{"product_id":"the-chinese-album","title":"The Chinese Album","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe second (1998) release from the British expat group Spacehog, \u003ci\u003eThe Chinese Album\u003c\/i\u003e was originally conceived as the soundtrack for a movie called Mungo City; the movie never got made but thankfully the album retained the glam\/power pop song by the same name (which, in a just universe, would have been a big hit)!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis record never really got its due, partly because the band took three years to follow up on the success of their debut album \u003ci\u003eResident Alien\u003c\/i\u003e and its hit \u003ci\u003eIn the Meantime\u003c\/i\u003e. But \u003ci\u003eThe Chinese Album\u003c\/i\u003e, in many ways, is a much more fully-realized work than its predecessor; instead of merely playing at being a glam-rock band, Spacehog here crafts a fully-realized sound and aesthetic, with nods to such artists as Queen, Badfinger, The Kinks, and even R.E.M. (Michael Stipe makes an appearance on the mellow\u003ci\u003e Almond Kisses\u003c\/i\u003e). And the songwriting (e.g. \u003ci\u003eLucy’s Shoe\u003c\/i\u003e) is consistently strong, making\u003ci\u003e The Chinese Album \u003c\/i\u003eone of the late ‘90s’ great lost records.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Real Gone Music","offers":[{"title":"Purple | LP","offer_id":50458565902667,"sku":"1104000","price":32.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/1113e0ea-1dd3-4d3a-af47-35406e88800e_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727211919","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/de\/products\/the-chinese-album","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}