Return to the Last Chance Saloon

Return to the Last Chance Saloon
Studio album by
the Bluetones
Released9 March 1998 (1998-03-09)
Recorded1997
StudiosRockfield, Monmouthshire, Wales
Genres
Length1:05:07
LabelsA&M, Superior Quality
ProducerHugh Jones
The Bluetones chronology
Expecting to Fly
(1996)		 Return to the Last Chance Saloon
(1998)		 Science & Nature
(2000)
Singles from Return to the Last Chance Saloon
  1. "Solomon Bites the Worm"
    Released: 9 February 1998
  2. "If..."
    Released: 27 April 1998
  3. "Sleazy Bed Track"
    Released: 27 July 1998
  4. "4-Day Weekend"
    Released: 9 November 1998
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStar[1]
NME6/10[2]
The Press and Journal3.5/5[3]
Select3/5[4]
The Sunday TelegraphStarStarStar[5]

Return to the Last Chance Saloon is the second studio album by the English indie rock band the Bluetones, released on 9 March 1998 by A&M Records. Produced by Hugh Jones, the album is certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI),[6] peaking at number ten on the UK Albums Chart.[7] Its offspring singles were "Solomon Bites the Worm", "If...", "Sleazy Bed Track" and "4-Day Weekend" which was only available through mail order and at gigs after A&M were sold to a new company.[8][9]

Background and recording

In September 1996, the Bluetones released the stand-alone single "Marblehead Johnson" to help bridge the gap between albums,[10] knowing they could not produce an entire album on their tour bus. Since they were busy throughout the year, it was "pretty much written in sound checks" while touring Japan.[11]

In December 1996, the band had returned to London after touring their debut album, Expecting to Fly for the year. Whilst in his shared house in South Wimbledon, guitarist Adam Devlin sat on his bedroom floor with a Yamaha iX 4-track, recording parts of partially written songs and ideas for around two weeks. Little came out of that time period apart from "Sleazy Bed Track", "Tone Blooze" and the album's hidden track "A Women Gone Done Left Me" which actually was listed as its 4-track recording.[11]

To help the band expand all of their new songs, A&M Records hired them a rehearsal facility in Bletchingley, Surrey, called The House In The Woods, for a few weeks. In the first session there, they came up with "Sleazy Bed Track", "Solomon Bites the Worm" and "Sky Will Fall."[11]

Upon arrival to Rockfield Studios, the band had picked up their pace with writing songs. The last song they demoed there was "If...". After they left the studio, all songs were written although they still had not decided the names for each track.[12]

Production

Return to the Last Chance Saloon was recorded at Rockfield Studios in Monmouthshire, Wales, in the summer and autumn of 1997.[12] It was produced and mixed by Hugh Jones and was engineered by Phil Auty.

The band tried a different approach for the album compared to their 1996 debut, Expecting to Fly, aiming to break away from the jangly sound they were known for. The lead singer Mark Morriss said they wanted to prove themselves by making one big "ambitious" record although mentioned even at the time he thought the album was too long and that it could lose three songs. The record used Gretsch and Telecasters, using Vox AC30 amplifiers whereas Expecting to Fly used Rickenbackers and reverb techniques. The beginning of "The Jub-Jub Bird" samples a Bill Hicks song and the lyrics for "If..." are partly come from Glen Campbell's 1968 single "Wichita Lineman".[13][14]

Commercial reception

Commercially, Return to the Last Chance Saloon failed to repeat the same performance Expecting to Fly achieved,[15] selling 100,000 copies in the UK as opposed to 300,000,[16][17] although still entered the UK Top 10.[7]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Morriss, Devlin, Morriss, Chesters.[18]

No.TitleLength
1."Tone Blooze"2:27
2."Unpainted Arizona"3:09
3."Solomon Bites the Worm"3:09
4."U.T.A."4:04
5."4-Day Weekend"3:57
6."Sleazy Bed Track"4:41
7."If..."5:12
8."The Jub-Jub Bird"4:26
9."Sky Will Fall"3:16
10."Ames"4:44
11."Down at the Reservoir"3:19
12."Heard You Were Dead"4:04
13."Broken Starr" (track finishes at 6:05 and stays silent between this time and 13:05)15:52
14."Women Gone Done Left Me" (track starts at 13:05 and ends at 15:52)2:47
Total length:1:05:07

Personnel

Personnel per booklet.[18]

2023 Tour

In March 2023, the band announced on Facebook an October tour of fifteen dates in England and one in Scotland, celebrating the twenty-fifth release anniversary of Return to the Last Chance Saloon by playing it in full for the first time.[19][20]

Charts

References

  1. ↑ Return to the Last Chance Saloon at AllMusic
  2. ↑ Cigarettes, Johnny. "The Bluetones: Return to the Last Chance Saloon". NME. Archived from the original on 17 August 2000. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  3. ↑ MacInnes, Donald (6 March 1998). "New Music". The Press and Journal. p. 14.
  4. ↑ Moran, Caitlin (April 1998). "The Bluetones: Return to the Last Chance Saloon". Select. No. 94. p. 84.
  5. ↑ Sunday Telegraph review (excerpt)
  6. ↑ "British certificates: searchable database". Bpi.co.uk. Archived from the original on 6 October 2017. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  7. 1 2 "Official Albums Chart on 15/3/1998". Official Charts. 21 March 1998. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  8. ↑ "SUMMAT FOR THE WEEKEND". NME. 1 November 1998. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  9. ↑ "with a little charm...: disocgraphy: singles: 4-day weekend". bluetones.org.uk. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  10. ↑ Strong, Martin C. (2000). The Great Rock Discography (5th ed.). Edinburgh: Mojo Books. p. 96. ISBN 1-84195-017-3.
  11. 1 2 3 "Sleeve notes for Return To The Last Chance Saloon". X. 12 February 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  12. 1 2 "Sleeve notes for Return To The Last Chance Saloon". X. 12 February 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  13. ↑ Burrows, Marc (19 October 2015). "Album by Album with The Bluetones / In Depth /". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  14. ↑ "The Bluetones - If..." recordrewindplay.co.uk. 27 May 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  15. ↑ King, Ian (18 December 2015). "The Bluetones: Return to the Last Chance Saloon". popmatters.com. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  16. ↑ "RETURN TO THE LAST CHANCE SALOON by BLUETONES sales and awards". bestsellingalbums.org. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  17. ↑ "EXPECTING TO FLY by BLUETONES sales and awards". bestsellingalbums.org. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  18. 1 2 Return to the Last Chance Saloon (Booklet). A&M Records. 9 March 1998. BLUEV008.
  19. ↑ "Video". Facebook. 31 March 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  20. ↑ "Return To The Last Chance Saloon – 25". bluetones.band. 14 August 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  21. ↑ "Official Albums Chart on 15/3/1998 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  22. ↑ "Official Singles Chart on 15/2/1998 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  23. ↑ "Official Singles Chart on 3/5/1998 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  24. ↑ "Official Singles Chart on 2/8/1998 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
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