Choke is the second studio album by the English pop-rock group the Beautiful South, released in the UK on 29 October 1990. Upon its release, it was pushed to number 2 in the charts after the release of the band's only number one single, "A Little Time". It would remain in the charts for 22 weeks. The album was followed by two more singles, both of which were flops. "My Book", which became the band's first single to chart outside the top 40, peaked at number 43, and "Let Love Speak Up Itself" reached number 51. The original release of the album contained 11 tracks. The twelfth track, exclusive to the German release, was intended for the album from the beginning but was removed at a late stage of production. The cassette release of the standard version feature a long silence at the end of the first side, possibly indicating that this would have been the location originally intended for the track.

Critical reception

Trouser Press wrote that "Choke makes it clear that the Beautiful South has ample pop sense and pure venom to keep its unique act going for quite a while." The New York Times wrote positively that the album "reads like an 11-chapter novella from a criminally sane mind."

Track listing

All tracks by Paul Heaton, David Rotheray unless otherwise noted

Non-LP/CD B-Sides

The Beautiful South included unreleased material on the B-sides of the singles taken from their albums. from the "A Little Time" 12" single and CDEP from the "My Book" 12" single and CDEP from the "Let Love Speak Up Itself" 12" single and CDEP

Personnel

Additional personnel