The First of a Million Kisses
Studio album by
Fairground Attraction
Released16 May 1988
Recorded1988
GenreSkiffle
Length47:53
LabelRCA
ProducerFairground Attraction and Kevin Moloney
Fairground Attraction chronology
The First of a Million Kisses
(1988) 		Ay Fond Kiss
(1990)
Singles from Fairground Attraction
  1. "Perfect"
    Released: 28 March 1988[1]
  2. "Find My Love"
    Released: 18 July 1988
  3. "A Smile in a Whisper"
    Released: 31 October 1988
  4. "Clare"
    Released: 16 January 1989
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]

The First of a Million Kisses is the debut album by Fairground Attraction, released in 1988. The album features the number-one single "Perfect".

Composition

The album is a characteristic blend of folk, jazz, country, and Cajun elements (all but one of its songs being written by band member Mark E. Nevin). Released on 16 May 1988, it followed the success of the band's first single, "Perfect," by entering the UK Albums Chart at number seven, and peaking at number two.[3] It was the only album released by the band before their break-up in 1990.

Three other singles were released from the album: "Find My Love" (which reached number seven in the UK Singles Chart[3]), "A Smile in a Whisper" (UK #75[3]), and "Clare" (UK #49[3]).

The First of a Million Kisses won the award for British Album of the Year at the 1989 Brit Awards, and was certified double platinum in the UK.[1]

Cover

The photo on the album cover is from Magnum photographer Elliot Erwitt and was taken in 1955.

Track listing

All tracks written by Mark E. Nevin, except track 11 by Eddi Reader

  1. "A Smile in a Whisper"
  2. "Perfect"
  3. "Moon on the Rain"
  4. "Find My Love"
  5. "Fairground Attraction"
  6. "The Wind Knows My Name"
  7. "Clare"
  8. "Comedy Waltz"
  9. "The Moon Is Mine"
  10. "Station Street"
  11. "Whispers"
  12. "Allelujah"

The following two tracks are available only on CD issues of the album:

The following tracks have been added to the new expanded 2CD edition and come from the Ay Fond Kiss release, the Live in Japan release or are (*) previously unreleased:

15. "Trying Times"

16. "Winter Rose"

17. "Ay Fond Kiss"

18. "You Send Me"

19. "Watching The Party"

20. "Jock O’ Hazeldean"

21. "The Game Of Love"

Disc Two:

1. "Mystery Train"

2. "Do You Want to Know a Secret?"

3. "The Waltz Continues" (Live In Japan)

4. "Don’t Be A Stranger" (Live In Japan)

5. "Dangerous" (Live In Japan)

6. "I Know Why The Willow Weeps" (Live In Japan)

7. "Home To Heartache" (Live In Japan)

8. "Fear Is The Enemy Of Love" (Live In Japan)

9. "Broken By A Breeze" (Live In Japan)

10. "Goodbye To Songtown" (Live In Japan)

11. "I May Never Be Queen"*

12. "Prayer For St Valentine"*

13. "Swing Trumpet" (Demo)*

14. "Red Ribbon" (Demo)*

15. "Find My Love" (Demo)*

16. "Mythology" (Demo)*

17. "Station Street" (Demo)*

18. "The Moon Is Mine" (Demo)*

19. "Walking After Midnight" (Version)*

Personnel

Musicians

Guests

Chart positions

Chart (1988) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[4] 9
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[5] 17
Germany (Media Control Charts)[6] 38
Netherlands (MegaCharts)[7] 29
New Zealand (RMNZ)[8] 19
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[9] 6
Switzerland (Swiss Hitparade)[10] 18
UK (CIN)[3] 2

References

  1. ^ a b "BPI > Certified Awards > Search results for Fairground Attraction (from bpi.co.uk)". Imgur.com (original source published by British Phonographic Industry). Retrieved 2016-11-23. N.B. The incorrect release date is listed for the album.
  2. ^ The First of a Million Kisses at AllMusic
  3. ^ a b c d e "Official Charts > Fairground Attraction". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 2016-11-23.
  4. ^ "australian-charts.com > Fairground Attraction in Australian Charts". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-11-23.
  5. ^ "austriancharts.at > Fairground Attraction in der Österreichischen Hitparade" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-11-23.
  6. ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts > Fairground Attraction – The First of a Million Kisses (album)" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 2016-11-23.
  7. ^ "dutchcharts.nl > Fairground Attraction in Dutch Charts" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-11-23.
  8. ^ "charts.nz > Fairground Attraction in New Zealand Charts". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-11-23.
  9. ^ "swedishcharts.com > Fairground Attraction in Swedish Charts". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-11-23.
  10. ^ "hitparade.ch > Fairground Attraction in der Schweizer Hitparade" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-11-23.
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