The new producer, Jon Kelly, brought new ideas for the band. He was determined to get a much more polished overall sound on the album. This paid off well, as 0898 was their most consistent album to date. The leading single for the album, 'Old Red Eyes Is Back', was released in January of 1992. Paul however was feeling the pressure, and on March 9th, disappeared for four days to Sardinia, whilst the band were meant to be doing a promotional tour of Germany. Although it caused a few problems (Dave Hemingway had to disguise himself as Paul for interviews), it helped Paul get his head together and the album was released in March, to critical acclaim. Ex-Housemartin Norman Cook (a.k.a Fatboy Slim) said to Paul 'At last you've produced a record!'. More singles followed, the fourth was '36D' in September. Unfortunately the laddish fanbase of the band at the time misinterpreted the message of the song, and Briana started to suffer verbal abuse at some of the gigs. Further disappointment followed at the end of the year when 0898 proved to be their worst selling effort so far. It was suggested that women found the album cover frightening- the band were understandably unimpressed. A more suitable explanation may have been that Grunge was taking over the music scene- The Beautiful South were no longer 'in'.
1993 was a quiet year- no releases or live dates. Paul finished the lyrics for the next album and they were ready for recording by the Summer - but then disaster struck. Having been sent a copy of the lyrics, Briana, who was feeling increasingly uncomfortable anyway, was not happy. One song in particular, the notorious 'Mini Correct', made up her mind. She was leaving the band. Although obviously upset to lose such a great vocalist, Paul already had a replacement in mind. He remembered a girl he'd met at a party in St. Helens who had impressed him with her singing voice. He tracked her down working at a Greengrocers and invited her to join the band. She was of course Jacqueline Abbott and she agreed to become part of The Beautiful South. However, Paul remained unhappy with the band in general, and throughout recording it remained possible this could be the last album they ever made.
Albums released: 0898 Beautiful South
Singles released: Old Red Eyes Is Back, Bell Bottomed Tear, We Are Each Other, 36D.
Tours:Grandma's Milk Biscuits Tour, You are too loud in Japan, 0898 - Beautiful South Tour.