{{other uses|Thirty-something (disambiguation)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox album | name = 30 Something | type = Album | artist = Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine | cover = 30somethingcarter.jpg | border = yes | alt = | released = 18 February 1991 | recorded = 1990 | venue = | studio = Important Notice Studios, South London | genre = {{flatlist|*Alternative dance *grebo *punk rock}} | length = | label = {{flatlist| *Rough Trade *Capitol *EMI *Nettwerk}} | producer = {{flatlist|*Sex Machine *Simon Painter}} | prev_title = 101 Damnations | prev_year = 1990 | next_title = 1992 – The Love Album | next_year = 1992 | misc = {{Singles | name = 30 Something | type = album | single1 = Anytime Anyplace Anywhere | single1date = October 1990 | single2 = Bloodsport For All | single2date = January 1991 }} }} '''''30 Something''''' is the second album by Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine, released in 1991 on Rough Trade Records. It was recorded in 20 days on 8-track, costing only £4,000. The album was given a 10/10 review in ''NME'', which described ''30 Something'' as a "brilliant, bold record".<ref name="NME"/> It was prefaced with a single "Anytime Anyplace Anywhere", which was a major indie hit and also included on the album.
The success of the album coincided with the renewed success of the "Sheriff Fatman" single, which generated more sales. It reached number eight in the UK charts on its original release,<ref name=OCC>{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/carter%20-%20the%20unstoppable%20sex%20machine/ |title=CARTER – THE UNSTOPPABLE SEX MACHINE / Artist / Official Charts |publisher=The Official UK Charts Company |access-date=2014-08-28 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903125538/http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/carter%20-%20the%20unstoppable%20sex%20machine/ |archive-date=2014-09-03 }}</ref> and number 21 when re-issued in early 1992. The album was certified Gold (100,000 units sold) by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).<ref name="BPI">{{cite web|title=British certificates: searchable database |url=http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx |publisher=bpi.co.uk |access-date=1 October 2011 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511120001/http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx |archive-date=11 May 2011 }}</ref>
The other single from the album, "Bloodsport For All", an attack on racism and bullying in the army, was released at the start of the Gulf War and was denied airplay by the BBC.<ref>{{cite web | title = Village of the Banned: The Music Auntie Beeb Didn't Want You to Hear | publisher = Bubblegum | year = 2000 | url = http://www.bubblegun.com/features/banned.html | access-date = 2007-01-09}}</ref>
==Music and lyrics== An alternative dance and grebo album heavy on puns and sampling, ''30 Something'' was described by Ned Raggett of AllMusic as being largely similar to their debut album ''101 Damnations'', but showing "a growing sophistication that fleshed out both sound and lyrics."<ref name="AllMusic"/> He said that its primary similarity with the former album is "the typical Carter trappings still running rampant: puns explode everywhere without restraint, musical and lyrical references creep in from the Clash and David Bowie to traditional football chants, and so forth," as well as "the still cheap-and-cheery sound of the band's keyboards, drum machines and more," but said that the differences show the band "a little more comfortable in the studio here. The two are able to whip up their surging numbers to a higher level–the group's stated fondness for Queen actually makes a little more sense here, while "Billy's Smart Circus" is flawless in its soaring, anthemic power. Meanwhile, their bluer moods get more gently evocative accompaniment, often addressing getting addicted to the bottle and the unfortunate results."<ref name="AllMusic"/>
Opening instrumental "Surfin' USM" opens with a sampled monologue of Chris Barrie in character as Rimmer in ''Red Dwarf'' Series 3 episode "Bodyswap" talking about getting fat with age–described by Raggett as "a great snippet about what growing old really means".<ref name="AllMusic"/> It then gives way to a crowd chanting "You Fat Bastard", which Bob said was taken from a gig at the University of Kent.<ref name=Bob217>Bob 2004, p. 217</ref> The track is an instrumental indie dance track with chainsaw guitars and a David Bowie sample.<ref name=autogenerated2>{{cite web|url=http://somethingyousaid.com/2012/08/10/revisiting-carter-usms-30-something/|title=Revisiting: Carter USM's 30 Something|date=10 August 2012}}</ref> "My Second to Last Will and Testament" shows Bob "settling affairs all around, down to organ donation" with the lyrics "They can take my lungs and kidneys/But my heart belongs to Daphne."<ref name="AllMusic"/> Melding genres, the song sees a similar aesthetic to the opener, although with "snarling punk vocals from Jim Bob juxtaposing with some lovely harmonising from Fruitbat. The whole thing builds to a massive chorus before ending abruptly with Jim Bob throatily yelling "...die.""<ref name=autogenerated2 />
Samples of Michael Caine's character Alfie appear on several tracks.
==Critical reception== {{Music ratings | rev1 = AllMusic | rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="AllMusic">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/30-something-mw0000269115|title=''30 Something'' – Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=30 April 2011|last=Raggett|first=Ned}}</ref> | rev2 = ''Classic Rock'' | rev2score = 9/10<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Carter USM: ''30 Something'' box set|magazine=Classic Rock|issue=313|date=May 2023|last=Fortnam|first=Ian|page=84}}</ref> | rev3 = ''Louder Than War'' | rev3score = 5/5<ref>{{cite web|url=https://louderthanwar.com/carter-the-unstoppable-sex-machine-30-something-deluxe-edition-review/|title=Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine: ''30 Something'' – deluxe edition review|website=Louder Than War|date=5 March 2023|access-date=17 June 2024|last=Carey|first=Wayne}}</ref> | rev4 = ''NME'' | rev4score = 10/10<ref name="NME">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews/19980101000004reviews.html|title=Awesome Cart...er|magazine=NME|date=16 February 1991|access-date=17 June 2024|last=Lamacq|first=Steve|author-link=Steve Lamacq|page=28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991113173433/http://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews/19980101000004reviews.html|archive-date=13 November 1999|url-status=dead}}</ref> | rev5 = ''Q'' | rev5score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine: ''30 Something''|magazine=Q|issue=54|date=March 1991|last=Aston|first=Martin}}</ref> | rev6 = ''Record Mirror'' | rev6score = 9/10<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Carter USM: ''30 Something''|magazine=Record Mirror|date=23 February 1991|last=Crossing|first=Gary|page=16}}</ref> | rev7 = ''Select'' | rev7score = 3/5<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Super-Heroics|magazine=Select|issue=9|date=March 1991|last=Griffiths|first=Nick|page=66}}</ref> | rev8 = ''Sounds'' | rev8score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Young at Heart|magazine=Sounds|date=16 February 1991|last=Peacock|first=Tim|page=40}}</ref> | rev9 = ''Uncut'' | rev9score = 6/10<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Carter USM: ''30 Something'' – Deluxe Edition|magazine=Uncut|issue=313|date=June 2023|last=Dalton|first=Stephen|page=44}}</ref> | rev10 = ''Vox'' | rev10score = 9/10<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine: ''30 Something''|magazine=Vox|date=March 1991}}</ref> }}
''NME'' gave the album 10/10, saying, "This brilliant, bold record will still be among the best ten albums of the year come the end of '91: testimony to how Carter, the unlikely lads of the past two years, have nailed down their instinctive feel for pop with a hookline and a point of view."<ref name="NME"/>
''New Internationalist'', who give different ratings for different components of the albums they review, rated the album four stars out of five based on "Politics" and three stars out of five based on "Entertainment." The magazine said "1991 appears to belong to Carter. They are that rare thing, a band that wholeheartedly addresses its time, that truly belongs to it."<ref name=autogenerated4>{{cite web|url=https://newint.org/features/1991/05/05/reviews/|title=Reviews|first=The New Internationalist|last=Team|date=5 May 1991 }}</ref> They were very favourable towards the band's lyrics, saying "Carter's bluff, seedy ebullience is a welcome antidote to the rather fey self-regard that's dominated indie pop over the last decade, from the Jesus and Mary Chain to the current blissed-out hedonism of Happy Mondays and their baggy ilk," but did however note that "it has to be said that Carter's musical style is limited in the extreme – for the most part, a ragged thrash that happens to be played largely on sequencers rather than guitars. The music and the rasping vocals give diminishing returns – the real pleasure has to be sought in the pun-laden lyrics."<ref name=autogenerated4 />
==Legacy== At the end of 1991, ''NME'' ranked the album at number 8 in their list of the top 50 "Albums of the Year", ahead of My Bloody Valentine's ''Loveless'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/bestalbumsandtracksoftheyear/1991|title=1991 - NME|website=NME |date=10 October 2016}}</ref> whilst ''Melody Maker'' ranked it at number 21 in their own 1991 "End of Year Critic's List" for the top 50 albums of the year.<ref>rocklistmusic.co.uk/mmlists_p2.htm</ref> ''Vox'' included the album in their list "Vox 50 Albums of 1991."<ref>rocklistmusic.co.uk/vox.html</ref> In 2014, ''NME'' included in their list of "21 1990s Albums NME Has Given 10/10."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/photos/21-1990s-albums-nme-has-given-10-10/333719#/photo/15|title=21 1990s Albums NME Has Given 10/10 - NME|website=NME |date=10 March 2014}}</ref>
Recalling the era, Andrew Collins in ''The Guardian'' said: {{blockquote|"Carter USM were typical of the "T-shirt bands" of that epoch: witty, wily and embraced with obsessive devotion by young, gig-going fans. Jim "Jim Bob" Morrison and Leslie "Fruitbat" Carter went from Rough Trade to Chrysalis in 1992. They were unlikely pop stars, who poked fun at their own comparatively ripe old age with their second album ''30 Something''. Jim’s fringe resembled a front ponytail, Fruitbat wore cycling gear; neither favoured long trousers. They produced a powerpop racket with a punk-rock electric guitar, a rasping voice, a drum machine and backing tapes. Jim’s lyrical puns were enough to make a Sun headline writer retire: 24 Hours from Tulse Hill, 101 Damnations, The Only Living Boy in New Cross, Do Re Me So Far So Good. But mainstream stardom made them cross. Fruitbat rugby-tackled Phillip Schofield after a misunderstood amp-toppling finale to After the Watershed at the ''Smash Hits Poll Winners Party'', live on TV."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2014/nov/18/farewell-carter-the-unstoppable-sex-machine-90s-indie|title=Farewell, Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine – forgotten heroes of 90s indie|newspaper=The Guardian|date=18 November 2014|access-date=7 June 2016|last=Collins|first=Andrew|author-link=Andrew Collins (broadcaster)}}</ref>}}
==Track listing== All songs written and composed by Morrison and Carter, except for "Alternate Title", which was composed by Micky Dolenz and performed by The Monkees, {{Track listing | headline = Side one | title1 = Surfin' USM | length1 = 3:14 | title2 = My Second to Last Will and Testament | length2 = 2:38 | title3 = Anytime Anyplace Anywhere | length3 = 4:10 | title4 = A Prince in a Pauper's Grave | length4 = 4:25 | title5 = Shoppers' Paradise | length5 = 4:54 }} {{Track listing | headline = Side two | title6 = Billy's Smart Circus | length6 = 4:05 | title7 = Bloodsport for All | length7 = 5:05 | title8 = Sealed With a Glasgow Kiss | length8 = 2:04 | title9 = Say It With Flowers | length9 = 3:18 | title10 = Falling on a Bruise | length10 = 5:56 | title11 = The Final Comedown | length11 = 2:05 }} {{Track listing | headline = Disc two - CD bonus tracks (2012) | title1 = Re-Educating Rita | title2 = Alternate Title | title3 = Randy Sarf Git | title4 = 2001: A Clockwork Orange | title5 = Bedsitter | title6 = Christmas Shoppers' Paradise | title7 = Surfin' USM | title8 = Midnight On The Murder Mile | title9 = Rubbish | title10 = Good Grief Charlie Brown | title11 = My Second To Last Will And Testament | title12 = Re-Educating Rita | title13 = Anytime Anyplace Anywhere | title14 = Say It With Flowers | title15 = A Prince In A Pauper's Grave | title16 = Sheriff Fatman | title17 = After The Watershed | title18 = Shoppers' Paradise | title19 = The 90's Revival | title20 = Bloodsport For All | title21 = This Is How It Feels | title22 = A Perfect Day To Drop The Bomb | length6 = | length10 = | length9 = | length8 = | length7 = | length3 = | length5 = | length4 = | length2 = | length1 = | all_writing = | total_length = }} ;Notes (CD bonus tracks) *1–3 from "Anytime Anyplace Anywhere" Single (October 1990) *4–5 from "Bloodsport For All" Single (January 1991) *6 from 7" Promo Giveaway At The Town & Country Club, London (14 December 1990) *7–22 BBC In Concert: Live At Kilburn - 7 December 1991
==Personnel== * Jim "Jim Bob" Morrison – performer * Les "Fruitbat" Carter – performer * Sex Machine – producer * Simon Painter – producer * Simon Painter – engineer * Kevin Metcalf – mastering (at the Townhouse) * Carter – sleeve design * Flat Earth – sleeve design * Mark Baker – team photo * Jon ‘Fat’ Beast – cover star (and subject of track ‘Surfing USM’)
==Charts== {| class="wikitable" !align="center"|Chart (1992, 2009/10) !align="center"|Peak<br />position |- |align="left"|Australian Albums (ARIA)<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.bubblingdownunder.com/2023/03/week-commencing-2-march-1992.html | title=Bubbling Down Under Week Commencing 2 March 1992 |website=Bubbling Down Under|access-date=4 March 2023}}</ref> |align="center"| 138 |- |align="left"|UK Albums Chart<ref name=OCC/> |align="center"| 8 |} {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |+ 2023 chart performance for ''30 Something'' ! scope="col"| Chart (2023) ! scope="col"| Peak<br/>position |- {{album chart|UKIndependent|13|date=20230317|rowheader=true|access-date=17 March 2023}} |}
== Certifications == {{Certification Table Top}} {{Certification Table Entry |region=United Kingdom |artist=Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine|title=30 Something|award=Gold|type=album |relyear=1991|id=135-758-2}} {{Certification Table Bottom |nosales=true}}
==References== '''Citations''' {{reflist}}
'''Sources''' {{refbegin}} * {{cite book|last=Bob|first=Jim|author-link=Jim Bob|title=Goodnight Jim Bob – On the Road with Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine|date=2004|publisher=Cherry Red Books|location=London|isbn=1-901447-23-5}} {{refend}}
{{Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:1991 albums Category:Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine albums Category:Rough Trade Records albums