View source for Change Giver

{{Use British English|date=February 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Infobox album
| name       = Change Giver
| type       = Album
| artist     = [[Shed Seven]]
| cover      = changegivershedsevencover.jpg
| alt        =
| released   = 5 September 1994
| recorded   = Late 1993–early 1994
| studio     = Greenhouse ([[Old Street]], London)
| genre      = [[Rock music|Rock]], [[Britpop]]
| length     = 46:09
| label      = [[Polydor Records|Polydor]]
| producer   = Jessica Corcoran
| prev_title =
| prev_year  =
| next_title = [[A Maximum High]]
| next_year  = 1996
| misc       = {{Singles
 | name        = Change Giver
 | type        = studio
 | single1     = Mark" / "Casino Girl
 | single1date = 7 March 1994<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Single Releases|magazine=[[Music Week]]|page=21|date=5 March 1994}}</ref>
 | single2     = Dolphin
 | single2date = 13 June 1994<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Single Releases|magazine=Music Week|page=25|date=11 June 1994}}</ref>
 | single3     = Speakeasy
 | single3date = 15 August 1994<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Single Releases|magazine=Music Week|page=25|date=13 August 1994}}</ref>
 | single4     = [[Ocean Pie]]
 | single4date = 31 October 1994<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Single Releases|magazine=Music Week|page=23|date=29 October 1994}}</ref>
}}
}}

'''''Change Giver''''' is the debut album by British [[Rock music|rock]] band [[Shed Seven]], released via [[Polydor Records]] on 5 September 1994.<ref name="Independent Feature 2">{{cite web |first=Ryan |last=Gilbey |title=Feature: ''Centrefold: Heading for Reading: Mud, sweat and tears at the South's answer to Glastonbury'' |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/centrefold-heading-for-reading-mud-sweat-and-tears-at-the-souths-answer-to-glastonbury-1378432.html |date=25 August 1994 |publisher=[[Independent News & Media]] |access-date=16 July 2009}}</ref> It was produced by Jessica Corcoran and was issued during the formative year of the [[Britpop]] movement—a scene that dominated British [[Alternative rock|alternative]] music in the mid-1990s.

The album was a moderate chart success in the UK, peaking at number 16 in the [[UK Albums Chart]] upon release, while three of the four singles taken from the album charted in the UK [[Top 40]].<ref name="Shed Seven at chartstats"/>

==Background==
===Unsigned===
Formed in 1990,<ref name="Seven Up">{{cite web|title=Seven Up|url=http://archive.thisisyork.co.uk/2003/12/19/254756.html|access-date=28 July 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928011739/http://archive.thisisyork.co.uk/2003/12/19/254756.html|archive-date=28 September 2007}}</ref> Shed Seven quickly gained a reputation for their live performances, having been banned from playing in a number of local music venues in their hometown of [[York]], due to the "violent" nature of attendees at their gigs.<ref name="Press Release 2">{{cite journal |title=Press Release: ''Shed Seven'' |publisher=Bad Moon |date=February 1994 |page=2}}</ref> They soon focused their attention on London, playing a handful of live shows in the city's smaller venues—including both the Rock Garden and [[Bull and Gate]]—to audiences featuring key members of the British music business, such as [[BBC Radio 1]] DJ [[Steve Lamacq]].<ref name="Press Release 2"/> In September 1993, they were voted the third best live band at London's Inner City Festival—the first time an unsigned act had placed in the top three<ref name = "Seven Up"/>—and appeared on [[BBC Radio 5 Live|BBC Radio 5]]'s ''Hit The North'' programme.<ref name = "Seven Up"/> In the same month they also performed at [[Manchester]]'s In the City music festival, where they were awarded third place in the convention's Best Unsigned Band contest.<ref name="Press Release 3">{{cite journal |title=Press Release: ''Shed Seven'' |publisher=Bad Moon |date=February 1994 |page=3}}</ref> Their performance at the festival generated some national exposure, gaining them one of what would become a number of complimentary live reviews in the ''[[NME]]'',<ref name="Press Release 3"/><ref name="Some Like It Hut">{{cite journal |first=Paul |last=Moody |title=Live review: ''Some Like It Hut (Live at London Marquee)'' |journal=[[NME]]  |issue=23 October 1993}}</ref><ref name="Norwich Arts Centre Review">{{cite journal |first=Keith |last=Cameron |title=Live review: ''Shed Seven, Norwich Arts Centre'' |journal=[[NME]]  |issue=19 March 1994}}</ref><ref name="NME Feature 1"/> with the magazine simply stating: "They are brilliant."<ref name="Press Release 3"/>

===Scene associations===
{{Quote_box|
 width=25%
|align=right
|quote=<small>"We've had shit for signing to Polydor when everyone else does the same but on fake indies like Hi-Rise or whatever. We chose to put Polydor on the middle of our records – like The Who and The Jam, two of the best British bands ever. That's what we aspire to, not to some crap indie credibility."</small>
|source=Paul Banks, October, 1994<ref name="More Heroin Pie Vicar?">{{cite journal |first=Johnny |last=Cigarettes |title=Feature: '' 'More Heroin Pie Vicar?' '' |journal=[[NME]]  |issue=29 October 1994 |pages=12–13}}</ref>
|}}
Following the positive response to the band's In the City showcase performance, Shed Seven found themselves amid a record label [[bidding war]],<ref name="DATAFILE1">{{cite journal |first=Dene |last=Lewis |title=Report: DATAFILE, CHARTS AND PRODUCTS NEWS, NEWCOMERS |journal=[[Music Week]] |publisher=[[United Business Media|United Newspapers]] |issue=25 June 1994 |page=13}}</ref> and eventually opted to sign a six-album major label deal with [[Polydor Records]] in October 1993.<ref name="Focus: Shed Seven"/> A support slot for the [[Inspiral Carpets]] soon followed,<ref name="Press Release 1"/> along with joint headline gigs with bands such as [[Compulsion (band)|Compulsion]]<ref name="Press Release 1">{{cite journal |title=Press Release: ''Shed Seven'' |publisher=Bad Moon |date=February 1994 |page=1}}</ref><ref name="The Guardian Feature 2"/> and [[Elastica]],<ref name="The Guardian Feature 2"/> as they were labelled "thrashy punk newcomers"<ref name="The Guardian Feature 2">{{cite journal |title=Feature: ''Arts & Entertainment: Rock/Jazz, Shed Seven'' |journal=The Guide |issue=26 March – 1 April 1994 |page=7}}</ref> and were associated with the short-lived [[New Wave of New Wave]] scene.<ref name="Independent Feature 2"/><ref name="The Guardian Feature 3">{{cite journal |first=Caroline |last=Sullivan |title=Feature: ''Highlights: Pop, S*M*A*S*H'' |journal=The Guide |issue= 9–15 July 1994 |page=3}}</ref><ref name="The Newest Wave">{{cite journal |first=Dave |last=Simpson |title=Feature: ''The Newest Wave'' |journal=[[Melody Maker]]  |issue=26 March 1994 |page=34}}</ref> Yet, by the time ''Change Giver'' was released five months later, they were seen in the British music press as being part of a vibrant, new movement in British music, spearheaded by acts like [[Suede (band)|Suede]],<ref name="Looking back at the birth of Britpop">{{cite web |first=Ian |last=Youngs |title=Feature: ''Looking back at the birth of Britpop'' |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/4144458.stm |date=15 August 2005 |publisher=[[BBC]] |access-date=28 July 2009}}</ref> a band who had personally invited Shed Seven to open their gig at [[Blackpool]]'s [[Blackpool Tower#Tower Ballroom|Tower Ballroom]] on 11 February 1994.<ref name="NME Feature 1">{{cite journal |author=Harris, John |title=Feature: ''Shed Men Don't Wear Plaid'' |journal=[[NME]]  |issue=5 March 1994 |page=22 |author-link=John Harris (critic)}}</ref> Writing for ''[[The Guardian]]'' a month after the release of ''Change Giver'', Caroline Sullivan summarised Shed Seven's role in the emergent scene, which was initially dubbed "lad-rock"<ref name="Shed Seven happy to ride reunion train">{{cite web |first=Lawrence |last=Poole |title=News: ''Shed Seven happy to ride reunion train'' |url=http://www.citylife.co.uk/music/features/378_shed_seven_happy_to_ride_reunion_train |date=27 May 2009 |publisher=M.E.N. Media |access-date=28 July 2009}}</ref> and would later come to be known as [[britpop]]; "With Oasis achieving a number one album and Shed Seven being praised everywhere, the good old unambiguous British guitar band could be making a comeback. Like Oasis, this York band are defiantly heterosexual, and brimming with what in a previous day would have been called arrogance, and is now known as 'attitude'."<ref name="The Guardian Feature">{{cite journal |first=Caroline |last=Sullivan |title=Feature: ''Highlights: Pop, Shed Seven'' |journal=The Guide |issue= 8–14 October 1994 |page=3}}</ref>

===Praise and criticism===
Shed Seven enjoyed a copious amount of praise for their music in the run up to the release of ''Change Giver''.  In March 1994, ''NME'' claimed that they were "worthy carriers of the baton that's passed through the hands of the [[Buzzcocks]], [[The Smiths]] and [[The Stone Roses]]",<ref name="NME Feature 1"/> and ''The Guardian'' named them "this week's Next Big Things" in late-October,<ref name="The Guardian Feature 4">{{cite journal |first=Caroline |last=Sullivan |title=Feature: ''Preview: Pop, Shed Seven, Astoria 2'' |journal=The Guide |issue= 22–28 October 1994 |page=7}}</ref> highlighting the group as an alternative to the "musical thuggery" of other bands.<ref name="The Guardian Live Review"/>  ''[[Melody Maker]]'', many of whose writers had championed the band's cause from an early stage,<ref name="Melody Maker Review"/> declared them one of "the UK's brightest hopes",<ref name="The Newest Wave"/> whilst ''[[The Independent]]'' claimed that they were "perhaps the spunkiest new British band".<ref name="Independent Feature 2"/> Along with further positive reviews of their live shows,<ref name="The Guardian Live Review"/><ref name="Paris Review"/><ref name="More Songs About Puberty And Power"/><ref name="The Shed Master Ritual"/> much of the press attention received by the band drew musical comparisons with The Smiths,<ref name="NME Feature 1"/><ref name="The Newest Wave"/><ref name="Melody Maker Review"/><ref name="Volume review"/> a band who both Witter and Banks cited as making a "big influence" on them in their youth.<ref name="Focus: Shed Seven"/>

Although they were seen to be musically relevant, Shed Seven were not beyond reproach as they were also met with a certain amount of discord in the British music press.  Alongside the praise heaped on their live performances, came a wave of non-musical criticism aimed at the "foolish" things they said,<ref name="The Guardian Feature 4"/> their haircuts and unfashionable dress sense,<ref name="More Heroin Pie Vicar?"/><ref name="The Guardian Live Review">{{cite journal |author=Bradley, LLoyd |title=Review: ''Shed Seven, London Astoria 2'' |journal=The Guardian G2 |issue=Tuesday 1 November 1994 |page=6 |author-link=Lloyd Bradley}}</ref> through to their band and singer's names.<ref name="The Guardian Feature 4"/><ref name="The Guardian Feature 5">{{cite journal |first=Caroline |last=Sullivan |title=Feature: ''Blurred Vision'' |journal=The Guardian G2 |issue=Thursday 10 November 1994 |page=5}}</ref> In a piece titled "Pretenders to the throne", charting British rock music's challengers to the crown then-held by [[Blur (band)|Blur]], ''The Guardian'' posed the question: "do they really expect to make it big with a singer called Rick Witter?".<ref name="The Guardian Feature 5"/> By the time the record was finally issued in the UK in early September, both critical and public opinion on the band was somewhat divisive.  As noted in ''Change Giver'''s ''Melody Maker'' review; "Everybody has an opinion on Shed Seven (...) It's love 'em or hate 'em time!".<ref name="Melody Maker Review"/>

===Feud with Oasis===
{{Quote_box|
 width=29%
|align=right
|quote=<small>"''Change Giver'' is already receiving innumerable comparisons with Oasis' ''Definitely Maybe'', with the band being tagged, rather patronisingly, as some sort of 'Oasis Jr.' The comparisons have done little to stop what is fast becoming a feud between the bands, culminating in Noel Gallagher's recent boast in MM that, 'If we're The Beatles, where are The Rolling Stones... it's not f***ing Shed Seven'."</small>
|source=Dave Simpson writing for ''Melody Maker'', September 1994<ref name="More Songs About Puberty And Power"/>
|}}As the release of ''Change Giver'' grew nearer, animosity between [[Oasis (band)|Oasis]] and Shed Seven emerged.  The two bands—who had played on the same bill in London and were touring France together as part of a small series of shows organised by a French magazine<ref name="Paris Review"/>—were seen as contemporaneous rivals<ref name="Guardian Forum Review"/><ref name="Travis review">{{cite web |first=Ian |last=Gittins |title=Review: ''Travis: Ode To J. Smith'' |url=http://www.virginmedia.com/music/reviews/albumreviews/travis-odetojsmith.php |publisher=[[Virgin Media]] |access-date=28 July 2009}}</ref> and had become embroiled in a war of words via sections of the British [[music press]].<ref name="More Heroin Pie Vicar?"/><ref name="Melody Maker Review"/><ref name="Paris Review">{{cite journal |first=Ted |last=Kessler |title=Live review: ''Shed Seven Headline at Paris' La Cigale'' |journal=[[NME]]  |issue=19 November 1994}}</ref><ref name="More Songs About Puberty And Power"/> The feud was heightened by a comment from [[Noel Gallagher]] in an August 1994 issue of ''[[Melody Maker]]'' magazine.<ref name="More Songs About Puberty And Power">{{cite journal |first=Dave |last=Simpson |title=Feature: ''More Songs About Puberty And Power'' |journal=[[Melody Maker]]  |issue=10 September 1994 |pages=32–34}}</ref> Due to this growing rivalry, along with the positive response that had greeted the release of their debut [[double A side]] single "Mark" / "Casino Girl",<ref name="NME Feature 1"/><ref name="Focus: Shed Seven">{{cite journal |first=Nick |last=Hamlyn |title=Feature: ''Focus: Shed Seven'' |journal=Record Mart & Buyer |publisher=Tony Phelps |issue= 12: July 1999 |pages=36–41}}</ref><ref name="Melody Maker Review"/> the fledgling band were seen to have set themselves a high standard to live up to.<ref name="Melody Maker Review"/> Although ''Change Giver'' did receive some positive attention, featuring in a number of music publications end-of-year polls, it failed to gain the same scale of universal critical approval as that of ''[[Definitely Maybe]]'', and was unable to match the unit sales of the then-record breaking debut album.

==Recording==
Having signed a record deal with Polydor in late 1993, just six weeks later the band members had left their regular jobs and headed to London's Greenhouse Studio to begin recording sessions for their debut release.<ref name="Focus: Shed Seven"/> Commenting on these early sessions in July 1999, guitarist [[Paul Banks (musician, born 1973)|Paul Banks]] revealed that they were slightly overwhelmed by their first experience of recording in a professional studio;<ref name="Focus: Shed Seven"/>

<blockquote>We'd been signed in October 1993 and it was all a bit of a shock really. We were in a studio called the Greenhouse in London, just recording for the first time. We didn't really have a clue, we were a bit mesmerised. Looking back at it now, we were quite young and naive.</blockquote>

The first song completed during the initial sessions in late 1993 was the band's debut single "Mark", with what would be the follow-up single, "Dolphin", recorded in early 1994.<ref name="Focus: Shed Seven"/> "Dolphin" was the earliest song written by the band to be included on the album and, when issued as a single in June 1994, it would be the only single release from ''Change Giver'' that Banks was not involved in writing.<ref name="Focus: Shed Seven"/> Although the band's third single, "Speakeasy", went on to become their highest-charting release from the album,<ref name="Shed Seven at chartstats">{{cite web| title=Shed Seven at OfficialCharts.com | website=[[Official Charts Company|Official Charts]]| url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artists/| access-date=17 July 2009}}</ref> it was initially composed with the intention for it to be included as a b-side on a future single release.<ref name="Focus: Shed Seven"/> The song was written in-studio towards the end of the album sessions over the course of a day, and recorded the day after.<ref name="Focus: Shed Seven"/> Noting the group's decision to record the track so quickly after it was written, Banks explained that this was done "just to get it down straight away without thinking about whether it was good or not".<ref name="Focus: Shed Seven"/>

==Critical reception==
{{Album ratings
| title =
| subtitle =
| state = plain
<!-- Reviewers -->
| rev1      = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="allmusic review">{{cite web |first=Tracy |last=Frey |title=Review: ''Change Giver'' |url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r221176|pure_url=yes}} |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=12 December 2009}}</ref>
| rev3      = ''[[Music Week]]''
| rev3score = 4/5<ref name="MW review">{{cite journal |title=Review: MARKET PREVIEW > Alternative > SHED SEVEN: ''Change Giver'' (Polydor 5236152) |journal=[[Music Week]] |publisher=[[United Business Media|United Newspapers]] |issue=27 August 1994 |page=18}}</ref>
| rev4      = ''[[NME]]''
| rev4score = 7/10<ref name="NME review">{{cite journal |first=Johnny |last=Dee |title='Change' Is As Good As the Rest |journal=[[NME]]  |issue=3 September 1994}}</ref>
| rev5      = ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''
| rev5score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name="Q review">{{cite journal |first=Martin |last=Aston |title=Review: ''Shed Seven – Change Giver'' |journal=[[Q (magazine)|Q]] |publisher=[[EMAP|EMAP Metro Ltd]] |issue=Q97, October 1994 |page=126}}</ref>
| rev6      = ''[[Select (magazine)|Select]]''
| rev6score = {{rating|3|5|full=U+25A0.svg|empty=U+25A1.svg|rating=medal}}<ref name="Select review">{{cite journal |author=Wilkinson, Roy |title=Review: ''Shed Seven – Change Giver'' |journal=[[Select (magazine)|Select]] |publisher=[[EMAP|EMAP Metro]] |issue=October 1994 |page=103 |author-link=Roy Wilkinson}}</ref>
| rev7      = ''[[Smash Hits]]''
| rev7score = 5/5<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Gavin|last=Reeve|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/57779449@N02/54026999471/in/album-72177720320652612/|title=New Albums|work=[[Smash Hits]]|date=31 August 1994|page=49|access-date=4 October 2024}}</ref>
| rev8      = ''[[Volume magazine|Volume]]''
| rev8score = (Positive)<ref name="Volume review">{{cite journal |author=Robb, John |title=Review: '' 'CHANGE GIVER' (POLYDOR)'' |journal=[[Volume Magazine|Volume]] |issue=''Volume Eleven'', Autumn '94|page=179 |author-link=John Robb (musician)}}</ref>
| rev9      = ''[[Vox (magazine)|Vox]]''
| rev9score = 7/10<ref name="VOX review">{{cite journal |first=Craig |last=McLean |title=Review: ''Shed Seven – Change Giver (Polydor 523615-2)'' |journal=[[Vox (magazine)|Vox]]  |issue=VOX49, October 1994 |page=101}}</ref>
}}
''Change Giver'' received mixed to positive reviews upon release, with some critics finding it to be a respectable debut album for a young, upcoming band, but that it mainly served as an indication that the group were capable of bettering it in future releases.<ref name="Volume review"/><ref name="Select review"/> Angela Lewis, writing for ''[[The Independent]]'' in October 1994, described the group as "roguishly disarming youth popsters" who, despite having "a bravado whiff of ridiculous self assurance that's straight out of Blur's 1992 patent", had something worthwhile to offer with the release of their debut album.<ref name="Independent Feature">{{cite web |first=Angela |last=Lewis |title=Feature: ''Pop: Shed Seven'' |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/pop-shed-seven-1444126.html |date=21 October 1994 |publisher=[[Independent News & Media]] |access-date=16 July 2009}}</ref> She went on to note the band's [[Britishness]], and found similarities with [[the Smiths]] in their music: "At the heart of Shed Seven's appeal is their memorable way with a glucose-centred pop tune (many sweat at it but few can actually pull it off) in songs like 'Mark' and 'Dolphin'. Plus, there's the ghost of The Smiths in the Sheddoes chiming chords, putting in a friendly, but not too overwhelming, appearance."<ref name="Independent Feature"/> Ian Gittins of ''[[Melody Maker]]'' also noted a similarity with the Smiths, via a "tenuous link" found in the lyrics written by Shed Seven's frontman, [[Rick Witter]], who he thought had "an ear for Morrissey-esque homely homilies".<ref name="Melody Maker Review"/> He described the album as "spasmodically exciting and uplifting", but found it to be too orthodox a record overall to be able to "term it a 'classic'".  He also drew comparisons with both [[Radiohead]] and [[Oasis (band)|Oasis]], and highlighted "Dirty Soul" and "Long Time Dead" as the album's standout tracks:  "Viewed as a chipper, cocky collection of brassy northern pop songs, ''Change Giver'' scores a resounding... seven out of 10. 'Dirty Soul', the opener, is the kind of choppy, fuzzy rollercoaster ride Shed Seven are good at and 'Long Time Dead' is a supremely catchy angst fest ''à la'' 'Creep'".<ref name="Melody Maker Review">{{cite magazine |first=Ian |last=Gittins |title=Review: ''Shed Seven – Change Giver'' |magazine=[[Melody Maker]]  |issue=3 September 1994 |page=45}}</ref>

''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''{{'}}s Martin Aston noted that Shed Seven had "enjoyed an arresting development to date", when reviewing ''Change Giver'' in October 1994.<ref name="Q review"/> He remarked on the group's knack of "covering different bases" throughout the record, and surmised that they "neatly mirror the original mod tendency to expand in the direction of acid rock".<ref name="Q review"/> Singling out "Dolphin" as one of the album's highlights, he labelled the song "a memorably chunky slice of Northern pop scruff", and went on to claim that "Speakeasy" was "even better".<ref name="Q review"/> The latter track was also praised by ''[[Select (magazine)|Select]]''{{'}}s [[Roy Wilkinson]], who stated that "the inclusion of a song as poutingly self-confident as 'Speakeasy' shows that Shed Seven ''can'' cut the mustard".<ref name="Select review"/> He chose the deftness of "Ocean Pie" and the "[[I Am the Resurrection]]"-esque "On an Island with You" as other notable tracks, but found most of the songs on the record to have more in common with the sound of "Dolphin"—a track that he described as a "clanking half-tune".<ref name="Select review"/> Deeming the album's shortcomings to be "no felony" when considering the band's youthful age, Wilkinson concluded that there was "enough here to show they could soon make a record to dwarf this one."<ref name="Select review"/> Craig McLean of ''[[Vox (magazine)|Vox]]'' thought that ''Change Giver'' managed to "transcend" the connotations with Oasis and the New Wave of New Wave scene that faced Shed Seven prior to the record's release.<ref name="VOX review"/> He compared "Dolphin" to the "tom-tom frothiness" of the Jack Rubies, noted a [[Byrds]]-like vocal interplay in "Speakeasy", and declared that the album "rides off into the sunset with the eight-minute riff-a-thon 'On an Island with You'."<ref name="VOX review"/>  ''[[Music Week]]'' gave ''Change Giver'' a four out of five rating, and stated that it comprised "tight ensemble playing and a soul-tinged, mod-pop cool that is built to last."<ref name="MW review"/>

===Accolades===
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Publication
! Country
! Accolade
! Year
! Rank
|-
| ''[[Melody Maker]]''
| United Kingdom
| Best 40 Albums of the Year<ref name="Melody Maker End of Year Lists, 1994">{{cite web |title=Melody Maker End of Year Lists, 1994 |url=http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/mmlists_p2.htm#1994 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060214171929/http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/mmlists_p2.htm#1994 |url-status=usurped |archive-date=14 February 2006 |publisher=rocklistmusic.co.uk |access-date=18 July 2009}}</ref>
| 1994
| 38
|-
| ''[[NME]]''
| United Kingdom
| Top 50 Albums of the Year<ref name="NME End of Year Lists, 1994">{{cite web |title=NME End of Year Lists, 1994 |url=http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/1994.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120910034158/http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/1994.html |url-status=usurped |archive-date=10 September 2012 |publisher=rocklistmusic.co.uk |access-date=18 July 2009}}</ref>
| 1994
| 29
|-
| ''[[Rock Sound#History|Rocksound]]''
| France
| Best 50 Albums of the Year<ref name="Rocksound End of Year Lists, 1994">{{cite web |title=Rocksound End of Year Lists, 1994 |url=http://disques.de.l.annee.free.fr/rocksoun.html#1994 |publisher=rocklistmusic.co.uk |access-date=18 July 2009}}</ref>
| 1994
| 46
|-
| ''[[Select (magazine)|Select]]''
| United Kingdom
| Best 50 Albums of the Year<ref name="Select End of Year Lists, 1994">{{cite web |title=Select End of Year Lists, 1994 |url=http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/select.html#1994 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060216032033/http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/select.html#1994 |url-status=usurped |archive-date=16 February 2006 |publisher=rocklistmusic.co.uk |access-date=18 July 2009}}</ref>
| 1994
| 48
|}

==Promotion==
===Tours and festivals===
Shed Seven undertook four UK tours throughout 1994 in support of the album and its singles,<ref name="Independent Feature 3">{{cite web |title=Feature: ''GIGS'' |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gigs-1387784.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103174551/http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gigs-1387784.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 November 2012 |date=17 December 1994 |publisher=[[Independent News & Media]] |access-date=16 July 2009}}</ref> including a student-organised gig at [[List of schools in Rochdale|St. Cuthbert's Roman Catholic School]] in [[Rochdale]] on 16 May.<ref name="The Shed Master Ritual">{{cite journal |first=Johnny |last=Cigarettes |title=Live review: ''The Shed Master Ritual'' |journal=[[NME]]  |issue=21 May 1994}}</ref> On 9 June, they played at the [[Heineken Music Festival]] at [[Avenham Park]], [[Preston, Lancashire|Preston]], along with [[Inspiral Carpets]] and [[Baby Chaos]].<ref name="Heineken">{{cite journal |title=Entertainment, Rock/Jazz |journal=[[The Guardian|The Guide]] |issue= 4–10 June 1994 |page=6}}</ref> They featured on the bill of 1994's [[Reading and Leeds Festivals|Reading music festival]] on 27 August, performing a set on the ''Melody Maker'' Stage headlined by [[Madder Rose]].<ref name="Reading 94">{{cite web |title=''Carling Festival 1994 Lineup'' |url=http://carlingfesty.com/1994-lineup/ |publisher=carlingfesty.com |access-date=8 August 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080525000553/http://carlingfesty.com/1994-lineup/ |archive-date=25 May 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In November 1994, they embarked on a seven-date tour of France, beginning in [[Lille]] at the Aeronef on 2 November and ending at the Festival Be Bop'n Roll in [[Le Mans]] on 10 November. The tour was part of a small series of shows organised by ''[[Les Inrockuptibles]]'' magazine, and featured a number of other British acts, including [[Echobelly]] and [[Gene (band)|Gene]].<ref name="Paris Review"/> In February 1995, they returned to France to perform an eight-date tour with support from [[Dodgy]],<ref name="Dodgy">{{cite journal |first=Caroline |last=Sullivan |title=Feature: ''On The Road: Dodgy in France'' |journal=...Friday  |issue=10 February 1995 |page=10}}</ref> and the following Summer they appeared at some of the UK's largest music festivals, including [[Glastonbury Festival|Glastonbury]], where they played on the ''NME'' Stage on 23 June,<ref name="Glastonbury 95">{{cite web |title=''Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts '95'' |url=http://www.efestivals.co.uk/festivals/glastonbury/1995/|publisher=efestivals.co.uk |access-date=8 August 2009}}</ref> [[T in the Park]] on 6 August,<ref name="T 95">{{cite web |title=''T in the Park 1995'' |url=http://www.tinthepark.com/content/default.asp?page=s8#T1995 |publisher=tinthepark.com |access-date=8 August 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090830051237/http://www.tinthepark.com/content/default.asp?page=s8#T1995 |archive-date=30 August 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and again at Reading, where they performed on the Main Stage on 26 August.<ref name="Reading 95">{{cite web |title=''Carling Festival 1995 Lineup'' |url=http://carlingfesty.com/1995-lineup/ |publisher=carlingfesty.com |access-date=8 August 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517020807/http://carlingfesty.com/1995-lineup/ |archive-date=17 May 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===TV and radio===
Following the release of the album's second single "Dolphin"—which sold 15,000 copies in its first week<ref name="Seven Up"/>—the band made their debut appearance at ''[[Top of the Pops]]'' on 23 June 1994.<ref name="totp">{{cite web |title="Top of the Pops" Episode dated 23 June 1994 (1994) |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0731155/ |website=[[IMDb]] |access-date=24 January 2010}}</ref> On 27 September, they returned to BBC Radio where they had first featured as an unsigned band a year earlier, this time performing a full band four-song set as part of ''The Mark Radcliffe Show''.<ref name="Live at the BBC liner notes">{{cite AV media notes |title=Live at the BBC |title-link=Live at the BBC (Shed Seven album) |others=[[Shed Seven]] |year=2007 |first=Paul |last=Banks |type=CD booklet |publisher=Shed Seven Recordings |id=5303436 |location=United Kingdom }}</ref> On 23 June 1995, highlights of the band's performance at Glastonbury Festival, along with [[Sinéad O'Connor]] and [[Dodgy]], were shown as part of [[Channel 4]]'s coverage of the event.<ref name="Glastonbury 1995">{{cite journal |title=Preview: Artificial disorientation |journal=[[The Guardian|The Guide]] |issue= 17–23 June 1995 |page=6}}</ref>

==Aftermath==
Following the release of ''Change Giver'', Shed Seven spent much of 1995 out of the media spotlight.  Between November 1994 and January 1996, they released just one single – "Where Have You Been Tonight?" in April 1995.  By 1996, the band, and the album, were retrospectively seen to have lost out to Oasis in the race for britpop supremacy.<ref name="Guardian Forum Review"/> Writing for ''[[The Guardian#G2|The Guardian G2]]'' in November 1996, Caroline Sullivan remarked, "a couple of years ago, when the outcome of the Britpop race was uncertain, the Sheds certainly gave the Gallaghers a run for their money. Noel was troubled enough to ask in late 1994, 'If we're the new Beatles, where are The Rolling Stones? It's not going to be fucking Shed Seven.' It indisputably wasn't Shed Seven."<ref name="Guardian Forum Review">{{cite journal |first=Caroline |last=Sullivan |title=Live review: ''Pop: Shed Seven, The Forum'' |journal=The Guardian G2 |issue=20 November 1996 |page=14}}</ref> In a 1996 issue of [[Guitarist (magazine)|''Guitarist'' magazine]], Paul Banks also conceded that although the two bands' careers had run parallel during the months running up to and following the release of their respective debut albums, when the Oasis "phenomenon" took off, ultimately, Shed Seven were unable to compete.<ref name="Kelly's Heroes">{{cite journal |first=Jeffrey |last=Hudson |title=Feature: ''Kelly's Heroes'' |journal=[[Guitarist (magazine)|Guitarist]] |publisher=[[Music Maker Publications]] |issue=June 1996 |pages=66–72}}</ref>

==Track listing==
All tracks written by [[Rick Witter]] (words)/[[Shed Seven]] (music), unless otherwise noted.

{{tracklist
| collapsed       = 
| headline        = 
| title1          = Dirty Soul
| writer1         = Shed Seven/Johnson
| length1         = 3:37
| title2          = Speakeasy
| writer2         = 
| length2         = 3:19
| title3          = Long Time Dead
| writer3         = 
| length3         = 3:50
| title4          = Head and Hands
| writer4         = Shed Seven/Johnson
| length4         = 3:58
| title5          = Casino Girl
| writer5         = 
| length5         = 3:56
| title6          = Missing Out
| writer6         = Shed Seven/Johnson
| length6         = 3:12
| title7          = Dolphin
| writer7         = Shed Seven/Johnson
| length7         = 3:36
| title8          = Stars in Your Eyes
| writer8         = 
| length8         = 4:06
| title9          = Mark
| writer9         = 
| length9         = 3:41
| title10         = [[Ocean Pie]]
| writer10        = 
| length10        = 4:39
| title11         = On an Island with You
| writer11        = Shed Seven/Johnson
| length11        = 8:13
}}
*Tracks 5 and 9 are alternate versions to the single release issued in March 1994.

All tracks below written by Rick Witter/Tom Gladwin/Joe Johnson/Alan Leach unless otherwise stated
{{tracklist
| collapsed       =
| headline        = 2014 Edition Bonus Disc
| title1          = Immobilise
| writer1         =
| note1           = B-side to Dolphin
| length1         = 
| title2          = Around Your House
| writer2         =
| note2           = B-side to Speakeasy
| length2         = 
| title3          = Sleep Easy
| writer3         = Rick Witter/Tom Gladwin/Alan Leach/Paul Banks
| note3           = B-side to Ocean Pie
| length3         = 
| title4          = Sensitive
| writer4         =
| note4           = B-side to Ocean Pie
| length4         = 
| title5          = Your Guess Is As Good As Mine
| writer5         = Rick Witter/Paul Banks
| note5           = full band version 1999, B-side to Disco Down, incorrectly listed as B-side to Speakeasy
| length5         = 
| title6          = Head and Hands
| writer6         =
| note6           = BBC Radio 1 Session 1994
| length6         = 
| title7          = Long Time Dead
| writer7         = Rick Witter/Tom Gladwin/Alan Leach/Paul Banks
| note7           = live at Brighton Zap 1994
| length7         = 
| title8          = Dolphin
| writer8         =
| note8           = demo version 1992
| length8         = 
| title9          = Swing My Wave
| writer9         =
| note9           = demo version 1992
| length9         = 
| title10         = Immobilise
| writer10        =
| note10          = demo version 1992 
| length10        = 
| title11         = Barracuda
| writer11        =
| note11          = demo version 1991
| length11        = 
| title12         = Kennel
| writer12        =
| note12          = demo version 1991
| length12        = 
| title13         = Missing Out
| writer13        =
| note13          = Parr Street session version 1999
| length13        = 
}}
2014 Remaster released 4 August 2014

==Personnel==
{| width=100%
|- valign ="top"
|width=50%|
;Shed Seven
*[[Rick Witter]] – vocals
*[[Paul Banks (musician, born 1973)|Paul Banks]] – guitar (except 2014 Edition bonus disc tracks 8 - 12)
*Tom Gladwin – bass
*Alan Leach – drums
*Joe Johnson - guitar (on 2014 Edition bonus disc tracks 8 - 12) 
|width=50%|
;Technical personnel
*Jessica Corcoran – producer, [[Audio mixing (recorded music)|mixer]]
*Jon Gray – [[Audio engineering|engineer]]
*Shed Seven – engineer
*Steve Double – cover photography
|}

==Chart performance==
===Album===
''Change Giver'' spent a total of two weeks in the [[UK Albums Chart]] in its release year, peaking at number 16 on 17 September 1994.<ref name="CG chartstats">{{cite web| title=Change Giver at OfficialCharts.com | website=[[Official Charts Company|Official Charts]] | url=https://www.officialcharts.com/archive/official-albums-chart/ | access-date=12 August 2009}}</ref> The album re-entered the chart in 1998, this time peaking at number 124 and remaining there for a sole week.<ref name="Chart Log UK"/>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! align="left" | Chart (1994)
! align="center" | Peak<br />position
|-
| align="left" | UK Albums Chart<ref name="Chart Log UK">{{cite web |title=''Chart Log UK 1994–2008, DJ S – The System of Life'' |url=http://www.zobbel.de/cluk/CLUK_S.HTM |publisher=zobbel.de |access-date=9 August 2009}}</ref>
| align="center" | 16
|-
! align="left" |Chart (1998)
! align="center" |Peak<br />position
|-
| align="left" | UK Albums Chart<ref name="Chart Log UK"/>
| align="center" | 124
|}

===Singles===
Shed Seven's debut single, "Mark" / "Casino Girl", occupied the lower reaches of the [[UK Singles Chart]], stalling at number 77 in March 1994.  The following three releases—"Dolphin", "Speakeasy" and "Ocean Pie"—fared much better, beginning a run of fourteen consecutive UK [[Top 40]] singles for the group.<ref name="Shed Seven at chartstats"/> Each of the three songs entered the chart at number 33 or higher, with their then-biggest hit, "Speakeasy", reaching number 24 in August 1994.<ref name="Shed Seven at chartstats"/>

{|class="wikitable"
! Year
! Title
! Chart
! align="center" | Peak<br />position
|-
| 1994
| "Mark" / "Casino Girl"
| UK Singles Chart<ref name="DATAFILE1"/>
| align="center" | 77
|-
| 1994
| "Dolphin"
| UK Singles Chart<ref name="Chart Log UK"/>
| align="center" | 28
|-
| 1994
| "Speakeasy"
| UK Singles Chart<ref name="Chart Log UK"/>
| align="center" | 24
|-
| 1994
| "Ocean Pie"
| UK Singles Chart<ref name="Chart Log UK"/>
| align="center" | 33
|}

==Release history==
{|class="wikitable"
! Region
! Date
! Label
! Format
! Catalog No.
|-
| UK<ref name="discogs">{{cite web |title=Shed Seven – Change Giver |url=http://www.discogs.com/Shed-Seven-Change-Giver/master/66850 |publisher=[[discogs]] |access-date=18 July 2009}}</ref>
| align="center" | 5 September 1994
| [[Polydor Records]]
|rowspan="1"| [[Gramophone record|LP]]<br />CD<br />[[Cassette tape|MC]]
|rowspan="1"| 523615-1<br />523615-2<br />523615-4
|-
| Japan
| align="center" | 26 October 1994
| Polydor K.K.
|rowspan="1"| CD
|rowspan="1"| POCP-1455
|-
| US<ref name="allmusic review"/>
| align="center" | 29 August 1995
| Polydor Records
|rowspan="2"| [[Promotional recording|Promo CD]]<br />CD
|rowspan="2"| 69712 4063 2 ADV<br />124063
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{MusicBrainz release group|id=a1644321-a65e-3e25-878c-da2205962442|name=Change Giver}}
<!-- This is a licensed stream for the album, which is allowed under Wikipedia polices -->
*[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHtdUjXbOpzhPk9nVxrNC7FGBWM7PrK91 ''Change Giver''] at [[YouTube]] (streamed copy where licensed)

{{Shed Seven}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Shed Seven albums]]
[[Category:1994 debut albums]]
[[Category:Polydor Records albums]]