See You on the Other Side (Mercury Rev album)
| See You on the Other Side | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 1, 1995 | |||
| Genre | Neo-psychedelia, noise pop | |||
| Length | 39:16 | |||
| Label | Beggars Banquet | |||
| Producer | Jonathan Donahue, Dave Fridmann, Grasshopper, Suzanne Thorpe, Jimy Chambers | |||
| Mercury Rev chronology | ||||
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| Singles from See You on the Other Side | ||||
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See You on the Other Side is the third studio album by American neo-psychedelia band Mercury Rev, released in the United Kingdom on May 1, 1995 by record label Beggars Banquet, then in the United States on September 19, 1995 by Work.
Content
See You on the Other Side was the first Mercury Rev album to be recorded following the departure of frontman David Baker, with band member Jonathan Donahue taking over lead vocal duties. It also marks a transition between the earlier, noisier sound of their first two releases to the more orchestrated, soft and lush arrangements the band would embrace on subsequent albums.[1][2]
The album cover is taken from a 1975 7 Up commercial entitled "Uncola".[3] The album's back cover is a photograph of Donahue despondently loading a revolver.
The video for "Young Man's Stride" was directed by Moby.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| NME | 8/10[4] |
| Q | [5] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [6] |
| Select | 4/5[7] |
| Spin | 7/10[8] |
| Uncut | 8/10[2] |
In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Heather Phares described See You on the Other Side as "an album very much in the group's expansive, experimental tradition, yet distinct from its work with Baker", noting that "without Baker's merry prankster vocals, the album feels a bit unbalanced, as though the group was still adjusting to making music without him when the album was recorded." She nonetheless found Donahue a capable vocalist, "swinging the group toward its gently whimsical side", and concluded that the record "pointed the way toward Mercury Rev's breakthrough with Deserter's Songs, and is a completely charming – if underrated – album in its own right."[1]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Empire State (Son House in Excelsis)" | Jonathan Donahue, Sean "Grasshopper" Mackowiak, Suzanne Thorpe | 7:29 |
| 2. | "Young Man's Stride" | Donahue, Mackowiak | 2:43 |
| 3. | "Sudden Ray of Hope" | Jimy Chambers, Donahue, Dave Fridmann, Mackowiak, Thorpe | 5:18 |
| 4. | "Everlasting Arm" | Donahue, Mackowiak, Thorpe | 5:15 |
| 5. | "Racing the Tide" | Chambers, Donahue, Mackowiak, Thorpe | 7:31 |
| 6. | "Close Encounters of the 3rd Grade" | Chambers, Donahue, Fridmann, Mackowiak, Thorpe | 3:03 |
| 7. | "A Kiss from An Old Flame (A Trip to the Moon)" | Donahue, Mackowiak | 4:22 |
| 8. | "Peaceful Night" | Donahue, Mackowiak | 3:32 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 9. | "Cartwheel" | 7:06 |
Personnel
Adapted from the liner notes
- Dave Fridmann – Bass Explore, B-3, Pianos, Dual Vocals
- Jonathan Donahue – Vocals, Harmony Rocket Guitars, Guitorgan, Bowed Saws and Sounds
- Jimy Chambers – Drumming, Mojo Stick, Wurlitzer Electric Pianos
- Grasshopper – Guitar Shapes, Single Exhaust Clarinet, Tettix Wave Accumulator®
- Suzanne Thorpe – Quartz Arhoolie Flutes, French Horns
All Horns and Strings arranged by Donahue/Grasshopper, except "Sudden Ray of Hope" by Chambers/Thorpe
- Mark Marinoff – Saxophones
- Matt Jordan – Trumpets
- Rachel Handman – Strings
- Chris Reilly – Tablas
- Jake Congelo – Piano on "Peaceful Night"
- Carmen Quinoñes – Female Vocals on "Racing the Tide" and "Close Encounters of the 3rd Grade"
- Tomcat Stamos – Expressed Male Interruptions on "Close Encounters of the 3rd Grade"
References
- ^ a b c Phares, Heather. "See You on the Other Side – Mercury Rev". AllMusic. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
- ^ a b Hermes, Will (October 2024). "Magnum Opus". Uncut. No. 330. p. 89.
- ^ "7up "Uncola" 1975". YouTube. December 10, 2007. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
- ^ Lewis, Angela (May 6, 1995). "Mercury Rave". NME. p. 43.
- ^ Gill, Andy (July 1995). "Mercury Rev: See You on the Other Side". Q. No. 106.
- ^ Kot, Greg (2004). "Mercury Rev". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 538. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ Morris, Gina (June 1995). "Mercury Rev: See You on the Other Side". Select. No. 60.
- ^ Reynolds, Simon (September 1995). "Mercury Rev: See You on the Other Side". Spin. Vol. 11, no. 6. pp. 111–112. Retrieved May 1, 2020.