England Made Me (Black Box Recorder album)

England Made Me
An image of several people in a mine with a white border around it
Studio album by
Black Box Recorder
Released20 July 1998
Recorded1997
Studio
  • Milo, London
  • The Drugstore, London
Genre
Length37:16
LabelChrysalis
Producer
  • Black Box Recorder
  • Phil Vinall
Black Box Recorder chronology
England Made Me
(1998) 		The Facts of Life
(2000)
Singles from England Made Me
  1. "Child Psychology"
    Released: 4 May 1998
  2. "England Made Me"
    Released: 6 July 1998

England Made Me is the debut studio album of English rock band Black Box Recorder. It was released through Chrysalis Records on 20 July 1998. After releasing albums with the Auteurs and as Baader Meinhof, in early 1997, musician Luke Haines formed Black Box Recorder with John Moore and Sarah Nixey. Through most of 1997, the band recorded their debut album with Auteurs collaborator-and-producer Phil Vinall in several London studios, including Milo and The Drugstore. The country folk, easy listening and pop album is named for Graham Greene's 1935 novel eponymous novel, and has been compared to the work of Portishead and Young Marble Giants. Bontempi drums and a radio scanner, and samples are used on several tracks. The songs' lyrics criticize the mundane experience of living and growing up in post-Restoration England, and explore the themes of single mothers and teenage sex.

England Made Me was met with mixed reviews; critics focussed on the album's quality, Nixey's voice and the lyrics. It reached number 110 on the UK Albums Chart. Following an argument between Haines and Moore, which almost saw Black Box Recorder disband, they signed to Chrysalis Records in December 1997. After a brief return to The Auteurs, Black Box Recorder toured the UK in early 1998. "Child Psychology" was released as the album's lead single in May 1998 and reached number 82 in the UK Singles Chart; this was followed by "England Made Me" in July 1998, which peaked at number 89. Black Box Recorder did not tour after the album's release, making a single appearance at that year's Reading Festival. NME included England Made Me on its list of the 50 best releases from 1998, and was reissued as part of a career-spanning box set in 2018.