Dou3le
Studio album by
Double
Released9 November 1987[1]
RecordedFebruary–June 1987
Studio
GenreSophisti-pop
Length45:33
LabelMetronome
Producer
Double chronology
Blue
(1985)		 Dou3le
(1987)

Dou3le is the second and final studio album by Swiss musical duo Double, released in 1987 by Metronome. Despite including the acclaimed single "Devils Ball", it failed to emulate the success of its predecessor Blue.

Background and release

Having finished extensive promotion for their previous album, Blue, and the commercially successful single "The Captain of Her Heart", Double soon returned to the studio to record their next album Dou3le. It was recorded between February and June 1987 at Powerplay Studios in Maur, Switzerland, at Britannia Row Studios in London and at A&M Studios in Los Angeles.[2] As soon as recording sessions started, the duo faced musical differences over the direction of Double's sound. Kurt Maloo wanted to continue producing pop songs similar to their debut album, whereas Felix Haug wanted to try more experimental ideas. Recalling the album in a 2011 interview with i:Vibes, Maloo said: "We thought of it as our third [full-length] album because it took so long to make it. Dou3le is not my favourite album. The album isn't homogeneous. Everybody was doing his own thing and we were about to split up over the recording process."[3] He added in a 2013 interview with the Kickin' It Old School blog: "When we met for the production of our second album we already had different concepts regarding Double's future. I wanted to stick to the format of the pop song while Felix wanted to create more epic and cinematographic soundscapes."[4]

Released in 1987, Dou3le only charted in Switzerland, peaking at number nine.[5] The lead single, "Devils Ball", was released in September 1987 in the United States,[6] and October elsewhere.[7] It reached number 71 on the UK Singles Chart.[8] The follow-up, "Gliding", was released as a promotional single in the United States in December, and as an official single across Europe in June 1988.[9][10] Although the band began working on a third album, musical differences resulted in the band's breakup in 1989.[3] In 2000, Dou3le was reissued on CD in Switzerland through Maloo's own Doublecity label, including two bonus tracks.[11]

Critical reception

Upon release, Keyboard described the album as consisting of "moody, mysterious pop songs centered around Felix Haug's piano and synthesizers." They added: "The ersatz Arabian sound of 'Lakes In The Desert' owes more to the Beatles than to any genuine third-world sensibility, but Double has a style all their own."[12] Billboard commented: "[Double] specializes in a kind of muted Europop with new agey bias, and overall effect of its latest is soothing in the extreme. However, hooks are in short supply, leaving long-term chart prospects dim at best."[13]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Felix Haug and Kurt Maloo, except "Wrong Time" by Maloo and "Megarythmdance" by Haug

No.TitleLength
1."Fire in Disguise"5:29
2."Gliding"5:05
3."Lakes in the Desert"4:43
4."Circles"5:18
5."Prove Your Love"3:52
6."(You Don't Let Me Get) Close Enough"4:47
7."Silent Mountain"4:42
8."Devils Ball"4:29
9."Wrong Time"1:52
10."Megarhythmdance"5:16
Total length:45:33
2000 Doublecity CD reissue bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
10."Gliding" (Single Version)3:39
11."Devils Ball" (Piano Version)4:49
Total length:54:01

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Dou3le.[2]

Double

  • Kurt Maloo – arrangements, vocals, guitars
  • Felix Haug – arrangements, keyboards, synths, drums, programming

Additional musicians

  • Herb Alpert – trumpet (track 8)
  • Michael Urbaniak – electric violin (track 8)
  • Peter Glenister – guitars (tracks 1, 2, 6, 7)
  • Marc Portmann – guitar solo (track 7)
  • Christian Ostermeier – saxes, flute (tracks 1, 5)
  • Jürg Grau – trumpet (track 4)
  • John Spencer Sugden, Nigel Woodhouse – mandolins (track 8)
  • Beverly Brown, Maxine Brown, Gloria Brown – backing vocals

Technical

  • Felix Haug – production
  • Double – production, post-production, mixing
  • Mike Pela – post-production, mixing
  • John Acock, Arabella Rodriguez, Martin Pearson, Mark McKenna – engineering

Artwork

  • Jost Wildbolz – photography
  • Hans Inauen – cover design

Charts

Chart performance for Dou3le
Chart (1987) Peak
position
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[5] 9

References

  1. ↑ Andy Strickland, ed. (7 November 1987). "Index: Releases". Record Mirror. p. 12. ISSN 0144-5804.
  2. 1 2 Dou3le (liner notes). Double. Metronome. 1987. 833 671-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  3. 1 2 Schmidt-Scheuber, Miles (26 July 2011). "i:Vibes Interviews Kurt Maloo". i:Vibes. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  4. ↑ "Back to the 80s: Interview with Kurt Maloo of Double". Kickin' It Old School. 21 June 2013. Archived from the original on 25 April 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  5. 1 2 "Swisscharts.com – Double – Dou3le". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  6. ↑ "Double – Devils Ball / Devils Ball (Piano Version) – A&M – USA – AM-2975". 45cat. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  7. ↑ "Double – Devil's Ball (Edited Version) / Devil's Ball (Edited Piano Version) – Polydor – UK – POSP 888". 45cat. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  8. ↑ "Double | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  9. ↑ "Double – Gliding / Gliding – A&M – USA – AM-2999". 45cat. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  10. ↑ "Double – Gliding (Retouched Version) / Lakes In The Desert – Polydor – UK – POSP 903". 45cat. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  11. ↑ "Double – Dou3le (CD, Album)". Discogs. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  12. ↑ "Album reviews". Keyboard. Vol. 13. January 1987. ISSN 0730-0158 – via Google Books.
  13. ↑ "Album reviews" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 99, no. 39. 26 September 1987. p. 80. ISSN 0006-2510 – via World Radio History.
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