Great Expectations (album)

Great Expectations is the debut album by English singer-songwriter Tasmin Archer,^[6][7] released in late 1992 on EMI Records. The first single released from the album, "Sleeping Satellite", went to number one both in the UK and Ireland, while sitting just outside the top 10 in Germany (No. 12). Three more UK singles were released from the album in the wake of Archer's initial success: "In Your Care" (UK No. 16), "Lords of the New Church" (UK No. 26) and "Arienne" (UK No. 30).

Great Expectations
Studio album by Tasmin Archer
Released	19 October 1992
Recorded	1991–1992
Studio	Sarm West (London, England)
Genre	Soul pop pop rock
Length	46:06
Label	Capitol EMI
Producer	John Hughes & Steve Fitzmaurice (track 10), Julian Mendelsohn (tracks 1–9 & 11), Paul "Wix" Wickens (tracks 1, 4, 5 & 11), Peter Kaye (track 2, 3 & 6–9)
Tasmin Archer chronology
Great Expectations (1992) Shipbuilding (1994)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
Calgary Herald	C+^[2]
Chicago Tribune	^[3]
NME	5/10^[4]
Select	^[5]

The album was later released in the United States on Capitol Records, and was mildly successful due to the single "Sleeping Satellite", which peaked at number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album itself reached a peak of number 115 in the US. The single and album fared better in other parts of the world, however, such as Australia (single reached No. 14; album peaked at 56).

Critical reception

Nancy Culp from NME wrote, "Tasmin is something of a vocal find, her strong, pure tones can imbue even the limpest tune with pathos. It's when she lets rip with the ballads that she really shines."^[4]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Tasmin Archer, John Beck and John Hughes

Great Expectations track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Sleeping Satellite"	4:41
2.	"Arienne"	3:48
3.	"Lords of the New Church"	4:43
4.	"When It Comes Down to It"	4:10
5.	"Steel Town"	3:44
6.	"The Higher You Climb"	3:58
7.	"In Your Care"	4:22
8.	"Somebody's Daughter"	4:15
9.	"Hero"	4:39
10.	"Ripped Inside"	3:28
11.	"Halfway to Heaven"	4:18
Total length:		46:06

Personnel

Musicians

• Tasmin Archer – vocals
• Tessa Niles, Carol Kenyon – backing vocals
• John Hughes – guitars, keyboards
• Peter Kaye – guitars, Fairlight programming
• Steve Blades, Robbie McIntosh, Phil Palmer, Elliott Randall, Tony Wimshurst – guitars
• John Beck – keyboards
• Paul Wickens – keyboards, accordion
• Gary Maughn – Fairlight programming
• Danny Thompson – double bass
• Charlie Morgan – Drums

Production

• Tracks 1, 4, 5, and 11 produced by Julian Mendelsohn & Paul "Wix" Wickens
• Tracks 2, 3, 6, 7, 8 and 9 produced by Julian Mendelsohn & Peter Kaye
• Track 10 produced by John Hughes and Steve Fitzmaurice
• All songs recorded by Steve Fitzmaurice except tracks 4, 5, and 11 (recorded by Julian Mendelsohn).
• Mixed by Julian Mendelsohn

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart performance for Great Expectations

Chart (1992–1993)	Peak position
Australian Albums Chart^[8]	56
Austrian Albums Chart^[9]	26
German Albums Chart^[10]	34
New Zealand Albums Chart^[11]	31
Swedish Albums Chart^[12]	38
Swiss Albums Chart^[13]	26
UK Albums Chart^[14]	8
US Billboard 200^[15]	115

Year-end charts

1993 year-end chart performance for Great Expectations

Chart (1993)	Position
UK Albums Chart^[16]	72

Certifications

Certifications for Great Expectations

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)^[17]	Gold	100,000^^
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "Great Expectations – Tasmin Archer | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
2. Zimmerman, Kate (28 February 1993). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald.
3. Webber, Brad. "Tasmin Archer Great Expectations (EMI) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)(STAR)Superb lyricism,..." chicagotribune.com.
4. Culp, Nancy (7 November 1992). "Long Play". NME. p. 34. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
5. Duerden, Nick. "Tasmin Archer: Great Expectations > Review".
6. "TrouserPress.com :: Tasmin Archer". www.trouserpress.com.
7. Freedberg, Michael (16 May 1993). "Record Brief". The New York Times.
8. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 17.
9. "Discographie Tasmin Archer - austriancharts.at". austriancharts.at.
10. "Offizielle Deutsche Charts - Offizielle Deutsche Charts". www.offiziellecharts.de.
11. "charts.org.nz - Discography Tasmin Archer". charts.nz.
12. "swedishcharts.com - Discography Tasmin Archer". swedishcharts.com.
13. "Die Offizielle Schweizer Hitparade und Music Community". hitparade.ch.
14. "TASMIN ARCHER | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.
15. "Billboard Database".
16. "Top 100 Albums 1993" (PDF). Music Week. 15 January 1994. p. 25. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
17. "British album certifications – Tasmin Archer – Great Expectations". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 31 December 2020.