Vika and Linda (album) explained

Vika and Linda
Type:	studio
Artist:	Vika and Linda
Cover:	Vika and Linda (album) by Vika & Linda.jpg
Border:	yes
Studio:	Metropolis Audio and Platinum Studios, Melbourne Periscope Studios and Studios 301, Sydney
Genre:	Rock pop adult contemporary folk
Length:	49:45
Label:	Mushroom
Producer:	Paul Kelly Vika and Linda
Prev Title:	Seven Deadly Sins
Prev Year:	1993
Next Title:	At the Mouth of the River
Next Year:	1996

Vika and Linda is the debut studio album by Australia vocal duo Vika & Linda Bull. The album was released in May 1994 and debuted and peaked at number 7 on the Australian ARIA Charts in June 1994.

At the ARIA Music Awards of 1995, the album was nominated for Breakthrough Artist – Album, but lost to Frogstomp by Silverchair.^[1]

Critical reception

Ed St John from Rolling Stone Australia wrote: "It's the simplest of ideas: take two of Australia's best singers, find them a bunch of great original songs, and then put them in the studio with a sympathetic producer and the best band you can muster. Not surprisingly, the results here are frequently exceptional. Beautifully played - with an accent on subtle arrangements and largely acoustic instruments - the album is imbued with a warm inner glow and a genuine musical depth. Perhaps because of the contributions of such a broad diversity of writers - and thanks also to the fact that Vika and Linda Bull possess strikingly different voices - the album moves effortlessly across a spectrum of styles but, for the most part, is a very laid-back, often country-flavoured affair. Still, far from getting bogged down in a single groove, Vika and Linda is a real feast.

It's not the kind of album where singles, or "standout tracks", are easy to pick. Sure, the first single "When Will You Fall For Me" has a terrific rousing chorus. Three of the Paul Kelly songs are killers, including the slow reggae of "We've Started A Fire" and the funky "I Know Where to Go to Feel Good". Also intriguing is "Ninety Nine Years", a song Kelly wrote with the Bull sisters. Utilising eastern tones and a haunting melody, it marks an interesting and very appealing departure for all three artists."^[2]

Track listing

1. "Hard Love" (Paul Kelly) – 4:40
2. "When Will You Fall for Me" (Mark Seymour) – 3:47
3. "House of Love" (Wayne Burt) – 4:12
4. "Gone Again" (Nick Barker) – 3:16
5. "We've Started a Fire" (Paul Kelly) – 5:06
6. "I Didn't Know Love Could Be Mine" (Paul Kelly) – 3:23
7. "Sacred Things" (Joe Camilleri) – 3:31
8. "Love This Time" (Wayne Burt) – 3:36
9. "Ninety Nine Years" (Paul Kelly, Vika and Linda) – 3:56
10. "I Know Where to Go to Feel Good" (Paul Kelly) – 5:03
11. "These Hands" (Eris O'Brien) – 4:28
12. "The Blue Hour" (Chris Abrahams, Stephen Cummings) – 4:55

1995 bonus disc

1. "Set on Freedom" – 4:26
2. "Up Above My Head (I Hear Music in the Air)" – 2:32
3. "Have a Little Faith in Me" – 4:01
4. "Saved" – 3:20
5. "Many Rivers to Cross" – 5:03

Personnel

• Jex Saarelaht – electric piano, organ
• Jeff Burstin – guitar
• Justin Stanford – shaker
• Paul Kelly – vocals, guitar

Charts

Year-end charts

Chart (1995)!scope="col"

Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)^[3]	67

Notes and References

1. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20070926235646/http://www.ariaawards.com.au/history-by-year.php?year=1995 . Winners by Year 1995 . Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) . 26 September 2007 . 4 December 2013 .
2. Web site: Vika & Linda. https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20040606140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/14067/20040607-0000/www.theblurb.com.au/SoundscapeHome.htm. dead. 2004-06-06. The Blurb. June 1994. 6 August 2016.
3. Web site: The ARIA Australian Top 100 Albums 1995 (page 2). ARIA. 21 February 2016.