Penthouse and Pavement (1981)

Penthouse and Pavement is the debut studio album by the English synth-pop band Heaven 17, released on 18 September 1981 by Virgin Records.

"(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang" was released as a single, but did not achieve chart success, partly due to a ban by the BBC. Despite not generating a major hit single, the album reached no. 14 and spent 77 weeks on the UK Albums Chart. It has since been regarded as "an important outing", is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, and was re-released in 2010 in a three-disc special edition.

Recording

Penthouse and Pavement was recorded at a Sheffield studio, taking shifts with Martyn Ware's and Ian Craig Marsh's earlier band the Human League, who simultaneously recorded their Dare album. Local session musician John Wilson was recruited to play bass and rhythm guitar on the album, which allowed the band to explore a new and more varied sound than the sparse electronic sound they had been restricted to. The title track also features R&B-style female backing vocals by Josie James. The album was divided into two distinctive parts, the "Pavement" side that featured the new funk-influenced sound, and the all-electronic "Penthouse" side. Lyrically the album features political themes such as criticism of capitalism, nuclear warfare and the Cold War arms race.

Cover artwork

The cover of the album features a painting by Ray Smith, depicting the band members as businessmen in suits. Designed by the band and featuring the logo "B.E.F. The New Partnership – That's opening doors all over the world", it was intended as an ironic take on the upcoming yuppie culture and greedy capitalism. Ian Craig Marsh came up with the title "Penthouse and Pavement" and the idea for the cover design from an ad in a business magazine. The cover also features the logo "Heaven 17 Sheffield–Edinburgh–London", which was inspired by a packet of Dunhill cigarettes with a similar logo. The image was a deliberate attempt by Heaven 17 to present themselves as brand rather than a band.

Reception

Whilst its singles charted poorly, Penthouse and Pavement peaked at number 14 on the UK Albums Chart and remained in the top 100 for 77 weeks. It was certified gold (100,000 copies sold) by the BPI in October 1982.

It was well received in the British music press. Reviewing the album for NME, Paul Morley said: "Penthouse and Pavement is fabulous and it won't deny your needs and you just put our faith in it because it is true." It was ranked the fifth-best album of 1981 by NME.

"This is often danceable, always intriguing and sometimes a whole lot more", Dave Rimmer commented in Smash Hits.

Lynden Barber of Melody Maker noted that Heaven 17, with their "alternative dance stance", had produced "some of the most enjoyable, inspiring and intelligent music you're likely to hear this year" and "occupy that rare space in contemporary pop reserved for true originals".

Writing for Record Mirror, Mike Nicholls found the album "a little too rich a mixture in parts", calling it "a pancake which requires more digesting than the entire contents of a Basque patisserie", and advising readers to "tread gingerly and consume at leisure".

In a retrospective review, Dan LeRoy of AllMusic felt that the album combined electropop with good melodies, and that Glenn Gregory was able to deliver the "overtly left-wing political" lyrics without sounding "pretentious".

The album is included in the musical reference book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Personnel

Heaven 17

• Glenn Gregory – lead vocals, backing vocals
• Martyn Ware – pianos, synthesizers, Linn LM-1, percussion, backing vocals
• Ian Craig Marsh – synthesizers, saxophone, percussion

Session musicians

The Boys of Buddha – synthetic horns

Steve Travell – acoustic piano (4)

John Wilson – guitars (1–4), guitar synthesizers (1–4), bass (1–4)

Josie James – backing vocals (2)

Production

• Richard Manwaring – co-producer, engineer
• Bob Last – executive producer
• British Electric Foundation – producers, packaging design

Peter Walsh – production assistant (2–4, 6), engineer (2–4, 6)

Steve Rance – engineer (5, 7–9)

Ray Smith – cover painting

Studios: Virgin Townhouse (London), B.E.F.–Maison Rouge (Sheffield), Garden (London)

In popular culture

"Penthouse and Pavement" is featured in the hit 1982 film Night Shift (starring Henry Winkler and Michael Keaton and was included on the film's soundtrack. The song is also included in Rockstar Games video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories where it is played on the fictional radio station Wave 103.