{{Infobox album | name = The Colour Album | type = Album | artist = Fra Lippo Lippi | cover = The Colour Album.jpg | released = 6 November 1989<ref>{{cite magazine |date=28 October 1989 |title=New Album Releases |magazine=Music & Media |page=42}}</ref> | recorded = Rainbow Studio, Oslo, Norway | genre = New Wave, synthpop, pop rock | length = | label = The Record Station <br />BMG (distribution)<br /> BMG Pilipinas <small>(Philippines)</small> | producer = Johan Ekelund and Fra Lippo Lippi | reviews = | prev_title = Light and Shade | prev_year = 1987 | next_title = Crash of Light | next_year = 1990 }}
'''''The Colour Album''''' is the fifth studio album by Norwegian pop rock group Fra Lippo Lippi and the first release after the band severed their ties with Virgin Records.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Flere sanger om lys og skyffe|last=Skogstad|first=Knut|issue=10|year=1989|magazine=Puls|pages=24–25|language=no}}</ref>
"Count on Me", "Love Is a Lonely Harbour", and "Mother's Little Soldier" were released as singles to promote this album.
==Production== The album was recorded in Rainbow Studio in Oslo and mixed in Stockholm. The band desired to leave behind the American expression of the previous album and cease the use of "synthetic instruments".<ref>{{cite news|title=Ribbet Lippo Lippi prøver seg igjen|work=Dagbladet|date=8 November 1989|page=45|author=Neset, Tore|language=no}}</ref> Among others, it entailed the use of a string quartet rather than a synthesizer.<ref>{{cite news|title=Fra Lippo Lippi i lyse farger|work=Nye Takter|publisher=Arbeiderbladet|date=8 November 1989|page=19|author=Bakke, Asbjørn|language=no}}</ref> The goal was to make "advanced pop" for "serious listening", not background listening.<ref>{{cite news|title=Pop-duo med ny tro på seg selv|author=Ekern, Yngve|work=Aftenposten|page=52|date=7 November 1989|language=no}}</ref>
==Sales and charts== According to ''{{ill|Natt og Dag|no}}'', the album had sold 3,500 copies in Norway as of 1 February 1990.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Det store rock-oppgjøret|last=Holmér|first=Stig|issue=1|year=1990|magazine=Natt og Dag|pages=25–32|language=no}}</ref> The album did not chart in the Norwegian ''VG-lista'', unlike Fra Lippo Lippi's previous output ''Songs'' and ''Light and Shade''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://norwegiancharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Fra+Lippo+Lippi|title=Fra Lippo Lippi|publisher=Norwegiancharts.com|access-date=21 March 2024}}</ref>
Despite a successful tour to promote the album in the Philippines, ''The Colour Album'' did not do as well as the band's two previous albums. The band parted ways with The Record Station in 1990 and was considering a breakup, but decided to write songs for a new album instead.
==Reception== Norway's largest newspaper ''VG'' gave a dice throw of 4, stating that the album was more accessible than the previous record, but had inferior melodies to ''Songs''.<ref>Album review by ''VG'' 8 November 1989</ref> The trend newspaper ''Natt og Dag'' published a positive review,<ref>Album review by Stig Holmér, ''Natt og Dag'' no. 5, 1989, p. 36</ref> whereas the music paper ''Nye Takter'' published by ''Arbeiderbladet'' gave the album 4 stars and called it melodic, pleasant, charming and "technically perfect".<ref>Album review by Jan Omdahl, ''Nye Takter''/''Arbeiderbladet'' 15 November 1989</ref> ''Aftenposten'' also wrote a favorable review, praising the variation, with some songs having international hit potential and others being "sophisticated" pop. The album contained several moods, good melodies and a personal touch.<ref>Album review by Tor Marcussen, ''Aftenposten'' 6 November 1989</ref>
Several other critics underlined that Fra Lippo Lippi had returned to form since their previous output.<ref>Album review by Ole Jacob Hoel, ''Adresseavisen'' 8 November 1989</ref><ref>Album review by Geir Nødset, ''Bergens Arbeiderblad'' 14 November 1989 (3.5 stars)</ref><ref>Album review by Frode Bjerkestrand, ''Bergens Tidende'' 17 November 1989</ref><ref>Album review by Øyvind Lien, ''Oppland Arbeiderblad'' 18 November 1989</ref><ref>Album review, ''Nordlys'' 1 December 1989</ref> In Drammen, both ''Drammens Tidende'' and ''Fremtiden'' gave a dice throw of 5.<ref>Album review by Lars-Erik Nygaard, ''Drammens Tidende og Buskeruds Blad'' 1 December 1989</ref><ref>Album review by Johnny Andreassen, ''Fremtiden'' 21 November 1989</ref>
However, some still criticized the album and the band for lacking identity.<ref>Album review, ''Stavanger Aftenblad'' 11 November 1989</ref><ref>Album review by Liv Jørgensen, ''Dagbladet'' 15 November 1989 (3 stars)</ref> ''Østlendingen'' gave 3 stars as the reviewer found the album to be middle-of-the-road.<ref>Album review by Per Magnussen, ''Østlendingen'' 17 November 1989</ref> ''Tønsbergs Blad'' only gave 2 stars, calling it "somewhat tame" and "monotonous at times".<ref>Album review by Thor Johan Hallin, ''Tønsbergs Blad'' 24 November 1989</ref>
==Track listing== # "A Little Rain Must Fall" # "Mother's Little Soldier" # "Under the Same Sun" # "You Bring Me Joy" # "Love Is a Lonely Harbour" # "Count On Me" # "ABC" # "Childhood Days" # "Into the Blue"
==Personnel== *Rune Kristoffersen – bass *Per Øystein Sørensen – vocals, keyboards
with
*{{ill|Per Lindvall|sv}} – drums, percussion *Henrik Janson – guitar, cello *{{ill|Tore Elgarøy|no}} – guitar *{{ill|Lasse Hafreager|no}} – accordion *Nils Petter Molvær – trumpet *Knut Riisnæs – saxophone *Bendik Hofseth – saxophone *{{ill|Arild Stav|no}} – clarinet, flute *Carl Anders Sponberg – violin *{{ill|Atle Sponberg|no}} – violin *Stig-Ove Ose – viola *Marit Klovning – cello *Bjørn Kjellemyr – acoustic bass *Matts Alsberg – acoustic bass *Per Hillestad – drums, percussion *Berit Lohne – backing vocals *Mauro Scocco – backing vocals
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Fra Lippo Lippi}} {{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Colour Album, The}} Category:Fra Lippo Lippi (band) albums Category:1989 albums Category:1989 in Norwegian music