The Graduation Ceremony | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | May 23, 2011 | |||
Recorded | Village Recording; The Carriage House, Los Angeles; Flowers Studio | |||
Genre | indie folk, acoustic | |||
Label | Lonely Astronaut Records | |||
Producer | John Alagia and Joseph Arthur | |||
Joseph Arthur chronology | ||||
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The Graduation Ceremony is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter Joseph Arthur, released on May 23, 2011 on Lonely Astronaut Records. Following two studio albums with backing band, The Lonely Astronauts, The Graduation Ceremony is Arthur's first solo album since Nuclear Daydream (2006), and was initially intended to be a joint release with session drummer Jim Keltner. [1] Prior to the album's release, Arthur noted, "early signs are quite good that people might like it. One can only hope. You do your thing put it out and move on. Artists and sharks are the same." [2] Regarding the album's stripped-back aesthetic, Arthur stated, "I wanted to make something simple." [1]
Produced by John Alagia, the album features Liz Phair, Jim Keltner and Lonely Astronauts bassist Sybil Buck amongst its contributors.
Upon writing the album's opening track, "Out on a Limb", on a friend's guitar, whilst staying in Los Angeles, Arthur subsequently recorded the track, alongside ten others at Sheldon Gomberg's studio, The Carriage House. [3] Arthur noted, "I'm always looking for creative outlets when I'm in L.A., because L.A. scares me. There's a great energy in not being home. So I called Sheldon and I said I had some songs to record, and would he be up for it? He said 'sure', and I said, 'Well I'm already outside. Can I come in?' I went through all these tracks - some old, some brand new ones that I hadn't recorded - on mostly first or second takes, and that was going to be the record." [3]
Eventually deciding that the tracks were "undercooked and underproduced," Arthur contacted session drummer Jim Keltner, who had recently worked with Arthur on the collaborative album, As I Call You Down , and had previously appeared on Arthur's second studio album, Come to Where I'm From , to record drum tracks to the stripped-back acoustic recordings. [3] Arthur subsequently contacted producer John Alagia, who had previously produced Arthur's contribution to the Shrek 2 soundtrack, "You're So True", and the duo began working on the already recorded material, alongside other tracks.
Joseph Arthur is an American singer-songwriter and artist from Akron, Ohio, United States. He is best known for his solo material, and as a member of Fistful of Mercy and RNDM. Arthur has built his reputation over the years through critically acclaimed releases and constant touring; his unique solo live performances often incorporate the use of a number of distortion and loop pedals, and his shows are recorded live at the soundboard and made available to concertgoers immediately following the show on recordable media.
Exile in Guyville is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Liz Phair, released on June 22, 1993 by Matador Records. It was recorded at Idful Music Corporation in Chicago between 1991 and 1993 and produced in collaboration by Phair and Brad Wood. The album received widespread critical and commercial success. In 2020, it was ranked #56 by Rolling Stone in its 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list. As of July 2010, the album had sold 491,000 copies.
The Wind is the twelfth and final studio album by American singer-songwriter Warren Zevon. The album was released on August 26, 2003, by Artemis Records. Zevon began recording the album shortly after he was diagnosed with inoperable pleural mesothelioma, and it was released just two weeks before his death on September 7, 2003. The album was awarded the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album. "Disorder in the House", performed by Zevon and Bruce Springsteen, won Best Rock Vocal Performance. Songs from the album were nominated for an additional three Grammys.
Somebody's Miracle is the fifth album by Liz Phair, released on October 4, 2005 on Capitol Records. From September 2004 through April 2005, she composed fourteen tracks spanning from lo-fi guitar-driven to high-gloss produced tracks. Much like her debut album, Exile in Guyville, Somebody's Miracle was originally modeled after another canonical album, Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder, though only elements of this exist in the final product. The first single, "Everything To Me" was released to radio on August 1, 2005. Somebody's Miracle debuted at #46 on the Billboard 200, and has sold over 83,000 copies in the U.S.
Redemption's Son is the third studio album by Joseph Arthur. The double album was first released in the UK only on May 20, 2002, due to Joseph being dropped by Virgin Records/EMI in the US. Eventually, Enjoy Records picked up the record and released it stateside on November 26, 2002 with a slightly different track listing and alternate artwork.
Real World/Virgin released the album Come to Where I'm From in the States, but when Arthur wanted to start his next project, Virgin backed off. But his overactive muse couldn't wait for corporate support, so he jumped into recording regardless. Arthur ended up with Redemption's Son, plus another two albums' worth of songs, which were released over the course of four EPs called Junkyard Hearts 1-4. "I make three or four records a year, but I've only been able to get 'em out every two or three years," says Arthur.
Life in a Tin Can is the Bee Gees' eleventh studio album, released in January 1973. The Bee Gees travelled to Los Angeles to record Life in a Tin Can. However, it was unable to prevent a commercial decline with the album criticised for a lack of innovation. Despite its low sales and poor chart performance, Life in a Tin Can was awarded "Album of the Year" by Record World magazine. It was the first Bee Gees album to bear the RSO label in the US.
Our Shadows Will Remain is the fourth studio album by Joseph Arthur. The album was released in the US on September 28, 2004 on 12" vinyl and October 12, 2004 on CD, then in the UK on July 11, 2005 on CD and double 12" vinyl. The recording sessions also spawned the companion EP, And the Thieves Are Gone. There were four singles released when the album was picked up for UK distribution by 14th Floor Records. An extensive nationwide tour of the US followed the album's release, including dates with Joan Wasser. In 2005, Arthur went on a brief tour throughout Europe with R.E.M.
Come to Where I'm From is the second studio album by Joseph Arthur, released by Real World Records on April 11, 2000. The album was co-produced by T-Bone Burnett, and features the singles "Chemical" and "In the Sun". Arthur said, "I wanted to get the songs down in a way that was true to them and true to myself. I really wanted them to have humanity in them. I wanted an element of a gamble in it. I think too much music sounds too contained. I wanted it to sound like it could go out of control at any minute. I didn't want it produced to death."
Missing Links is a compilation album of rare and previously unreleased songs by the Monkees, issued by Rhino Records in 1987. It is the first volume of a three-volume set, followed by Missing Links Volume Two in 1990 and Missing Links Volume Three in 1996.
Nuclear Daydream is the fifth full-length album by Joseph Arthur, released on September 19, 2006. It was the first release through Joseph's own record label, Lonely Astronaut Records. The album version of "Enough to Get Away" was the first single in the UK to coincide with the album's release there. A music video was produced for "Slide Away," featuring Joseph and his band The Lonely Astronauts.
Let's Just Be is the sixth studio album by Joseph Arthur, and his first with his backing band The Lonely Astronauts. The album was released on April 17, 2007 in the US, and on September 3, 2007 in the UK. According to Arthur: "the philosophy of the whole record was sort of a letting go, that's why I called it Let's Just Be, because it was like everything about that record [came from] a Zen-like approach. Just letting things be how they are."
Give Thankx is the twelfth album by Jimmy Cliff.
Temporary People is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Joseph Arthur, released on September 30, 2008, on Lonely Astronaut Records. Co-produced by both Arthur and Kenny Siegal – who had previously worked with Arthur on Nuclear Daydream (2006) – the album was recorded with backing band The Lonely Astronauts, and features guest musician Garth Hudson on organ and piano.
Crazy Rain is an EP from singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Joseph Arthur. The 8-song EP was released in the US on April 15, 2008. Crazy Rain is the second in a series of four EPs released in anticipation for the release of Joseph's seventh studio album Temporary People on September 30. From Billboard.com:
For Crazy Rain, Arthur is "working with a lot of drum machines" but doesn't classify the material as techno per se. "It's just more on the edgier, drum machine-side of what I do," he says. "..."I'm using old drum machines and doing home recording-style stuff. It's the most fun to do what you haven't done in awhile [sic]."
Civilized Man is the ninth studio album by the British artist Joe Cocker, released in May 1984, his first on Capitol label. It includes a cover of the 1981 Squeeze hit "Tempted", as well as "There Goes My Baby", a 1959 hit single from The Drifters.
Vagabond Skies is an EP by singer-songwriter Joseph Arthur, released June 10, 2008, and is the third in a series of four EPs released in anticipation of Arthur's seventh studio album, Temporary People. According to Arthur, this EP is "more stripped-down, more acoustic and slower...it's more of a late-night type of music."
This page lists albums, EPs, singles and compilations by musician Joseph Arthur.
As I Call You Down is the debut album by American rock supergroup Fistful of Mercy, released on October 5, 2010.
Solitaire is the thirty-first studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams, released in the fall of 1973 by Columbia Records and was an attempt to move away from his formulaic series of recent releases that relied heavily on songs that other artists had made popular.
The Ballad of Boogie Christ is the tenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Joseph Arthur, released on June 11, 2013 on Real World and Lonely Astronaut Records. A concept album, The Ballad of Boogie Christ follows "a fictionalized character loosely based on [Arthur’s] own journey," and was funded by a PledgeMusic campaign.