The Coral (2002)

The Coral is the debut studio album by British rock band the Coral. It was released on 29 July 2002, through the Deltasonic record label. After finalising their line-up, the band had a residency at The Cavern Club, and were spotted and signed by Alan Willis of Deltasonic soon afterwards. Following the release of a single and an EP, and two UK tours, the band began recording their debut album. Sessions were held at Linford Manor Studios, Milton Keynes in early 2002, and were produced by the Lightning Seeds frontman Ian Broudie and the Coral. Described as a neo-psychedelia and folk rock album, frontman James Skelly's voice was compared to Eric Burdon of the Animals and Jim Morrison of the Doors.

The Coral toured the United Kingdom twice (one stint as a co-headliner with the Music), and supported Pulp and Oasis for a few shows, leading up to the release of The Coral's lead single "Goodbye" on 15 July 2002. Following an appearance at that year's V Festival, the band toured the UK again in October 2002 to coincide with the release of the album's second single "Dreaming of You" on 7 October 2002. The Coral was released in the United States on 4 March 2003, through Columbia Records.

The Coral received universal acclaim reviews from music critics, many of whom praised the high quality musicianship. The album peaked at number five in the UK, while also charting in France, Ireland, Japan, Scotland, and the US. It, alongside "Dreaming of You", would later be certified platinum in the UK. "Goodbye" charted at number 21 in the UK, and number 28 in Scotland, while "Dreaming of You" peaked at number 13 in the UK, and number 14 in Scotland. The album was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize, and a Brit Award.

Background and production

The Coral were formed in Hoylake on the Wirral Peninsula, in 1996, between school friends Ian Skelly and Paul Duffy. Skelly practiced drums in the basement of his parents' pub while Duffy accompanied him on guitar. They auditioned various people unsuccessfully; by the time they moved to practicing in a house, Duffy switched to bass, and guitarists Bill Ryder-Jones and Lee Southall joined, both of whom attended the same school as Skelly and Duffy. Ian's brother James Skelly then joined, initially as a guitarist, though reluctantly became their frontman. The band earned a residency at a local venue, The Cavern Club, largely performing to tourists three times a day. They spent two years playing gigs and rehearsing original material, before Nick Power was brought in on keyboards. He initially planned to become a footballer but gave up on that after meeting the band sometime prior, choosing to become a musician instead. They had a rehearsal room at Crash Studios, which was owned by Peasey, who knew former Shack drummer Alan Wills.

Wills saw the Coral supporting the Real People at the Lomax venue in Liverpool; he liked the performance but thought they were lacking in quality material. He put them in contact with his friend Joe Fearon, who had had an extensive record collection, showing them the works of Can, Captain Beefheart and Kraftwerk, among others. The Coral wrote "Skeleton Key" soon afterwards, which Duffy considered a turning point for them. As no one else was interested in taking the band on, Wills became their manager. At the time, he was running the label Eva, which released dance records. He was keen to release more guitar-orientated material; as the Coral signed with him, the label name was changed to Deltasonic on 1 January 2001. At Wills' recommendation, the band stopped playing gigs to focus on writing material for their debut studio album.

"Shadows Fall" was released as a single in July 2001. Wills went to London to promote the band, igniting a bidding war between labels that resulted in Deltasonic becoming an imprint of Sony Music Entertainment. In November 2001, the band went on their first tour of the UK, which was followed by the release of The Oldest Path EP in December 2001. The Lightning Seeds frontman Ian Broudie saw the band during a show in Manchester, and wanted to work with them on their upcoming debut album. In January and February 2002, the band appeared on the NME Carling Tour in the UK, alongside Andrew W.K., Lostprophets and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Following the conclusion of the tour, the Coral began working on their debut album. The Coral was produced by Ian Broudie of the Lightning Seeds, and co-produced by the band (under the name Zion Egg); John Gray acted as engineer, with assistance from Kenny Paterson. The sessions occurred at Linford Manor Studios, located in Milton Keynes; it concluded by April 2002.