Sinéad O’Connor “I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got”

Posted 01 Jun 2011 in 90s, Albums of 1990, Albums of the 90s, Alt-Rock

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#392 in the Series) is Sinéad O’Connor, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got

When I started doing this write-up I noticed one thing that I had pretty much forgotten. I really could have saved this album for a ‘Whale Wednesday.’ You know, on Wednesday’s we featured the big, big whale sellers. This album was a number seller on the Billboard Top 200 Album chart and sold more than 7 million units worldwide. That sounds pretty ‘blubbery” to me!

This album featured her huge selling single, the Prince penned, “Nothing Compares 2 U.” It also had a lesser hit with “The Emperor’s New Clothes.”

As every reader hear knows however, that’s not what Sinead is known for. No, what she will always be known for would be tearing up the picture of the Pope on Saturday Night Live around this same time. Her career didn’t end at that point, but her sales were never the same after that point.

It’s interesting to look back at that time. Do many people remember what she was protesting? I’m guessing not many do. When you look back, you realize that she was way ahead of her time in many ways. Her main protest with The Pope was in the way that he was covering for child abusers and especially pedophiles. It’s ironic how that point has been lost in all those years. That wasn’t really that much of a public issue back in 1990. Did she help raise awareness to a terrible thing that was just surfacing? Quite possible she did.

She never had another album that would hit the top 25 or even sell over 1.5 million units again.

A quick note. The Waterboys and World Party’s Karl Wallinger is credited as an ‘arranger’ on this album.

In the video playlist I’ve included her network debut when she sang ‘Mandinka’ on national television.

— Larry Carta

Track listing

“Feel So Different” O’Connor 6:47
“I Am Stretched on Your Grave” Anonymous, King 5:33
“Three Babies” O’Connor 4:47
“The Emperor’s New Clothes” O’Connor 5:16
“Black Boys on Mopeds” O’Connor 3:53
“Nothing Compares 2 U” Prince 5:10
“Jump in the River” O’Connor, Pirroni 4:12
“You Cause as Much Sorrow” O’Connor 5:04
“The Last Day of Our Acquaintance” O’Connor 4:40
“I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got” O’Connor 5:47

Personnel

Sinéad O’Connor: vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards, percussion, drum programming, arranger, producer, string arrangements
Marco Pirroni: electric guitar
David Munday: acoustic guitar, piano
Andy Rourke: acoustic guitar, bass
Jah Wobble: bass
John Reynolds: drums
Steve Wickham: fiddle