Big as Life

Last updated

Big as Life
Big as Life.jpg
Studio album by
Hamell on Trial
Released1994
Genre Anti-folk
Label Doolittle
Mercury
Producer Jeff Cole
Hamell on Trial chronology
Conviction
(1989)		Big as Life
(1994)		The Chord Is Mightier Than the Sword
(1997)

Big as Life is an album by the American musician Hamell on Trial, released in 1994. [1] [2] It was put out by Doolittle Records, and picked up by Mercury the following year. [3] [4] "Sugarfree" was released as a single. [5] Hamell on Trial promoted the album by touring with Syd Straw. [6]

Contents

Production

Produced by Jeff Cole, Big as Life was recorded in Austin, Texas, in a warehouse room above the Electric Lounge club. [7] [8] [9] Alejandro Escovedo helped Hamell with the demos. [10] Hamell played a 1937 Gibson on the album. [11] The instrumentation consists of guitar, sometimes accompanied by violin or bass. [12] "Blood of the Wolf" is about a childhood friend who attempted to rob a Kentucky Fried Chicken with a fork. [13] A cover of "Folsom Prison Blues" appears as an unlisted track. [14]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [15]
Robert Christgau Five Pointed Star Solid.svg [16]
Deseret News Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [14]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [10]

The Tulsa World wrote that Hamell's voice "is militaristic, clipped, strident; his guitar—a 1937 small-body Gibson—is wired, alive, wincing to hold up to Hamell's infernal strumming." [17] Robert Christgau praised "Z-Roxx" and the title track. [16] The Dallas Observer stated that Hamell "destroys the perception of the self-serious acoustic folkie who believes wisdom lies in glib aphorism and weepy revelation." [18]

Entertainment Weekly determined that "what sounds thrilling on stage comes off as rushed and overbaked on record." [19] The Indianapolis Star commended the "intriguing if creepy stories." [20] The Record concluded that "Hamell combines explosive punk-edged fury and a scathing acoustic guitar style ... with poetic lyrics that are sometimes humorous, sometimes upsetting, sometimes poignant but always edged with a razor-sharp honesty." [21]

AllMusic wrote that Hamell "combined the best elements of the one-man-band storytelling tradition with an aggressive, hyper-rhythmic acoustic guitar attack that absolutely demanded attention." [15] In 1997, The Austin Chronicle deemed the album "six cups of coffee and two hits of crystal meth—frenzied." [22]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Sugarfree" 
2."Harmony" 
3."Blood of the Wolf" 
4."Brother Franklin" 
5."Big as Life" 
6."Pep Rally" 
7."Z-Roxx" 
8."Dead Man's Float" 
9."Piccolo Joe" 
10."In the Neighborhood" 
11."Open Up the Gates" 
12."Get in the Game" 

References

  1. ↑ "Hamell on Trial Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  2. ↑ McLeese, Don (May 16, 1995). "This week marks the end of the Austin run for Hamell on Trial...". Austin American-Statesman. p. E5.
  3. ↑ "Dancing About Architecture". The Austin Chronicle.
  4. ↑ Riemenschneider, Chris (November 30, 1995). "Hamell on Parade". Austin American-Statesman. p. 16.
  5. ↑ Bessman, Jim (February 3, 1996). "Mercury's Hamell on Trial: Energetic shows are half the picture". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 5. p. 19.
  6. ↑ Tyer, Brad (July 4, 1996). "Hamell on Trial". Music. Houston Press.
  7. ↑ Verna, Paul (March 23, 1996). "Big as Life". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 12. p. 75.
  8. ↑ DeLuca, Dan (February 23, 1996). "The Energetic Intensity of Hamell on Trial". Features Weekend. The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 17.
  9. ↑ Bialczak, Mark (March 13, 1996). "Not Guilty! Hamell on Trial Enjoys the Freedom That a New Album and Notorious Act Bring". Syracuse Herald-Journal. p. C1.
  10. 1 2 MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. pp. 520–521.
  11. ↑ Doane, Randal (September 4, 2019). "Images of America in Rock and Roll: Stories from a Cold Case at the Cleveland Museum of Art". Harper's.
  12. ↑ Cote, Michael (May 14, 1996). "Rockers". Scripps Howard News Service.
  13. ↑ Okamoto, David (January 6, 1995). "Expect fierce, personal music". Guide. The Dallas Morning News. p. 35.
  14. 1 2 Iwasaki, Scott (March 15, 1996). "Hamel on Trial: 'Big as Life'". Deseret News. p. W12.
  15. 1 2 "Big as Life". AllMusic.
  16. 1 2 "Hamell on Trial". Robert Christgau.
  17. ↑ "Hamell on Trial - Big as Life". Tulsa World.
  18. ↑ Wilonsky, Robert (January 5, 1995). "Roadshows". Music. Dallas Observer.
  19. ↑ "Big as Life". Entertainment Weekly.
  20. ↑ Allan, Marc (March 19, 1996). "Hamell on Trial, Big as Life". The Indianapolis Star. p. D1.
  21. ↑ Johnson, Steven C. (June 16, 1996). "Hamell on Trial Big as Life". Books & Music. The Record. p. 15.
  22. ↑ "Record Reviews". The Austin Chronicle.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.