Vicarious (album)

Last updated

Vicarious
Vicarious by Strawpeople.jpg
Studio album by
Released1996
StudioThe Lab, Auckland, New Zealand
Genre Electronic
Length51:06
Label Columbia
Producer
Strawpeople chronology
Broadcast
(1994)
Vicarious
(1996)
100 Street Transistors
(1997)
Singles from Vicarious
  1. "Taller Than God"
    Released: 1996
  2. "Boxers"
    Released: 1996
  3. "Spoiler"
    Released: 1997

Vicarious is the fourth studio album by New Zealand band Strawpeople, featuring vocalist Fiona McDonald. Released in 1996 by Columbia Records, the electronic album produced by McDonald and Strawpeople member Paul Casserly was commercially successful, staying on the New Zealand charts for nearly six months and peaking at #4. [1] [2] [3] [4] It was also awarded Album of the Year at the 1997 New Zealand Music Awards. [1] [5]

Contents

Development

The album was originally intended to feature Victoria Kelly as the vocalist and her and Casserly began writing songs together. However, she left New Zealand to study at a music school in the United States early in the album's development. This resulted in McDonald, a singer previously featured on Strawpeople tracks who was searching for a new musical project, being selected as the new vocalist. Casserly and McDonald wrote the songs for the album in McDonald's spare room at her Grey Lynn home as well as in Casserly's lounge. [1] [5] Kelly, Jeremy Morrow, Greg Johnson, and Mark Tierney (former member of Strawpeople who left the band in February 1996 [5] ) are also credited as songwriters throughout the album. [2] [3] [5] The album was then recorded at The Lab Studios in Auckland and mixed at Studios 301 in Sydney. [3] [5]

Composition

Vicarious is distinct compared to other releases by Strawpeople, which contain numerous different vocalists and a number of covers. Comparatively, the album is absent of covers and McDonald is the sole vocalist. [1] [5] Casserly has stated that the album lacked cover songs as the band "realised that [their] own songs were doing better than the covers," referring to the success of their original songs from previous albums such as "Sweet Disorder" and "Trick With A Knife," the latter song reaching the top 40 in Australia. [1] However, by the band's next studio album, 2000's No New Messages, they had returned to a mixture of covers and original material. [1] [5]

Singles

Three singles were released from Vicarious. The first, "Taller Than God," spent 9 weeks on the New Zealand charts and reached #19. [1] [6] The next two singles, "Boxers" and "Spoiler," reached the charts but were less successful, peaking at #44 and #47 respectively. [7] [8] Two of the singles earned nominations at the New Zealand Music Awards: "Taller Than God" was nominated for Single of the Year [1] and "Boxers" was nominated for Best Songwriter. [9]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Taller Than God"
4:32
2."Porcelain Hands"
  • Casserly
  • Victoria Kelly
  • McDonald
  • Mark Tierney
4:30
3."Gypsies"
  • Casserly
  • Kelly
  • McDonald
  • Tierney
3:27
4."Spoiler"
  • Casserly
  • McDonald
4:40
5."Somebody Else"
  • Casserly
  • McDonald
4:34
6."Receiving"Casserly5:53
7."Boxers"
3:42
8."Static Symphony"
  • Casserly
  • McDonald
5:34
9."Twisted"
  • McDonald
  • Jeremy Morrow
4:05
10."Neon"
  • Casserly
  • McDonald
5:45
11."Inject Me"
  • Casserly
  • McDonald
3:39
12."Vicarious"McDonald0:40
Total length:51:06

Sources: Spotify [2] and CD liner. [3]

Personnel

Source: CD liner. [3]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1996)Peak
position
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [4] 4

Year-end charts

Chart (1996)Position
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [10] 44

Related Research Articles

<i>Zenyatta Mondatta</i> 1980 studio album by the Police

Zenyatta Mondatta is the third studio album by British rock band the Police, released on 3 October 1980 by A&M Records. It was co-produced by the band and Nigel Gray.

<i>October</i> (U2 album) 1981 studio album by U2

October is the second studio album by Irish rock band U2. It was released on 12 October 1981 by Island Records, and was produced by Steve Lillywhite. The album was lyrically inspired by the memberships of Bono, the Edge, and Larry Mullen Jr. in a Christian group called the Shalom Fellowship, and consequently it contains spiritual and religious themes. Their involvement with Shalom Fellowship led them to question the relationship between the Christian faith and the "rock and roll" lifestyle, and threatened to break up the band.

<i>Portishead</i> (album) 1997 studio album by Portishead

Portishead is the second studio album by the English electronic music group Portishead, released on 29 September 1997 by Go! Discs.

OMC, or Otara Millionaires Club, were a New Zealand music group, then duo, with vocalist Pauly Fuemana later becoming the sole member. OMC was best known for the 1996 hit "How Bizarre", named one of the greatest New Zealander songs of all time by the Australasian Performing Right Association. The full name of the band is a tongue-in-cheek reference to Ōtara's status as one of the poorest suburbs of Auckland.

<i>Listen Like Thieves</i> 1985 studio album by INXS

Listen Like Thieves is the fifth studio album by Australian rock band INXS. It was released on 14 October 1985. It spent two weeks at number one on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart. Considered an international breakthrough album for the band, it peaked at No. 11 on the United States Billboard 200, No. 24 on the Canadian RPM 100 Albums and in the top 50 in the United Kingdom.

<i>X</i> (INXS album) 1990 studio album by INXS

X is the seventh studio album by Australian rock band INXS, released on 25 September 1990 through WEA in Australia, Mercury Records in Europe, and Atlantic Records in the United States and Canada. The follow-up to the massive seller Kick, X scored hits with "Suicide Blonde" and "Disappear". Both singles were later used in the soundtrack to the 1991 American teen comedy Mystery Date. Two other singles from X were "Bitter Tears" and "By My Side" but they had less chart success. A fifth single, "The Stairs", was only issued in the Netherlands to coincide with the release of the Live Baby Live album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Tide Is High</span> 1967 single by the Paragons

"The Tide Is High" is a 1967 rocksteady song written by John Holt, originally produced by Duke Reid and performed by the Jamaican group the Paragons, with Holt as lead singer. The song gained international attention in 1980, when a cover version by the American band Blondie became a US and UK number one hit. The song topped the UK Singles Chart again in 2002 with a version by the British girl group Atomic Kitten, while Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall had a minor hit with his interpretation in 2008.

<i>The Best of David Bowie 1969/1974</i> 1997 compilation album by David Bowie

The Best of David Bowie 1969/1974 is a compilation album by English singer-songwriter David Bowie, released by EMI in 1997. The US release of the album was pulled from the stores because of multiple inaccuracies in the credits and liner notes. It was re-released by EMI-CAPITOL Entertainment Properties the following year (1998) in the US as part of the essential collection, with a new cover and corrected information as a limited edition. This album was also included as the first disc of the compilation The Platinum Collection (2005/2006).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sugababes discography</span>

The discography of the British girl group Sugababes consists of eight studio albums, four compilation album, four extended plays, thirty-four singles, two video albums, six promotional singles, and thirty music videos. The Sugababes were formed in 1998 and, at various times, featured three vocalists from Siobhán Donaghy, Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan, Heidi Range, Amelle Berrabah, and Jade Ewen.

<i>10,000 Days</i> (Tool album) 2006 studio album by Tool

10,000 Days is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Tool. The album was released by Tool Dissectional and Volcano Entertainment on April 28, 2006 in parts of Europe, April 29, 2006 in Australia, May 1, 2006 in the United Kingdom, and on May 2, 2006 in North America. It marked the first time since recording 1993's Undertow that the band had worked at Grandmaster and without producer David Bottrill. 10,000 Days spawned three top ten rock singles: "Vicarious," "The Pot," and "Jambi."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annie Crummer</span> New Zealand singer

Anne Crummer is a New Zealand pop singer and songwriter of Cook Islands descent who has seen success in both a solo career and as part of various musical groups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juice (Headless Chickens song)</span> 1992 single by Headless Chickens

"Juice" is a song by New Zealand rock band Headless Chickens, released as a single in 1992. The track was originally titled "Dreamchild", having been written and performed by Fiona McDonald for Strawpeople. When McDonald later joined the Headless Chickens, the song was reworked and renamed "Juice". It was released as a double A-side with "Choppers" and peaked at number seven on the New Zealand Singles Chart, staying on the chart for 15 weeks. In Australia, the track was voted in at number 44 on the Triple J Hottest 100 of 1993. In 1994, a 12-inch vinyl disc was issued in the United Kingdom featuring two remixes by Ollie J.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tenacious D discography</span>

The discography of Tenacious D, an American comedy rock band, consists of four studio albums, one live album, one extended play (EP), six singles, two video albums, ten music videos and four other appearances. Formed in Los Angeles, California in 1994, the band is a duo composed of lead vocalist Jack Black and lead acoustic guitarist Kyle Gass, who perform with additional members during "full band" shows. After signing with Epic Records, the band released its self-titled debut album in 2001, which featured Dave Grohl on drums, Warren Fitzgerald on electric guitar and Steven McDonald on bass, among other contributors. The album reached number 33 on the US Billboard 200 and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Lead single "Tribute" peaked at number 4 on the Australian Singles Chart, where it was certified platinum, and number 9 on the New Zealand Singles Chart, where it was certified gold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billie Piper discography</span> Pop music singer discography

The discography of Billie Piper, a British pop music singer, consists of two studio albums, two compilation albums, and nine singles. Piper debuted in the early 1990s as an actress, appearing in several television advertisements. She signed a recording contract with Innocent Records, a subsidiary of Virgin Records, in 1998.

Strawpeople are a New Zealand band. They were created by Paul Casserly and Mark Tierney after they had met while working at the Auckland university radio station now known as 95 bFM. Over the years, Strawpeople has brought together various New Zealand songwriters, vocalists and musicians in a collaborative effort and achieved some success.

Fiona Maude McDonald is a New Zealand pop singer and television personality.

<i>A Star Is Born</i> (1976 soundtrack) 1976 soundtrack album by Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson

A Star Is Born is the soundtrack album to the 1976 musical film of the same name, performed by its stars Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson. The album was very successful, holding the number-one spot on the US Billboard 200 chart for six weeks and eventually was certified 4× Platinum by the RIAA for more than four million units shipped and has sold a total of eight million copies worldwide.

<i>Who</i> (album) 2019 studio album by The Who

Who is the twelfth studio album by the English rock band The Who, released on 6 December 2019. The band's first new studio album in thirteen years, and the second overall comprising the duo of vocalist Roger Daltrey and instrumentalist Pete Townshend, it comprises ballads, rock music, electronic experimentation and "classic Who-ish" songs, according to Townshend.

<i>Stunt Clown</i> 1988 studio album by Headless Chickens

Stunt Clown is the debut full-length studio album by the New Zealand rock band Headless Chickens. The album, released in 1988 through Flying Nun Records, peaked at number 18 in the New Zealand charts. Primarily produced by Rex Vizible and Roland Morris as well as the Headless Chickens themselves, Strawpeople member Mark Tierney also served production duties on the album's bonus tracks. It was reissued in 1995, affixed with the tracks featured in the band's 1986 EP that had previously been included in some international releases of Stunt Clown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taller Than God</span> 1996 single by Strawpeople

"Taller Than God" is a song released by New Zealand electronic band Strawpeople in 1996 as the lead single from their fourth album Vicarious. Written and produced by core Strawpeople member Paul Casserly and singer-songwriter Fiona McDonald, the track reached the top 20 of the New Zealand singles chart and was a finalist for Single of the Year at the New Zealand Music Awards.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Strawpeople - part two. Audioculture. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 Vicarious by Strawpeople. Spotify. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Vicarious (CD liner). Strawpeople. New Zealand: Columbia Records. 1996. 485270 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. 1 2 "Charts.nz – Strawpeople – Vicarious". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Strawpeople. Muzic.net.nz. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  6. "Charts.nz – Strawpeople – Taller Than God". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  7. "Charts.nz – Strawpeople – Boxers". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 24, 2020
  8. "Charts.nz – Strawpeople – Spoiler". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  9. Award History (search for 'Boxers'). Aotearoa Music Awards. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  10. Top Selling Albums of 1996. The Official New Zealand Music Chart. Retrieved November 24, 2020.