| I Shot the Albatross | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 10 June 2002 [1] | |||
| Length | 40:36 | |||
| Label | Vertical | |||
| Producer | James Grant | |||
| James Grant chronology | ||||
| ||||
I Shot the Albatross is the third solo studio album by Scottish singer-songwriter James Grant, released in the UK by Vertical on 2002. [2] The album is a collection of poetry by various poets set to music written by Grant.
Grant first had the idea of setting poetry to music after he purchased the anthology The Rattle Bag in the early 1990s. He was inspired to carry out such a project after he and Donald Shaw collaborated in 1999 on the music for a Scottish film titled Transition, which involved Grant selecting, editing and narrating a selection of 20th century Scottish poetry. Grant then spent a period of researching and reading more poetry before gathering a number of poems and setting them to music. He stated in 2002, "The poems themselves are, of course, the definitive. They have their own rhythm and musicality. This idea is derivative and deeply subjective." [3]
In a 2005 interview with Rainsound, Grant said of the I Shot the Albatross project, "It's just something that interested me and I decided to pursue it. Some of the poems [in The Rattle Bag] seemed to me very lyrical and I kind of liked the idea of fusing for example Rimbaud, Lee Dorsey and William Blake. It seemed to me kind of cheeky and irreverent, yet I thought it would put a new spin on the poetry itself and, I suppose, would also challenge people." [4]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| The List |   [5] |
On its release, James McNair of Mojo wrote, "Here, the modest, uncompromising and gifted Grant makes what might have been pretentious sound human, his palette largely acoustic. He occasionally comes unstuck, but there are moments when the poets' visions and Grant's own merge to stunning effect." He picked "The Tragedy of the Leaves" and "Summer Farm" as "Grant's aces". [6] Manchester Evening News concluded, "Grant has picked some particularly evocative verses and framed them so sensitively that you would need a heart of stone not to admire the results". The reviewer selected "The Horses" and "The Tragedy of the Leaves" as "particularly striking". [7] Ninian Dunnett of The List noted that the album finds Grant doing his "best [to] whip up an atmosphere" and "concoct a rich stew of moody settings for [the] poems". He concluded, "It's hit-and-miss fare, nicely spiced with the wonderful, Emmylou-ish voice of Monica Queen." [5]
All tracks are written by James Grant except "Summer Farm" by Grant and Donald Shaw (music only).
| No. | Title | Words by | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A Tale Best Forgotten" | Helen Adam | 6:58 |
| 2. | "Long John Brown and Little Mary Bell" | William Blake | 4:18 |
| 3. | "The Tragedy of the Leaves" | Charles Bukowski | 2:31 |
| 4. | "Anyone Lived in a Pretty How Town" | E. E. Cummings | 4:02 |
| 5. | "Wild Nights" | Emily Dickinson | 2:59 |
| 6. | "Summer Farm" | Norman MacCaig | 3:41 |
| 7. | "The Triumph of Hunger" | Arthur Rimbaud | 4:05 |
| 8. | "Lady Weeping at the Crossroads" | W. H. Auden | 4:31 |
| 9. | "The Horses" | Edwin Muir | 5:01 |
| 10. | "Song" | William Soutar | 2:11 |
Credits are adapted from the I Shot the Albatross CD booklet. [2]
Production
Other
Milton Byron Babbitt was an American composer, music theorist, mathematician, and teacher. He is particularly noted for his serial and electronic music.
The Raven is the nineteenth solo studio album by American musician Lou Reed, released in 2003 by Sire Records. It is a concept album, recounting the short stories and poems of Edgar Allan Poe through word and song, and was based on his 2000 opera co-written with Robert Wilson, POEtry.
Rock of Ages... Hymns and Faith is the sixteenth studio album by singer Amy Grant. It is the follow-up to her 2002 release Legacy... Hymns and Faith. Rock of Ages is Amy Grant's 11th Christian chart-topping album.
Love and Money are a Scottish rock/soul/funk band, formed in 1985 in Glasgow, Scotland. The band was formed by three former members of Friends Again along with bassist Bobby Paterson, who replaced Friends Again's Neil Cunningham and who had been a member of Set the Tone, a band previously signed to Island Records in 1983.
The Pious Bird of Good Omen is a compilation album by the British blues rock band Fleetwood Mac, released in 1969. It consists of their first four non-album UK singles and their B-sides, two other tracks from their previous album Mr. Wonderful, and two tracks by the blues artist Eddie Boyd with backing by members of Fleetwood Mac. These two tracks came from Boyd's album 7936 South Rhodes.
"Golden Slumbers" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1969 album Abbey Road. Written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney, it is the sixth song of the album's climactic B-side medley. The song is followed by "Carry That Weight" and begins the progression that leads to the end of the album. The two songs were recorded together as a single piece, and both contain strings and brass arranged and scored by producer George Martin.
One Night with Blue Note is a 1985 feature length jazz film directed by John Charles Jopson.
Time to Fall is the second solo (studio) album by Karen Matheson, lead singer of the Scottish band Capercaillie.
The Bathers are a Scottish chamber pop band. The vehicle for singer-songwriter, Chris Thomson, they are sometimes referred to as "the best-kept secret in Scottish music" and have released seven albums. Initially active between 1985 and 2001, they reformed in 2016.
If That's What It Takes is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Michael McDonald. The album was released in August 1982 and peaked at #6 on Billboard 200, while singles "I Keep Forgettin' " went to #4 and "I Gotta Try" was #44 on Billboard Hot 100.
James Grant is a Scottish musician, singer, and songwriter. He grew up in Glasgow's Castlemilk district and still resides in the city.
James Dashow is an American composer of electro-acoustic music, instrumental music and opera.
Rattle That Lock is the fourth solo studio album by former Pink Floyd singer and guitarist David Gilmour. It was originally released on 18 September 2015 via Columbia Records. Gilmour completed short tours of Europe in September and October 2015, and South America in December 2015 to support the album, with a similar tour of the United States and Canada following in March and April 2016. The artwork for the album was created by Dave Stansbie from The Creative Corporation under the direction of Aubrey Powell, who has worked with Gilmour and Pink Floyd since the late 1960s.
Urram is the fourth solo (studio) album by Karen Matheson, lead singer of the Scottish folk band Capercaillie, released on CD on 16 October 2015.
The Devil's Debt is the fifth studio album by Scottish band Love and Money, released by Vertical in 2012.
Still Time is the fifth solo (studio) album by Karen Matheson, lead singer of the Scottish folk band Capercaillie, released on CD and vinyl on 12 February 2021.
Strange Kind of Love is the second studio album by Scottish band Love and Money, released in 1988.
Cheap Pearls and Whisky Dreams – The Best of is a compilation album by Scottish band Love and Money, released by Fontana in 1999.
Sawdust in My Veins is the debut solo studio album by Scottish singer-songwriter James Grant, released in the UK by Survival Records on 27 April 1998. The album reached number 42 in the Scottish Albums Chart.
My Thrawn Glory is the second solo studio album by Scottish singer-songwriter James Grant, released in the UK by Vertical on 11 December 2000.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)