AMG Review of Carry on up the Charts: The Best of the Beautiful South

Stephen Thomas Erlewine
All Music Guide

Carry on Up the Charts: The Best of the Beautiful South was the surprise British hit of 1994, going platinum five times between its late fall release and the summer of 1995. The success was surprising, because while the Beautiful South had been modestly popular, their last few albums were sliding down the charts. However, their hits collection, Carry On Up the Charts, flew to number one and stayed there for weeks. It's nothing more than all their singles, yet compiled together they make the most convincing case for the Beautiful South's sly, cynical sophisticated pop. Carry on Up the Charts was finally released in the United States in the fall of 1995.