On the 30th anniversary of their debut album ‘Paradise in the Picturehouse’, The Stunning have reissued the classic album on vinyl accompanied by a beautifully crafted songbook.
A true collectors item, this will be the first time the album has been available on vinyl since 1990 and it will be accompanied by a stunning book – featuring easy to follow guitar and piano arrangements, playing tips written by the band themselves, never-before-seen photos and the inspiration behind each of the tracks and more.
Coming out of Galway city, The Stunning took Ireland by storm and shifted the focus from a Dublin-centric rock scene to the provinces, paving the way for many more artists to come. They toured relentlessly releasing a string of hit singles and two number one albums and built a following that would make them one of the most popular Irish bands ever amongst a new generation of young Irish people for whom emigration was not a prerequisite.
‘Paradise in the Picturehouse’ stayed at the top of the charts for five weeks upon its release in 1990 and made the band a household name.
This album is a favourite of many. Within its melodic flows and rich tunes lies warm nostalgic memories, fond air guitar moments and sing alongs. Who can resist the “Da da da da, da da da, da da da da” lyric in ‘Brewing Up a Storm’, the beauty within the melody and instrumental blasts of ‘Romeo’s on Fire’ or the chugging rhythm in ‘Got to Get Away’.
According to Steve: “we had always intended on marking the anniversary of this album. It seems to have endured the passing decades and holds a special place in the hearts of a lot of people who grew up in Ireland during the late 80’s and early 90’s. I still meet people today who say Paradise was the soundtrack to their formative years. Doing the book was also a way to introduce new fans to the music and to give them the backstory as well. Budding musicians will have no excuse now for murdering the songs!”
Joe: “Though it seemed like a risky venture, I now realise it’s a fantastic piece of Stunning history for any fan to own. People on our mailing list got the chance to buy it first and the feedback has been amazing. Besides, the only physical product selling anymore are LP’s, so this is a no-brainer. 2020 is the album’s 30th anniversary so the book has to come out now regardless of the pandemic. We enjoyed making it so much that we can’t wait for people to see it”.
In between ‘Stunning’ duties the band members have their fingers in many pies. Lead singer Steve Wall’s acting career has really taken off. Following his portrayal of legendary trumpet player Chet Baker in the feature film My Foolish Heart, he’s recently filmed a new sci-fi series with Ridley Scott, completed an episode of Tin Star with Tim Roth and played a leading role in The South Westerlies, a new drama series for RTE due out soon. Guitarist Derek Murray tours with comedian Tommy Tiernan. Keyboard and trumpet player Jim Higgins is a stalwart in Christy Moore’s band. Drummer Cormac Dunne plays with everybody west of the Shannon, sometimes twice a day! Joe Wall has been involved with the Music College BIMM Dublin since it opened in 2011. In his spare time he writes and records and hatches plans for future Stunning ventures.
You can order the reissue of the classic album on vinyl accompanied by a beautifully crafted songbook from www.thestunning.net
Author : Danu
