My Favourite Faded Fantasy

My Favourite Faded Fantasy is the third studio album by Irish singer, songwriter and producer Damien Rice. The album was released in Ireland on 31 October 2014 and subsequently in other territories on 3 November and then released on vinyl on 7 November 2014, almost eight years since the release of his previous album, 9.^[1] The album was produced by Rick Rubin.^[2]

My Favourite Faded Fantasy
Studio album by Damien Rice
Released	31 October 2014
Studio	Shangri-La, Malibu, California Big Spring Studio, Seltjarnarnes, Iceland Sundlaugin Studio, Mosfellsbær, Iceland Sage & Sound, Hollywood, California Woodland Studios, Nashville, Tennessee The Bank, Burbank, California Pickering Studios, Ireland
Genre	Folk
Length	49:50
Label	Damien Rice Music Vector Recordings Warner Bros. (US and Canada)
Producer	Rick Rubin, Damien Rice
Damien Rice chronology
Live from the Union Chapel (2007) My Favourite Faded Fantasy (2014)
Singles from My Favourite Faded Fantasy
"My Favourite Faded Fantasy" Released: 8 September 2014 "I Don't Want to Change You" Released: 24 September 2014 "The Greatest Bastard" Released: 30 October 2014

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	76/100^[3]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	link
The Guardian	link
Q
Slant Magazine	^[4]
Sputnikmusic	link

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from music critics, the album has received an average score of 76, indicating "generally favorable", based on 15 reviews.^[3] Jessica Goodman and Ryan Kistobak of The Huffington Post included the album on their list of 2014's best releases, declaring the album "a devastating reminder that love leaves you crumbling and fantasies are just fiction". Goodman complimented Rice's "delicate vocals" as "sinister and familiar".^[5]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Damien Rice

No.	Title	Length
1.	"My Favourite Faded Fantasy"	6:12
2.	"It Takes a Lot to Know a Man"	9:33
3.	"The Greatest Bastard"	5:04
4.	"I Don't Want to Change You"	5:26
5.	"Colour Me In"	5:18
6.	"The Box"	4:27
7.	"Trusty and True"	8:09
8.	"Long Long Way"	6:21

Limited edition box set bonus track

No.	Title	Length
9.	"Camarillas"	2:44

Personnel

• Damien Rice – vocals, acoustic guitar (1–8), electric guitar (1), piano (1, 2, 4–7), clarinet (1, 8), tambourine (1), sounds and percussion (2), pump organ (5, 6), bass (7, 8), harmonium (8)
• Joel Shearer – crotales (1, 8), tambourine (1), shaker (1), electric guitar swells (1), bass (2, 6, 7), sounds and percussion (2), electric guitar (2, 4, 8), cuatro (7), muted guitar (7), dulcimer (7), cymbals (7), Wurlitzer (8), bells (8), vibraphone (8), piano (8), celeste (8), glockenspiel (8), chimes (8), acoustic guitar (8), harmonium (8)
• Zac Rae – Wurlitzer (1, 4), pad (1), tack piano (1), vibraphone (2), Hammond organ (3, 4), piano (4)
• David Rawlings – archtop guitar (1, 7), backing vocals (7)
• Cora Venus Lunny – violin (1–4, 7), backing vocals (1, 2, 7), viola (2, 3)
• Borgar Magnason – double bass (1, 3, 5, 7)
• Sólrún Sumarliðadóttir – cello (1)
• Julia Mogensen – cello (1, 2, 5, 6, 8)
• Shahzad Ismaily – bass (1, 2, 4), drums (6, 8), shaker (6), floor tom (7), Hammond organ (8), cymbals (8), crotales (8), Moog (8), cowbell (8)
• Magnús Trygvason Eliassen – drums (1)
• Earl Harvin – percussion (1), drums (4), tambourine (4)
• Helgi Jónsson – trombone (1, 2, 3, 6, 8), backing vocals (2)
• James Gadson – drums (2)
• Alex Somers – sampler (2–4, 8), bass drum (3), sub bass (3), harp (4)
• Deron Johnson – piano (2, 3), Hammond organ (1)
• Tina Dico – backing vocals (2)
• Bryndis Halla Gylfadottir – cello (3, 4)
• Frank Aarnink – tympani (3), gong (3), cymbals (3)
• Una Sveinbjarnardottir – violin (5, 6, 8), viola (8)
• Markéta Irglová – piano (6), vocals (8)
• Gyda Valtisdottir – cello (6, 8), backing vocals (8)
• Victor Indrizzo – drums (7)
• Marlana Sheetz – backing vocals (1, 8)
• Andrew Heringer – backing vocals (7)
• Robbie Arnett – backing vocals (7, 8)
• Rónán Ó Snodaigh – bodhran (7), backing vocals (7)
• Colm Ó Snodaigh – tin whistle (7)
• Emil Friðfinnsson – French horn (8)

Commercial performance

In Canada, the album debuted at number eight on the Canadian Albums Chart, selling just 4,000 copies.^[6]

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2014) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)^[7] 25 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[8] 19 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[9] 4 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)^[10] 15 Canadian Albums (Billboard)^[11] 8 Danish Albums (Hitlisten)^[12] 38 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[13] 2 French Albums (SNEP)^[14] 48 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[15] 13 Irish Albums (IRMA)^[16] 1 Italian Albums (FIMI)^[17] 10 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[18] 33 Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)^[19] 26 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[20] 5 UK Albums (OCC)^[21] 7 US Billboard 200^[22] 15

Year-end charts Chart (2014) Position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[23] 78 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[24] 78 Chart (2015) Position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[25] 77

References

1. "Damien Rice – My Favourite Faded Fantasy". Damien Rice Official YouTube channel. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
2. "Billboard.com". Billboard.
3. "Reviews for My Favourite Faded Fantasy by Damien Rice". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
4. "Slant review". Slant Magazine. 10 November 2014.
5. Goodman; Kristobak, Jessica; Ryan (15 December 2014). "The 23 Best Albums of 2014". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 15 December 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
6. Cross, Alan (19 November 2014). "Weekly Music Sales Report and Analysis: 19 November 2014". ajournalofmusicalthings.com. ajournalofmusicalthings. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
7. "Australiancharts.com – Damien Rice – My Favourite Faded Fantasy". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
8. "Austriancharts.at – Damien Rice – My Favourite Faded Fantasy" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
9. "Ultratop.be – Damien Rice – My Favourite Faded Fantasy" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
10. "Ultratop.be – Damien Rice – My Favourite Faded Fantasy" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
11. "Damien Rice Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
12. "Danishcharts.dk – Damien Rice – My Favourite Faded Fantasy". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
13. "Dutchcharts.nl – Damien Rice – My Favourite Faded Fantasy" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
14. "Lescharts.com – Damien Rice – My Favourite Faded Fantasy". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
15. "Offiziellecharts.de – Damien Rice – My Favourite Faded Fantasy" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
16. . GfK Chart-Track. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
17. (in Italian). Federation of the Italian Music Industry. Archived from the original on 15 November 2014. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
18. "Charts.nz – Damien Rice – My Favourite Faded Fantasy". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
19. "Spanishcharts.com – Damien Rice – My Favourite Faded Fantasy". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
20. "Swisscharts.com – Damien Rice – My Favourite Faded Fantasy". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
21. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
22. "Damien Rice Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
23. "Jaaroverzichten 2014". Ultratop. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
24. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2014". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
25. "Jaaroverzichten 2015". Ultratop. Retrieved 4 July 2020.

External links

• "My Favourite Faded Fantasy".