Lost Somewhere Between the Earth and My Home
Lost Somewhere Between the Earth and My Home | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | July 18, 1995 | |||
Genre | Alternative country | |||
Length | 56:58 | |||
Label | Virgin | |||
Producer | Steve Fisk | |||
the Geraldine Fibbers chronology | ||||
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Singles from Geraldine Fibbers | ||||
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Lost Somewhere Between the Earth and My Home is the debut studio album by American alternative country band the Geraldine Fibbers. It was released on July 18, 1995, on Virgin Records. "Dragon Lady" was released as a promotional music video and single in June 1995.[1] The band supported the album by touring as part of the 1995 edition of Lollapalooza.[2]
Lyrics
[edit]The album's lyrics, written by the band's frontwoman Carla Bozulich, focus on somber topics including, but not limited to, abusive relationships and prostitution.[3] The album's songs also discuss drug use at length, as well as the concept of loss of identity.[1]
Music
[edit]Bozulich, in addition to writing the band's songs, also served as their lead vocalist. On this album, her voice was described by the Los Angeles Times as "raw, raspy, [and] Joplin-tinged."[1] CMJ noted that the album's restrained, roots-rock instrumentation is virtually the polar opposite of the music Bozulich made in her previous band, Ethyl Meatplow.[4]
Reception
[edit]Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Christgau's Consumer Guide | ![]() |
Entertainment Weekly | A−[7] |
The Guardian | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Los Angeles Times | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Philadelphia Inquirer | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Q | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Spin | 9/10[12] |
Lost Somewhere Between the Earth and My Home received mixed to positive reviews upon its release, with some critics comparing the band to X due to their shared country-music-influenced sounds.[13][14] No Depression critic Neil Weiss called it "a tough, confusing record, both thematically and musically", rooted "in the street poetics of the Hollywood underground by way of some West Virginian backwoods on a planet five times more sinister than our own."[15] The Calgary Herald noted that "Bozulich's voice oscillates between caress and crescendo, offering visions that feel like American folklore stepping into a Dali painting."[16] Spin listed Lost Somewhere Between the Earth and My Home as the ninth best album of 1995.[17]
More recently, other musicians have written very favorably of the album; for instance, Lydia Lunch named it one of her 13 favorite albums in 2013.[18] A 2009 article in Magnet called the album a "lost classic", and said that on the album, "the Fibbers' warped alt-country twang haunted the City of Angels like ghosts of California country’s past, full of grinding violin and poisoned tales of junkies, madness and lost innocence."[19] Nels Cline, who joined the Geraldine Fibbers for the recording of their second album, Butch, called Lost "a stone classic" in an interview with the Vancouver Sun in 2014.[20] In 2017, Al Shipley described the album as a "country feedback masterpiece", adding that it was his "...favorite rock album of the 90's."[21]
2017 Vinyl Reissue
[edit]Jealous Butcher reissued the album May 5, 2017. Steve Fisk returned to mix the album for its first vinyl release. The initial 1,000 copies will be released on clear vinyl. The new pressing and future vinyl pressings include four bonus tracks: "Bitter Honey" and "234" from the original sessions, a previously unreleased version of their cover of Can's "Yoo Doo Right" predating the version on the album Butch and featuring both Daniel Keenan and Nels Cline on guitars, and a new song "Thank You For Giving Me Life" with Bozulich, Cline, Tutton, Fitzgerald and Moss as the lineup.
Track listing
[edit]No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Lilybelle" | Carla Bozulich, Dave Franklin, Daniel Keenan, Irving Taylor | 4:54 |
2. | "The Small Song" | Bozulich | 3:30 |
3. | "Marmalade" | Bozulich, Keenan | 5:09 |
4. | "Dragon Lady" | Bozulich, Fitzgerald, Keenan, William Tutton | 4:50 |
5. | "A Song About Walls" | Bozulich, Keenan | 4:20 |
6. | "House Is Falling" | Bozulich, Keenan | 4:23 |
7. | "Outside of Town" | Bozulich | 4:58 |
8. | "The French Song" | Bozulich, Fitzgerald, Tutton | 6:04 |
9. | "Dusted" | Bozulich, Fitzgerald | 2:40 |
10. | "Richard" | Bozulich, Fitzgerald | 5:24 |
11. | "Blast Off Baby" | Bozulich | 4:09 |
12. | "Get Thee Gone" | Bozulich | 6:37 |
Personnel
[edit]- The Geraldine Fibbers
- Carla Bozulich – guitar, vocals
- Kevin Fitzgerald – banjo, drums
- Jessy Greene – viola, violin
- Daniel Keenan – guitar
- William Tutton – bass
- Additional personnel
- Mark Brooks – art direction
- Steve Fisk – mixing, piano, production
- Dave Franklin – composition
- John Goodmanson – engineering, mixing
- Rob Groome – engineering
- Sam Hoffstead – engineering
- Jean Krikorian – design
- Len Peltier – art direction
- Eddy Schreyer – mastering
- Irving Taylor – composition
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Cromelin, Richard (July 16, 1995). "This Fibber Will Tell You No Lies". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 24, 2014.
- ^ "New This Week". Newsday. 24 July 1995. p. B2.
- ^ Tudor, Alexander (June 29, 2009). "Alt. Country Week: An Introduction". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on July 21, 2014. Retrieved June 24, 2014.
- ^ Lanham, Tom (October 1995). "The Geraldine Fibbers: Absolute Scorch and Twang". CMJ. Retrieved June 24, 2014.
- ^ Gallucci, Michael. "Lost Somewhere Between the Earth and My Home – The Geraldine Fibbers". AllMusic. Retrieved June 24, 2014.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (2000). "The Geraldine Fibbers: Lost Somewhere Between the Earth and My Home". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 0-312-24560-2. Retrieved June 24, 2014.
- ^ Flaherty, Mike (July 28, 1995). "Lost Somewhere Between the Earth and My Home". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 24, 2014.
- ^ Sullivan, Caroline (August 11, 1995). "The Geraldine Fibbers: Lost Somewhere Between the Earth and My Home (Sire)". The Guardian.
- ^ Hochman, Steve (July 16, 1995). "The Geraldine Fibbers, 'Lost Somewhere Between the Earth and My Home,' Virgin". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ DeLuca, Dan (September 3, 1995). "The Geraldine Fibbers: Lost Somewhere Between the Earth and My Home (Virgin)". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
- ^ "The Geraldine Fibbers: Lost Somewhere Between the Earth and My Home". Q. No. 107. August 1995. p. 122.
- ^ Powers, Ann (September 1995). "Geraldine Fibbers: Lost Somewhere Between the Earth and My Home". Spin. Vol. 11, no. 6. pp. 109–10. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
- ^ Hilburn, Robert (August 20, 1995). "Twisted Sisters Share Bill With Southern-Fried Loons". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
- ^ Strong, Martin Charles (2003). The Great Indie Discography. Canongate Books. ISBN 9781841953359.
- ^ Weiss, Neal (August 31, 1995). "Lost Somewhere Between the Earth and My Home Review". No Depression. Retrieved June 24, 2014.
- ^ Muretich, James (6 Aug 1995). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald. p. E2.
- ^ Aaron, Charles (Jan 1996). "20 Best Albums of '95". Spin. Vol. 11, no. 10. p. 62.
- ^ Udo, Tommy (October 1, 2013). "Unearthly Delights: Lydia Lunch's Favourite Albums". The Quietus. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
- ^ "The Geraldine Fibbers' "Lost Somewhere Between the Earth and My Home"". Magnet. April 13, 2009. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
- ^ Conner, Shawn (June 25, 2014). "Q&A: Guitarist Nels Cline talks music, fans and collaborations". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
- ^ Shipley, Al (2017-06-01). "The Geraldine Fibbers' Debut Was a Country Feedback Masterpiece". Noisey. Retrieved 2018-06-16.