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Album title is written as "I Megaphone" nearly everywhere
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| I Megaphone | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Imegaphone98.jpg | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 16 June 1998 | |||
| Recorded | 1997 | |||
| Studio | RAK Studios (London) Quad Studios (New York) Chapel Studios (Los Angeles) The Barn (Philadelphia) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 48:42 | |||
| Label |
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| Producer |
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| Imogen Heap chronology | ||||
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| Alternative cover | ||||
Japanese reissue cover
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| Singles from I Megaphone | ||||
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I Megaphone is the debut studio album by British singer-songwriter Imogen Heap. It was released on 16 June 1998 by Almo Sounds, and later re-released in Japan by Aozora Records on 23 January 2002. The album was primarily written by Heap, starting when she was 15 years old, with co-writing from Guy Sigsworth and Fil Eisler. It was first produced and recorded solely by Heap and Dave Stewart, though it was subsequently re-recorded alongside producers David Kahne and Guy Sigsworth. It is an alternative rock record with largely confessional lyricism, addressing themes ranging from adolescent drug use and revenge to sensuality and record companies.
The album spawned several singles, including "Getting Scared", which was featured on the soundtrack of the horror film I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, "Shine", "Come Here Boy", and "Oh Me, Oh My". The album's Japanese reissue featured four bonus tracks, including the singles "Aeroplane" and the Urban Species song "Blanket", which became her first song to appear on the UK Singles Chart. The title is an anagram of "Imogen Heap". While some critics dismissed the record upon its release as derivative of the work of fellow singer-songwriters such as Tori Amos, Kate Bush, and Alanis Morissette, others praised the album for Heap's vocal performance and piano playing. Almo did little to promote the album, however, causing it to be a commercial failure, and the label shut down before Heap was able to release a second album.
Although Heap originally recorded the album solely with Dave Stewart of British pop duo Eurythmics, six months later, she re-recorded the album alongside David Kahne and Guy Sigsworth (the latter of whom she would later form Frou Frou with)[1] after realizing, according to her, that it was "over-done" and that there was "too much going on".[2] "Come Here Boy" was written when Heap was 15 years old.[3] The title of I Megaphone is an anagram of Heap's name.[1]
The album's lead single, "Getting Scared", was released in 1997, and appeared on the soundtrack for the 1998 horror film I Still Know What You Did Last Summer.[4]
In January 2002, Aozora Records re-released I Megaphone in Japan, featuring new artwork and bonus tracks such as "Aeroplane", "Feeling Strange", and "Blanket"[5][better source needed]—a collaboration with British hip hop band Urban Species which became Heap's first charting single, appearing at number 56 on the UK Singles Chart.[6]
On 11 December 2009, Heap released an iTunes-exclusive live EP titled iTunes Festival: London 2007. The EP contains all tracks from the first issue of the album in the same order, and B-sides "Leave Me to Love", "Blanket", and "Kidding" (the latter two appeared on the Japan reissue of I Megaphone). The EP also contains two Question and Answer sections where Heap takes questions from audience members.[citation needed]
I Megaphone is an alternative rock album.[7] Of the album, Heap stated, "Everything I’ve been through since I was a kid had to be confronted in these songs."[2]
The album's opener, "Getting Scared", is a "vengeful"[8] track described by Gil Kaufman of MTV as "A spare, creepy tune anchored by a thudding drum-machine beat, chaotic piano and blasts of industrial noise". It was written by Heap about a "revenge fantasy" about a former roommate and friend who betrayed her trust by telling people one of Heap's intimate secrets about her childhood trauma that, according to her, "turned out to be real".[3] "Sweet Religion" is a song about Heap deifying a former lover.[2]
"Shine" incorporates elements of trip hop.[3] "Angry Angel" is an "aggressive"[9] song about Heap's own experimentation with recreational drug use from a young age, while "Candlelight" is a "piano-driven" track.[2][9] "Come Here Boy" is a "sensual"[9] piano ballad written when Heap was 15 years old about a 40-year-old man with whom she was in a relationship at the time.[2] "Rake It In" is written as a screed against record companies; "Useless" was described by The Irish Times as "tragic".[8] Heap stated that "Sleep", the album's closer, was her favorite track from the album. "Sleep" is a "spare" song featuring piano and violin, written about "the split second when you wake up and everything is absolutely perfect, and then, you remember what you have to do and nothing is quite the same after that."[3]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [9] |
I Megaphone was compared by many critics to the work of other female singer-songwriters, most notably Tori Amos, Kate Bush, and Alanis Morissette.[8][7] Writing for Tulsa World, Thomas Conner wrote, "Heap has all the restraint Alanis Morissette didn't bother to learn...Her use of plunky piano makes tunes like 'Sweet Religion' shadow even a few Tori Amos standards."[10] In a review for Consequence of Sound of Heap's third studio album, Ellipse, Alex Young wrote, "[I Megaphone] sounded very much like the aggressive female rock that was getting airplay at the time...Her [Heap's] mix of piano work, thick vocals, and alternative rock was interesting."[11] Speaking of the comparisons to Morissette, Heap said, "I’ve never liked her. I just don’t think she is very real. But what gets me about the comparison is that people who don’t like her will see this 'Imogen-Alanis' thing and then stay away from my music, not even give me a chance. That really is the worst thing about those lazy comparisons."[2] In regards to the comparisons to Amos and Bush, Heap stated, "When Tori [Amos] first came out, they would say she sounded like Kate Bush. Now they think she sounds like Tori. Plus, when I wrote this album, I'd never even heard of these people."[3]
For The Irish Times, Joe Jackson wrote of the record that there was "something fascinating" about Heap, nothing that "the real power and poetry [onI Megaphone] probably stems from her semi-strangulated cries, the rush of crushed chords on the keyboard, the way her voice soars without restraint. Imogen has already been largely dismissed by many critics. I suspect that in time she will make them eat their words." Jackson added that tracks such as "Sleep", "Useless", and "Getting Scared" "define their own space, to a great degree".[8] Tom Demalon of AllMusic described I Megaphone as "A compelling album chock-full of engaging melodies delivered in a memorable voice," naming "Angry Angel", "Candlelight", and "Come Here Boy" as highlights.[9]
In 2018, "Getting Scared" was identified by Margaret Farrell of Stereogum as Heap's seventh-best song. Farrell referred to "Getting Scared" as the "star pupil" of I Megaphone, and called the album "refreshing and even surprising" compared to her later work.[4]
Following its release, I Megaphone was minimally promoted by Almo Sounds, and sold few units. Heap's contract was discontinued following the dissolution of Almo.[1][12]
All tracks are written by Heap, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Getting Scared" |
|
| 4:53 |
| 2. | "Sweet Religion" |
| 4:03 | |
| 3. | "Oh Me, Oh My" |
| 5:05 | |
| 4. | "Shine" |
| 4:40 | |
| 5. | "Whatever" |
|
| 3:44 |
| 6. | "Angry Angel" |
| 4:45 | |
| 7. | "Candlelight" |
| 4:39 | |
| 8. | "Rake It In" |
|
| 3:50 |
| 9. | "Come Here Boy" |
| 3:58 | |
| 10. | "Useless" |
| 5:19 | |
| 11. | "Sleep" |
| 3:46 | |
| Total length: | 48:42 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Aeroplane" |
|
| 4:20 |
| 13. | "Feeling Strange" | Heap | 4:38 | |
| 14. | "Blanket" (Urban Species featuring Imogen Heap) |
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| 5:47 |
| 15. | "Kidding" (live hidden track) | Heap | 4:31 | |
| Total length: | 1:07:58 | |||
Notes
Sample credits
All credits adapted from liner notes.[13]
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| Studio albums |
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| Singles |
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| Other songs |
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