The Honeymoon Is Over

Background

The Cruel Sea was formed in late 1987 in Sydney by Jim Elliot on drums and Dan Rumour (aka Daniel Atkins) on guitar. By late 1988, Ken Gormly had joined on bass guitar and James Cruickshank on keyboards and guitars. In 1989, the band invited vocalist Tex Perkins, also a member of Beasts of Bourbon, to join them on-stage. The group signed with Red Eye Records and released their debut album, Down Below, in December. Their second album, This Is Not the Way Home was issued in December 1991.

The Honeymoon Is Over was produced by the band, Tony Cohen (The Birthday Party, Beasts of Bourbon) and Mick Harvey (Robert Forster, Anita Lane) of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Released in May 1993, it peaked at No. 4 on the ARIA Albums Chart, and sold over 140,000 copies.

Late in 1994, the group toured Europe, again supporting Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. They followed with a headlining tour across Europe and to Canada. On the Triple J Hottest 100, 1993, three tracks from The Honeymoon Is Over appeared, "The Honeymoon Is Over" at No. 9, "Black Stick" (No. 21) and "Delivery Man" (No. 95).

Professional reviews

Allmusic's Tom Demalon said the album "blends organic, rootsy instrumentation with clever, well-written lyrics to produce an album that is a joy from start to finish". Randy Krbechek of Metronews was impressed, "[It] is a treat. From the instrumental tracks (such as the North African-influenced "Orleans Stomp" and the pop-rock, "Seems Twice") to rock cuts like "Better Than Love" and "Black Stick", The Cruel Sea delivers the goods".

Reviewed in Rolling Stone Australia at the time of the release, it was said that the album differed from the band's previous releases because of the Cajun feel that permeated the album. Tony Cohen's production was particularly praised. The music was described as, "part Elvis Sun Sessions guitar twang, part Booker T-inspired instrumental groove, part Tom Waits percussive and lyrical growl, and a lot of Southern American country influence à la Tony Joe White's "Polk Salad Annie".

Accolades

At the ARIA Music Awards of 1994, The Cruel Sea won 'Single of the Year' and 'Song of the Year' for "The Honeymoon Is Over", 'Album of the Year', 'Best Group' and 'Producer of the Year' (Tony Cohen) for The Honeymoon Is Over and received five further nominations including 'Best Cover Art' by Kristyna Higgins and Jan Manby. At an after-party, a drunken guest attacked Higgins, a professional photographer, and a fracas ensued with Perkins defending his partner. Also that night, two of their ARIA trophies were stolen.

In October 2010, The Honeymoon Is Over was listed in the book, 100 Best Australian Albums.

Track listing

1. "Orleans Stomp" (Daniel Atkins) – 2:47
2. "The Honeymoon Is Over" (Atkins, Gregory Perkins (see Tex Perkins), James Watson) – 3:06
3. "Delivery Man" (Atkins, Perkins, Watson) – 5:08
4. "The Right Time" (Atkins) – 2:43
5. "Black Stick" (Atkins, Perkins) – 4:58
6. "Sly Din" (Atkins (aka Dan Rumour)) – 3:07
7. "Naked Flame" (Atkins, Perkins, Watson) – 4:11
8. "Woman with Soul" (Tony Joe White) – 3:51
9. "Seems Twice" (Atkins) – 2:46
10. "Better than Love" (Atkins, Perkins, Watson) – 4:24
11. "X-N-Pop" (Watson) – 2:40
12. "Let's Lay Down Here and Make Love" (Atkins, Perkins, Watson) – 3:36
13. "Blame It on the Moon" (Gene Thomas) – 3:38

Personnel

The Cruel Sea members

Additional musicians

Production details

Art work