Splendor Solis (album)

Last updated
Splendor Solis
Splendor Solis.jpg
Studio album by
Released11 June 1993 (Canada)
January 1994 (United States)
StudioWhite Crow Audio, Burlington, Vermont
Genre Hard rock
Length56:07
Label
Producer Jeff Martin
The Tea Party chronology
The Tea Party
(1991)
Splendor Solis
(1993)
The Edges of Twilight
(1995)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg link

Splendor Solis is the second album by Canadian rock band The Tea Party, released in 1993 as their first major label release on EMI Music Canada. The album sold very well in Canada, reaching #20 on the Canadian album chart and achieving platinum status in 1994 and earning a Juno nomination for Best Hard Rock Album. The band was also nominated for Best New Group.

Contents

Overview

The album draws heavily on the rock and blues of the 1970s, as well as displaying some psychedelic influences. As a result, The Tea Party was often compared to Led Zeppelin, a parallel that was reinforced by Jeff Martin playing guitar with a violin bow (not unlike Jimmy Page) on "Save Me". Martin's appearance, voice and singing style also drew comparisons to those of Jim Morrison, as did some of the album's lyrics.

"Sure," said Stuart Chatwood said of these comparisons "we draw from 70s rock as much as the other influences we've talked about. You can't ignore the power that Led Zeppelin or The Doors had, and there are elements of those influences in our songs, but it's a cop out to then write us off as some retro act. If people listen closely, they'll appreciate the originality of what we're doing, time changes. The fact that Jeff's a rock baritone doesn't justify the laziness of critics who slag him as a Morrison wanna-be." [1]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."The River"5:44
2."Midsummer Day"5:58
3."A Certain Slant of Light"5:00
4."Winter Solstice"2:45
5."Save Me"6:35
6."Sun Going Down"6:31
7."In This Time"4:57
8."Dreams of Reason"6:19
9."Raven Skies"5:17
10."Haze on the Hills"2:24
11."The Majestic Song"4:37

Singles

Music videos directed by Floria Sigismondi.

Re-recorded songs

Splendor Solis includes re-recordings of several songs from the band's independent album, The Tea Party :

Personnel

Charts

Chart performance for Splendor Solis
Chart (1994)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [2] 30
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [3] 44

Sales

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada175,000 [4]
United States24,000 [4]

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"The last two records, Transmission and Triptych, were very much creations of the studio - meticulously built. With this record we felt that we wanted to put a spark of passion underneath our asses.


"So many people have told us that we're this great live rock band, and I just wanted to see if, as producer, I could capture that on this record. I put us in a rehearsal space, the three of us, faced each other with just guitar, bass and drums - no toys - and, you know, 'let's Rock!'" The new approach fired the band up to such an extent that the album was recorded in just twenty days - "unheard of" for The Tea Party, Martin says.

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References

  1. Stuart Chatwood, Turning music into gold April 1994, Beat, Melbourne, Australia.
  2. "Australiancharts.com – The Tea Party – Splendor Solis". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  3. "Charts.nz – The Tea Party – Splendor Solis". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  4. 1 2 LeBlanc, Larry (August 7, 1999). "Canadian Acts Struggle For U.S. Release". Billboard. p. 54. Retrieved September 10, 2023.