In Visible Silence

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In Visible Silence
Studio album by
Art of Noise
Released14 April 1986
Recorded1985–1986
GenreSynth-pop
Length45:04
Label
Producer
Art of Noise chronology
Daft
(1985)		 In Visible Silence
(1986)		 In No Sense? Nonsense!
(1987)
Singles from In Visible Silence
  1. "Legs"
    Released: 1985
  2. "Peter Gunn"
    Released: 1986
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStar[1]
The Village VoiceA−[2]

In Visible Silence is the second studio album by the English avant-garde synth-pop group Art of Noise in April 1986,[3] and the first created by members Anne Dudley, J. J. Jeczalik and Gary Langan in the wake of their departure from ZTT Records that had been the home of the group's genesis.

The first single, "Legs", was released in late 1985, followed by two major hits on the UK Singles Chart in 1986: "Peter Gunn", that featured guitar legend Duane Eddy; and "Paranoimia" with television personality Max Headroom, where actor Matt Frewer performed two different monologues as Headroom for each of the 7" and 12" versions.

"Legacy", a re-worked version of "Legs" released as a single in late 1986, was taken from a special limited edition bonus album, Re-works of Art of Noise. A live version of the album was recorded in Hammersmith, London and released on VHS and 12-inch CD Video in 1987.[4]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Anne Dudley, Gary Langan, J.J. Jeczalik, apart from tracks 8 and 12 which were written by Henry Mancini.

No.TitleLength
1."Opus 4"1:59
2."Paranoimia"4:46
3."Eye of a Needle"4:25
4."Legs"4:06
5."Slip of the Tongue"1:30
6."Backbeat"4:12
7."Instruments of Darkness"7:12
8."Peter Gunn" (featuring Duane Eddy)3:55
9."Camilla: The Old, Old Story"7:23
10."The Chameleon's Dish"4:17
11."Beatback"1:19
Total length:45:04

Some versions of the album released after the success of the single "Paranoimia" supplement the album version with the single version, or include both versions.

CD bonus track
No.TitleLength
12."Peter Gunn" (Extended Version, featuring Duane Eddy)6:01
Total length:51:05

The 1988 CD re-release included "The Twang Mix" of the above track in its stead.

2017 deluxe edition

A deluxe edition of the album was released on 19 May 2017, featuring a number of bonus tracks which had not been available commercially before.

CD 1
No.TitleOriginal releaseLength
12."Paranoimia" (7" Mix, featuring Max Headroom)"Paranoimia" single, 19863:18
13."Legs" (7" Mix)"Legs" single, 19853:30
14."Hoops and Mallets""Legs" single, 19853:42
15."Something Always Happens""Peter Gunn" single, 19862:36
16."Why Me?""Paranoimia" single, 19862:56
17."A Nation Rejects""Paranoimia" single, 19862:56
18."Backbeat" (Reprise) 4:00
Total length:68:02
CD 2
No.TitleLength
1."World War II"1:26
2."The First Leg"3:18
3."Happy Harry's High Club"0:56
4."Chameleon 4"1:19
5."Beddoo-Bedoo"3:20
6."Panic"2:44
7."Camel"4:24
8."Second Legs"2:28
9."Trumpton Boogie"4:28
10."Chameleon 1"1:02
11."A Nation Regrets"3:00
12."Legs" (Inside Leg Mix)6:01
13."Legs" (Last Leg Mix)4:46
14."Peter Gunn" (Extended Version, featuring Duane Eddy)6:01
15."Peter Gunn" (The Twang Mix, featuring Duane Eddy)7:30
16."Paranoimia" (Extended Version, featuring Max Headroom)6:42
17."Paranoimia" (The Paranoid Mix, featuring Max Headroom)9:37
Total length:69:02

Charts

Weekly charts

1986 weekly chart performance for In Visible Silence
Chart (1986) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[5] 55
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[6] 11
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[7] 16
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[8] 18
European Albums (Music & Media)[9] 35
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[10] 41
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[11] 27
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[12] 22
UK Albums (OCC)[13] 18
US Billboard 200[14] 53
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[15] 49
2017 weekly chart performance for In Visible Silence
Chart (2017) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[16] 131

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for In Visible Silence
Chart (1986) Position
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[17] 69

References

  1. McDonald, Steven. "In Visible Silence – The Art of Noise". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  2. Christgau, Robert (31 March 1987). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  3. "History of the Art of Noise". theartofnoiseonline.com. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  4. "Zang Tuum Tumb and all that | Discography | Visible silence". Zttaat.com. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
  5. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  6. "Austriancharts.at – The Art of Noise – In Visible Silence" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  7. "Top RPM Albums: Image 0691". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  8. "Dutchcharts.nl – The Art of Noise – In Visible Silence" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  9. "European Hot 100 Albums". Music & Media. Vol. 3, no. 21. 31 May 1986. p. 17. OCLC 29800226.
  10. "Offiziellecharts.de – The Art of Noise – In Visible Silence" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  11. "Charts.nz – The Art of Noise – In Visible Silence". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  12. "Swisscharts.com – The Art of Noise – In Visible Silence". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  13. "Official Albums Chart on 20/4/1986 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  14. "The Art of Noise Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Archived from the original on 19 November 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  15. "The Art of Noise Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Archived from the original on 20 October 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  16. "Ultratop.be – The Art of Noise – In Visible Silence" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  17. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1986" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved 14 January 2024.