H.M.S. Fable

H.M.S. Fable is the third album by Liverpudlian band Shack, released in June 1999 via London Records. It was the band's first album following their reformation after the interest generated by their previous much-delayed album Waterpistol and the album by offshoot band The Strands. H.M.S. Fable was well received by the critics: among the UK music publications, the album was placed at number 2 on both the NME and Uncut critics' poll of the albums of the year for 1999, and number 5 in Select magazine.

H.M.S. Fable
Studio album by Shack
Released	21 June 1999
Studio	Townhouse Rockfield Ridge Farm Westside Britannia Row Chapel Lansdowne
Genre	Alternative Rock, Britpop
Length	47:02
Label	London
Producer	Hugh Jones, Youth
Shack chronology
Waterpistol (1995) H.M.S. Fable (1999) Here's Tom with the Weather (2003)
Singles from H.M.S. Fable
"Comedy" Released: 21 June 1999 "Natalie's Party" Released: 9 August 1999

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
NME	9/10[2]
Pitchfork	6.8/10[3]
PopMatters	8.8/10[4]
Q	[5]
Rolling Stone	[6]
Select	4/5[7]
Uncut	8/10[8]

Legacy

The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.^[9] NME placed the album as number 332 on their 2013 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.^[10]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Natalie's Party"		3:50
2.	"Comedy"		5:27
3.	"Pull Together"	Michael Head, John Head	3:33
4.	"Beautiful"	John Head	3:22
5.	"Lend's Some Dough"		3:51
6.	"Captain's Table"		4:14
7.	"Streets of Kenny"		3:52
8.	"Reinstated"		3:54
9.	"I Want You"		4:06
10.	"Cornish Town"	John Head	3:59
11.	"Since I Met You"		3:16
12.	"Daniella"		3:31

All tracks are written by Michael Head, except where indicated

Personnel

Shack

• Michael Head – vocals, acoustic guitar
• John Head – electric guitar, vocals, Hammond organ on "Cornish Town"
• Ren Parry – bass
• Iain Templeton – drums, percussion, backing vocals

Additional musicians

• Michelle Brown – bass on "Comedy", "Lend's Some Dough" and "Captain's Table"
• Martin Duffy – piano on "Lend’s Some Dough"
• The Kick Horns (Roddy Lorimer and Paul Spong) – trumpets and horns on "Reinstated" and "Since I Met You"
• Richard Payne – Hammond organ on "Reinstated"; celeste on "Since I Met You"
• Anne Woods – violin on "Streets of Kenny"

References

1. Rabid, Jack. "H.M.S. Fable – Shack". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
2. Sutherland, Steve (19 June 1999). "Shack – H.M.S. Fable". NME. Archived from the original on 10 March 2007. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
3. Lieberman, Neil. "Shack: HMS Fable". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 11 March 2007. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
4. Zupko, Sarah. "Shack, H.M.S. Fable". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 6 March 2001. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
5. Sheppard, David (July 1999). "Shack: H.M.S. Fable". Q. No. 154. p. 124.
6. Schoemer, Karen (16 September 1999). "Shack: H.M.S. Fable". Rolling Stone. No. 821. p. 118.
7. Harrison, Ian (July 1999). "Shack: H.M.S. Fable". Select. No. 109. p. 92.
8. Pinnock, Tom (November 2017). "Head in the Clouds". Uncut. No. 246. p. 81.
9. Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (23 March 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.
10. "The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time: 400–301". NME. 23 October 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2022.