Trail of Stars explained

Trail of Stars
Type:	studio
Artist:	The Walkabouts
Cover:	Trail of Stars Cover Walkabouts album.jpg
Released:	August 2, 1999
Genre:	Alternative rock, alt country. chamber pop
Label:	Glitterhouse
Producer:	Phill Brown, The Walkabouts
Prev Title:	Nighttown
Prev Year:	1997
Next Title:	Train Leaves at Eight
Next Year:	2000

Trail of Stars is the ninth studio album by American alternative country band The Walkabouts released on August 2, 1999^[1] through Glitterhouse Records. It's their return album to Glitterhouse, formerly Sub Pop Europe, after a two album detour with major label Virgin.

Track listing

All tracks written by Chris Eckman, except where noted.

1. "Desert Skies" (Eckman, Carla Torgerson, strings arrangement by Glenn Slater) – 7:32
2. "Straight to the Stars" – 4:32
3. "Gold" – 6:26
4. "Last Tears" – 6:21
5. "Crime Story" – 4:39
6. "Hightimes" (strings arrangement by Fred Chalenor) – 4:53
7. "Harvey's Quote to Me" (Slater) – 1:29
8. "On the Day" (Eckman, Chalenor, woodwinds arrangement by Chalenor) – 6:30
9. "Till I Reach You" – 4:37
10. "Drown" – 4:30
11. "No One the Wiser" (strings arrangement by Slater) – 6:43

limited edition^[2]

12. "Bonnie and Clyde" (Serge Gainsbourg)^[3] – 6:27

The limited edition also contained a multimedia track with a screen saver.

The album was engineered and mixed at Paradise Sound, Index, Washington and Avast!, Seattle, Washington and Swanyard, London. The album was mastered at Country Masters, Surrey.

Release history^[2]

Region	Date	Label	Format	Catalog
Germany	August 2, 1999	Glitterhouse Records	2xLP	GR 450
			CD	GRCD 450
United States	1999	S2 Records		S2CD 2500

Drown (Single)

Drown is the eleventh single by American alternative country band The Walkabouts released on August 23, 1999, through Glitterhouse Records. The catalog number is GR 461.

Track listing^[3]

1. "Drown (Stars on 45 edit)"
2. "Bonnie and Clyde" (Serge Gainsbourg)
3. "Lost in the Scraps"

The song "Bonnie and Clyde" was also released as a bonus track of the limited editions (both LP and CD) of Trail of Stars.

Personnel

• Fred Chalenor – bass
• Terri Moeller – drums, percussion, loops
• Glenn Slater – organ, Fender Rhodes, piano, ARP synthesizer, Moog synthesizer, mellotron, tapes
• Carla Torgerson – vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, percussion, tapes
• Chris Eckman – vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, piano, wobble board, samples, loops

Additional musicians

• Steve Moore – trombone
• Christine Gunn – solo cello
• Bev Setzer – clarinet
• Kevin Suggs – pedel steel
• April Acevez Cameron – viola
• Justine Foy – cello
• Tyler A. Reilly – violin
• Rebecca Clemens-Keith – violin
• Phill Brown – loops, sounds

Technical personnel

• Phill Brown – production, mixing
• Kevin Suggs – additional engineering
• Pat Sample – assistant engineer
• Kip Beelman – assistant engineer
• Jason Howes – assistant engineer
• Dennis Blackham – mastering

Additional personnel

• Maurizio Poletto – design
• Enrico Bravi – design
• Mark Van S. – band photographs
• David French – space-ship sculptures

Critical reception

John Duffy wrote for Allmusic: "... Drenched in John Cale-like soundscape washes and heavy strings, Trail of Stars comes off as morose and dirge-like. Only "Straight to the Stars" doesn't feel like a death march. This is frustrating, since the instrumentation of the record is expertly crafted and lovingly played. ..."

Don Jates wrote for KEXP-FM: "The veteran Seattle band continues to evolve with this album of dark, delicately textured atmospheric pop."

Gaesteliste compared it to Portishead, Massive Attack, and Roxy Music.^[4]

Charts

The album charted one week (36/1999) on position 30 of the Norwegian album charts.^[5]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Glitterhouse, The Walkabouts, Trail of Stars. 2012-11-15. Glitterhouse Records.
2. The Walkabouts at Discogs
3. Web site: Glitterhouse, The Walkabouts, Drown. 2012-11-15. Glitterhouse Records.
4. Web site: Wynn. Steve. Review: Walkabouts – Trail Of Stars. Gaestesliste. November 29, 2012.
5. Web site: Norwegian Album Charts, The Walkabouts, Trail of Stars. 2012-11-26.