Seal (1991 album)

Seal
Seal
Studio album by Seal
Released	24 May 1991
Recorded	November 1990 – April 1991
Genre	Soul; R&B; electro; new jack swing;
Length	52:17
Label	ZTT; Warner Music UK; Sire;
Producer	Trevor Horn
Seal chronology

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
Chicago Tribune	^[2]
Christgau's Consumer Guide	^[3]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	^[4]
Entertainment Weekly	A^[5]
Los Angeles Times	^[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	^[7]
Select	2/5^[8]

Seal is the debut studio album by Seal, released in 1991. It contains the singles "Crazy", "Future Love Paradise", "The Beginning", "Killer" and "Violet". The album debuted at number one in the UK and went on to win Best British Album at the 1992 Brit Awards. Seal's following album, released in 1994, was also named Seal. It is usually referred to as Seal II.

There are two versions of the album, with minor and major differences in three songs.^[9] The shorter version of "Wild" is more rock-based and heavy than the original. The shorter version of "Violet" contains no dialogue within the singing. Track lengths of both versions are given for each song affected. "Killer" is a re-recorded version of the UK number one single by Adamski, which also features Seal on vocals.

Many of the songs (including various ZTT mixes) were featured in the Greg Stump 1991 film Groove Requiem in the Key of Ski.^{[citation needed]} Later Seal tracks appeared in other Stump films as well. The track "Killer" was also featured on the American crime series Homicide: Life on the Street and was included on the 2-disc soundtrack album.

The song "Crazy" was covered by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes on their album Take a Break, by Mushroomhead on their album XIII, by Talisman on their 1995 album Life, by Alanis Morissette on her 2005 compilation album Alanis Morissette: The Collection, and by German power metal band Iron Savior.

Track listing[]

All lyrics and music written by Seal, except where noted.

"The Beginning" (Seal, Guy Sigsworth) – 5:40
"Deep Water" – 5:56
"Crazy" (Seal, Sigsworth) – 4:47 or 5:57
"Killer" (Adam Tinley, Seal) – 6:22
"Whirlpool" – 3:56 or 3:51
"Future Love Paradise" – 4:20
"Wild" (Seal, Sigsworth) – 5:19 or 5:28
"Show Me" – 5:59
"Violet" (Seal, Sigsworth) – 8:06 or 8:31

Personnel[]

Seal – vocals
Richard Cottle, Mars Lasar, Mark Mancina, Jamie Muhoberac, Guy Sigsworth – keyboards/sampling
Gus Isidore, Randall Jacobs, Chester Kamen, Trevor Rabin, Kenji Suzuki, Bruce Woolley – guitars
Chrissy Shefts – all guitars ("Crazy")^[10]
Trevor Horn, Steve Pearce, Doug Wimbish – bass guitar
Curt Bisquera, Denny Fongheiser, John Robinson, Keith LeBlanc – drums
Paulinho da Costa, Andy Duncan, Luís Jardim – percussion
Gary Maughan – Fairlight CMI
Gota Yashiki – drums, percussion, bass guitar
Ian Morrow – keyboard and drum programming
Maria Vidal – backing vocals
Robin Hancock – programming
Anne Dudley – string arrangements
Richard Croft – cover photography

Charts[]

Album[]

Chart (1991)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)^[11]	22
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[12]	2
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[13]	4
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[14]	7
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[15]	6
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)^[16]	10
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)^[17]	5
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[18]	2
UK Albums (OCC)^[19]	1
US Billboard 200^[20]	27

Singles[]

Release date	Title	Peak ^[21]
1990-11-2323 November 1990	"Crazy"	2
1991-04-1212 April 1991	"Future Love Paradise"	12
1991-07-088 July 1991	"The Beginning"	24
1991-11-2222 November 1991	"Killer"	8
1992-02-2414 February 1992	"Violet"	34

Certifications[]


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)^[22]	Gold	35,000^{^}
Austria (IFPI Austria)^[23]	Gold	25,000^*
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)^[24]	Gold	100,000^*
Canada (Music Canada)^[25]	3× Platinum	300,000^{^}
France (SNEP)^[27]	Gold	261,600^[26]
Germany (BVMI)^[28]	Gold	250,000^{^}
Netherlands (NVPI)^[29]	Gold	50,000^{^}
New Zealand (RMNZ)^[30]	Gold	7,500^{^}
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)^[31]	Platinum	50,000^{^}
United Kingdom (BPI)^[32]	2× Platinum	600,000^{^}
United States (RIAA)^[33]	Platinum	1,000,000^{^}
^* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[]

^ Wilson, MacKenzie. "Seal [1991] – Seal". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
^ May, Mitchell (18 July 1991). "Seal: Seal (Sire)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
^ Christgau, Robert (2000). "CG Book '90s: S". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. Macmillan. ISBN 0312245602. Retrieved 30 March 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
^ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-85712-595-8.
^ Linden, Amy (16 August 1991). "Seal". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
^ Hochman, Steve (14 July 1991). "Seal, 'Seal,' Sire". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
^ Hunter, James (2004). "Seal". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 723. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
^ Harrison, Andrew (July 1991). "Seal: Seal". Select (13): 73.
^ "Seal (Debut album) remixed/edited version". Futureloveparadise.co.uk. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
^ About Chrissy Shefts
^ "Australiancharts.com – Seal – Seal". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
^ "Austriancharts.at – Seal – Seal" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Seal – Seal" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Seal – Seal" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
^ "Charts.nz – Seal – Seal". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Seal – Seal". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
^ "Swedishcharts.com – Seal – Seal". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
^ "Swisscharts.com – Seal – Seal". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
^ "Seal Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
^ "Seal | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1992 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
^ "Austrian album certifications – Seal – Seal" (in German). IFPI Austria.
^ "Brazilian album certifications – Seal – Seal" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil.
^ "Canadian album certifications – Seal – Seal". Music Canada.
^ "Les Albums Or". infodisc.fr. SNEP. Archived from the original on 18 October 2011. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
^ "French album certifications – Seal – Seal" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Seal; 'Seal')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
^ "Dutch album certifications – Seal – Seal" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter Seal in the "Artiest of titel" box.
^ "New Zealand album certifications – Seal – Seal". Recorded Music NZ.
^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Seal; 'Seal')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
^ "British album certifications – Seal – Seal". British Phonographic Industry.Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Seal in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
^ "American album certifications – Seal – Seal". Recording Industry Association of America.

[1] Wilson, MacKenzie. "Seal [1991] – Seal". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 June 2012.

[2] May, Mitchell (18 July 1991). "Seal: Seal (Sire)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 3 August 2016.

[3] Christgau, Robert (2000). "CG Book '90s: S". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. Macmillan. ISBN 0312245602. Retrieved 30 March 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.

[4] Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-85712-595-8.

[5] Linden, Amy (16 August 1991). "Seal". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 4 May 2012.

[6] Hochman, Steve (14 July 1991). "Seal, 'Seal,' Sire". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 3 August 2016.

[7] Hunter, James (2004). "Seal". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 723. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.

[8] Harrison, Andrew (July 1991). "Seal: Seal". Select (13): 73.

[9] "Seal (Debut album) remixed/edited version". Futureloveparadise.co.uk. Retrieved 3 June 2012.

[10] About Chrissy Shefts

[ac_Australia_Seal-11] "Australiancharts.com – Seal – Seal". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.

[ac_Austria_Seal-12] "Austriancharts.at – Seal – Seal" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.

[ac_Netherlands_Seal-13] "Dutchcharts.nl – Seal – Seal" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.

[ac_Germany4_Seal-14] "Offiziellecharts.de – Seal – Seal" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 31 May 2020.

[ac_New_Zealand_Seal-15] "Charts.nz – Seal – Seal". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.

[ac_Norway_Seal-16] "Norwegiancharts.com – Seal – Seal". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.

[ac_Sweden_Seal-17] "Swedishcharts.com – Seal – Seal". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.

[ac_Switzerland_Seal-18] "Swisscharts.com – Seal – Seal". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.

[ac_UK2_-19] "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 May 2020.

[ac_Billboard200_Seal-20] "Seal Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 31 May 2020.

[21] "Seal | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 May 2020.

[AustraliaSealSealalbumCertRef-22] "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1992 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 23 July 2021.

[AustriaSealSealalbumCertRef-23] "Austrian album certifications – Seal – Seal" (in German). IFPI Austria.

[BrazilSealSealalbumCertRef-24] "Brazilian album certifications – Seal – Seal" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil.

[CanadaSealSealalbumCertRef-25] "Canadian album certifications – Seal – Seal". Music Canada.

[FRGD-26] "Les Albums Or". infodisc.fr. SNEP. Archived from the original on 18 October 2011. Retrieved 31 August 2011.

[FranceSealSealalbumCertRef-27] "French album certifications – Seal – Seal" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.

[GermanySealSealalbumCertRef-28] "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Seal; 'Seal')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.

[NetherlandsSealSealalbumCertRef-29] "Dutch album certifications – Seal – Seal" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter Seal in the "Artiest of titel" box.

[New_ZealandSealSealalbumCertRef-30] "New Zealand album certifications – Seal – Seal". Recorded Music NZ.

[SwitzerlandSealSealalbumCertRef-31] "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Seal; 'Seal')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.

[United_KingdomSealSealalbumCertRef-32] "British album certifications – Seal – Seal". British Phonographic Industry.Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Seal in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.

[United_StatesSealSealalbumCertRef-33] "American album certifications – Seal – Seal". Recording Industry Association of America.

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show v t Seal
Discography
Studio albums	Seal (1991) Seal (1994) Human Being (1998) Seal IV (2003) System (2007) Soul (2008) Seal 6: Commitment (2010) Soul 2 (2011) 7 (2015) Standards (2017)
Live albums	Live in Paris (2005) One Night to Remember (2006)
Compilations	Best 1991–2004 (2004) Hits (2009)
Unreleased albums	Togetherland (2001)
Singles	"Killer" (1990) "Crazy" (1990) "Future Love Paradise" (1991) "The Beginning" (1991) "Killer (remix)" (1991) "Violet" (1992) "Prayer for the Dying" (1994) "Kiss from a Rose" (1994) "Newborn Friend" (1994) "I'm Alive" (1994) "Don't Cry" (1996) "Fly Like an Eagle" (1997) "Human Beings" (1998) "This Could Be Heaven" (2001) "Les Mots" (2001) "My Vision" (2002) "Get It Together" (2002) "Love's Divine" (2003) "Waiting for You" (2003) "Walk on By" (2004) "Killer 2005" (2005) "Amazing" (2007) "The Right Life" (2008) "A Change Is Gonna Come" (2008) "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" (2008) "I Can't Stand the Rain" (2009) "If You Don't Know Me by Now" (2009) "Secret" (2010)
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