The Sundays received critical acclaim from the start. Early live shows attracted loads of press, with one of the UK’s weekly Melody makerwriter even describing the young, London-based indie pop act as “the best I’ve ever heard.” With that in mind, it’s no surprise to hear that the band quickly became hot property, with several labels courting them in an attempt to release their debut album Read, write and count.
After some consideration, The Sundays pledged allegiance with Geffen Records in the US and Rough Trade in the UK and tested the waters with the single “Can’t Be Sure.” Peaking just outside the UK Top 40, this first 45 drew favorable comparisons with the likes of The Smiths and The Sugarcubes and topped influential BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel’s annual Festive 50 listeners’ poll for 1989.
That same year, The Sundays began Read, write and count sessions and works extensively with co-producer (and ex-Gentle Giant mainstay) Ray Shulman and engineer/future Nine Inch Nails producer Alan Moulder. The recordings spanned several months. “They were special, but only because they wanted to be very sure of what they were putting out,” said Jeanette Lee of Rough Trade. Classic pop 2022. “Some people just record and throw something out and see what happens. Not on Sundays. They are perfectionists.”
The wait was worth it. When Read, write and count arrived in January 1990, it immediately impressed. Its tracklist was never cheeky, but always confident, full of lush, tastefully constructed songs, ranging from the introspective ‘Skin And Bones’ to the powerful ‘A Certain Someone’ and the warm, summery ‘Here’s Where The Story Ends’.
Embellished by David Gavurin’s tinkling guitars, the band’s ensemble performance was always solid and often inspired, although vocalist Harriet Wheeler took most of the accolades. Her alluring voice often evoked comparisons to Bjork or The Cocteau Twins’ Elizabeth Fraser (Rolling Stone describing her as “exceptionally expressive”) and her keen delivery ensured that the album’s best songs simply soared.
Read, write and count duly established The Sundays on both sides of the Atlantic. In the UK it peaked at No.4 and went Silver, but fared even better in the US where it went Gold and sneaked into the Top 40 on the back of breakout single “Here’s Where The Story Ends” which topped Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks – list . Celebrated by Entertainment Weekly as “an album beaming with apparently simple sophistication” upon its release, it remains an astonishing listen decades later.
Listen to The Sunday’s album Read, write and count Now.
