Scavenger (album)

Last updated
Scavenger
Scavenger Walkabouts album.jpg
Studio album by The Walkabouts
Released September 01, 1991
Recorded September/October, 1990
Genre Alternative rock, alternative country
Length42:12
Label Sub Pop
Producer Gary Smith
The Walkabouts chronology
Rag & Bone
(1990) Rag & Bone1990		Scavenger
(1991)		 New West Motel
(1993) New West Motel1993

Scavenger is the fourth album by The Walkabouts released September 1, 1991 on Sub Pop Records. [1] It received national exposure in the United States through NPR. The album is available in various forms (CD, cassette, digital download) from Amazon.com and as digital download from iTunes Store in the US and the United Kingdom among others.

The Walkabouts

The Walkabouts were an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1984. The core members were vocalist Carla Torgerson and vocalist and songwriter Chris Eckman. Although the rest of the line-up changed occasionally, for most of the time the other members were Michael Wells, Glenn Slater and Terri Moeller.

NPR non-profit membership media organization

National Public Radio is an American privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization based in Washington, D.C. NPR differs from other non-profit membership media organizations, such as AP, in that it was established by an act of Congress and most of its member stations are owned by government entities. It serves as a national syndicator to a network of over 1,000 public radio stations in the United States.

Contents

Scavenger was produced by Gary Smith and features guest appearances by Brian Eno and Natalie Merchant. [2]

Brian Eno English musician, composer, record producer and visual artist

Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno, RDI is an English musician, record producer, and visual artist. He is best known for his pioneering work in ambient music and contributions to rock, pop, electronic, and generative music. A self-described "non-musician", Eno has helped introduce a variety of conceptual approaches and recording techniques to contemporary music, advocating a methodology of "theory over practice, serendipity over forethought, and texture over craft" according to AllMusic. He has been described as one of popular music's most influential and innovative figures.

Natalie Merchant American singer-songwriter

Natalie Anne Merchant is an American alternative rock singer-songwriter. She joined the folk rock band 10,000 Maniacs in 1981, and was lead singer and primary lyricist for the group. She remained with the group for their first five albums and left it to begin her solo career in 1993. She has since released seven studio albums.

Track listing

Source: AllMusic [3]

All songs written by The Walkabouts, except where noted. All lyrics written by Chris Eckman, except where noted.

  1. "Dead Man Rise" – 3:27
  2. "Stir the Ashes" – 3:45
  3. "The Night Watch" – 3:28
  4. "Hangman" – 4:59
  5. "Where the Deep Water Goes" – 3:11
  6. "Blown Away" – 3:43
  7. "Nothing Is a Stranger" – 4:18
  8. "Let's Burn Down the Cornfield" (Randy Newman) – 2:51
  9. "River Blood" – 3:03
  10. "Train to Mercy" (string arrangement by Mark Nichols) – 9:27

The album was recorded at Steve Larsons Studios in Seattle during September and October 1990. Mixing was done in October 1990 at The Carriage House, Stanford, Connecticut. "River Blood" was remixed by Gary Smith and Matt Lane in December 1990 at The Carriage House. Additional recordings were done in the Skyline Studios, New York. The album was mastered at the Skyline Studios.

Seattle City in Washington, United States

Seattle is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With an estimated 730,000 residents as of 2018, Seattle is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region of North America. According to U.S. Census data released in 2018, the Seattle metropolitan area’s population stands at 3.87 million, and ranks as the 15th largest in the United States. In July 2013, it was the fastest-growing major city in the United States and remained in the Top 5 in May 2015 with an annual growth rate of 2.1%. In July 2016, Seattle was again the fastest-growing major U.S. city, with a 3.1% annual growth rate. Seattle is the northernmost large city in the United States.

Connecticut state of the United States of America

Connecticut is the southernmost state in the New England region of the United States. As of the 2010 Census, it has the highest per-capita income, Human Development Index (0.962), and median household income in the United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capital is Hartford and its most populous city is Bridgeport. It is part of New England, although portions of it are often grouped with New York and New Jersey as the Tri-state area. The state is named for the Connecticut River which approximately bisects the state. The word "Connecticut" is derived from various anglicized spellings of an Algonquian word for "long tidal river".

Release history [1]

Region Date Label Format Catalog
United States September 1, 1991 Sub Pop Records CD SP124 [4]
Germany 1991 SPCD 019/161
LP SP 019/161
Glitterhouse Records CD GRCD 161

Personnel

The Walkabouts
Organ (music) musical keyboard instrument

In music, the organ is a keyboard instrument of one or more pipe divisions or other means for producing tones, each played with its own keyboard, played either with the hands on a keyboard or with the feet using pedals. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria, who invented the water organ. It was played throughout the Ancient Greek and Ancient Roman world, particularly during races and games. During the early medieval period it spread from the Byzantine Empire, where it continued to be used in secular (non-religious) and imperial court music, to Western Europe, where it gradually assumed a prominent place in the liturgy of the Catholic Church. Subsequently it re-emerged as a secular and recital instrument in the Classical music tradition.

Piano musical instrument

The piano is an acoustic, stringed musical instrument invented in Italy by Bartolomeo Cristofori around the year 1700, in which the strings are struck by hammers. It is played using a keyboard, which is a row of keys that the performer presses down or strikes with the fingers and thumbs of both hands to cause the hammers to strike the strings.

Synthesizer electronic instrument capable of producing a wide range of sounds

A synthesizer or synthesiser is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals that may be converted to sound. Synthesizers may imitate traditional musical instruments such as piano, flute, vocals, or natural sounds such as ocean waves; or generate novel electronic timbres. They are often played with a musical keyboard, but they can be controlled via a variety of other devices, including music sequencers, instrument controllers, fingerboards, guitar synthesizers, wind controllers, and electronic drums. Synthesizers without built-in controllers are often called sound modules, and are controlled via USB, MIDI or CV/gate using a controller device, often a MIDI keyboard or other controller.

Additional musician
Mandolin musical instrument in the lute family (plucked, or strummed)

A mandolin is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is usually plucked with a plectrum or "pick". It commonly has four courses of doubled metal strings tuned in unison, although five and six course versions also exist. The courses are normally tuned in a succession of perfect fifths. It is the soprano member of a family that includes the mandola, octave mandolin, mandocello and mandobass.

Tambourine musical instrument in the percussion family

The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all. Tambourines are often used with regular percussion sets. They can be mounted, for example on a stand as part of a drum kit, or they can be held in the hands and played by tapping or hitting the instrument.

Bravura String Quartet

strings on "Train to Mercy"

Technical personnel
Additional personnel

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [3]
The Village Voice Scissors icon black.svg [5]
The Washington Post (mixed) [6]

Jason Ankeny writing in a positive review for AllMusic said: "like its predecessors, Cataract,[Scavenger] refines the Walkabouts' sound even as the band's scope broadens." [3]

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References

  1. 1 2 The Walkabouts at Discogs
  2. ↑ Schinder, Scott (1997). "The Walkabouts". In Ira A. Robbins. The Trouser Press Guide to 90's Rock: The All-New Fifth Edition of The Trouser Press Record Guide (5th ed.). A Fireside Book Published by Simon & Schuster. ISBN   9780684814377 . Retrieved 28 May 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 Jason Ankeny (1991). "Scavenger, The Walkabouts > Review". AllMusic . Retrieved 2012-05-28.
  4. ↑ "Sub Pop, The Walkabouts, Scavenger". Sub Pop Records . Retrieved 2012-11-13.
  5. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1992-01-28). "Consumer Guide Jan. 28, 1992". The Village Voice.
  6. ↑ Jenkins, Mark; Jenkins, Mark (1992-02-23). "Beyond Nirvana: Seattle Bands Worth Checking Out". The Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2017-08-12.
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