The Honeymoon Is Over

The Cruel Sea was formed in late 1987 in Sydney by Jim Elliot on drums and Dan Rumour (aka Daniel Atkins) on guitar.^[3] By late 1988, Ken Gormly had joined on bass guitar and James Cruickshank on keyboards and guitars.^[2][10] In 1989, the band invited vocalist Tex Perkins, also a member of Beasts of Bourbon, to join them on-stage.^[2][10] The group signed with Red Eye Records and released their debut album, Down Below, in December. Their second album, This Is Not the Way Home was issued in December 1991.^[2]

The Honeymoon Is Over was produced by the band, Tony Cohen (The Birthday Party, Beasts of Bourbon) and Mick Harvey (Robert Forster, Anita Lane) of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Released in May 1993, it peaked at No. 4 on the ARIA Albums Chart, and sold over 140,000 copies.^[2][4]

Late in 1994, the group toured Europe, again supporting Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. They followed with a headlining tour across Europe and to Canada.^[2] On the Triple J Hottest 100, 1993, three tracks from The Honeymoon Is Over appeared, "The Honeymoon Is Over" at No. 9, "Black Stick" (No. 21) and "Delivery Man" (No. 95).^[11]

Initial recordings were done with just Rumour and Cruickshank. Cohen said, "Danny had a vision for the album. The Cruel Sea sounded like a cross between Beasts of Bourbon and a slick pop group. That was difficult because Tex wanted it tough and Danny wanted sweet guitar sounds."^[12]

Perkins said, "We put the album down over three, one-week sessions, which is the longest we've ever taken to do it. If I spend too much time in the studio I get bored — desensitised. It's like I have nothing more to offer. But the actual recording was very easy — it's when you're mixing that it becomes microscopic — studying each sound. That doesn't flow so easily."^[13] Cohen agreed, "Tex was never interested in the technical stuff and didn't want it explained. One night he'd had enough and threw a control room chair at me."^[12]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[14]

AllMusic's Tom Demalon said the album "blends organic, rootsy instrumentation with clever, well-written lyrics to produce an album that is a joy from start to finish".^[14] Randy Krbechek of Metronews was impressed, "[It] is a treat. From the instrumental tracks (such as the North African-influenced "Orleans Stomp" and the pop-rock, "Seems Twice") to rock cuts like "Better Than Love" and "Black Stick", The Cruel Sea delivers the goods".^[15]

Reviewed in Rolling Stone Australia at the time of the release, it was said that the album differed from the band's previous releases because of the Cajun feel that permeated the album. Tony Cohen's production was particularly praised. The music was described as, "part Elvis Sun Sessions guitar twang, part Booker T-inspired instrumental groove, part Tom Waits percussive and lyrical growl, and a lot of Southern American country influence à la Tony Joe White's "Polk Salad Annie".^[16]

At the ARIA Music Awards of 1994, The Cruel Sea won 'Single of the Year' and 'Song of the Year' for "The Honeymoon Is Over", 'Album of the Year', 'Best Group' and 'Producer of the Year' (Tony Cohen)^[9] for The Honeymoon Is Over and received five further nominations including 'Best Cover Art' by Kristyna Higgins and Jay Manby.^{[17][7][8][9]} At an after-party, a drunken guest attacked Higgins, a professional photographer, and a fracas ensued with Perkins defending his partner. Also that night, two of their ARIA trophies were stolen.^[2]

In October 2010, The Honeymoon Is Over was listed in the book, 100 Best Australian Albums.^[18]

The Cruel Sea members

• Jim Elliott – drums, percussion
• Dan Rumour – guitars, percussion
• James Cruickshank – keyboards, guitar, backing vocals, percussion
• Ken Gormly – bass guitar, percussion
• Tex Perkins – vocals, harmonica, guitar

Additional musicians

• Geoff Hales – percussion
• Ross Hannaford – guitar
• Mick Harvey – tambourine, xylophone

Production details

• Producer – The Cruel Sea, Tony Cohen, Mick Harvey
• Mastering – Don Bartley
• Engineer – Tony Cohen
• Editing, sequencing – David Macquarie
• Studio – Metropolis and Atlantis (Melbourne)
  • Planet (Perth) – "Black Stick"

Art work

• Cover art – Kristyna Higgins, Jan Manby
  • Cover photo – Kristyna Higgins
  • Concept – Tex Perkins
  • Photography – Tex Perkins, Kristyna Higgins

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

• The Honeymoon Is Over at Discogs