track listing
The US release of Six restructured the track listing considerably at the behest of Epic Records. The chapters and interlude were removed and the running order was rearranged with "Legacy" and "Shotgun" swapped. More significant was the omission of "Inverse Midas" and "Witness to a Murder (Part Two)" both of which were composed by Dominic Chad. The full eight-minute recording of the title track is substituted for the Arthur Baker re-recording. Small edits appear throughout the remaining track listing: the opening guitar from "Legacy", the feedback from the opening of "Negative" and the removal of silence from the end of "Cancer".
All tracks written by Paul Draper; except where indicated.
Personnel
Songs
1Six8:07
2Negative4:22
3Shotgun6:38