Bedlam Ballroom Explained
Bedlam Ballroom is a studio album by the swing revival band Squirrel Nut Zippers, released in 2000.[3] [4] It followed several major personnel changes. The album reflects a stylistic shift, with the band incorporating a broader ranges of styles, instrumentation, and production approaches. The band broke up after the release of the album, eventually reuniting in 2007.[5]
The album peaked at No. 195 on the Billboard 200.[6]
Critical reception
Exclaim! wrote that the band have "abandoned their adherence to '30s recording techniques, and though a bit of the charm is lost, thankfully these Zippers ain't slick."[7] CMJ New Music Monthly wrote that the album finds SNZ "nearly as eclectic as ever, but more generic too."[8] Variety thought that the album "can easily be considered their best for, if nothing else, they reclaim a time when music was unsure of itself, an era when Louis Armstrong had given up on the music of his youth to build a wider audience through pop numbers and show tunes."[9]
Track listing
All songs written by Jimbo Mathus except where noted.
- "Bedbugs" – 3:12
- "Baby Wants a Diamond Ring" – 3:25
- "Do What?" – 2:42
- "Bent Out of Shape" – 2:47
- "Stop Drop and Roll" – 2:58
- "Hush" – 4:12
- "It All Depends" – 3:47
- "Bedlam Ballroom" (Stacy Guess) – 2:15
- "Just This Side of Blue" – 3:08
- "Don't Fix It" – 3:33
- "Missing Link" – 3:21
- "Bedlam Reprise" – :21
- "Do It This a Way" – 2:33
Details
- "Bedlam Ballroom" first appeared on the band's 1997 EP Sold Out as a live recording.
- Mathus sings lead vocals on tracks 1, 3, 5, 10, and 13; Katharine Whalen sings lead on tracks 2, 4, 6, 7, and 9.
- Most editions of the CD case have a lenticular cover. The cover artwork was created by artist Michael Doret.
Personnel
- Jimbo Mathus – vocals, guitar, bass guitar, Chamberlin, ukulele, banjo
- Katharine Whalen – vocals, banjo, baritone ukulele
- Tim Smith – alto, baritone, and tenor saxophones, flute, background vocals
- Reese Gray – piano, tack piano, Hammond B3 organ
- David Wright – piano, Wurlitzer, trombone, background vocals
- Je Widenhouse – trumpet
- Stuart Cole – bass guitar, background vocals
- Chris Phillips – drums, percussion, gong
Additional musicians
- Andrew Bird – violin
- Mike Napolitano – guitar
- George Rossi – bass
- Gabo Tomasini – congas
- Giustino Riccio – timbales
- Greg Humphreys – background vocals
Notes and References
- Web site: Squirrel Nut Zippers: Bedlam Ballroom. Sean. Daly. JazzTimes.
- Web site: Squirrel Nut Zippers: Bedlam Ballroom. October 16, 2000. PopMatters.
- Web site: Squirrel Nut Zippers | Biography & History. AllMusic.
- Web site: Squirrel Nut Zippers Unleash 'Bedlam'. Billboard. September 16, 2000. Google Books.
- Night Life. The New Yorker.
- Squirrel Nut Zippers. Billboard.
- Web site: Squirrel Nut Zippers Bedlam Ballroom. exclaim.ca.
- Web site: Reviews. CMJ New Music Monthly. November 3, 2000. Google Books.
- Web site: Squirrel Nut Zippers. Phil. Gallo. Variety. November 15, 2000.
