Center of the Universe (album)
| Center of the Universe | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1992 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Label | Restless | |||
| Producer | Giant Sand | |||
| Giant Sand chronology | ||||
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Center of the Universe is an album by the American band Giant Sand, released in 1992.[1][2] It was the first Giant Sand album to receive wide distribution and a traditional promotional campaign.[3] It was also the band's first album for Restless Records, which had rereleased a couple of older Giant Sand albums.[4] The band supported Center of the Universe with a North American tour.[5]
Production[edit]
Recorded in Venice, California, the album was produced by the band; they did not want a traditional producer suggesting or correcting musical ideas.[6][7] Giant Sand entered the studio with songs for half an album, and had to finish the rest of the songs during the sessions.[8] Many of the songs are about characters on the fringes of society.[9] Vicki Peterson and Susan Cowsill, credited as the Psycho Sisters, provided backing vocals on some of the tracks.[10] Victoria Williams contributed vocals to the title track.[11]
Critical reception[edit]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [10] |
| Robert Christgau |  [12] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [13] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 8/10[14] |
The Philadelphia Inquirer noted that "leader Howe Gelb continues to write ragged songs that refuse to adhere to a narrative track."[15] Robert Christgau praised "Thing Like That" and the title track.[12] Trouser Press said that "the heads-down rockism of the loud'n'proud Center of the Universe is clearly descended from Crazy Horse, particularly when Convertino and bassist Joey Burns lock into a groove as primordial as the one that propels the harsh 'Seeded ('tween Bone and Bark)'."[16] The Washington Post deemed it a "post-punk version of country-rock."[11]
USA Today noted that the band "embraces both pop structure and punk abandon."[17] Spin determined that the album "opens with an explosion of pointy guitar noise worthy of the meanest Lower East Side cluster-hunch, and coalesces into a wide brainful of songs describing the world as seen from the window of a mobile home falling through deep space."[18] The Vancouver Sun opined that "Gelb songs sound likes he's using guitar strings about the size of trans-Atlantic cable, plucked with chunks of floor tile and sung in a borderline psychotic drawl."[8]
AllMusic wrote that Giant Sand "assays another fascinating set of desert-fried rock & roll, serving up one winner after another on this excellent album."[10]
Track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Seeded ('tween Bone and Bark)" | |
| 2. | "Pathfinder" | |
| 3. | "Center of the Universe" | |
| 4. | "Off Ramp Man" | |
| 5. | "Year of the Dog" | |
| 6. | "Live to Tell" | |
| 7. | "Thrust" | |
| 8. | "Loretta and the Insect World" | |
| 9. | "Sonic Drive In" | |
| 10. | "Milkshake Girl" | |
| 11. | "Stuck" | |
| 12. | "Thing Like That" | |
| 13. | "Return to Fodder" | |
| 14. | "Unwed and Well Sped" | |
| 15. | "Solomon's Ride" |
References[edit]
- ^ Bennun, David (Dec 5, 1992). "Albums — Center of the Universe by Giant Sand". Melody Maker. Vol. 68, no. 49. p. 28.
- ^ Tannenbaum, Rob (March 1993). "Music — Center of the Universe by Giant Sand". GQ. Vol. 63, no. 3. p. 89.
- ^ Blackstock, Peter (23 Apr 1993). "Giant Sand Finally Finds Itself at the 'Center' of Attention". What's Happening. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. 6.
- ^ Armstrong, Gene (21 May 1993). "Giant Sand appears to be shifting into national spotlight". Arizona Daily Star. p. 9E.
- ^ Lozaw, Tristram (4 June 1993). "Tucson group brings its loony tunes to Charlie's". Boston Herald. p. S25.
- ^ Brown, Mark (30 Apr 1993). "Album Reviews". Show. Orange County Register. p. 42.
- ^ Kot, Greg (25 Apr 1993). "Ragged glory: Two bands tap the mythic strain in American rock". Arts. Chicago Tribune. p. 18.
- ^ a b Armstrong, John (23 Apr 1993). "Pack the Cadillac and howl with Howe". The Vancouver Sun. p. C4.
- ^ Tannenbaum, Rob (Aug 5, 1993). "Performance: Giant Sand". Rolling Stone. No. 662. p. 28.
- ^ a b c "Center of the Universe Review by Ned Raggett". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ a b Jenkins, Mark (11 June 1993). "Country Caught in a Sand Storm". The Washington Post. p. N18.
- ^ a b "Giant Sand". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press.
- ^ Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. p. 166.
- ^ Moon, Tom (24 Mar 1993). "The Suits Dominate at New-Music Festival". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. F1.
- ^ "Giant Sand". Trouser Press. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ Gundersen, Edna (19 Apr 1993). "Jamming tunes from out-of-towners". USA Today. p. 6D.
- ^ Coley, Byron (May 1993). "Spins". Spin. Vol. 9, no. 2. pp. 85, 87.