Pelican West

Pelican West
Studio album by
Haircut One Hundred
Released26 February 1982 (1982-02-26)[1]
Recorded1981–82
StudioRoundhouse (London)
GenreNew wave
Length45:36
LabelArista
ProducerBob Sargeant
Haircut One Hundred chronology
Pelican West
(1982) 		Paint and Paint
(1984)
Singles from Pelican West
  1. "Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)"
    Released: October 1981
  2. "Love Plus One"
    Released: January 1982
  3. "Fantastic Day"
    Released: April 1982
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Classic Pop[3]
Q[4]
Record Collector[5]
Record Mirror[6]
Rolling Stone[7]
Smash Hits8+1⁄2/10[8]
Uncut8/10[9]
The Village VoiceC+[10]

Pelican West is the debut studio album by the British new wave band Haircut One Hundred, released on 26 February 1982 by Arista Records. It peaked at No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart[11] and No. 31 on the Billboard 200,[12] and was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).[13]

The album featured three hit singles: "Love Plus One", "Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)" and "Fantastic Day". It was reissued on CD in 1992, retitled as Pelican West Plus and including five bonus tracks.

Pelican West was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (2006).[14]

Frontman Nick Heyward later said, "It was a team effort, and everyone had their roles. My job was like the Paul McCartney one in the Beatles' Get Back film. The rest of the guys looked to me for direction, and I had to push them to turn these glorified jam sessions into three-minute pop songs."[15]

  1. ^ "Haircuts in Hammersmith" (PDF). Record Mirror. 20 February 1982. p. 2. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  2. ^ Sendra, Tim. "Pelican West – Haircut One Hundred". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  3. ^ Lester, Paul (April–May 2016). "Haircut One Hundred: Pelican West". Classic Pop. No. 22. p. 102.
  4. ^ Roberts, David (November 1992). "Haircut One Hundred: Pelican West". Q. No. 74. p. 133.
  5. ^ Elliott, Mark (May 2016). "Pelican West | Haircut 100". Record Collector. No. 453. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  6. ^ Nicholls, Mike (27 February 1982). "Haircut One Hundred: Pelican West". Record Mirror. p. 15.
  7. ^ Considine, J. D. (8 July 1982). "Pelican West – Haircut One Hundred". Rolling Stone. No. 373. p. 51. Archived from the original on 2 July 2001. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  8. ^ Hepworth, David (4–17 March 1982). "Haircut One Hundred: Pelican West". Smash Hits. Vol. 4, no. 5. p. 29.
  9. ^ Sharp, Johnny (April 2023). "Haircut One Hundred: Pelican West". Uncut. No. 311. p. 46.
  10. ^ Christgau, Robert (1 June 1982). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference OCC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference Billboard was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference BPI was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Dimery, Robert, ed. (2006). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (revised and updated ed.). Universe Publishing. ISBN 0-7893-1371-5.
  15. ^ Thrills, Adrian (May 2023). "'I Didn't Know How to Deal with Being a Frontman'". Record Collector. No. 544. pp. 54–59.