| Across The Universe | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1990 | |||
| Studio | Paisley Park (Chanhassen, Minnesota) [1] | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 40:55 | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Producer | Fred Maher and Trip Shakespeare | |||
| Trip Shakespeare chronology | ||||
| ||||
Across The Universe is an album released by Trip Shakespeare in 1990. It was the band's first release on A&M Records, the major label that they had signed with earlier in the year.
The title's echo of a particularly trippy Beatles song recalls lead songwriter Matt Wilson's preoccupation with the British Invasion band:
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
Trouser Press called Across the Universe a "too-rare example of an indie act benefiting musically from major-label treatment"—citing an "increased rock edge that doesn't detract from the gentle charm" of tracks like "Snow Days", "Gone, Gone, Gone" and "The Crane"—the latter being the closest thing the album had to a hit. [4]
Newsday praised the album's "original melodies, soaring, driving hooks, and precise, daringly oddball lyrics", but complained that "the jokey tone often descends into feyness, then facetiousness," and said the "overbaked singing accentuates the overly florid lyrics of otherwise engaging songs". [5] The Toronto Star called Across the Universe "odd stuff, but completely engaging." [6]
The band was less than satisfied with the album. "We did not succeed on Across the Universe," Matt Wilson later said. [7] "There was kind of a compromise between what the label wanted on there and what the band wanted." [8] Despite this attempt to tailor the product for the record-buying public, Across the Universe sold a disappointing 33,000 copies [9] —a showing characterized by Wilson as "bad, really bad." [8]
The album opens with "Turtledove", described as "a love song written, logically enough, from the point of view of a male bird." [10]
"Pearle" is a murder ballad rerecorded from the band's self-released debut album, Applehead Man. The "new version...demonstrates how much Trip has grown; the playing is more confident and interactive than ever, with an increased rock edge," wrote Trouser Press. [11]
Calling "Snow Days" "Trip Shakespeare at its best", Newsday described it as "an eccentric blues about the kind of blizzard that shuts down school...a lovely evocation of childhood in the Minnesota winter." [12]
"Every time we worked on the song in the studio, it seemed to snow," bassist John Munson claimed of "Snow Days". "When we were mixing the song in New York, it snowed there for the first time in years on Thanksgiving," said Matt Wilson. [13]
"Drummer Like Me" is said to "credibly capture the social misfortunes of the band member who often gets the least respect." [12]
"The Slacks" has been called a "tale of strange sexual discovery", [10] and "a naughty dance song about a one-eyed lady from France with a fatal weakness for magic trousers." [14]
The lyrics of "Honey Tree" were co-written by Matt and Dan Wilson—the first Trip Shakespeare words not credited solely to Matt. "The honey tree is someplace beyond this world", Dan said of the song. "The garden where that romance takes place is other-earthly. It's real, in the same way that a dream is real". [15]
All music by Matt Wilson and Dan Wilson except as indicated. All lyrics by Matt Wilson except "Honey Tree" by Matt Wilson and Dan Wilson.
Surfer Girl is the third studio album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, released September 16, 1963 on Capitol Records. It is largely a collection of surf songs. The LP reached number 7 in the U.S. and number 13 in the UK. Lead single "Surfer Girl", backed with "Little Deuce Coupe", was also a top 10 hit.
Wild Honey is the thirteenth studio album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, released on December 18, 1967, by Capitol Records. It was the group's first foray into soul music and was heavily influenced by the R&B of Motown and Stax Records. The album was the band's worst-selling at that point, charting at number 24 in the US. Lead single "Wild Honey" peaked at number 31, while its follow-up "Darlin'" reached number 19. In the UK, the album peaked at number seven.
All Summer Long is the sixth album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, released July 13, 1964 on Capitol Records. Regarded as their first artistically unified collection of songs, as well as one of the first true concept albums, it marked the Beach Boys' first LP that was not focused on themes of cars or surfing. Instead, the songs are semi-autobiographical and relate to the experiences of a typical Southern Californian teenager, a theme encapsulated by the title track, "All Summer Long", and the often-imitated front cover, a modernist style photo collage depicting the band members fraternizing with young women on a beach.
John Munson is an American musician who is best known as the bass player for Semisonic. He was also a member of Trip Shakespeare during the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Daniel Dodd Wilson is an American musician, singer, songwriter, visual artist and record producer who has been called the songwriter's songwriter. His songwriting résumé includes "Closing Time," which he wrote for his band, Semisonic; "Not Ready to Make Nice," co-written with The Chicks; and "Someone Like You," co-written with Adele. Wilson's work earned him a Grammy nomination for "Closing Time" and garnered him Grammy wins for Song of the Year and Album of the Year as a producer for Adele's 21 in 2012.
Trip Shakespeare was an American rock band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota and active from the mid 1980s to early 1990s. The band included Dan Wilson and John Munson, who would later go on to be founding members of Semisonic.
"Surfin'" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys that was written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love. It was released as the debut record by the Beach Boys in November 1961 on Candix Records and was included on the October 1962 album Surfin' Safari.
"Darlin'" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1967 album Wild Honey. Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, it was inspired by singer Danny Hutton and was originally intended to be recorded by an early version of Three Dog Night. Carl Wilson ultimately sang the lead vocal.
Lulu is an album by the Minneapolis-based band Trip Shakespeare, released in 1991. The band supported the album with a North American tour. "Bachelorette" was a modern rock hit.
Matthew Robert "Matt" Wilson is an American singer-songwriter best known as the frontman of the band Trip Shakespeare.
Can't Get Lost When You're Goin' Nowhere is an album by Gone Fishin', a band featuring Matt Piucci from Rain Parade and Tim Lee from The Windbreakers.
The Twilight Hours is a band formed by Matt Wilson and John Munson. Munson and Wilson also played together in Trip Shakespeare and The Flops, and Munson is also known for his work with Semisonic, The New Standards, and John Munson and the Witnesses.
Scavenger is the fourth studio album by The Walkabouts released September 1, 1991, on Sub Pop Records. It received national exposure in the United States through NPR. The album is available in various forms from Amazon.com and as digital download from iTunes Store in the US and the United Kingdom among others.
Porgy is the second studio album by the American band When People Were Shorter and Lived Near the Water, released in 1991 by Shimmy Disc. It contains covers of songs from Porgy and Bess.
Crashing Dream is the second album by the American band Rain Parade, released in 1985 by Island Records.
Gideon Gaye is the second studio album by the Anglo-Irish avant-pop band the High Llamas, released in 1994 on the Brighton-based Target label. Notable for anticipating the mid 1990s easy-listening revivalism, the album's music was influenced by Brian Wilson, Steely Dan, Brazilian bossa nova and European film soundtracks, and was recorded with a £4000 budget. It was met with high praise by the British press. Q dubbed the LP "the best Beach Boys album since 1968's Friends". In the US, the album was indifferently promoted.
C'est la Vie is the second album by Minneapolis alternative rock band Polara, and their first for Interscope Records.
Are You Shakespearienced? is the second studio album released by Minneapolis alternative rock band Trip Shakespeare. It was released in 1989 on Minneapolis indie label Gark Records, then reissued in 1998 on Minneapolis label Clean/Twin/Tone Records, and again in 2014 on Omnivore Recordings.
Applehead Man is the debut studio album released by Minneapolis alternative rock band Trip Shakespeare. It was released in 1986 on Minneapolis label Gark Records, then reissued in 1998 on Minneapolis label Clean/Twin/Tone Records, and again in 2014 on Omnivore Recordings.
Son of Sam I Am is an album by the American band Too Much Joy, released in 1988. The first single was "Making Fun of Bums". The band supported the album with a North American tour that included shows with Love Tractor. Giant Records released a resequenced version of Son of Sam I Am in 1990. While promoting the rerelease, the band was arrested on obscenity charges for covering 2 Live Crew songs at a show in Broward County. Proceeds from the show were directed to retailers who had been arrested for selling As Nasty as They Wanna Be.
