Blue Tomorrow (album)

Blue Tomorrow
Studio album by the Swimming Pool Q's
Released	1986
Studio	Studio One
Genre	Rock, pop
Label	A&M
Producer	Mike Howlett
The Swimming Pool Q's chronology
The Swimming Pool Q's (1984) Blue Tomorrow (1986) World War Two Point Five (1989)

Blue Tomorrow is the third album by the American band the Swimming Pool Q's, released in 1986. ^{[1] [2]} "Pretty on the Inside" was the first single. ^[3] The band supported the album with European and North American tours. ^[4] They were dropped by A&M Records following the promotional cycle for Blue Tomorrow. ^[5]

Production

Recorded at Studio One, near Atlanta, the album was produced by Mike Howlett. ^{[6] [7]} The band spent a longer period of time in the studio, in part because they had bought a lot of new equipment prior to the recording sessions. ^[8] Frontman Jeff Calder changed his lyrical approach, cutting down on clichéd imagery and songs about the past. ^[9] "Big Fat Tractor" is a rerecording of a song from the band's debut. ^[10] The title track is a duet between Anne Richmond Boston and Calder. ^[11] "Laredo Radio" was written while the band was touring with Lou Reed. ^[12]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
All Music Guide to Rock	[5]
The Baltimore Sun	[13]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[14]
The Great Indie Discography	5/10 [15]
Houston Chronicle	[16]
Omaha World-Herald	[17]
The Philadelphia Inquirer	[18]
Record-Journal	A− [19]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[11]
The Tampa Tribune	[20]

The Philadelphia Inquirer said that the album "establishes this quintet as a highly original outfit with impressive range." ^[18] The Sun Sentinel opined that "Boston has one of the most underrated voices in pop music." ^[21] The Los Angeles Times advised, "If you've ever wondered what it would be like if Mary Travers fronted a rock 'n' roll band ... the answer might be close to the sound of ... Boston's pretty, pretty vocals atop the rocking, rocking music of Georgia's Swimming Pool Q's"; the paper later listed the album among the best of 1986. ^{[22] [23]}

The Baltimore Sun praised the "good, mainstream rock". ^[13] The Grand Forks Herald stated that most of Boston's vocals "are layered over gross out-of-style gloss." ^[24] The Houston Chronicle concluded that "as soon the Q's establish the framework of a song they nearly undermine it with an unexpected rhythmic twist." ^[16] The Omaha World-Herald said that "the only constant is the precise guitar work of Bob Elsey and ... Calder." ^[17]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Now I'm Talking About Now"
2.	"She's Lookin' Real Good (When She's Lookin')"
3.	"Pretty on the Inside"
4.	"Laredo Radio"
5.	"Wreck Around"
6.	"More Than One Heaven"
7.	"Corruption"
8.	"Blue Tomorrow"
9.	"A Dream in Gray"
10.	"Big Fat Tractor"

References

1. Inhoffen, Matthias (November 1986). "CD Konzentrat Pop & Jazz". Stereoplay. p. 233.
2. Kocandrle, Mirek (1988). The History of Rock and Roll: A Selective Discography. G. K. Hall. p. 205.
3. Donnelly, Niall (February 15, 1986). "Reviews the Latest Singles". The Bolton News. p. 9.
4. Berman, Pat (April 25, 1986). "Fresh from European tour, Q's are in town". The Columbia Record. p. 5B.
5. All Music Guide to Rock (3rd ed.). Backbeat Books. 2002. p. 1109.
6. Day, Jeffrey (April 4, 1986). "Good mix in album by Swimming Pool Q's". Macon Telegraph and News. p. 7D.
7. The Trouser Press Record Guide (4th ed.). Collier Books. 1991. p. 651.
8. Day, Jeffrey (April 4, 1986). "The Q's speak, briefly, about their latest album". Macon Telegraph and News. p. 7D.
9. Pousner, Howard (April 5, 1986). "The Swimming Pool Q's". Weekend. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. 36.
10. Lloyd, Robert (March 27, 1986). "The Critical List". LA Weekly. p. 45.
11. The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 688.
12. Sill, Melanie (April 18, 1986). "Swimming Pool Q's arrive with best effort". The News and Observer. p. B1.
13. Gilbert, Kelly (March 12, 1986). "Pop". The Baltimore Sun. p. B2.
14. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. p. 3.
15. Strong, Martin C. (2003). The Great Indie Discography (2nd ed.). Canongate. p. 531.
16. Racine, Marty (March 23, 1986). "Records". Zest. Houston Chronicle. p. 11.
17. Healy, James (March 23, 1986). "New Sounds". Entertainment. Omaha World-Herald. p. 19.
18. Tucker, Ken (March 30, 1986). "Southern Band's New Album Makes Splash". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. F5.
19. Zebora, Jim (June 29, 1986). "Quintet cruises through styles". Record-Journal. p. E2.
20. Okamoto, David (March 28, 1986). "Record Reviews". Friday Extra!. The Tampa Tribune. p. 19.
21. Bernade, Scott (April 11, 1986). "Tight Radio Playlists Exclude Good Music". Features Showtime. Sun Sentinel. p. 35.
22. Willman, Chris (July 6, 1986). "Heavenly Hookland". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 63.
23. "Pop Music '86: The Old Guard Rocks On". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. December 28, 1986. p. 57.
24. Mahlum, Mike (March 14, 1986). "The Music Syndicate". Grand Forks Herald. p. 6D.