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Holding Back the River

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Holding Back the River
Studio album by
Wet Wet Wet
Released30 October 1989
Recorded1988–1989
Genre
Length48:58
LabelMercury
ProducerWet Wet Wet
Wet Wet Wet chronology
The Memphis Sessions
(1988) 		Holding Back the River
(1989) 		Wet Wet Wet: Live
(1990)
Singles from Holding Back the River
  1. "Sweet Surrender"
    Released: 18 September 1989
  2. "Broke Away"
    Released: 27 November 1989
  3. "Hold Back the River"
    Released: 26 February 1990
  4. "Stay with Me Heartache"
    Released: 30 July 1990
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[5]
Number One[6]
Smash Hits8.5/10[7]

Holding Back the River is the second studio album released by the Scottish pop rock quartet Wet Wet Wet. Released on 30 October 1989,[8] the album, intentionally written as a lyrical follow-up to the band's debut album Popped In Souled Out, spawned the singles "Sweet Surrender", "Broke Away", "Hold Back the River" and "Stay With Me Heartache" and peaked at #2 on the UK Albums Chart.

Aside from the nine tracks found on the standard album, "How the Hell Did They Get There" appears as a hidden track on the CD and digital download versions, having previously been released as a B-side to the album's lead single, "Sweet Surrender". Outside of the UK, the album saw particular success in Australia, where it was certified Gold and re-released in the form of a limited edition coloured vinyl.[9]

"Broke Away" was released on 27 November 1989, entering the charts at number 39 the following Sunday. It peaked four weeks later at number 19.[10]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Clark/Cunningham/Mitchell/Pellow, except "Maggie May", by Martin Quittenton & Rod Stewart. All tracks produced by Wet Wet Wet.

No.TitleLength
1."Sweet Surrender"6:00
2."Stay with Me Heartache (Can't Stand the Night)"4:10
3."Blue for You"4:51
4."Broke Away"4:45
5."You've Had It"5:12
6."I Wish"5:04
7."Keys to Your Heart"4:23
8."Maggie May"6:02
9."Hold Back the River"4:45
10."How the Hell Did That Get There" (hidden track)3:38
Holding Back the River – B-Sides
No.TitleLength
1."This Time" (live version)4:59
2."Sweet Surrender" (extended version)6:50
3."You've Had It" (Louis Silas club mix)7:02
4."Sweet Surrender" (Ben Liebrand club mix)6:51
5."And Now for Something Completely Different"2:43
6."Keys to Your Heart" (original demo)4:15
7."With a Little Help from My Friends" (live, Wembley Arena, 14/12/89)5:11
8."I Can Give You Everything" (live, Wembley Arena, 14/12/89)5:25
9."Party City"5:05
10."I Feel Fine"5:02
11."Hold Back the River" (acoustic)4:15
12."Stay With Me Heartache" (Young T.C. & T mix)5:58
13."Stay With Me Heartache" (Stay Where You Are mix)4:35
14."Stoned Me" (Tonight Live with Steve Vizard)4:07

Charts

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Weekly chart performance of Holding Back the River
Chart (1989–1990) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[11] 12
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[12] 28
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[13] 34
UK Albums (OCC)[14] 2
Year-end chart performance of Holding Back the River
Chart (1990) Position
European Albums (Music & Media)[15] 94

References

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  1. ^ "Wet Wet Wet: "We're all coming up to 50 now and no-one's died!"". Cambridge News. 31 July 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  2. ^ "Wet Wet Wet tweet their thanks to Carlisle". ITV News. 5 August 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  3. ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2006). "Wet Wet Wet". Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-531373-4.
  4. ^ Mawer, Sharon. "Wet Wet Wet – Popped in Souled Out". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  5. ^ Lewis, Jonathan. "Wet Wet Wet — Holding Back the River". AllMusic.
  6. ^ Panos, Andrew (1 November 1989). "Review: Wet Wet Wet — Holding Back the River (Phonogram)". Number One. No. 332. London: IPC Magazines Ltd. p. 43. ISSN 0266-5328. Retrieved 6 November 2022 – via Flickr.
  7. ^ Soutar, Mike (1–14 November 1989). "Wet Wet Wet: Holding Back the River". Smash Hits. Vol. 11, no. 21. Peterborough: EMAP Metro. p. 72. ISSN 0260-3004. Retrieved 2 November 2022 – via Flickr.
  8. ^ "New Albums" (PDF). Music Week. 28 October 1989. p. 56. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  9. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  10. ^ "Wet Wet Wet | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts.
  11. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Wet Wet Wet – Holding Back The River". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  12. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Wet Wet Wet – Holding Back The River" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  13. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Wet Wet Wet – Holding Back The River" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  14. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  15. ^ Bakker, Machgiel (22 December 1990). "1990 REVIEW: Music & Media Year - End Awards . European Top 100 Albums 1990" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 7, no. 51. pp. 29, 38. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
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