Real Things (2 Unlimited album)

Real Things is the third album by Belgian/Dutch Eurodance act 2 Unlimited, released in 1994.^[1] It was the band's second number one album in the UK and despite spending just nine weeks in the UK Albums Chart Top 75, it was certified gold there^[2] and platinum in The Netherlands.^[3] "The Real Thing", "Here I Go", "No One" and "Nothing Like the Rain" were released as singles. Unlike their previous album, Ray Slijngaard's raps on the verses were not cut for the UK release.

Real Things
Studio album by 2 Unlimited
Released	6 June 1994
Recorded	1994
Genre	Eurodance techno dance-pop
Length	57:20
Label	Byte Records (Sony / PWL) BYTE 103-9
Producer	Jean-Paul de Coster (exec. prod.), Phil Wilde, et al.
2 Unlimited chronology
No Limits! (1993) Real Things (1994) Hits Unlimited (1995)
Alternative cover
UK cover
Singles from Real Things
"The Real Thing" Released: May 9, 1994 (UK) "No One" Released: September 19, 1994 (UK) "Here I Go" Released: March 13, 1995 (UK) "Nothing Like the Rain" Released: June 10, 1995 (No UK release)

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
NME	8/10[5]
Pop Rescue	(favorable)[6]
Select	[7]
Smash Hits	[8]

Generally, the music press were kinder to this album than previous album No Limits!. Beau Quantick from NME gave it eight out of ten.^[5] Tim Marsh from Select noted that "The Real Thing" "has a funky key riff", while "Sensuality" and "Something Wild" "explore darker sounds."^[7] Smash Hits' Mark Sutherland stated that "every song is a potential top 10 record" and that "for techno [...] mayhem, you can't beat Real Things".^[9]

Track listing

1. "The Real Thing" – 3:40
2. "Do What I Like" – 4:07
3. "Here I Go" – 5:10
4. "Burning Like Fire" – 4:54
5. "Info Superhighway" – 4:35
6. "Hypnotised" – 4:22
7. "Tuning Into Something Wild" – 4:05
8. "Escape In Music" – 3:52
9. "Sensuality" – 4:27
10. "No One" – 3:25
11. "Face To Face" – 4:03
12. "What's Mine Is Mine" – 4:57
13. "Nothing Like the Rain" – 4:39

Personnel

Adapted from AllMusic.^[10]

• 2 Unlimited – primary artist
• Peter Bauwens – arranger, producer, vocal arrangement
• Peter Bulkens – mixing
• Jean-Paul DeCoster – arranger, executive producer, producer
• Andy Janssens – remixing
• Phil Wilde – arranger, composer, engineer, producer

Charts

Chart performance for Real Things

Chart (1994)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[11]	18
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[12]	4
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[13]	1
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[14]	3
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[15]	19
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[16]	14
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[17]	2
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[18]	3
UK Albums (OCC)[19]	1

Certifications and sales

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Brazil	—	50,000[20]
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[21]	Gold	36,700[21]
France (SNEP)[22]	2× Gold	200,000*
Japan (RIAJ)[23]	Gold	100,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[24]	Platinum	100,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[25]	Gold	25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[26]	Gold	100,000^
Summaries
Worldwide	—	1,700,000[27]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "AllMusic: 2 Unlimited (Biography)". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-05-06.
2. BPI.co.uk Certification Real Things Accessed November 4, 2006
3. NVPI.nl Dutch certification database Accessed November 4, 2006
4. AllMusic review
5. Quantick, Beau (11 June 1994). "Long Play". NME. p. 33. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
6. "Review: "Real Things" by 2 Unlimited (CD, 1994)". Pop Rescue. 7 November 2014. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
7. Marsh, Tim (1 August 1994). "New Albums: Soundbites". Select. p. 89. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
8. The review in Smash Hits in 1994.
9. The Smash Hits review in 1994
10. "Real Things - 2 Unlimited - Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
11. "Australiancharts.com – 2 Unlimited – Real Things". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
12. "Austriancharts.at – 2 Unlimited – Real Things" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
13. "Dutchcharts.nl – 2 Unlimited – Real Things" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
14. "Offiziellecharts.de – 2 Unlimited – Real Things" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
15. "Charts.nz – 2 Unlimited – Real Things". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
16. "Norwegiancharts.com – 2 Unlimited – Real Things". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
17. "Swedishcharts.com – 2 Unlimited – Real Things". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
18. "Swisscharts.com – 2 Unlimited – Real Things". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
19. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
20. "The Search For Skank". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 10 December 1994. p. 64. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
21. "2 Unlimited" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
22. "French album certifications – 2 Unlimited – Real Thing" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 16 February 2021. Select 2 UNLIMITED and click OK. 
23. "Japanese album certifications – 2 Unlimited – Real Thing" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 16 February 2021. Select 1993年12月 on the drop-down menu
24. "Dutch album certifications – 2 Unlimited – Real thing" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 16 February 2021. Enter Real thing in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1994 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
25. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Real Thing')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
26. "British album certifications – 2 Unlimited – Real Thing". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
27. "Hits Unlimited". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 10. 13 March 1996. p. 29. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 16 February 2021 – via Google Books.