Bedlam Ballroom

Last updated
Bedlam Ballroom
Bedlam Ballroom.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 17, 2000 (2000-10-17)
StudioKingsway Studios, New Orleans [1]
Genre
Length38:14
Label Mammoth [2]
Producer Mike Napolitano, John Plymale, Squirrel Nut Zippers
Squirrel Nut Zippers chronology
Christmas Caravan
(1998)
Bedlam Ballroom
(2000)
The Best of Squirrel Nut Zippers as Chronicled by Shorty Brown
(2002)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]

Bedlam Ballroom is a studio album by the swing revival band Squirrel Nut Zippers, released in 2000. [5] [6] It followed several major personnel changes. The album reflects a stylistic shift, with the band incorporating a broader ranges of styles, instrumentation, and production approaches. [3] The band broke up after the release of the album, eventually reuniting in 2007. [7]

Contents

The album peaked at No. 195 on the Billboard 200. [8]

Critical reception

Exclaim! wrote that the band have "abandoned their adherence to '30s recording techniques, and though a bit of the charm is lost, thankfully these Zippers ain't slick." [9] CMJ New Music Monthly wrote that the album finds SNZ "nearly as eclectic as ever, but more generic too." [10] Variety thought that the album "can easily be considered their best for, if nothing else, they reclaim a time when music was unsure of itself, an era when Louis Armstrong had given up on the music of his youth to build a wider audience through pop numbers and show tunes." [11]

Track listing

All songs written by Jimbo Mathus except where noted.

  1. "Bedbugs" – 3:12
  2. "Baby Wants a Diamond Ring" – 3:25
  3. "Do What?" – 2:42
  4. "Bent Out of Shape" – 2:47
  5. "Stop Drop and Roll" – 2:58
  6. "Hush" – 4:12
  7. "It All Depends" – 3:47
  8. "Bedlam Ballroom" (Stacy Guess) – 2:15
  9. "Just This Side of Blue" – 3:08
  10. "Don't Fix It" – 3:33
  11. "Missing Link" – 3:21
  12. "Bedlam Reprise" – :21
  13. "Do It This a Way" – 2:33

Details

Personnel

Additional musicians

Related Research Articles

Mammoth Records was an independent record label founded in 1989 by Jay Faires in the Carrboro area of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The majority of the acts on Mammoth were executive-produced by Faires and the label's general manager, Steve Balcom. The label was the first independent to produce two platinum records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Eaglesmith</span> Musical artist

Frederick John Elgersma, known by the stage name Fred Eaglesmith, is a Canadian alternative country singer-songwriter. He is known for writing songs about vehicles, rural life, down-and-out characters, lost love and quirky rural folk. His songwriting uses techniques of short story writing, including unreliable narrators, surprise endings, and plot twists. In 2016, Eaglesmith toured extensively with his band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Squirrel Nut Zippers</span> American swing and jazz band formed 1993

Squirrel Nut Zippers is an American swing and jazz band formed in 1993 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, by James "Jimbo" Mathus, Tom Maxwell, Katharine Whalen, Chris Phillips (drums), Don Raleigh, and Ken Mosher.

<i>The Road and the Radio</i> 2005 studio album by Kenny Chesney

The Road and the Radio is the tenth studio album by American country music artist Kenny Chesney. It was released on November 8, 2005, through BNA Records. The album debuted at number one on the US Top Country Albums and US Billboard 200 charts.

<i>Late for the Future</i> 2000 studio album by Galactic

Late for the Future is the third studio album by the band Galactic, released in 2000.

<i>Music of Hair</i> 1996 studio album by Andrew Bird

Music of Hair is Andrew Bird's first released album. The album came out in 1996. The tracks featured were written in Bird's early twenties, and the album was released when he was 23. The album features contributions from musicians Colin Bunn, Dave Dieckmann, Kat Eggleston, Al Ehrich, Kevin O'Donnell; and, James "Jimbo" Mathus, Katharine Whalen and Chris Phillips from Squirrel Nut Zippers.

<i>The Inevitable</i> (album) 1995 studio album by Squirrel Nut Zippers

The Inevitable is the first album by the Squirrel Nut Zippers, released in 1995.

<i>Hot</i> (Squirrel Nut Zippers album) 1996 studio album by Squirrel Nut Zippers

Hot is the second studio album by the Squirrel Nut Zippers, a retro swing band. Recorded as a follow-up to their acclaimed debut, The Inevitable, the group continued their use of big band sounds and tongue-in-cheek lyrics. Upon its release in June 1996, the album drew favorable reviews from most critics, who praised the humorous lyrical compositions and the record's cross-generational appeal. The album peaked within the top 30 of the Billboard 200, and was certified Platinum by the RIAA in December of the year following its release. It also spawned a single, "Hell", which peaked at No. 13 on the Alternative Airplay chart; and though it did not reach the Pop Top 50, it did manage to garner airplay on 24 pop radio stations.

<i>Sold Out</i> (Squirrel Nut Zippers album) 1997 EP by Squirrel Nut Zippers

Sold Out is limited edition EP by the swing revival band Squirrel Nut Zippers that was released in 1997. The album contains live songs and other obscure tracks.

<i>Perennial Favorites</i> 1998 studio album by Squirrel Nut Zippers

Perennial Favorites is an album by the swing revival band Squirrel Nut Zippers, released in 1998.

<i>Roasted Right</i> 1994 EP by Squirrel Nut Zippers

Roasted Right is the debut recording by the swing revival band Squirrel Nut Zippers, first released as a 7" in 1994, and subsequently re-released with an additional track as an EP in 1997. Unlike later music by the Zippers, Roasted Right features a more blues-based sound without brass or woodwinds. The tracks "Anything But Love" and "Wash Jones" are early versions of songs later re-recorded for full-length albums.

Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire was an American band fronted by musician Andrew Bird. After releasing his first solo album, Music of Hair, Bird appeared on three albums by Squirrel Nut Zippers before becoming the bandleader for Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grant Hayunga</span> American painter and musician

Grant David Hayunga, is an American painter and musician of Frisian descent.

<i>Hits Alive</i> 2010 compilation album / Live Album by Brad Paisley

Hits Alive is the first compilation album by American country music artist Brad Paisley. This album contains two CDs of a collection of Paisley's greatest hits spanning his entire career. The first disc contains studio versions, and the second disc contains live versions. It was released on November 2, 2010, on Arista Nashville. It sold 31,000 copies in its first week. As of the chart dated April 16, 2011, the album has sold 235,881 copies in the US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimbo Mathus</span> American musician

James H. Mathis Jr., known as Jimbo Mathus, is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and member of the swing revival band Squirrel Nut Zippers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Maxwell (singer)</span> American singer-songwriter (b. 1965)

Thomas Edward Maxwell is an American songwriter, singer, and musician. Most notably, Maxwell is the former lead singer of the swing revival band Squirrel Nut Zippers. He wrote the single "Hell" from the 1996 platinum-certified album Hot.

<i>Real Friends</i> (Chris Janson album) 2019 studio album by Chris Janson

Real Friends is the third studio album by American country music singer Chris Janson. It was released via Warner Records Nashville on October 18, 2019. The album contains the singles "Good Vibes" and "Done" and "Waitin' on 5".

Katharine Whalen is a musician, singer, and songwriter originally from Greenville, North Carolina. She contributed vocals, banjo, and ukulele as a member of the Chapel Hill jazz band Squirrel Nut Zippers, a group that she founded in 1993 with then-husband Jimbo Mathus.

<i>Shake Hands with Shorty</i> 2000 studio album by North Mississippi Allstars

Shake Hands with Shorty is the debut studio album by American band North Mississippi Allstars. It was released on May 9, 2000, through Tone-Cool Records. It features contributions from Cedric and Garry Burnside, Othar Turner, Jim Dickinson, Jimmy Crosthwait, Richard "Hombre" Price, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Steve Selvidge, Jimbo Mathus, Tate County Singers, Stu Cole and Greg Humphreys. Recording sessions took place in 1999 at Zebra Ranch Studios in Tate County, Mississippi, except for Price's bass part on the song "K.C. Jones " was recorded at House of Bob. Production was handled by Cody and Luther Dickinson.

<i>These 13</i> (album) 2021 studio album by Jimbo Mathus and Andrew Bird

These 13 is a collaborative studio album by American musicians Jimbo Mathus and Andrew Bird. It was released on March 5, 2021, through Thirty Tigers. Recording sessions took place at Hollywood Sound Recorders in Los Angeles and at Barebones Studios. Production was handled by Mike Viola. The album peaked at number 65 on the Top Album Sales in the United States.

References

  1. Daly, Sean. "Squirrel Nut Zippers: Bedlam Ballroom". JazzTimes.
  2. "Squirrel Nut Zippers: Bedlam Ballroom". PopMatters. October 16, 2000.
  3. 1 2 "Bedlam Ballroom - Squirrel Nut Zippers | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" via www.allmusic.com.
  4. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 7. MUZE. p. 688.
  5. "Squirrel Nut Zippers | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  6. "Squirrel Nut Zippers Unleash 'Bedlam'". Billboard. September 16, 2000 via Google Books.
  7. "Night Life". The New Yorker.
  8. "Squirrel Nut Zippers". Billboard.
  9. "Squirrel Nut Zippers Bedlam Ballroom". exclaim.ca.
  10. "Reviews". CMJ New Music Monthly. November 3, 2000 via Google Books.
  11. Gallo, Phil (November 15, 2000). "Squirrel Nut Zippers". Variety.