Speed Ballads

Speed Ballads is the second album by the band Republica. Released in 1998, the album was the follow-up to Republica's self-titled debut album.

Speed Ballads
Studio album by Republica
Released	5 October 1998
Recorded	Republica, Westside, Metropolis, Strongroom, Whitfield Street, The Barge & Heirophony, London
Length	39:38
Label	Deconstruction BMG
Producer	Ian Stanley Andy Gray Clive Langer Alan Winstanley Ian Broudie
Republica chronology
Republica (1996) Speed Ballads (1998) Damaged Gods (2024)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
NME	[2]

Release

Speed Ballads reached #37 on the UK Album Charts.^[3] The album never received release in the United States.^[4]

On 22 April 2023 - Record Store Day - the album was released on vinyl for the first time, with a run of 1,000 copies.^[5]

Singles

The album spawned only one single, "From Rush Hour With Love." It achieved modest success, peaking at number 20 on the UK Singles chart, but spending only three weeks on the chart.^[3] The follow-up single, "Try Everything,"^[1] received only limited release, due to the bankruptcy and closure of Deconstruction Records, the group's label.^[6]

Critical reception

The album was met with mixed reviews from contemporary music critics. AllMusic's Jason Damas felt that the album "exhibits some remarkable growth" over its predecessor, calling the album "far more diverse" and highlighting "Try Everything," "From Rush Hour with Love," and "Fading of the Man" as choice cuts.^[1]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Saffron, Tim Dorney and Johnny Male, except where noted.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"From Rush Hour with Love"	3:25
2.	"Fading of the Man"	4:34
3.	"Try Everything" (Saffron, Dorney, Male, Guy Batson)	4:02
4.	"Luxury Cage" (Saffron, Dorney, Male, Andy Todd)	5:03
5.	"Faster Faster"	3:20
6.	"Nothing's Feeling New" (Saffron, Dorney, Male, Jeremy Williams)	3:51
7.	"Millennium" (Saffron, Dorney, Male, Todd)	3:14
8.	"Pretty Girl Hate"	3:47
9.	"Kung Fu Movies" (Saffron, Dorney, Male, Pete Smith)	4:00
10.	"Pub Pusher"	4:22
Total length:		39:38

B-Sides

There are known to be five B-sides from the Speed Ballads era.

1. "World Ends in the Morning" (from the "From Rush Hour with Love" CD single)
2. "Clone My Soul" (from the "From Rush Hour with Love" CD single)
3. "House Special" (from the "From Rush Hour with Love" 7" Vinyl single)
4. "Fading of the Man" (From the "Try Everything" CD1 promo single)
5. "From Rush Hour with Love" [Westside Story] (From the "Try Everything" CD1 promo single)
6. "Ready to Go" [Live from Cardiff] (From the "Try Everything" CD2 promo single)
7. "Drop Dead Gorgeous" [Live from Cardiff] (From the "Try Everything" CD2 promo single)

Personnel

Republica

• Saffron - vocals
• Tim Dorney - keyboards, programming, mixing
• Jonny Male - guitars

Additional musicians

• Pete Riley - drums

Technical

• Ian Stanley - producer
• Andy Gray - producer, mixing
• Clive Langer - producer, mixing
• Alan Winstanley - producer, mixing
• Ian Broudie - producer
• Bob Kraushaar - mixing
• Gary Langan - mixing
• Ross Cullum - mixing
• Cenzo Townshend - mixing
• Brian Pugsley - additional engineering
• Jon Astley - mastering
• Mike Diver - photography, manipulation
• Big Active Ltd. - design