Power, Mark (28 July 2020). "When REM created a Monster: inside the tour that almost destroyed them". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 30 August 2023. The Housemartins released 2 formidable UK hit albums in the 1980s, but had disbanded late in the decade. Paul Heaton and David Rotheray went on to form the Beautiful South and this is the first compilation featuring hits from both sister groups including "Happy Hour", "Five Get Over Excited", "Caravan of Love", "A Little Time", "Song for Whoever", "Perfect 10" and many more. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (9 October 1995). "Carry on Up the Charts: The Best of the Beautiful South - The Beautiful South". AllMusic . Retrieved 28 February 2014.

The sleeve of the album contains an introduction to it and a brief history of the band by long term friend and fan of the bands, journalist and radio DJ Stuart Maconie. It also contains artwork from throughout the bands' careers and gives the names of all the members of both bands throughout their duration.This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sourcesin this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.

In 1994, St Helens supermarket shop-worker Jacqui Abbott was brought on board to fill in as the new third lead vocalist for the band. Heaton had heard her sing at an after-show party in St Helens and remembered her vocal talents. Heaton referred to her as "the lass from the glass" [9]—a reference to the Pilkington factory in St Helens. Abbott's first album with the band was Miaow in the same year. Hits included "Good as Gold (Stupid as Mud)" and a cover of Fred Neil's " Everybody's Talkin'", previously popularised by Harry Nilsson. Although 2000's Painting It Red album reached Number 2 in the UK charts, the band suffered difficulties in its promotion and in touring, and a substantial number of the CDs were faulty. Jacqui Abbott left the band in the same year, discouraged by the pressures of touring and needing to concentrate on looking after her son, who had just been diagnosed with autism. [15] [16] [17] After completing their tour obligations, the band marked time with a second greatest-hits album ( Solid Bronze) in 2001, and took time off to refresh themselves. Heaton embarked on a solo career under the Biscuit Boy (a.k.a. Crakerman) alias [18] and released the Fat Chance album in 2001. It did not sell well, despite being critically acclaimed, and was reissued under Heaton's own name the following year. Taylor, Stella (14 June 2007). "A poignant musical dissertation on student life and dreams". Gazette and Herald . Retrieved 1 November 2019. The Beautiful South". Brits.co.uk. 19 February 2014. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013 . Retrieved 30 March 2014. European platinum certificates: 1996". ifpi.org. Archived from the original on 22 February 2012 . Retrieved 1 March 2010.The group were known for their wry and socially observant lyrics. They broke up in January 2007, claiming the split was due to "musical similarities", [2] having sold around 15 million records worldwide. The 1996 album Blue Is the Colour sold over a million copies, and featured hit singles " Rotterdam" and " Don't Marry Her". The album demonstrated the band's gradual shift towards a country music sound, and was well received by the public and on BBC and commercial radio. [ citation needed] In 1997, the Beautiful South headlined stadium concerts for the first and last time, in Huddersfield and at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre in London. Support for the Huddersfield concert was provided by Cast and the Lightning Seeds. [13] Quench [ edit ]