Talk on Corners

Background and recording

The Corrs began work on new material in California in July 1996, initially under the supervision of producer David Foster. Lead vocalist Andrea Corr has described the making of Talk on Corners as being "a struggle", with the band put under pressure by Atlantic Records to deliver a successful follow-up to their 1995 debut album Forgiven, Not Forgotten. Their manager John Hughes cited second album syndrome as a common source of pressure for all recording artists, but said further demands came from the label, who were concerned that none of the songs they were being presented with seemed like potential hit singles. The label disliked "What Can I Do" and "So Young", particularly the latter, and the band had to fight hard for their inclusion on the album.

Additional co-writers and producers were brought in to help improve the album's hit potential, including Carole Bayer Sager, Glen Ballard, Oliver Leiber, Rick Nowels and Billy Steinberg. The use of different producers on different tracks introduced further difficulties: the band found it hard to achieve consistency throughout the entire album, although this would be remedied by the Corrs using over forty hours of studio time to record overdubs. In May 1997, the finalised album was delivered to Atlantic, who were unimpressed by the material and ordered the band to continue recording new tracks. When they refused, the label threatened to sue the band for breach of contract. This dispute was only resolved when John Hughes signed a contract guaranteeing future album sales, with the manager being held personally liable if Talk on Corners failed to yield a profit for Atlantic.

Composition and style

Talk on Corners is predominantly a pop rock album, although it also incorporates elements of Celtic and traditional Irish music. Andrea Corr was the album's primary lyricist, co-writing numerous songs with established composers and producers: she co-wrote "Queen of Hollywood" with Glen Ballard, best-known for co-writing Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" (1987), as well as for co-writing and producing the Alanis Morissette album Jagged Little Pill (1995). "Intimacy" was co-written by Billy Steinberg, the writer of hit singles including Madonna's "Like a Virgin" (1984) and "Eternal Flame" (1989) by The Bangles. Several songs on the record were co-written and produced by Oliver Lieber, the son of composer Jerry Lieber who – alongside Mike Stoller – co-wrote some of the biggest hits of the fifties and sixties, including Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog" (1953) and "Jailhouse Rock" (1957), as well as Ben E. King's "Stand By Me" (1961). Their cover of the Jimi Hendrix song "Little Wing" features Irish folk collective The Chieftains. The album's title is derived from a lyric in the song "Queen of Hollywood".

Critical reception

The record received generally positive reviews from music critics. AllMusic writer Becky Byrkit rated it four stars out of five and praised the band for their vocal harmonies, as well as the album's consistency, writing that "each and every cut sounds wired for radio play". She highlighted their cover of "Little Wing" as being the album's "best and most spirited Celtic cut". Stephen Segerman of South African music magazine Rock rated the album eight out of ten, and complimented it for incorporating a "fuller and rockier atmosphere [than Forgiven, Not Forgotten]. He also praised the record for containing "generous sprinklings of traditional Irish sounds and touches", which he said helped enhance the material.

The special edition of the album received mixed reviews from the American music press. James Hunter of Rolling Stone criticised Ballard's production on "Queen of Hollywood" for "forcing an Alanis-like edge where it's unneeded", and called the David Foster-produced tracks "goofy", but said that "Otherwise, this is a high-flying reintroduction to some blue chip popsters." A writer for People was critical of the re-release, as well as the remixed tracks, calling it "A collection of pretty, pop-lite tunes that could use more Celtic flavoring and less studio gloss, the album is best when harking back to the sounds of the Old Sod: reeling fiddles, soaring harmonies and the haunting tin whistle played by sister Andrea. Her lead vocals are as pretty to listen to as she and her sisters are to look at, but the string-sweetened arrangements are as bland and flat as a Dublin car park."

British rock magazine NME have retrospectively been highly critical of the album, placing it at number three in their 2014 list of "25 unfathomably popular albums of the 90's". The album also appeared in a 2016 article titled "8 of the all-time best-selling albums in the UK [which] have no redeeming features whatsoever".

Release and commercial performance

The original edition of the album was released internationally from October 1997, and was an immediate commercial success in several territories. Within five months of release, Talk on Corners had sold over a million copies worldwide, and was certified sextuple platinum in their home country, as well as double platinum in Australia and Spain, platinum in Denmark and New Zealand, and gold in both Japan and Sweden. Its commercial success elsewhere was initially modest, however, with the album debuting at number 23 in France and at number 56 in Germany. In the UK, it debuted at number 7, but would fall out of the top forty there within a month of release. "Only When I Sleep" and "I Never Loved You Anyway" were released as the album's first two singles, with the former becoming a top ten hit in Ireland, while both songs peaked within the top forty of the Australian Singles Chart. "What Can I Do" was released as the album's third single, and also went on to be a top forty hit in Ireland. All three singles failed to reach the top forty of the UK Singles Chart.

Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood joined the band at their concert in the Royal Albert Hall on 17 March 1998 during their performance of "Dreams", which the band had recently contributed to the album Legacy: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac's Rumours. The entire concert was broadcast live on BBC One as part of that organisation's coverage of Saint Patrick's Day, and the event did much to raise the band's profile. The cover would become the Corrs' first top forty hit in the UK, after it peaked at number six. The following month, Talk on Corners was reissued in numerous territories with "Dreams" included as a bonus track, and the album finally peaked at number one in the UK on 21 June 1998, its 35th week on the chart. This edition of the album was the first to be released in the United States. It was released on May 5, and peaked at number 17 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers Albums. The Corrs: Live at the Royal Albert Hall was released in August.

Talk on Corners: Special Edition

A special edition of the record was released internationally from November 1998. This revised edition contained five remixed tracks, several of which were then released or re-released as singles. The previously released remix of "Dreams" by Todd Terry was included, along with a previously unreleased K-Klass remix of "So Young", as well as an alternate mix of "I Never Loved You Anyway", which was created by The Corrs. English electronic music duo Tin Tin Out remixed a further two tracks: "What Can I Do" and "Runaway"—a song from their debut album. Tin Tin Out enlisted European string ensemble the Duke Quartet to provide orchestration for both tracks. The former would go on to become the Corrs' first top three hit in the UK when it was released as a single, while the remix of "Runaway" became their highest-peaking single yet, after it peaked at number two behind Britney Spears' "...Baby One More Time. "Dreams", "What Can I Do" and "Runaway" were all certified silver by the BPI for shipments in excess of 200,000 units each.

Following the success of the album in Europe and Australasia, an abridged version of the special edition was released in the US on 16 February 1999, and peaked at number 72 on the Billboard 200. To promote this edition, the band performed as the opening act on several dates of The Rolling Stones' No Security Tour, as well as their own national concert tour and appearances on numerous talk shows: including Saturday Night Live, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and the Late Show with David Letterman. The Corrs: Live at the Royal Albert Hall was repeatedly aired on PBS.

This edition was the highest-selling incarnation of the album in several territories. Talk on Corners would go on to spend a total of ten weeks at number one on the UK Albums Chart. On its final week atop the chart there, on the chart dated 4 April 1999, Forgiven, Not Forgotten reached a new peak of number two. This made The Corrs the first act since The Beatles to simultaneously occupy the top two positions of the UK Albums Chart. It ended 1998 as the UK's highest-selling album, and was also the eighth highest-selling album of 1999. As of 2016, Talk on Corners has sold over 2.96 million copies in the UK, and remains the highest-selling album of all time by an Irish act there, as well as one of the best-selling albums of all time in the country.

Similarly, it was certified 20× platinum in Ireland, indicating shipments in excess of 300,000 units, and remains the highest-certified album of all time there, as well as the twelfth best-selling album ever. In 2001, the record was certified sextuple platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry for shipments in excess of 6 million units throughout Europe.

Track listing

All tracks written by The Corrs, except where noted.

Notes

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of the 1998 re-release of Talk of Corners.

The Corrs

Musicians

Technical