Spartacus is the debut studio album by British rock band the Farm, released on 4 March 1991 through Produce Records. Following a variety of member changes and single releases, the band solidified their line-up in 1987; after a record deal fell through, they opted to start their own label, Produce Records. They recorded the bulk of their debut album in London in 1990 with former Madness frontman Graham "Suggs" McPherson as producer; one track from 1987 was produced by the Housemartins members Paul Heaton and Stan Cullimore. Spartacus is a baggy and dance-rock album that takes influence from the work of Buzzcocks, the Clash and the Jam.
Spartacus received generally positive reviews from music critics. Although some of them were split on the album's songwriting quality, while others praised it in the context of the baggy scene. The album topped the charts in the United Kingdom. "Groovy Train" was released as its lead single in August 1990, followed by the second single "All Together Now" in November 1990. "Don't Let Me Down" appeared in April 1991, and was promoted with a supporting slot for Happy Mondays in June 1991 at the Elland Road football stadium in Leeds. They then toured the United States with Big Audio Dynamite and Downtown Science. NME and Vox included the album on their lists of the year's best 50 releases.
Background Influenced by the likes of punk rock acts such as the Clash and the Jam, Peter Hooton decided to become a musician, initially picking up bass briefly before focusing on singing instead.Robb 2015, p. 12 He joined his friend's brother's band after their frontman failed to show up to a rehearsal.Robb 2015, pp. 13–4 The death of John Lennon, coupled with anger towards the Tory party following a speech by leader Margaret Thatcher, inspired Hooton to become a writer.Robb 2015, p. 15 He started the fanzine The End, which chronicled his poems as well as football news, music and politics. This helped Hooton grow in his confidence as a writer, which he had shied away from after being ridiculed by his school's English teacher.Robb 2015, p. 14 Hooton's band soon became directionless and he was looking to form another band; through a mutual friend, he met Steve Grimes, guitarist for local punk rock act the Excitements. After an audition, Hooton joined the Excitements, replacing Martin Dunbar. The rest of the band consisted of bassist Phil Stephenson, drummer Neil Campbell and dancer Thomas. Around the same time, Phil Jones of zine Time for Action and Mick Potter started contributing to The End when it became popular throughout Liverpool.Robb 2015, pp. 17, 18 Hooton played his debut show with the Excitements in 1982 at a friend's party. Despite him wanting to keep The End and the Excitements as separate entities, readers of the zine started attending the band's shows.Robb 2015, p. 18
Several more local gigs ensued, with them changing their name to the Farm, reflecting that they rehearsed on a farm plot in Lydiate.Robb 2015, p. 16 The band's punk rock sound was out of place in the post-punk scene in Liverpool, featuring the likes of Echo & the Bunnymen, the Teardrop Explodes and Wah!.Robb 2015, p. 19 Andy McVann, who had seen Hooton's first show, joined the Farm as their drummer.Robb 2015, p. 20 Positive reviews from the music press earned the band their first John Peel session in April 1983, where they performed "Information Man", "No Man's Land" and "Memories". In February 1984, they did another Peel session, playing "Hearts & Minds", "Too Late", "Same Old Story" and "Somewhere". In between these sessions, the band went through multiple bassists until Carl Hunter joined.Robb 2015, p. 21 They then appeared on Oxford Road Show, where they met Graham "Suggs" McPherson and Chas Smash, both formerly of Madness. Around this time, the Farm had little money, surviving off residuals from the Peel sessions. A friend of the Farm's was manning the doors at a Madness show and said the Farm were in need of help. Suggs, who had heard one of the Farm's Peel sessions, let them record some demos at Madness's studio on Caledonian Road, London for free. Suggs produced their debut single, "Hearts & Minds", later in the year. Simon Moran, who later founded SJM Concerts, became one of the band's early supporters, helping to organise shows for them.Robb 2015, p. 23
Sometime later, a brass section consisting of Anthony Evans, Steve Levy, George Maher and John Melvin was brought into the band's line-up, shifting their sound towards Northern soul. McVann was involved in a fatal car crash in October 1986; the Farm almost broke up when the brass section left after this.Robb 2015, p. 27 In 1987, Roy Bulter filled in McVann's role, and second guitarist Keith Mullen and keyboardist Benjamin Leach were added to the line-up. Bill Drummond, one half of the KLF, who was well versed in the Liverpool scene and the Farm's activities, wanted to become their manager after meeting Hooton in a bar, but ultimately did not.Robb 2015, p. 28 After seeing one of the Farm's performances, Happy Mondays supported them in Liverpool in May 1987.Robb 2015, p. 22Spence 2015, p. 323 The Farm then went on tour with the Housemartins; they almost signed to the Housemartins' Stan Cullimore's label Fair Play Committee, but the deal fell through when Cullimore decided to write children's books instead.Robb 2015, pp. 26, 28 In discussions, Moran wanted 20% of the proposed £25,000 signing bonus, claiming that as their manager he should be paid more; Hooton remarked that they considered him an equal, not a superior. Moran parted ways with the band when the deal collapsed.Robb 2015, p. 29 "Body and Soul", their next single, was released in 1988 and saw a shift to synth-pop. In an attempt to draw more attention to the band, Hooton concocted a music scene under the name Urchin Rock that would include them and fellow Liverpools bands Rain and the Real People. Hooton then convinced popular journalists to cover the faux movement; it received significant press coverage, but did not further the careers of any of the acts grouped under it.Robb 2015, pp. 29–30
Label and recording In late 1989, Paul McKenna, who had been the Farm's merchandise aid, and Hooton had a meeting at the former's flat. McKenna introduced Hooton to Barney Moores, a fan of theirs and son of Littlewoods Pools owner John Moores. Barney Moores had spare money to invest in a business and was interested in helping the band; Hooton told him that £25,000 would cover the cost of an album and two singles. Hooton then contacted Kevin Sampson, who they previously met when the latter was shooting a film some months prior. He had connections around London and was an associate of Suggs. In January 1990, Sampson was asked to become their manager, eventually agreeing to become co-manager with Suggs. Shortly afterwards, Sampson travelled from London to Liverpool to set up a meeting. The outcome of that meeting saw the formation of the record label Produce Records with Ian Croft, Wayne Chad, Moors and McKenna as business partners. The label's offices were located in the Holmes Building in Liverpool; its releases would be distributed by Kent-based company Pinnacle. Part of the money the band received was used to purchase a sampler to expand their musical style. Sampson drafted up an eight-page plan that Hooton referred to as "how to get the Farm into the Top 40". The band hired Anglo Plugging to promote them on the radio, booking agent Martin Horn of International Talent Booking and press officer John Best of Savage & Best Management, and planned to record at Madness' studio.Robb 2015, p. 30 Hooton admitted that they "didn't know anything" and trusted Sampson's judgement.Robb 2015, pp. 30–1
Shortly afterwards, the band began working on a cover of "Stepping Stone" (1966) by Paul Revere & the Raiders as their next single. Sampson felt they needed an outside influence to aid them, and proposed Terry Farley. Around this time, Farley was growing in popularity as a DJ in the acid house movement, and was formerly a subscriber to The End.Robb 1990, p. 12 Farley, serving as mixing engineer, suggested the band slow the track down and incorporate samples from "The Power" (1990) by Snap!. Though the song stalled at number 59 on the UK Singles Chart, the single received positive press coverage.Robb 2015, p. 31 The Farm tried to record "Higher & Higher" soon after, but were not satisfied with the sound, and decided to work on "Groovy Train" with engineer Mark Saunders instead as their next single.Robb 2015, pp. 31–2 They had played a psychedelic version of "Groovy Train" for a Peel session; for the released version, Farley moved Mullen's guitar from the middle eight to the intro section and added a loop from "The Gas Face" (1989) by 3rd Bass. Suggs produced nearly every track that would feature on Spartacus, save for "Tell the Story", which had been recorded in 1987 and was produced by Cullimore and Housemartins bandmate Paul Heaton. "Hearts & Minds", "How Long", "Sweet Inspiration", "Higher & Higher", "Don't Let Me Down", "Very Emotional" and "All Together Now" were recorded at Mayfair Studios in London in October and November 1990, while "Groovy Train" and "Family of Man" were recorded at Liquidator Studios and "Tell the Story" was recorded at Fairview Recording Studio in Hull. Kevin Petri engineered the majority of the tracks, except for "Groovy Train" (done by Gary Wilkinson) and "All Together Now" (done by Noel Rafferty). Saunders mixed "Groovy Train" at the Konk studio in London; the majority of the songs were mixed at Westside Studios in London, while "All Together Now" was done at Mayfair and "Family of Man" and "Tell the Story" were remixed at E-Zee, also based in London. Paula David, who was a session vocalist that Suggs knew, and Pete Wylie contributed backing vocals throughout the recordings.Phillips 2022, event occurs at 28:21–8
Composition and lyrics Musically, the sound of Spartacus has been described as baggy and dance-rock, taking influence from the work of Buzzcocks, the Clash and the Jam.Crossing 1991b, p. 29 AllMusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine said it had all of the hallmarks of baggy, from "its rolling, neo-psychedelic grooves" to the "blissfully colorful pop hooks". The album's title was taken from the 1960 film of the same name. Grimes said that the name worked as a "very tongue-in-cheek analogy between the Farm, who, like, for years didn't have a record label and then decided to do it ourselves[,] ... [b]asically, in spite of all the major record companies". He said McVann's death influenced some of the tracks on the album, such as "Don't Let Me Down".Petruso 1991, p. 10