The Christians (album)

The Christians is the debut album by English music ensemble The Christians, released in 1987. It contains their first five UK hit singles: "Forgotten Town", "Hooverville", "When the Fingers Point", "Ideal World" and "Born Again".

The Christians
Studio album by The Christians
Released	October 1987
Studio	The Workhouse Studio and Parfett Sound, London, and Amazon Studios, Liverpool
Length	57:45
Label	Island
Producer	Laurie Latham
The Christians chronology
The Christians (1987) Colour (1990)
Singles from The Christians
"Forgotten Town" Released: January 1987 "Hooverville (They Promised Us the World)" Released: June 1987 "When the Fingers Point" Released: September 1987 "Ideal World" Released: November 1987 "Born Again" Released: April 1988

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Smash Hits	8/10[2]

AllMusic has retrospectively been generally favourable towards the album, stating that the band "blend socially conscious lyrics of life under Thatcher with smooth, slickly programmed pop-soul arrangements" and concluding that the record was "a solid debut with very few filler tracks".^[1]

Track listing

All tracks written and composed by Henry Priestman except where noted.

1. "Forgotten Town" – 5:13
2. "When the Fingers Point" – 3:32
3. "Born Again" – 5:18
4. "Ideal World" (Priestman, M. Henry Herman) – 4:35
5. "Save a Soul in Every Town" – 4:32
6. "...And That's Why" – 5:17
7. "Hooverville" (Priestman, Herman) – 4:45
8. "One in a Million" – 4:42
9. "Sad Songs" (Priestman, Herman) – 4:25
10. "Forgotten Town" (12" Dub Version) – 5:26 (bonus track on cassette and CD)
11. "When the Fingers Point" (12" Remix) – 5:32 (bonus track on cassette and CD)
12. "Why Waltz" – 4:07 (bonus track on cassette and CD)

• On the cassette version of the album the 12" Dub Version of "Forgotten Town" was placed at the end of side one, after "Save a Soul in Every Town".

Personnel

The Christians:

• Garry A. Christian – lead vocals
• Russell Christian – saxophone, vocals
• Henry Priestman – keyboards, guitar, vocals

Additional personnel:

• Mike Bulger – electric guitar
• Tony Jones – bass
• Paul Barlow – drums
• Anthony Moore – programming
• Produced & engineered by Laurie Latham
• Additional engineering by Pete Coleman, Stuart Barry
• Mastered by Tim Young
• Mix on track 4 – David Bascombe
• Mix on track 7 – Pete Hammond

Charts

Chart (1987)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[3]	64
UK Albums (OCC)[4]	2
US Billboard 200[5]	158

References

1. Mills, Ted. "The Christians: The Christians". www.allmusic.com. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
2. Lawe, Richard (7–20 October 1987). "Albums: The Christians — The Christians (Island)" (PDF). Smash Hits. Vol. 9, no. 19. Peterborough: EMAP National Publications, Ltd. p. 60. ISSN 0260-3004. Archived from the original on 6 August 2018. Retrieved 26 May 2023 – via World Radio History.
3. "Bubbling Down Under 5 November 1990". www.bubblingdownunder.com. 5 November 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
4. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
5. "The Christians Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.