{"history":[],"article":{"id":"c455edc9-f6ea-4360-a9a3-0615826ff43e","title":"North Marine Drive","slug":"north-marine-drive","content":":::summary\n![North Marine Drive](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/NorthMarineDrive.jpg)\n**Name:** North Marine Drive \n**Type:** [Album](https://bliptext.com/articles/album) \n**Artist:** [Ben Watt](https://bliptext.com/articles/ben-watt) \n**Released:** February 1983 \n**Recorded:** 16–20 September 1982 \n**Studio:** Alvic Studios, West Kensington, London \n**Genre:** [Folk rock](https://bliptext.com/articles/folk-rock), [indie folk](https://bliptext.com/articles/indie-folk) \n**Length:** 33:00 \n**Label:** [Cherry Red](https://bliptext.com/articles/cherry-red-records) \n**Producer:** Ben Watt with Mike Gregovich \n**Next Title:** [Hendra](https://bliptext.com/articles/hendra-ben-watt-album) \n**Next Year:** 2014 \n:::\n\n# \n**North Marine Drive** is the debut album of [Ben Watt](https://bliptext.com/articles/ben-watt).\nThe album was released on [Cherry Red](https://bliptext.com/articles/cherry-red-records) in [1983](https://bliptext.com/articles/1983-in-music), prior to Watt's success in [Everything but the Girl](https://bliptext.com/articles/everything-but-the-girl), and reached number one in the [UK Indie Chart](https://bliptext.com/articles/uk-indie-chart) the same year.\nThe tone of the album is reflective and melancholic, reminiscent of some of the more stripped-down work of Everything but the Girl.\nIts sparse, mainly acoustic, instrumentation effectively highlights Watt's songwriting and vocal qualities.\nJazz saxophonist [Peter King](https://bliptext.com/articles/peter-king-saxophonist), who went on to collaborate with Everything but the Girl, contributes alto saxophone to several tracks.\nThe title of the album is similar to the location in [Scarborough, England](https://bliptext.com/articles/scarborough-england) which is photographed on the album's cover and is called Marine Drive.\nThere is a \"North Marine Drive\" in the nearby resort of Bridlington which Ben Watt felt was a better title for the album.\nCD issues also feature five bonus tracks of Watt's collaboration with [Robert Wyatt](https://bliptext.com/articles/robert-wyatt), originally released as an EP in March 1982 (Summer Into Winter).\nA downloadable version available from Cherry Red added a further three tracks, originally released on a 1981 single, and later reissued on the compilation album Our Brilliant Careers: Cherry Red Rarities 1981-1983.\nThe song \"Some Things Don't Matter\" first appeared on the Cherry Red showcase compilation [Pillows & Prayers](https://bliptext.com/articles/pillows-prayers) in 1982.\n\"Walter and John\", from \"Summer Into Winter\", also appeared on the second volume of Pillows and Prayers.\n\n# Track listing\nAll tracks composed by Ben Watt; except where indicated\n\n## CD reissue bonus tracks (Summer Into Winter, with Robert Wyatt)\n

\"Walter and John\" (4:07)

\"Aquamarine\" (4:12)

\"Slipping Slowly\" (2:53)

\"Another Conversation With Myself\" (1:24)

\"A Girl in Winter\" (3:50)

\n\n\n## Digital download bonus tracks\n

\"Cant\"

\"Tower of Silence\"

\"Aubade\"

\n\n\n# Personnel\n\n## Summer Into Winter","current_revision":null,"created_by":"kACnuQmH5k9Nr5VNVEpVeg7XpvUmMctD","created_at":"2025-01-26T10:27:40.859Z","updated_at":"2025-01-26T10:27:40.859Z","search_vector":"'drive':3 'marin':2 'north':1","search_content":" \n \n**Name:** North Marine Drive \n**Type:** [Album](https://bliptext.com/articles/album) \n**Artist:** [Ben Watt](https://bliptext.com/articles/ben-watt) \n**Released:** February 1983 \n**Recorded:** 16–20 September 1982 \n**Studio:** Alvic Studios, West Kensington, London \n**Genre:** [Folk rock](https://bliptext.com/articles/folk-rock), [indie folk](https://bliptext.com/articles/indie-folk) \n**Length:** 33:00 \n**Label:** [Cherry Red](https://bliptext.com/articles/cherry-red-records) \n**Producer:** Ben Watt with Mike Gregovich \n**Next Title:** [Hendra](https://bliptext.com/articles/hendra-ben-watt-album) \n**Next Year:** 2014 \n \n\n# \n**North Marine Drive** is the debut album of [Ben Watt](https://bliptext.com/articles/ben-watt).\nThe album was released on [Cherry Red](https://bliptext.com/articles/cherry-red-records) in [1983](https://bliptext.com/articles/1983-in-music), prior to Watt's success in [Everything but the Girl](https://bliptext.com/articles/everything-but-the-girl), and reached number one in the [UK Indie Chart](https://bliptext.com/articles/uk-indie-chart) the same year.\nThe tone of the album is reflective and melancholic, reminiscent of some of the more stripped-down work of Everything but the Girl.\nIts sparse, mainly acoustic, instrumentation effectively highlights Watt's songwriting and vocal qualities.\nJazz saxophonist [Peter King](https://bliptext.com/articles/peter-king-saxophonist), who went on to collaborate with Everything but the Girl, contributes alto saxophone to several tracks.\nThe title of the album is similar to the location in [Scarborough, England](https://bliptext.com/articles/scarborough-england) which is photographed on the album's cover and is called Marine Drive.\nThere is a \"North Marine Drive\" in the nearby resort of Bridlington which Ben Watt felt was a better title for the album.\nCD issues also feature five bonus tracks of Watt's collaboration with [Robert Wyatt](https://bliptext.com/articles/robert-wyatt), originally released as an EP in March 1982 (Summer Into Winter).\nA downloadable version available from Cherry Red added a further three tracks, originally released on a 1981 single, and later reissued on the compilation album Our Brilliant Careers: Cherry Red Rarities 1981-1983.\nThe song \"Some Things Don't Matter\" first appeared on the Cherry Red showcase compilation [Pillows & Prayers](https://bliptext.com/articles/pillows-prayers) in 1982.\n\"Walter and John\", from \"Summer Into Winter\", also appeared on the second volume of Pillows and Prayers.\n\n# Track listing\nAll tracks composed by Ben Watt; except where indicated\n\n## CD reissue bonus tracks (Summer Into Winter, with Robert Wyatt)\n \"Walter and John\" (4:07) \n \"Aquamarine\" (4:12) \n \"Slipping Slowly\" (2:53) \n \"Another Conversation With Myself\" (1:24) \n \"A Girl in Winter\" (3:50) \n \n\n## Digital download bonus tracks\n \"Cant\" \n \"Tower of Silence\" \n \"Aubade\" \n \n\n# Personnel\n\n## Summer Into Winter","revisionCount":0},"hasMore":false,"nextCursor":null}

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