When in Rome S/T Debut Rare 1988 Virgin Records Original Vinyl LP w/Insert

$

100

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When in Rome Studio album by  When in Rome Released 3 May 1988 Genre New wave, synth pop Length 37:41 (US)
45:24 (UK) Label Virgin Records Producer Michael Brauer
Ben Rogan
Richard James Burgess Singles from When in Rome

1. "The Promise"
   Released: 1987 / 1988
2. "Heaven Knows"
   Released: 1988 (U.S.) / 1989 (UK)
3. "Everything"
   Released: 1989
4. "Sight of Your Tears"
   Released: 1990

When in Rome is the self-titled debut album of English dance group When in Rome. It is the only studio album by the original lineup to date.

Released in 1988, the album contained the song "The Promise", which was the group's biggest hit. The album peaked at #84 on the Billboard 200.

Background

In a 1988 interview with the Evening Times, keyboardist Michael Floreale spoke of the album, "Ben Rogan was great to work with - his ideas on the backing tracks were quite complementary to our own. The songs are the best from our first couple of years, so whenever the album comes out they should still stand up as songs. We just want to be able to sell enough copies of our first album to be offered the chance to do another one."

Critical reception

On its release, Curt Anderson of the Daily Union considered When in Rome to "sound like a lot of today's pop music: synthesizer-based, danceable and rather empty-headed". They added, "The two singers harmonize perfectly, singing lead vocals together on nearly every tune. The music is generally bright and perky, sort of what the Pet Shop Boys probably sound like when they've had too much coffee. Most of the record thumps along in this vein, although on Side 2 there is a greater reliance on real instruments that makes things more interesting." In a retrospective review, William Cooper of AllMusic concluded, "Like many one-hit wonders of the '80s, When in Rome failed to maintain the momentum set by its only hit song by releasing a dud of an album. 'The Promise' starts things off nicely, but the remainder of the album is embarrassingly weak."

Track listing

All songs composed by When in Rome (Clive Farrington, Michael Floreale, Andrew Mann).

1. "The Promise" - 3:40
2. "Heaven Knows" - 3:56
3. "Something Going On" - 3:35
4. "I Can't Stop" - 3:44
5. "If Only" - 4:08
6. "Sight of Your Tears" - 3:34
7. "Wide, Wide Sea" - 4:05
8. "Child's Play" - 4:00
9. "Total Devotion" - 3:05
10. "Everything" - 4:00