Pelican West

Pelican West is the debut studio album by the British new wave band Haircut One Hundred, released on 26 February 1982 by Arista Records. It peaked at No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart^[2] and No. 31 on the Billboard 200,^[3] and was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).^[4]

Pelican West
Studio album by Haircut One Hundred
Released	26 February 1982 (1982-02-26)[1]
Recorded	1981–82
Studio	Roundhouse (London)
Genre	New wave
Length	45:36
Label	Arista
Producer	Bob Sargeant
Haircut One Hundred chronology
Pelican West (1982) Paint and Paint (1984)
Singles from Pelican West
"Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)" Released: October 1981 "Love Plus One" Released: January 1982 "Fantastic Day" Released: April 1982

The album featured three hit singles: "Love Plus One", "Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)" and "Fantastic Day". It was reissued on CD in 1992, retitled as Pelican West Plus and including five bonus tracks.

Pelican West was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (2006).^[5]

Frontman Nick Heyward later said, "It was a team effort, and everyone had their roles. My job was like the Paul McCartney one in the Beatles' Get Back film. The rest of the guys looked to me for direction, and I had to push them to turn these glorified jam sessions into three-minute pop songs."^[6]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[7]
Classic Pop	[8]
Q	[9]
Record Collector	[10]
Record Mirror	[11]
Rolling Stone	[12]
Select	[13]
Smash Hits	8+1⁄2/10[14]
Uncut	8/10[15]
The Village Voice	C+[16]

The album was well received by contemporary critics. Record Mirror gave it a full five star rating.^[11] Smash Hits' Dave Hepworth was impressed by "the winning vocals, the sturdy, flexible rhythm section, creamy saxophone, the poignant, exhilirating and thoroughly British songs. Haircuts know just how far they can spin out their compositions and never resort to empty mannerisms."^[14]

In the NME, Danny Baker wrote "..still be surprised by tremendous efforts like Pelican West. Haircut 100 have made the lightweight - there's no other kind - masterpiece of the decade."^[17]

Retrospectively, Record Collector dubbed it "a true 1980s classic".^[10]

Track listing

Original album

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)"	3:06
2.	"Love Plus One"	3:34
3.	"Lemon Firebrigade"	3:56
4.	"Marine Boy"	3:33
5.	"Milk Film"	2:55
6.	"Kingsize (You're My Little Steam Whistle)"	4:25
7.	"Fantastic Day"	3:14
8.	"Baked Bean"	4:03
9.	"Snow Girl"	2:56
10.	"Love's Got Me in Triangles"	3:38
11.	"Surprise Me Again"	3:19
12.	"Calling Captain Autumn"	4:06
Total length:		45:36

All tracks are written by Nick Heyward, except "Love's Got Me in Triangles" by Nick Heyward and Les Nemes. In the U.S., tracks one and two were in reverse sequence

Pelican West Plus (1992)

Pelican West Plus bonus tracks (1992)

No.	Title	Length
13.	"Boat Party"	3:54
14.	"Ski Club"	4:40
15.	"Nobody's Fool" (12" version)	4:57
16.	"October Is Orange (Day 1 & 2)"	4:20
17.	"Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)" (12" version)	7:10
Total length:		67:42

Double CD reissue (1998, 2016)

Disc one

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)"	3:05
2.	"Love Plus One"	3:33
3.	"Lemon Firebrigade"	3:55
4.	"Marine Boy"	3:28
5.	"Milk Film"	2:57
6.	"Kingsize (You're My Little Steam Whistle)"	4:24
7.	"Fantastic Day"	3:13
8.	"Baked Bean"	4:03
9.	"Snow Girl"	2:57
10.	"Love's Got Me in Triangles"	3:37
11.	"Surprise Me Again"	3:17
12.	"Calling Captain Autumn"	4:05
13.	"Boat Party"	3:50
14.	"Ski Club"	3:38
15.	"October Is Orange (Day 1 & 2)"	4:17
16.	"Nobody's Fool" (7" single)	4:13
Total length:		58:32

Disc two

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)" (12" version)	6:28
2.	"Love Plus One" (12" version)	5:40
3.	"Fantastic Day" (12" version)	4:19
4.	"Nobody's Fool" (12" version)	4:58
5.	"Calling Captain Autumn" (special extended version)	4:34
6.	"Boat Party" (12" version)	5:33
7.	"October Is Orange (Day 1 and Day 2)" (12" version)	5:11
8.	"Ski Club of Great Britain"	5:53
9.	"Marine Boy" (12" version)	4:49
10.	"Love's Got Me in Triangles" (special extended version)	5:10
11.	"Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)" (extended version)	7:10
12.	"Fantastic Day" (live at Hammersmith Odeon)	4:22
13.	"Calling Captain Autumn" (12" version)	6:00
Total length:		70:08

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.^[18]

Haircut One Hundred

• Nick Heyward – vocals, lead guitar, rhythm guitar
• Les Nemes – bass guitar
• Graham Jones – guitar
• Phil Smith – saxophone, brass arrangements
• Marc Fox – congas, percussion
• Blair Cunningham – drums

Additional musicians

• Herschel Holder – trumpet
• Dave Lord – trumpet
• Vince Sullivan – trombone

Production

• Bob Sargeant – production
• Mark Dearnley – engineering
• Dave Kemp – engineering
• David Shortt – art direction
• Gered Mankowitz – photography
• Peter Hill – sleeve art
• Karl Adams – management

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1982) Peak position Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[19] 27 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[20] 12 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[21] 29 UK Albums (OCC)[2] 2 US Billboard 200[3] 31

Year-end charts Chart (1982) Position New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[22] 24

Singles

Year	Song	Chart	Position
1981	"Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)"	UK Singles Chart	4
1982	"Love Plus One"	UK Singles Chart	3
1982	"Fantastic Day"	UK Singles Chart	9
1982	"Love Plus One"	US Billboard Hot 100	37
1981	"Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)"	US Billboard Disco/Dance	41
1982	"Love Plus One"	US Billboard Disco/Dance	8
1982	"Ski Club of Great Britain"	US Billboard Disco/Dance	21

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[4]	Platinum	300,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Cultural references

In the 1983 Central TV science fiction series Luna - first series episode two "The Clunkman Cometh" - the villainous Clunkman accepts a copy of the album as payment for alien pet Jazzmine - he reckons the album will be valuable although he himself dislikes "classical music".^[23]