Details
Track Listing
1. Think Too Hard
2. Heart of Darkness
3. Chasing Vapor Trails (His Turn to Cry)
4. Almost Magic
5. Crazy American
6. Hard Times
7. Future 40's (String of Pearls)
8. Unanswered Question, The
9. Sphinx
10. Racing to the Ruins
11. Golden Dreams
12. Learning the Game - (bonus track, with Joe Ely)
13. If You Don't Want My Love - (bonus track)
Album Notes
Personnel: Syd Straw, John Doe, Michael Stipe (vocals); David Grissom (acoustic & electric guitars); Peter Blegvad (acoustic 6- & 12-string guitars); Marshal Crenshaw, Willie Aron, John Jorgenson, Ry Cooder (acoustic guitar); Jody Harris, Eric Ambel, Richard Thompson, Marc Ribot, Dave Alvin (electric guitar); Peter Holsapple (guitar); Greg Leisz (pedal steel guitar); Sid Page (violin); Tommy Morgan (harmonica); Matt Irving (accordion, organ); Benmont Tench, Van Dyke Parks (piano); Bernie Worrell (keyboards); Tony Levin (bass, Chapman stick); Pino Palladino, Don Was, Jorge Calderon, Chris Stamey, J.D. Foster (bass); Jerry Marotta, Michael Blair, Jim Keltner, Anton Fier, Neil Conte, Davis McLarty (drums); Bobbye Hall (percussion); Anthony Moore, Roger Eno, Daniel Lanois, Joe Ely.
Producers: Syd Straw, Anthony Moore, Van Dyke Parks, Daniel Lanois.
Engineers include: Dave Cook, Julian Wheatley, Ed Cherney.
By the time of this 1989 debut, Syd Straw had already made a name for herself singing with everyone from Pat Benatar to the Golden Palominos. SURPRISE is a massive travelogue through her varied musical interests. The set was recorded on two continents and Straw is joined by a stellar cast of musicians that includes Richard Thompson, Michael Stipe, Peter Holsapple (his "Think too Hard" opens the set), Marshall Crenshaw, Daniel Lanois, Don Was, Dave Alvin, Ry Cooder, and many more.
Throughout, Straw's voice is capable of everything from huskiness to whispered softness. Songs co-written with the guest musicians make up the majority of the material here, but there's also a wonderful take on Stephen Foster's "Hard Times," which is masterfully arranged and produced by Van Dyke Parks. For a full picture of Straw's artistry, one needs to contrast the free-ranging explorations of SURPRISE with the straight-ahead rock of her second album (released seven years later), WAR AND PEACE.
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