Grown Backwards

Last updated

Grown Backwards
DavidByrneGrownBackwards.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 16, 2004 (2004-03-16)
Recorded Kampo Studios, New York City; strings recorded at Tequila Mockingbird, Austin, Texas and several other locations
Genre Art pop, chamber pop, orchestral pop, baroque pop, opera
Length57:46
LanguageEnglish, French ("Au fond du Temple Saint"), Italian ("Un Dì, Felice, Eterea")
Label Nonesuch/Warner Bros.
Producer David Byrne and Patrick Dillett
David Byrne chronology
Lead Us Not into Temptation
(2003)
Grown Backwards
(2004)
David Byrne Live at Union Chapel
(2004)

Grown Backwards is the seventh studio album by musician David Byrne, released on March 16, 2004.

Contents

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 78/100 [1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Pitchfork Media 7.6/10 [3]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic , Grown Backwards received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 78 out of 100 from 17 critic reviews. [1]

In 2010, Byrne wrote in his book How Music Works it has sold 127,000 physical albums, 8,000 digital albums and 53,000 digital singles (overall 140,000 units sold of albums). [4] The album peaked at #178 and #88 in the US and UK respectively. [5] [6] The album was released on vinyl for the first time on March 15, 2019. [7]

Track listing

All tracks written by David Byrne, except where noted.

  1. "Glass, Concrete & Stone" – 4:13
  2. "The Man Who Loved Beer" (Donald Charles Book and Kurt Wagner of Lambchop) – 2:41
  3. " Au fond du temple saint " (From Les pêcheurs de perles ) – 4:49
  4. "Empire" – 4:12
  5. "Tiny Apocalypse" – 4:03
  6. "She Only Sleeps" – 2:57
  7. "Dialog Box" – 3:30
  8. "The Other Side of this Life" – 4:00
  9. "Why" – 2:54
  10. "Pirates" – 3:52
  11. "Civilization" – 3:17
  12. "Astronaut" – 2:55
  13. "Glad" – 1:58
  14. "Un Dì, Felice, Eterea" (Giuseppe Verdi, from La Traviata ) – 2:51
  15. "Lazy" (bonus track) (Byrne/X-Press 2) – 9:35

Bonus tracks on 2019 vinyl edition

  1. "Strange Enough" – 2:35
  2. "50212" – 3:40
  3. "Ausencia" – 3:51
  4. "Dreamworld" – 5:01
  5. "Show and Tell" – 2:41
  6. "The Bumps" – 3:25

Personnel

Byrne on the My Backwards Life tour with Tosca Strings David Byrne Live at the Hollywood Bowl, 6-26-05.jpg
Byrne on the My Backwards Life tour with Tosca Strings

"Glass, Concrete & Stone"

Recorded at Loveshack Studio, New York City

"The Man Who Loved Beer"

Recorded at Avatar, New York City

"Au Fond du Temple Saint"

"Empire"

Recorded RPM Studio, New York City

"Tiny Apocalypse"

Recorded at CaVa Sound Workshops, Glasgow

"She Only Sleeps"

Recorded at Cheeba Central, London Produced by Morcheeba Productions

"Dialog Box"

Recorded at Avatar, New York City, horns recorded at Congress House Studio, Austin, Texas

"The Other Side of This Life"

Recorded at Avatar, New York City

"Why"

Drums recorded at Skyline, New York City

"Pirates"

Drums recorded at Skyline, New York City, horns recorded at Congress House Studio

"Civilization"

Drums recorded at Skyline, New York City

"Astronaut"

"Glad"

Horns recorded at Congress House Studio

"Un di Felice, Eterea"

Recorded at Sound on Sound, New York City

"Lazy"

Related Research Articles

The Lounge Lizards were an eclectic musical group founded by saxophonist John Lurie and his brother, pianist Evan Lurie, in 1978. Initially known for their ironic, tongue-in-cheek take on jazz, The Lounge Lizards eventually became a showcase for John Lurie's sophisticated compositions straddling jazz and many other genres. They were active until about 1998 with the Lurie brothers as the only constant members, though many leading New York City based musicians were members of the group.

<i>Look into the Eyeball</i> 2001 studio album by David Byrne

Look into the Eyeball is the sixth studio album by musician David Byrne, released on May 8, 2001. The single "Like Humans Do" was supplied with the Windows XP operating system to showcase Microsoft's Windows Media Player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Like Humans Do</span> Single by David Byrne

"Like Humans Do" is the fourth track from David Byrne's Look into the Eyeball and was also released as a single in 2001. Most notably, the radio edit version of the song was selected by Microsoft as the sample music for Windows XP to demonstrate the new Windows Media Player, though it was only included in early releases of the operating system. It was also included as a sample track on the Rio Karma media player.

James Dillon is a Scottish composer who is often regarded as belonging to the New Complexity school. Dillon studied art and design, linguistics, piano, acoustics, Indian rhythm, mathematics and computer music, but is self-taught in composition.

<i>The World We Knew</i> 1967 studio album by Frank Sinatra

The World We Knew, also known as Frank Sinatra, is a 1967 studio album by American singer Frank Sinatra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Octet (music)</span>

In music, an octet is a musical ensemble consisting of eight instruments or voices, or a musical composition written for such an ensemble.

The Abnuceals Emuukha Electric Symphony Orchestra was a group of Hollywood session musicians organized by Frank Zappa in 1967 to record music for his first solo album Lumpy Gravy. Some of these musicians are thought to have worked together in various combinations under the leadership of Ken Shroyer as far back as 1959. However, it was Zappa who gave them the name several years later.

<i>Rocks, Pebbles and Sand</i> 1980 studio album by Stanley Clarke

Rocks, Pebbles and Sand is the 1980 album by jazz bass guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Stanley Clarke. This was the first recording where Stanley featured his tenor bass.

<i>Elton John and Tim Rices Aida</i> 1999 soundtrack album by Various Artists

Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida is a 1999 concept album that contains songs from, but predates the main production of, the 2000 musical Aida.

<i>The Evening of My Best Day</i> 2003 studio album by Rickie Lee Jones

The Evening of My Best Day is an album by American singer-songwriter Rickie Lee Jones, released in 2003.

<i>Rita Coolidge</i> (album) 1971 studio album by Rita Coolidge

Rita Coolidge is the self-titled debut album by Rita Coolidge.

<i>Live from Austin, TX</i> (David Byrne album) 2007 live album by David Byrne

Live from Austin, Texas is a live album released by rock musician David Byrne, released on New West Records on October 2, 2007 on CD and DVD. The songs were recorded during Byrne's 2001 tour in support of Look into the Eyeball at a date for the KLRU television show Austin City Limits. Except for the first 4 songs the quartet was accompanied by the Austin-based tango string sextet Tosca.

<i>All Killer, No Filler: The Anthology</i> 1993 compilation album by Jerry Lee Lewis

All Killer, No Filler: The Anthology is a 1993 box set collecting 42 songs by rock and roll and rockabilly pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis from the mid-1950s to the 1980s, including 27 charting hits. The album has been critically well received. In 2003, Rolling Stone listed the album at #245 in its list of "Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time", maintaining its rating in a 2012 revised list, and dropping to #325 in the 2020 update. Country Music: The Rough Guide indicated that "[t]his is the kind of full-bodied, decades-spanning treatment that Lewis's long, diverse career more than well deserves."

<i>Mythical Kings and Iguanas</i> 1971 studio album by Dory Previn

Mythical Kings and Iguanas is the second solo LP by Dory Previn, released in early 1971. Following her successful debut as a confessional singer-songwriter the previous year, it concentrated on the quest for spiritual fulfilment and a loving relationship.

<i>Christmas: The Gift</i> 1996 studio album by Collin Raye

Christmas: The Gift is an album released in 1996 by country music artist Collin Raye. It was Raye's first Christmas album. It is composed largely of cover songs, except for "It Could Happen Again", which was newly written and recorded for this album.

<i>One Shot Deal</i> 2008 live album by Frank Zappa

One Shot Deal is an album by Frank Zappa, posthumously released in June 2008.

<i>David Byrne Live at Union Chapel</i> 2004 live album by David Byrne

David Byrne Live at Union Chapel is a DVD of a live performance at the London church of the same name by David Byrne released on October 26, 2004.

<i>Heads</i> (Bob James album) 1977 studio album by Bob James

Heads is the fifth album by the jazz musician Bob James, released in October 1977. It was his first album released on his newly formed Tappan Zee label, which was distributed at the time by Columbia Records. All of his Tappan Zee albums are now distributed by E1 Music. The album reached number one on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart.

<i>Journey</i> (Arif Mardin album) 1974 studio album by Arif Mardin

Journey is the second album released by record producer Arif Mardin as leader. Released on the Atlantic label in 1974, it features "a veritable who's who of funk and jazz greats", many of them regular session and studio musicians who appear on Mardin-produced albums for other artists.

<i>Stars</i> (Janis Ian album) 1974 studio album by Janis Ian

Stars is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Janis Ian, and the first of her seven for Columbia Records. Ian had previously had a three-year hiatus from the music industry since her 1971 album Present Company. In two years away from the music business, Ian wrote over 100 songs after moving to Los Angeles. She returned to play at the Philadelphia Folk Festival on August 17, 1973, and was signed by Columbia Records after several other companies rejected the songs she had written.

References

  1. 1 2 "Grown Backwards by David Byrne". Metacritic . Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  2. link
  3. link
  4. Byrne, David (2 May 2017). How Music Works (2nd ed.). Crown/Archetype. p. 251. ISBN   978-0804188944.
  5. "David Byrne". Billboard. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  6. "DAVID BYRNE | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  7. "David Byrne's Nonesuch Debut Album, "Grown Backwards," to Get First Vinyl Release with Six Bonus Tracks, March 15". Nonesuch Records . Retrieved 13 February 2019.