| Like Swimming | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 11, 1997 | |||
| Recorded | 1996 | |||
| Studio | ||||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 38:04 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | ||||
| Morphine chronology | ||||
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Like Swimming is the fourth studio album by the alternative rock band Morphine, released in March 1997 by DreamWorks/Rykodisc. It was Morphine's first album (out of two) released as part of their multi-album deal with DreamWorks [1] and the last album released within the lifetime of singer and bassist Mark Sandman.
After releasing three albums for indie label Rykodisc between 1992 and 1995, Morphine wanted to leave the label in 1996 and sign with DreamWorks. Since the band still owed Rykodisc two albums, the two labels negotiated a deal where Like Swimming would carry branding of both labels in North America, and Rykodisc would have the rights for the rest of the world. [2] [3] The deal also included Rykodisc's exclusive rights to two future archival releases: B-Sides and Otherwise (1997) and Bootleg Detroit (2000). [3]
Before the Morphine contract was sold off to Dreamworks, a finished album had been delivered to Rykodisc for release. However, when DreamWorks got involved, some songs were remixed, two songs were added to the track list ("Lilah", "Hanging on a Curtain"), and one song was removed ("In Your Shoes"). The latter remains officially unreleased. [3] The album's planned October 1996 release date was eventually pushed back to March 1997. [3] [4]
Although Like Swimming became Morphine's highest-charting album in the US (#67), it failed to produce a commercial breakthrough. [2] [5] As of 1999, the album had sold 141,000 copies in United States, [6] whereas Cure for Pain (1993) and Yes (1995) sold a combined 661,000 copies. [2]
The album shares its name with a Mark Sandman side project that released the 7" single "Swing It Low" in 1996. "Swing It Low" was rerecorded for Like Swimming. [3]
The music video for the single "Early to Bed" earned a Grammy nomination for Best Short Form Music Video. [2] [7]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [8] |
| Pitchfork Media | 4.0/10 [9] |
| Rolling Stone | [10] |
Pitchfork's Ryan Schreiber, said, "It's not really that the quality of the songs have deteriorated, it's just that it all sounds the same. They desperately need to alter their sound ... after four identical records." [9] Ira Robbins, writing for Rolling Stone , concurred, saying, "Four albums in, the band is riding the same sound like a slot car; even the welcome flashes of instrumental variety ... don't lead the band far from its usual track." Robbins felt that some tracks have "a hell of a groove" and show off the band's dynamic control, but ultimately "too many songs swagger in place, pumping a single line or riff with static electricity." [10] AllMusic's Greg Prato felt that although the album has its highlights, it's not as strong as Morphine's previous albums, writing, "Some of the material doesn't sound fully developed, almost as if the Boston trio was rushed to complete the album." [8]
Writing positively about the album, MTV's Seth Mnookin wrote, "Sounding as complete and essential as Cure for Pain and containing some of the kick-ass riffs that were scattered through-out Yes, Like Swimming is Morphine's best album yet." [1] Trouser Press was also positive, noting the album's many "adventurous" and rock-oriented songs, which they felt ended claims "that the group's setup was intrinsically limited." [11]
All tracks are written by Mark Sandman.
Adapted from the album liner notes. [12]
| Chart (1997) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA) [13] | 82 |
| US Billboard 200 | 67 |
Morphine was an American rock band formed by Mark Sandman, Dana Colley, and Jerome Deupree in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1989. Drummer Billy Conway also played in the band, frequently during Deupree's absence, though at times both played together. After five successful albums and extensive touring, they disbanded after lead vocalist Sandman died of a heart attack onstage in Palestrina, Italy, on July 3, 1999. Founding members have reformed into the band Vapors of Morphine, maintaining much of the original style and sound.
Mission of Burma was an American post-punk band from Boston, Massachusetts. The group formed in 1979 with Roger Miller on guitar, Clint Conley on bass, Peter Prescott on drums, and Martin Swope contributing audiotape manipulation and acting as the band’s sound engineer. In this initial lineup, Miller, Conley, and Prescott all shared singing and songwriting duties.
Angst is the seventh studio album by German industrial band KMFDM, released on October 13, 1993 by Wax Trax! Records.
Cure for Pain is the second studio album by alternative rock band Morphine, released through Rykodisc in September 1993. Jerome Deupree, the band's original drummer, quit due to health problems during the recording of the album and was replaced by Billy Conway.
Treat Her Right was an American rock group, formed in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, in 1985. The band originally featured Mark Sandman on "low guitar," Billy Conway on cocktail drum, David Champagne on guitar, and Jim Fitting on harmonica. Singing and songwriting duties were shared by all but Conway. Champagne and Fitting reformed the band in 2009 with new members Steve Mayone and Billy Beard.
B-Sides and Otherwise is a rarities compilation album by the alternative rock band Morphine, released in September 1997 by Rykodisc. It features B-Sides and other rare tracks not otherwise available on the band's studio albums.
Live is the first live album by the Stranglers, released in February 1979 by United Artists. It contains tracks recorded at The Roundhouse in June and November 1977 and at Battersea Park in September 1978.
Yes is the third studio album by alternative rock band Morphine, released in March 1995. It was their first album to make the Billboard Top 200, but fared less well abroad than its predecessor. As of February 1997 it has sold 156,000 copies in United States according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Good is the first album by the Boston-based alternative rock trio Morphine. It was released in 1992 on the Accurate/Distortion label. It was reissued by Rykodisc in 1993 after the band signed with the label.
The Night is the fifth and final studio album by the alternative rock band Morphine, released in 2000 via DreamWorks. The album expands the band's sound beyond their usual arrangements of previous albums, introducing acoustic guitars, organs, strings and female backing vocals.
Birdy is the first soundtrack and sixth album overall by the English rock musician Peter Gabriel, for the movie of the same name, released in 1985. The album marked Gabriel's first work with producer Daniel Lanois. It was remastered with most of Gabriel's catalogue in 2002.
Mark Sandman was an American singer, songwriter, musical instrument inventor, multi-instrumentalist and comic writer. Sandman possessed a distinctive, deep bass-baritone voice and a mysterious demeanour. He was an indie rock icon and longtime fixture in the Boston/Cambridge music scene, best known as the lead singer and slide bass player of the band Morphine. Sandman was also a member of the blues-rock band Treat Her Right and founder of Hi-n-Dry, a recording studio and independent record label.
Reading, Writing and Arithmetic is the debut studio album by English alternative rock band the Sundays. It was released in 1990 on Rough Trade Records in the United Kingdom, and on DGC Records in the United States. The album's title is a reference to the band's hometown, Reading, Berkshire.
New Sensations is the thirteenth solo studio album by American rock musician Lou Reed, released in April 1984 by RCA Records. John Jansen and Reed produced the album. New Sensations peaked at No. 56 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and at No. 92 on the UK Albums Chart. This marked the first time that Reed charted within the US Top 100 since 1978's Street Hassle, and the first time that Reed had charted in the UK altogether since 1976's Coney Island Baby. Three singles were released from the album: "I Love You, Suzanne", "My Red Joystick" and "High in the City", with "I Love You, Suzanne" being the only single to chart, peaking at No. 78 on the UK Singles Chart. The music video for "I Love You, Suzanne" did, however, receive light rotation on MTV.
Bootleg Detroit is the only authorized release of a live recording of Morphine. It was released on the label Rykodisc in September 2000. Recorded by Alan J. Schmit—a fan—on March 7, 1994, at St. Andrew’s Hall in Detroit, Michigan, it was edited and mixed under Mark Sandman’s supervision. He also laid out and delivered the low-fi artwork for the album prior to the band’s final tour in Italy.
The Best of Morphine, 1992–1995 is a greatest hits compilation by alternative rock band Morphine, released by Rykodisc in February 2003.
Donnette Thayer is a vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter most active in the 1980s and early 1990s indie rock scenes of Northern California. Thayer was a member of the band Game Theory, and later formed Hex with Steve Kilbey of The Church.
Dana Colley is an American musician, best known as the baritone and tenor saxophonist in the alternative rock band Morphine.
Sandbox: The Music of Mark Sandman is a posthumously-released 2-CD/1-DVD set by the former Morphine frontman Mark Sandman, released in November 2004 by Hi-N-Dry and distributed by KUFALA.
Glenn Rosenstein is an American record producer, engineer, sound mixer and guitarist based in Muscle Shoals, AL, who engineered and produced many albums including the Grammy winning One Bright Day by Ziggy Marley. Rosenstein worked at New York City's Sigma Sound Studios in the 1980s. He owns and runs Skylight Studio.
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