INTRODUCING THE HARDLINE ACCORDING TO TERENCE TRENT D’ARBY
Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D’Arby is the debut studio album by Terence Trent D’Arby. It was released in July 1987 on Columbia Records, and became an instant number one smash in the UK, spending a total of nine weeks (non-consecutively) at the top of the UK Albums Chart. It was eventually certified 5 x Platinum (for sales of 1.5 million copies). Worldwide, the album sold a million copies within the first three days of going on sale. The album’s success was slower in the U.S. It was released there in October 1987, eventually peaking at number four on May 7, 1988 – the same week that the single “Wishing Well” hit number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It did peak higher on the Billboard R&B Albums chart at #1 around the same time. Other singles from the album included “If You Let Me Stay”, which was a top ten hit in the UK, and “Sign Your Name”, which reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 in the UK. A fourth single, “Dance, Little Sister”, reached the UK Top 20 as well. (More from Wikipedia)
Terence Trent d’Arby, Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent d’Arby – I remember there being a huge amount of hype associated with this album; the title alone promises more than almost anyone would be able to deliver. There was a lot of that going around in the 1980’s, and VH1 mocked the era’s self-importance by naming one of their oldies shows The Big 80’s. Allmusic reminded me of a quote from d’Arby himself that his was the most important album since Sgt. Pepper. There were two hit singles from the album in the US called “Wishing Well” and “Sign Your Name”, both excellent (so were the music videos for these songs); and US album sales hit two million. Another song from the album, “If You Let Me Stay” was a major Top 10 hit in the UK that stayed in the top half of the charts for over a year.
(December 2015)
