69 (album)
| 69 | ||||
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| Studio album by A.R. Kane | ||||
| Released | 1 July 1988 | |||
| Recorded | 1988 | |||
| Studio | H.ark Studio | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 40:26 | |||
| Label | Rough Trade | |||
| Producer |
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| A.R. Kane chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
| Colin Larkin |  |
| Martin C. Strong | 8/10 |
| Melody Maker | very favourable |
| Pitchfork | 9.0/10 |
| Spin | 10/10 |
69 is the debut album by British band A.R. Kane, released in 1988 on Rough Trade Records and produced by the band with additional co-production from Ray Shulman. Following the release of their acclaimed Lollita and Up Home! EPs, 69 developed the experimental "dream pop" style pioneered by the duo, blending elements of dub, acid rock, free jazz, electronic, and pop music. Music critic Martin C. Strong described the album's sound as "hard to pigeonhole yet seminal nevertheless."
69 reached number 1 in the UK Independent Albums Chart and was released to critical praise from the UK music press, garnering it comparisons to the work of artists such as Miles Davis, Can, Arthur Russell, and Cocteau Twins. Writing for Melody Maker, critic Simon Reynolds described it as "the outstanding record of '88." The album has gone on to be an influential precursor to genres such as shoegazing, post-rock and trip hop. In a retrospective review, Ned Raggett called it "an unfairly long-lost classic."
In 1987, Ivo Watts-Russell, head of A.R. Kane's then-label 4AD, suggested the duo collaborate with their then-labelmates Colourbox to create a house single. Under the name M/A/R/R/S, they released the single "Pump Up the Volume". Though the song was a huge success, reaching number 1 in the UK Singles Chart and becoming a significant milestone in the development of British acid house music, A.R. Kane did not get on well with Colourbox and ultimately left 4AD in search for a new label and to return to the dream pop musical style of their own music. Before releasing 69, their debut album, the band moved to Rough Trade Records and released the Up Home! EP in 1988, denoting a change in sound. When asked by The Quietus "what happened to the A. R. Kane sound from [1987 to 1988]" and if the band were recording 69 simultaneously with the EP, Rudy Tambala of the duo only replied: "Up Home! was special. Something happened. I can't explain." He later elaborated:
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