Carved in Sand

Carved in Sand
Studio album by
Released5 February 1990[1]
RecordedMay–August 1989
GenreGothic rock
Length46:57
LabelPhonogram/Mercury
ProducerTim Palmer
The Mission chronology
Children
(1988)
Carved in Sand
(1990)
Grains of Sand
(1990)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]
Q[3]

Carved in Sand is the third regular studio album by The Mission, released in 1990. It reached #7 in the UK Albums Chart, making it the second of two top ten albums and overall best-selling album in the band's career.[4] Four singles were released from the album: "Butterfly on a Wheel" (#12, January 1990), "Deliverance", "Into the Blue" (#32, June 1990), "Hands Across the Ocean" / "Amelia" (#28, November 1990).[5] The band had invited members of its fan club to help select the tracks for the album.

A "companion" album with outtakes that were not included on Carved in Sand - entitled Grains of Sand - was released in November the same year.

A deluxe two-disc edition of the album was released in February 2008. It included outtakes, the album Grains of Sand and some live cover songs from the 1970s, performed under the name The Metal Gurus (a reference to the song "Metal Guru" by T. Rex, which was one of the tracks covered).

Carved in Sand marked the return of Tim Palmer as producer. The album was recorded at Jacobs Studios and mixed at Swanyard Studios.

  1. ^ "Releases". Record Mirror. 3 February 1990. p. 28. Retrieved 28 June 2022 – via Flickr.
  2. ^ Allmusic review
  3. ^ Sandall, Robert. "Pedestrian" [Carved in Sand review]. Q. March 1990.
  4. ^ all music review of Carved in Sand
  5. ^ "UK Top 40 Chart Archive, British Singles & Album Charts". everyHit.com. 16 March 2000. Retrieved 9 February 2012.