Tape Deck Heart

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Tape Deck Heart
Studio album by
Frank Turner
Released22 April 2013
Recorded2012 in Los Angeles
GenreFolk rock, folk punk, punk rock
Length50:20
LabelXtra Mile, Polydor, Interscope
ProducerRich Costey
Frank Turner chronology
The Second Three Years
(2011) 		Tape Deck Heart
(2013) 		Losing Days
(2013)
Singles from Tape Deck Heart
  1. "Recovery"
    Released: 4 March 2013
  2. "The Way I Tend to Be"
    Released: 6 June 2013
  3. "Losing Days"
    Released: 1 September 2013
  4. "Oh Brother"
    Released: 9 October 2013
  5. "Polaroid Picture"
    Released: 3 February 2014
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic76/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The A.V. ClubB[3]
The Guardian[4]
Hellhound Music[5]
NME8/10[6]
PopMatters8/10[7]
Punknews.org[8]
Sputnikmusic[9]
The Telegraph[10]
This Is Fake DIY5/10[11]

Tape Deck Heart is the fifth studio album by English singer-songwriter Frank Turner, released on 22 April 2013 on Xtra Mile in the UK, and on Polydor / Interscope worldwide. Produced by Rich Costey, the album was preceded by the single, "Recovery."

Described as a "break-up album," Tape Deck Heart was written and recorded following the collapse of a long-term romantic relationship. Turner stated: "There’s a lot of stuff on this record about loss and failure in relationships, about what happens when something that was supposed to be timeless runs out of time."[12]

Tape Deck Heart has been given a Parental Advisory label due to the profanity heard on tracks "Plain Sailing Weather" and "Good & Gone". The title of the album is taken from a lyric in the song "Tell Tale Signs".

Background and recording[edit]

After extensive touring in support of Turner's fourth studio album, England Keep My Bones (2011) - which included an appearance during the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony and a headline show at Wembley Arena - Turner and his backing band, The Sleeping Souls, flew to Los Angeles, in October 2012, to enter the studio with producer Rich Costey, seeking a "big, warm expansive rock sound."[13] Regarding the band's experience in Los Angeles, Turner stated, "It’s such a cliché – bands reach a certain level of success, go to L.A. to record an album. I was nervous about recording outside the UK because my music sounds English and I like that, but in fact, it didn’t make any difference. We stayed at the Holiday Inn next door and didn’t finish until dark every day, so I scarcely saw the sun shine."[14]

Regarding Costey's production, Turner noted, "I will say that I think the production is a massive step up for me. [...] The man is a fucking genius."[12] Nicknamed, "Sauron, the all seeing eye," by Turner and his bandmates, Costey often made the band perform multiple takes in the studio, with Turner stating: "He brings an almost autistic eye for detail. He made me do 42 vocal takes at one point, with the encouragement ‘I know there’s something in there'."[15]

Fergus Coulbeck who featured on Turners 3rd album Poetry of the Deed was quoted saying he would never work with Turner again following a dispute over baked goods and refreshments available while recording Tape Deck Heart.

Writing and composition[edit]

Explaining the album's title, Turner stated, "A 'Tape Deck Heart' is someone who has a love of music above anything else. I don’t miss cassettes, but I am of an age - like many of us - whose music listening life was defined by Walkmen and C90 tapes."[15]

Comparing the album's lyrical and thematic content to his previous album, England Keep My Bones (2011), Turner noted: "This record isn't about England at all — I did that last time round. This album is about self-examination, running through your own faults, about change, and about ending. Something like that."[16]

Regarding the track, "Four Simple Words", Turner stated, "I think that song is something of a nod towards Queen, stylistically. But it’s not something that markedly runs through the record as such, I don’t think."[12] Turner elaborated, "I tell people it's about dancing but it's really a song about punk rock and the pleasantly surprising revelation that, at 31, my ethics and approach to music are the same as when I was 15."[13]

Artwork[edit]

The artwork for the album was done by SWFL tattoo artist Heather Ann Law.

Release[edit]

On 25 December 2012, Turner released a free download of "Four Simple Words" on his website, backed with a demo version of the song, "Cowboy Chords". The opening track and first single, "Recovery", premiered on Radio 1, on 4 March 2013 and was released on iTunes the following day.

The deluxe edition of the album contains six additional tracks, with Turner noting, "Track listing an album is a fine art, and usually a pretty agonising process. I’m glad I've had the opportunity to do the extended version for this one – all these songs belong together. That said, I think an album is a piece of art in its own right and can be too long, so it’s worth making the twelve-track definitive version. Choosing what makes it and what doesn’t is agonising, though."[12]

Commercial performance[edit]

The album entered the UK chart at No. 2 on its release, and was certified Silver by the BPI on 15 November 2013.[17] It became his most successful album yet, with 200,000 copies sold.[18]

In the United States, the album debuted at No. 52 on Billboard 200,[19] and No. 15 on Top Rock Albums,[20] selling 7,000 copies in its first week. It has sold 44,000 copies in the United States as of July 2015.[21]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by Frank Turner, except where noted

No.TitleLength
1."Recovery"3:28
2."Losing Days"3:32
3."The Way I Tend to Be"3:41
4."Plain Sailing Weather" (Frank Turner, Matt Nasir)4:01
5."Good & Gone"3:50
6."Tell Tale Signs"4:12
7."Four Simple Words"4:56
8."Polaroid Picture"3:43
9."The Fisher King Blues"5:00
10."Anymore"3:09
11."Oh Brother" (Turner, Nasir)4:18
12."Broken Piano"5:30
Deluxe Edition Bonus Tracks
No.TitleLength
13."We Shall Not Overcome"3:52
14."Wherefore Art Thou Gene Simmons?"3:35
15."Tattoos"2:39
16."Undeveloped Film"4:17
17."Time Machine"3:20
18."Cowboy Chords"3:21
US Amazon Deluxe Edition Bonus Track
No.TitleLength
17."Cowboy Chords"3:21
US iTunes Deluxe Edition Bonus Track
No.TitleLength
17."Undeveloped Film"4:17
iTunes UK Deluxe Edition Bonus Tracks
No.TitleLength
13."We Shall Not Overcome"3:52
14."Wherefore Art Thou Gene Simmons?"3:35
15."Tattoos"2:39
16."Undeveloped Film"4:17
17."Time Machine"3:20
18."Cowboy Chords"3:21
19."Oh Brother (Live From London / 2013)"3:57
20."Plain Sailing Weather (Live From London / 2013)"4:02

Editions[edit]

[22]

  • Standard CD
  • Deluxe CD
  • 12" Vinyl available in green or black
  • iTunes LP
  • Cassette Tape

Singles[edit]

"Four Simple Words" was released as a free download, along with a demo version of "Cowboy Chords" through Xtra Miles website on Christmas Day 2012. The first single from the album was "Recovery", which was released on 5 March 2013 and the music video was released the same day. "The Way I Tend To Be" was later released on 17 June and peaked at number 33 in the UK singles chart. "Losing Days" was the third single to be released.

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[33] Gold 100,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Personnel[edit]

Frank Turner & the Sleeping Souls[edit]

  • Frank Turner – lead vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, backing vocals
  • Ben Lloyd – electric guitar, backing vocals, noise (12), drums (12)
  • Tarrant Anderson – bass guitar, backing vocals, drums (12)
  • Matt Nasir – piano, accordion, organ, Mellotron, Rhodes, Wurlitzer, mandolin, xylophone, backing vocals, drums (12)
  • Nigel Powell – drums, percussion, recorder, backing vocals

Additional musicians[edit]

  • Rich Costey - electric guitar (1 and 9), backing vocals (7)
  • Elle King - banjo (3)
  • Fergus Coulbeck - jew’s harp ("her velvet tones")
  • John Hill - soundscapes (3)
  • Chris Trovero - backing vocals (7)
  • Scott Keys - backing vocals (7)
  • Deena Keys - backing vocals (7)
  • Samantha Keys - backing vocals (7)
  • Chris Kasych - backing vocals (7)
  • Ben Hallett - backing vocals (7)

Recording personnel[edit]

  • Rich Costey - producer, recording, mixing
  • Chris Kasych - engineer, additional mixing (9 and 12)
  • Dave Schiffman - additional engineering
  • Eric Isip - recording assistant
  • Howie Weinberg - mastering
  • Nick Moorbath - producer, mixing (15 and 18)

Artwork[edit]

  • Heather Ann Law - cover design
  • Matt Hunt - portraits
  • Ben Morse - band photographs
  • Thomas Lacey - album artwork and layout

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Tape Deck Heart Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
  2. ^ Christopher Monger, James. "Tape Deck Heart - Frank Turner". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
  3. ^ Zaleski, Annie (23 April 2013). "Frank Turner: Tape Deck Heart". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
  4. ^ Simpson, Dave (18 April 2013). "Frank Turner: Tape Deck Heart – review". The Guardian. London: Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
  5. ^ Crane, Matt (17 April 2013). "Album Review: Frank Turner – Tape Deck Heart". Hellhound Music. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
  6. ^ Cooper, Leonie (19 April 2013). "Frank Turner - 'Tape Deck Heart'". NME. IPC Media. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
  7. ^ Horowitz, Steven (22 April 2013). "Frank Turner: Tape Deck Heart". Popmatters. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
  8. ^ "Frank Turner - Tape Deck Heart". Punknews.org. 23 April 2013. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
  9. ^ Freeman, Channing (23 April 2013). "Frank Turner Review". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
  10. ^ McCormick, Neil (19 April 2013). "Album Review". The Telegraph. London: Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
  11. ^ Doyle, Tomas (22 April 2013). "Frank Turner - Tape Deck Heart". This Is Fake DIY. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
  12. ^ a b c d Rodger, James Daniel (22 January 2013). "Frank Turner - Interview". Dance Yrself Clean. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  13. ^ a b Paine, Andre (20 April 2013). "It's a punk-folk thing: Frank Turner Interview". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  14. ^ "Frank Turner Reveals His Tape Deck Heart". May the Rock Be With You. 12 April 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  15. ^ a b Kyle, Steve (12 March 2013). "Interview: Frank Turner on Albatrosses, Relief, Springsteen and C90 Cassettes". Something Gold Something New. Archived from the original on 5 October 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  16. ^ Thaine, Marcus (16 March 2013). "Frank Turner interview". AsiaLIFE Guide. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  17. ^ "British album certifications – Frank Turner – Tape Deck Heart". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Type Tape Deck Heart in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  18. ^ "Frank Turner". Red dreams.
  19. ^ "Billboard 200: May 11, 2013". Billboard.
  20. ^ "Top Rock Albums: May 11, 2013". Billboard.
  21. ^ "Upcoming Releases". Hits Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on 16 July 2015.
  22. ^ Turner, Frank. "'TAPE DECK HEART' – NEW ALBUM + TICKET PRE-SALE". frank-turner.com. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
  23. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Frank Turner – Tape Deck Heart" (in German). Hung Medien.
  24. ^ "Ultratop.be – Frank Turner – Tape Deck Heart" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  25. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Frank Turner – Tape Deck Heart" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  26. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Frank Turner – Tape Deck Heart". Hung Medien.
  27. ^ "Frank Turner | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.
  28. ^ "Frank Turner Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  29. ^ "Frank Turner Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)". Billboard.
  30. ^ "Frank Turner Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard.
  31. ^ "Frank Turner Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard.
  32. ^ "End of Year 2013" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  33. ^ "British album certifications – Frank Turner – Tape Deck Heart". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
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