Arias & Symphonies
Arias & Symphonies is the second album by the Burlington band Spoons. It contains the highly successful singles "Nova Heart" and "Arias & Symphonies". It was first released on compact disc in 2000. In 2012, a 30th Anniversary Edition of the album was released on CD with bonus tracks, which are mostly live recordings from Barrymore's, Ottawa, October 26, 1982, originally recorded and broadcast by CHEZ-FM. The iTunes download version includes an extra "live CD" of their performance at the El Mocambo in Toronto, June 26, 1982, which was originally broadcast by CHUM-FM.[2]
| Arias & Symphonies | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 1982 | |||
| Recorded | 1982 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | New wave, synthpop | |||
| Length | 44:11 | |||
| Label | Ready Records | |||
| Producer | John Punter | |||
| Spoons chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Arias and Symphonies | ||||
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| Review scores | |
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| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | |
The photograph on the album cover is from the Spanish Riding School in Vienna.[2]
Background
After the release of the band's first album, Stick Figure Neighbourhood, Gordon Deppe stated "the album, it wasn't a good representation of what we were capable of...we've got the same kind of attitude towards life but...the songs are taking us around the world. We're getting out of the neighbourhood."[3]
Deppe continued by noting that the songs for Arias and Symphonies would be more dance oriented, as their European influences, such as OMD and Peter Hammill, have done.[3]
Arias and Symphonies was named one of the 20 Most Influential Albums of the 1980s by The Chart Magazine, and the song "Nova Heart" garnered a spot in Bob Mercereau's book "The Top 100 Canadian Singles".[4]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Trade Winds" | Deppe | 2:15 |
| 2. | "Smiling in Winter" | Deppe, Horne | 4:06 |
| 3. | "One in Ten Words" | Deppe, Preuss | 4:10 |
| 4. | "No Electrons" | Deppe | 5:12 |
| 5. | "No More Growing Up" | Deppe, Preuss, Horne | 3:26 |
| 6. | "Arias & Symphonies" | Deppe | 4:48 |
| 7. | "Nova Heart" | Deppe | 5:46 |
| 8. | "South American Vacation" | Deppe, Preuss, Horne | 4:12 |
| 9. | "A Girl in Two Pieces" | Deppe, Horne | 4:28 |
| 10. | "Walk the Plank" | Deppe | 4:27 |
| 11. | "Blow Away" | Deppe | 5:58 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Test Sample [Live]" | Deppe, Horne | 2:52 |
| 13. | "Tunnels for Testing Wings [Live]" | Deppe | 3:11 |
| 14. | "Broken [Live]" | Deppe, Horne | 4:03 |
| 15. | "Walk the Plank [Live]" | Deppe | 4:27 |
| 16. | "Symmetry [Live]" | Deppe, Horne | 5:26 |
| 17. | "Blow Away [Live]" | Deppe | 5:53 |
| 18. | "Nova Heart [Singularity Mix - Edit]" | Deppe | 4:04 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Nova Heart" | Deppe | 5:59 |
| 2. | "No Electrons" | Deppe | 4:49 |
| 3. | "One in Ten Words" | Deppe, Preuss | 4:07 |
| 4. | "Red Light" | Deppe | 4:36 |
| 5. | "No More Growing Up" | Deppe, Preuss, Horne | 3:33 |
| 6. | "Arias & Symphonies" | Deppe | 4:39 |
| 7. | "Ice Age" | Horne, Deppe | 4:18 |
| 8. | "Walk the Plank" | Deppe | 4:28 |
| 9. | "Western Romance" | Deppe | 4:33 |
| 10. | "Friends in the Media" | Deppe | 3:49 |
| 11. | "Symmetry" | Deppe, Horne | 5:41 |
| 12. | "Annita" | Deppe | 6:22 |
| 13. | "Spanish Eyes" | Deppe | 3:27 |
| 14. | "Nova Heart" | Deppe | 6:38 |
Personnel
The Spoons
- Gordon Deppe - vocals, guitar
- Sandy Horne - bass guitar, vocals
- Rob Preuss - Jupiter IV, SH-2000
- Derrick Ross - drums, percussion
Production
- John Punter - producer, mixing
- Mike Jones - engineer
- Robert DiGioia - assistant engineer
- Carey Gurden - assistant engineer
References
- DeGagne, Mike. The Spoons: Arias & Symphonies > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
- "Arias & Symphonies". Spoons Official Site/Darrin Cappe. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
- Noble, Peter (10–16 December 1981). "Spoons for Your Ears". Spoons Official Site/Darrin Cappe. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
- Sterdan, Darryl (25 March 2019). "Spoons Serve Up New Day New World Album". Tinnitist. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
