No Soul No Strain

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No Soul No Strain
Nosoulnostrain.jpg
Studio album by
Released1992
RecordedToad Hall, Pasadena, California
Genre Rock
Label MCA [1]
Producer Bill Bottrell
Wire Train chronology
Wire Train
(1990)
No Soul No Strain
(1992)
Last Perfect Thing... A Retrospective
(1996)

No Soul No Strain is the fifth album by the American band Wire Train, released in 1992. [2] [3]

Contents

The first single was "Stone Me". [4] The band supported the album by touring with Live, among others. [5]

Production

The album was produced by Bill Bottrell. [6] Wire Train started work on the tracks in a cabin close to Yosemite National Park, and finished them in Bottrell's Toad Hall recording studio. [7]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [8]
Chicago Tribune Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
The State Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [10]

The Chicago Tribune wrote: "Wire Train sounds too much like too many other modern rock outfits to be cited for iconoclastic genius and originality, but the California quartet does an exceptional job of delivering a variety of immediately accessible, funky pop hooks with a minimum of dull filler." [9] Miami New Times deemed the album "delightfully casual and smartly cool real rock." [11]

The State praised the "chunkier guitars and complex rhythms," writing that "this is Wire Train's most ambitious work to date." [10] The Capital Times opined that "the wittiness of the lyrics ('Jesus and Mohammed were just a couple of regular guys who made a lot of good friends after they died') is supported by consistently compelling music." [12]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Kevin Hunter, Jeff Trott, Anders Rundblad, and Brian MacLeod except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Stone Me" 4:40
2."Open Sky" 4:03
3."Yeah Yeah Yeah" 5:43
4."Crashing Back to You" 4:52
5."Hey Jordan" 4:41
6."Other Lover"Hunter, Trott2:57
7."How Many More Times" 3:35
8."Willing It to Be"Hunter3:41
9."Higher" 3:25
10."Impossible"Hunter2:37
11."When I Met You"Hunter, Trott3:26
12."17 Spooks" 4:57
Total length:48:37

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.

Production

References

  1. "Wire Train No Soul No Strain". News & Record. Rolling Stone. June 5, 1992. p. W5.
  2. Heim, Chris (May 15, 1992). "Other rock releases appearing this week...". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. O.
  3. Peterson, Karla (July 9, 1992). "Train has a full head of steam". Entertainment. The San Diego Union-Tribune. p. 4.
  4. Gettelman, Parry (July 17, 1992). "Dawn Patrol". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 12.
  5. "Cutting-edge music". The Salt Lake Tribune. June 26, 1992. p. C7.
  6. "No Soul No Strain by Wire Train". Billboard. Vol. 104, no. 22. May 30, 1992. p. 50.
  7. Sculley, Alan (July 31, 1992). "Wire Train Returns to Raw, Driving Sound". Splash. Daily Press. Newport News. p. 12.
  8. Abebe, Nitsuh. "No Soul No Strain - Wire Train". AllMusic. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  9. 1 2 Rothschild, David (September 10, 1992). "Rave recordings". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 7.
  10. 1 2 Miller, Michael (June 5, 1992). "Wire Train No Soul No Strain". The State. p. 10D.
  11. Baker, Greg (April 29, 1992). "Program Notes". Miami New Times.
  12. Rasmussen, Eric (June 11, 1992). "Wire Train No Soul No Strain". The Capital Times. p. 1F.