The White Songbook

Last updated
The White Songbook
TWS.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 28, 2001
RecordedThe Electric Joy Toy Company
Genre Synthpop/Electropop
Length1:00:41
Label BEC Recordings
Producer Ronnie Martin
Joy Electric chronology
Unelectric
(2000)
The White Songbook
(2001)
Starcadia
(2002)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
The Phantom Tollbooth Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [2]

The White Songbook is the fifth studio album by Joy Electric, and the first in the band's ongoing Legacy series. The album has a "book" theme, with the songs logically divided into "chapters," which are also songs. These chapters are "The White Songbook," "Hunter Green and Other Histories," "As Children We Are Growing Younger," and "A Frog in the Pond." The introductions to these chapters are relatively short instrumentals, with the exception of "The White Songbook," which is much longer and features spoken text.

The White Songbook marked the beginning of Joy Electric's practice of recording entire albums using only one synthesizer. The White Songbook was created entirely on the Roland System 100 synthesizer.[ citation needed ]

The White Songbook almost completely leaves the more recognizably "pop" sound of Joy Electric's previous works, both revealing a much more layered and complex sound, as well as a much more progressive musical style with many songs exceeding the five-minute mark.

Track listing

  1. "The White Songbook" – 4:15
  2. "Shepherds of the Northern Pasture" – 6:12
  3. "And Without Help We Perish" – 5:12
  4. "The Boy Who Never Forgot" – 3:51
  5. "Unicornucopia" – 6:42
  6. "Hunter Green and Other Histories" – 1:39
  7. "A New Pirate Traditional" – 3:42
  8. "We Are Rock" – 3:35
  9. "The Good Will Not Be Cloned or Why Should the Christians Get All the Bad Music" – 3:33
  10. "As Children We Are Growing Younger" – 1:41
  11. "Sing Once for Me" – 6:31
  12. "The Heritage Bough" – 6:45
  13. "A Frog in the Pond" – 0:27
  14. "The Songbook Tells All" – 6:29

Related Research Articles

Shine On You Crazy Diamond

"Shine On You Crazy Diamond" is a nine-part Pink Floyd composition written by David Gilmour, Roger Waters, and Richard Wright. It appeared on Pink Floyd's 1975 concept album Wish You Were Here. The song is written about and dedicated to Syd Barrett, who left the band in 1968 due to deteriorating mental health.

<i>Junta</i> (album) 1989 studio album by Phish

Junta is the debut studio album by the American rock band Phish. The album was self-released by the band in May 1989 without the support from a record label, and received a wider release when Elektra Records reissued it on compact disc in 1992. Junta was preceded by two demo recordings – The White Tape (1986) and The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday (1987) – which circulated among the band's fanbase but did not receive an official release.

Joy Electric is the brand label for a series of electropop/synthpop productions by Ronnie Martin. Martin began producing music under the Joy Electric name in 1994, after the demise of Dance House Children, a band Ronnie was in with his brother Jason Martin of Starflyer 59. Starflyer 59 bass player and Velvet Blue Music owner Jeff Cloud joined Joy Electric from 1996 until 2002. Joy Electric is currently a solo act.

<i>Movement</i> (New Order album) 1981 studio album by New Order

Movement is the debut studio album by English rock band New Order, released on 13 November 1981 by Factory Records. At the time of its release, the album was not particularly well-received by critics or audiences, only peaking at number thirty on the UK Albums Chart. However, retrospective critical reception has been very positive.

Have a Cigar

"Have a Cigar" is the third track on Pink Floyd's 1975 album Wish You Were Here. It follows "Welcome to the Machine" and on the original LP opened side two. In some markets, the song was issued as a single. The song, written by Waters, is his critique of the rampant greed and cynicism so prevalent in the management of rock groups of that era.

Speed of Sound (song) 2005 song by Coldplay

"Speed of Sound" is a song by British rock band Coldplay. It was written by all members of the band for their third studio album, X&Y (2005). Constructed around a piano and guitar riff, the song builds into a huge, synthesiser-heavy chorus. It was released by Parlophone Records as the lead single from the album. "Speed of Sound" was released in the US and UK on 18 April 2005, and then made its radio premiere on BBC Radio 1 with Lamacq on the day of the release on 19 April. The single was pressed with two B-sides: "Things I Don't Understand" and "Proof". The song premiered in the UK on 23 May.

The Headhunters

The Headhunters were an American jazz-fusion band formed by Herbie Hancock in 1973. The group fused jazz, funk, and rock music.

Welcome to the Machine Song by Pink Floyd

"Welcome to the Machine" is the second song on Pink Floyd's 1975 album Wish You Were Here. It features heavily processed synthesizers and acoustic guitars, as well as a wide range of tape effects. Both the music and the lyrics were written by bassist Roger Waters.

<i>Robot Rock</i> (album) 1997 studio album by Joy Electric

Robot Rock is the third full-length album by Joy Electric, released in 1997. It is the group's best-selling album.

<i>Christian Songs</i> (album) 1999 studio album by Joy Electric

Christian Songs is the fourth studio album by the electropop band Joy Electric. A music video was recorded for "Children of the Lord." In 2006, it was rereleased on iTunes, along with Robot Rock and Melody. This album remains to this day the most overtly spiritual Joy Electric release, as the title suggests. Tracks such as "The Magic Of" and "Singing in Gee" maintain the distinct fantasy theme from Joy Electric's previous two albums, whereas tracks such as "Children of the Lord" and the cover "Make My Life a Prayer" speak in very plain and certain terms of Martin's devotion to God.

<i>Now We Are Six</i> (album) 1974 studio album by Steeleye Span

Now We Are Six is an album by the British folk rock band Steeleye Span. Its title refers to both its sequence among their albums, and the band's size, in light of the addition of drummer Nigel Pegrum. It reached number 13 in the UK albums chart.

Mama (Genesis song)

"Mama" is a song by the English rock band Genesis, released as the first single in 1983 from their self-titled album. It is recognisable for its harsh drum machine introduction composed by Mike Rutherford, which leads into minimalist synthesizer lines in a minor tonality and finally Phil Collins' reverb-laden voice. It remains the band's most successful single in the UK, peaking at No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart. It also made the top 10 in Switzerland, Austria, Norway, Ireland and the Netherlands. It was less popular in the US, only reaching No. 73 on the Billboard Hot 100. A 1992 re-release of the single managed to reach the Top 40 in Germany.

<i>Dr. Heckle and Mr. Jive</i> (England Dan & John Ford Coley album) 1979 studio album by England Dan & John Ford Coley

Dr. Heckle and Mr. Jive is the seventh and final studio album by the pop rock duo England Dan & John Ford Coley. The single "Love Is the Answer" was an American hit, reaching number ten on the Billboard Hot 100. Two other songs on the album later became country and pop hits for other artists: "Broken Hearted Me" was a success for Anne Murray in 1979, and Michael Martin Murphey scored a hit with "What's Forever For" in 1982.

<i>Abandoned Luncheonette</i> 1973 studio album by Hall & Oates

Abandoned Luncheonette is the second studio album by the American pop rock duo Hall & Oates, released in 1973, which combines folk, Philly soul, and acoustic soul. It is the most commercially successful of their Atlantic Records period; the album reached #33 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tapes chart. Twenty-nine years after its release, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.

<i>Dicks Picks Volume 31</i> 2004 live album by Grateful Dead

Dick's Picks Volume 31 is the 31st installment in the Grateful Dead's archival live album series. It was recorded on August 4 and 5, 1974 at the Philadelphia Civic Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and on August 6, 1974 at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was released as a four-disc CD in March 2004.

<i>Dwarf Mountain Alphabet</i> 2012 studio album by Joy Electric

Dwarf Mountain Alphabet is an album by Joy Electric. This album was self-produced by Ronnie Martin after a successful Kickstarter campaign after a break with Tooth & Nail Records.

<i>Cinemagic</i> (Dave Grusin album) 1987 studio album by Dave Grusin

Cinemagic is an album by American pianist Dave Grusin released in 1987, recorded for the GRP label. The album features Grusin's work as a film composer.

<i>Worship and Believe</i> 2016 studio album by Steven Curtis Chapman

Worship and Believe is the sixteenth studio album by Steven Curtis Chapman. Essential Worship alongside Reunion Records released the album on March 4, 2016.

<i>Electric Lady Sessions</i> 2019 live album by LCD Soundsystem

Electric Lady Sessions is a live in-studio album by American rock band LCD Soundsystem. It was released on February 8, 2019, through DFA and Columbia Records. It was recorded over a three-day span at Electric Lady Studios in Manhattan, New York, during their American Dream Tour. The session featured a twelve-song setlist that included covers of songs by Heaven 17, Chic, and the Human League.

Country Things Vol. 1 is the tenth studio album by American country musician Granger Smith, released on September 25, 2020. Work on the album began in early 2019, but the death of Smith's 3-year-old son put the album on hold. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Smith was able to focus on writing songs again and completing the album. The first single from the album, "That's Why I Love Dirt Roads", was released in October 2019.

References

  1. Allmusic review
  2. Farmer, Michail (September 13, 2001). "The White Songbook". The Phantom Tollbooth.