Is Nothing Sacred?

Is Nothing Sacred? is the second studio album by the English/American rock band The Lords of the New Church, released in September 1983 by I.R.S. Records.[5] The album's two singles, "Live for Today" and "Dance with Me", reached #91 and #85 on the UK Single Chart, respectively.[6]

Is Nothing Sacred?
Studio album by
The Lords of the New Church
ReleasedSeptember 1983
StudioFarmyard Studios, Little Chalfont, Buckinghamshire, England
Utopia Sound Studios, Lake Hill, New York, United States
Genre
Length42:45
LabelI.R.S.
Producer
The Lords of the New Church chronology
The Lords of the New Church
(1982)		 Is Nothing Sacred?
(1983)		 The Method to Our Madness
(1984)
Singles from The Lords of the New Church
  1. "Live for Today"
    Released: June 1983
  2. "Dance with Me"
    Released: September 1983[1]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[3]
Sounds[4]

Compared to the gothic post-punk of their eponymous debut album, Is Nothing Sacred? saw the band diversifying musically, incorporating new wave, classic rock and ska, along with synths, horns and a greater emphasis on the bass.[7][2]

Critical reception

In a contemporary review for Sounds, Ralph Traitor gave the album 4 stars out of 5 and wrote: "This record is a sickening sell-out, a Miles Copeland sponsored nightmare, a defilement of street credibility, punk ethics and honest hard work and a rank plagiarism of James Jewel Osterburg, and I can't actually find any fault with it."[4]

In a retrospective review, giving the album 3 stars out of 5, AllMusic's Bill Cassel wrote: "The shadow of the Rolling Stones, the classic role model for bands who embrace rock's scuzzy, dangerous, vaguely satanic side, looms large over Lords of the New Church's second album." He felt that the influence of Mick Jagger on Stiv Bators' "lippy, sneering delivery" has never been more apparent and that Brian James emulates Keith Richards' "rhythm-oriented guitar parts." Cassel commented that if it were a Rolling Stones album, "it'd be a pretty good one, well played and entertaining throughout." He concluded that, "As a follow-up to the Lords' promising debut, Is Nothing Sacred? isn't a disaster, but it is a small step backward rather than forward."[2]

On a more negative note, Ira Robbins of Trouser Press felt that the band ran out of material after the first song: "Following the excellent "Dance with Me," the album rolls straight down the songwriting slope, stopping off only briefly to ram through the Grass Roots' venerable "Live for Today" to no audible end." He added that, as a soundtrack for a gothic punk horror film, Is Nothing Sacred? "gets the ambience right, but that's all it does."[8]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Stiv Bators and Brian James, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Dance with Me" 3:24
2."Bad Timing" 3:40
3."Johnny Too Bad" 3:58
4."Don't Worry Children"Bators, Dave Tregunna3:43
5."The Night is Calling"Bators, Nicky Turner4:56
6."Black Girl White Girl" 3:40
7."Goin' Downtown" 3:50
8."Tale of Two Cities" 4:21
9."World Without End" 5:26
10."Partners in Crime" 2:41
11."Live for Today"Mogol, Shel Shapiro, Michael Julien3:42
Total length:42:45
2003 re-issue bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."Opening Nightmares" (B-side to "Live for Today") 3:41
13."Sorry for the Man" (B-side to ""M"-Style")Derrick Simpson, Michael Rose5:51
14."Lord's Prayer" (from Killer Lords)T. V. Smith5:36
Total length:57:53

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[9]

The Lords of the New Church
Additional musicians
  • Matt Irving (credited as "Matt Black") – synthesizer, keyboards
  • Steve "Rudi" Thompson – tenor saxophone, trumpet
  • Simon Lloyd – alto saxophone, trumpet
  • Todd Rundgren – synthesizer on "Live for Today"
Technical
  • The Lords of the New Church – production
  • Stephen W. Tayler – engineering
  • Andy Scarth – additional engineering
  • Todd Rundgren – production, engineering on "Live for Today"
  • Chris Anderson – additional engineering on "Live for Today"
  • Graham Humphreys – sleeve
  • Paul Glasson – photography
  • Chris Garnham – photography

References
  1. "The Lords of the New Church - Discography". 45cat.com. Retrieved on 27 March 2019.
  2. Cassel, Bill. "Is Nothing Sacred? - AllMusic review". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  3. Larkin, Colin (2011). Encyclopedia of Popular Music: Concise (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857125958. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  4. Traitor, Ralph (1983). "Sounds review. Pew - what a scorcher!". angelsinexile.com. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  5. "The Lords of the New Church I.R.S. Discography". irscorner.tk. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  6. "Lords of the New Church | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.
  7. Shrum, Tony (22 July 2013). "Retro Action #3: Punk Goth Greats – The Lords of the New Church and More!". NewNoiseMagazine.com. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  8. Robbins, Ira. "Trouser Press - Lords of the New Church". TrouserPress.com. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  9. Is Nothing Sacred? (CD liner notes). The Lords of the New Church. I.R.S. Records. 1983.CS1 maint: others (link)
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