The Comforts of Madness (album)

The Comforts of Madness
The Comforts of Madness
Studio album by Pale Saints
Released	12 February 1990
Studio	Blackwing (London)
Genre	Shoegaze; dream pop;
Length	41:06
Label	4AD
Producer	John Fryer; Gil Norton;
Pale Saints chronology

The Comforts of Madness is the debut studio album by English alternative rock band Pale Saints. It was released on 12 February 1990 by 4AD.^[3]

The Comforts of Madness peaked at number 40 on the UK Albums Chart.^[4] On 17 January 2020, 4AD released a remastered and expanded reissue of the album for its 30th anniversary.^[5]^[6]

Critical reception[]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[7]
Mojo	^[8]
NME	9/10^[9]
Pitchfork	7.6/10^[2]
Q	^[10]
Uncut	9/10^[11]
Under the Radar	9/10^[12]

Reviewing The Comforts of Madness for NME, Simon Williams praised the album as an "unnervingly multi-dimensional collage of melody and friction" with "at least eight Great Pop Tunes, all hooklines and absolutely no stinkers."^[9] The magazine later named it the 45th best album of 1990.^[13]

In 2016, Pitchfork ranked The Comforts of Madness at number 21 on its list of the 50 best shoegaze albums of all time.^[1]

Track listing[]

All tracks are written by Pale Saints (Chris Cooper, Ian Masters, and Graeme Naysmith), except where noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Way the World Is"		2:40
2.	"You Tear the World in Two"		3:01
3.	"Sea of Sound"		5:52
4.	"True Coming Dream"		2:30
5.	"Little Hammer"		2:17
6.	"Insubstantial"		4:20
7.	"A Deep Sleep for Steven"		3:44
8.	"Language of Flowers"		2:54
9.	"Fell from the Sun"	Kendra Smith	4:45
10.	"Sight of You"		5:37
11.	"Time Thief"		3:26
Total length:			41:06

Personnel[]

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.^[14]

Pale Saints (Chris Cooper, Ian Masters, and Graeme Naysmith) – all instruments

Production

Al Clay – engineering (tracks 4, 6–8, 11)
Tim Davis – engineering assistance (tracks 4, 6–8, 11)
John Fryer – production (tracks 1–3, 5, 9, 10), engineering (tracks 1–3, 5, 9, 10)
Gil Norton – production (tracks 4, 6–8, 11)

Design

Chris Bigg – art direction assistance, design assistance
Bleddyn Butcher – group photography
Vaughan Oliver – art direction, design
Sarah Tucker – cat photography

Charts[]

Chart (1990–2020)	Peak position
Scottish Albums (OCC)^[15]	49
UK Albums (OCC)^[4]	40

References[]

^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "The 50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time". Pitchfork. 24 October 2016. p. 3. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Ham, Robert (23 January 2020). "Pale Saints: The Comforts of Madness". Pitchfork. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
^ "Pale Saints: 'The Comforts Of Madness'". 4AD. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
^ "Pale Saints: 'The Comforts of Madness (30th Anniversary Remaster)'". 4AD. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
^ "Pale Saints: 30th Anniversary 'The Comforts of Madness' Out Now". 4AD. 21 January 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
^ Kellman, Andy. "The Comforts of Madness – Pale Saints". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
^ Eccleston, Danny (March 2020). "Pale Saints: The Comforts of Madness". Mojo. No. 316. p. 107.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Williams, Simon (10 February 1990). "Beyond the Pale". NME. p. 36.
^ Paphides, Pete (April 2020). "Pale Saints: The Comforts of Madness". Q. No. 409. p. 118.
^ Dale, Jon (February 2020). "Pale Saints: The Comforts of Madness". Uncut. No. 273. p. 48.
^ Gourlay, Dom (21 January 2020). "Pale Saints: The Comforts of Madness: 30th Anniversary Remaster (4AD)". Under the Radar. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
^ "NME's best albums and tracks of 1990". NME. 10 October 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
^ The Comforts of Madness (liner notes). Pale Saints. 4AD. 1990. cad 0002 cd.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 May 2021.

External links[]

The Comforts of Madness at Discogs (list of releases)

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[pitchforklist-1] Jump up to: ^a ^b "The 50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time". Pitchfork. 24 October 2016. p. 3. Retrieved 21 January 2018.

[pitchfork-2] Jump up to: ^a ^b Ham, Robert (23 January 2020). "Pale Saints: The Comforts of Madness". Pitchfork. Retrieved 24 January 2020.

[3] "Pale Saints: 'The Comforts Of Madness'". 4AD. Retrieved 21 January 2018.

[officialcharts-4] Jump up to: ^a ^b "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 January 2018.

[5] "Pale Saints: 'The Comforts of Madness (30th Anniversary Remaster)'". 4AD. Retrieved 8 May 2021.

[6] "Pale Saints: 30th Anniversary 'The Comforts of Madness' Out Now". 4AD. 21 January 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2020.

[7] Kellman, Andy. "The Comforts of Madness – Pale Saints". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 July 2015.

[8] Eccleston, Danny (March 2020). "Pale Saints: The Comforts of Madness". Mojo. No. 316. p. 107.

[nme-9] Jump up to: ^a ^b Williams, Simon (10 February 1990). "Beyond the Pale". NME. p. 36.

[10] Paphides, Pete (April 2020). "Pale Saints: The Comforts of Madness". Q. No. 409. p. 118.

[11] Dale, Jon (February 2020). "Pale Saints: The Comforts of Madness". Uncut. No. 273. p. 48.

[12] Gourlay, Dom (21 January 2020). "Pale Saints: The Comforts of Madness: 30th Anniversary Remaster (4AD)". Under the Radar. Retrieved 24 January 2020.

[13] "NME's best albums and tracks of 1990". NME. 10 October 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2018.

[14] The Comforts of Madness (liner notes). Pale Saints. 4AD. 1990. cad 0002 cd.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

[ac_Scotland_-15] "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 May 2021.

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