Teenage Symphonies to God explained

Teenage Symphonies to God
Type:studio
Artist:Velvet Crush
Border:yes
Released:1994
Genre:Power pop
Label:550 Music/Epic[1]
Producer:Mitch Easter, Velvet Crush
Prev Title:The Post-Greatness EP
Prev Year:1992
Next Title:Heavy Changes
Next Year:1998

Teenage Symphonies to God is the second album by the American band Velvet Crush, released in 1994.[2] [3] The title of the album is a reference to Brian Wilson's description of the music he was creating for Smile.[4] Teenage Symphonies to God had sold around 20,000 copies by the end of the 1990s.[5]

The band supported the album by opening for the Jesus and Mary Chain and Mazzy Star on a North American tour.[6]

Production

"Why Not Your Baby" was written by Gene Clark; "Something's Gotta Give" is a cover of the Matthew Sweet song.[7] [8] The album was produced by Mitch Easter and the band.[9] [1] Recorded in Winston-Salem, the album's original songs were written by the three band members; some work was also done at Charlotte's Reflection Studios.[10] Greg Leisz contributed pedal steel to a few songs.[11]

The cover artwork is an homage to Frank Holmes's work on Smile.[12]

Critical reception

The Washington Post thought that the music "is rooted in the ambitious pop-rock of the bands such as Yardbirds and the Byrds ... but most closely resembles the eclectic '60s-rock revivalism of '80s groups like Game Theory."[8] Trouser Press wrote that the "tone is warmer, more intimate... Lyrics face difficulties with equal parts compassion and confusion—and little emotional success."[13] The Chicago Tribune considered that, "unlike other Radio City admirers, the Velvet Crush not only rocks the melodies and draws blood on the ballads, but gets at the underlying sadness that permeated Big Star's tunes."

Rolling Stone opined that, "while Velvet Crush have no problems crafting such catchy major-key, tambourine-shaking testaments to heartfelt longing as 'Hold Me Up', the group ultimately suffers from sonic myopia."[14] Stereo Review called the album "top-to-bottom great," writing that, "if there's symphonic grandeur here, it's more implied than elaborated on, but it can be divined in touches like the mesmerizing riff and circular, overlapping vocals that float through the unforgettably lovely 'Time Wraps Around You'."[15] The Telegram & Gazette noted that the album "delicately balances the band's songwriting craftsmanship and the inherent throw-away nature of pop music, harkening back to a time when the picture of screaming teens attending a Rolling Stones concert was almost as powerful as the music itself."[16]

AllMusic wrote that "Velvet Crush manage to inject a real enthusiasm and freshness in the standard three-minute pop song." MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide deemed the album "a compelling and important work that deserves attention."

Personnel

Notes and References

  1. Album reviews — Teenage Symphonies to God by Velvet Crush . Billboard . Jul 30, 1994 . 106 . 31 . 50.
  2. Web site: Velvet Crush Biography, Songs, & Albums. AllMusic. 2021-09-20. 2021-09-20. https://web.archive.org/web/20210920221258/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/velvet-crush-mn0000313792/biography. live.
  3. Book: Menck, Ric. The Byrds' The Notorious Byrd Brothers. January 15, 2007. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. September 20, 2021. September 20, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210920221259/https://books.google.com/books?id=gZX7Oi9G8dEC&pg=PT91. live.
  4. News: Another chance to dig into the pop perfection of Velvet Crush. Peter. Margasak. July 19, 2016. Chicago Reader. September 20, 2021. September 20, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210920220755/https://chicagoreader.com/blogs/another-chance-to-dig-into-the-pop-perfection-of-velvet-crush/. live.
  5. News: Fried . Fran . In pop music, the 1990s was a strange, fragmented decade . New Haven Register . December 31, 1999 . E1.
  6. News: Quintavell . Faith . At Troc, Darkness Flatters Jesus & Mary Chain . The Philadelphia Inquirer . 19 Oct 1994 . F2.
  7. News: Velvet Crush Shows Love of Rock 'n' Roll . Hartford Courant . 20 September 2021 . 2021-10-19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211019163018/https://www.courant.com/ . live .
  8. News: Velvet Crush: Soft on Individual Style . The Washington Post . 20 September 2021 . 19 October 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211019163032/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1994/08/12/velvet-crush-soft-on-individual-style/956694da-9464-4778-ac52-7e5bd7c6d9c9/ . live .
  9. Book: Thompson, Dave. Alternative Rock. September 20, 2000. Hal Leonard Corporation. September 20, 2021. September 23, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210923085418/https://books.google.com/books?id=ZHP-r9-eqdAC&pg=PA761. live.
  10. Newman . Melinda . 550 Music is conductor for Velvet Crush's 'Symphonies' . Billboard . May 28, 1994 . 106 . 22 . 11.
  11. News: Eichenberger . Bill . 'Symphonies' Shows Beauty at Its Best . The Columbus Dispatch . September 15, 1994 . Weekender . 11.
  12. Book: Smile: The Story of Brian Wilson's Lost Masterpiece. Domenic. Priore. Brian. Wilson. Van Dyke. Parks. March 7, 2005. Omnibus Press. September 20, 2021. September 20, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210920220755/https://books.google.com/books?id=b-fjAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT188. live.
  13. Web site: Velvet Crush . Trouser Press . 20 September 2021 . 8 October 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211008060700/https://trouserpress.com/reviews/velvet-crush/ . live .
  14. Zinman . Greg . Recordings — Teenage Symphonies to God by Velvet Crush . Rolling Stone . Dec 1, 1994 . 696 . 128–129.
  15. Puterbaugh . Parke . Popular music — Teenage Symphonies to God by Velvet Crush . Stereo Review . Jan 1995 . 60 . 1 . 135.
  16. News: McLennan . Scott . Velvet Crush retrieves that throw-away pop sound . Telegram & Gazette . 4 Sep 1994 . Datebook . 9.

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