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Little Kix is the third album by English alternative rock band Mansun, released on 14 August 2000 and was the band's last studio album to be completed and released before their dissolution in 2003.

Little Kix
Studio album by Mansun
Released	14 August 2000
Recorded	2000
Studio	Astoria on the River Thames
Genre	Alternative rock symphonic rock synthpop[1]
Length	52:14
Label	Parlophone
Producer	Hugh Padgham, Michael Hunter
Mansun chronology
Six (1999) Little Kix (2000) Kleptomania (2004)
Singles from Little Kix
"I Can Only Disappoint U" Released: 31 July 2000 "Electric Man" Released: 6 November 2000 "Fool" Released: 29 January 2001

Overview

The album was recorded aboard the Astoria, a boat that housed a recording studio owned by David Gilmour of Pink Floyd, and marked a departure from the band's previous way recording in that bandleader Draper had been removed from his position of producer by the record company and was replaced by Hugh Padgham, formerly a producer for Phil Collins, XTC and The Police, to ensure more "independent local radio friendly" sound.[2] Draper also stated that the working method was greatly different from his work on the former two albums: "Little Kix was the only album I had to make demos for, the rest I just made up as I went along".[3]

Record label interference extended further than the choice of producer, with Parlophone imposing several limitations that Draper felt restricted their creativity: "[W]e were battered into being a pop group with 'Little Kix'... We were told absolutely definitively 'You are not allowed to have any prog rock elements in the album', so that's why the album fades in and it's one second longer than Dark Side of the Moon, just to piss the record company off (laughs)".[4] In the liner notes of Legacy: The Best of Mansun Draper provided an example of the dysfunction that existed between the band and its label that centred on the track "Fool". After reading a book on song writing by Jimmy Webb he claimed it "inspired me to write an ironic song that is now my least favourite Mansun track. Bowie intro, comical chorus lyrics and guess what? The label wanted it as a fucking single! I couldn’t believe it".[5]

Draper credits the album's gestation process as part of what ultimately led to the end of the band: "What's left is an odd story, people have spoken to me about writing books about it, I don't think I'll ever go on the record and tell the true story, there are one or two people that know. At the end of the day people always say bands split over musical differences but they never do. It's all to do with money and drugs and all sorts of shit."[6]

Release

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[7]
Leonard's Lair	[8]
NME	(3/10)[9]
Pitchfork Media	(6.8/10)[10]
Select	[11]

Little Kix was released in August 2000. Early album titles include Magnetic Poetry and The Trouble with Relationships.[12] Little Kix did not match the popularity of the group's previous albums and reflected a continuing decline in commercial fortunes for the group. It peaked at #12[13] on the UK Albums Chart and was certified Silver[14] by the BPI.

Three singles were released from the album. The first, "I Can Only Disappoint U" became one of the group's most successful singles peaking at #8[13] on the UK Singles Chart in the run up to the album's release. "Electric Man", the second single was released in November and peaked at #23.[13] The final single "Fool" charted at #28.[13]

Track listing

Personnel

Mansun Paul Draper – lead vocals, acoustic guitar, keyboards Dominic Chad – electric guitar, backing vocals, piano Stove King – bass Andie Rathbone – drums, percussion

Production Hugh Padgham – producer Mike Hunter – co-producer, hammond organ, Pro Tools Mark 'Spike' Stent – mixing Anne Dudley – strings on "Electric Man" and "Soundtrack 4 2 Lovers" Anton Corbijn – photography Pennie Smith – live photography

B-sides

from "I Can Only Disappoint U" "Decisions, Decisions" "Repair Man" "My Idea of Fun" "Golden Stone" from "Electric Man" "The Drifters" "The Apartment" "I Can Only Disappoint U (Perfecto club mix)" "Electric Man (Acoustic version)" "I Can Only Disappoint U (Instrumental mix)"

from "Fool" "I've Seen the Top of the Mountain" "Promises" "Fade in Time" "Black Infinite Space"

Charts

Chart (2000)	Peak position
Japanese Oricon Album Chart[15]	47
Scottish Albums Chart[16]	13
UK Album Chart[17]	12

References

External links

• Little Kix at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)

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