Quilt is an album by the American band the Shams.[1][2] Released in 1991, it was the band's only album.[3][4] "Only a Dream" first appeared on a single put out by Bob Mould's Singles Only Label.[5] The Shams promoted the album by playing at CBGB during the 1992 CMJ Music Marathon.[2]
| Quilt | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1991 | |||
| Genre | Indie rock | |||
| Label | Matador | |||
| Producer | Lenny Kaye | |||
| The Shams chronology | ||||
| ||||
Production
editThe album was produced by Lenny Kaye, who was tipped to the band by Richard Hell.[6][7] Most of its songs were written by Amy McMahon Rigby.[8][9] All three band members were in their 30s when they recorded the album.[10]
Robert Quine and Will Rigby (Amy's husband at the time) played guitar and drums on the album, respectively.[11] "Time" is a cover of the Richard Hell song.[12]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Chicago Tribune |   [13] |
| Robert Christgau |  [14] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide |  [10] |
Trouser Press wrote that "the beautifully constructed frustrated-love songs 'Stuck Here on the Ground' and 'Watching the Grass Grow' would be on oldies radio every eight hours if they’d only been recorded 20 years earlier."[12] The Austin American-Statesman noted that "instrumentation is kept to a minimum, harmonies are blended to sound human rather than studio slick and songs are intended to reflect everydayness rather than rock glamour."[5] Robert Christgau praised "Watching the Grass Grow".[14]
Entertainment Weekly commended the "crisp production and stick-to-the-rib-cage songs," likening the album to "a drowsy summer sing-along on a city fire escape."[15] The Washington Post called "Down at the Texaco" "a lively but hardly abrasive rocker that revives the spunky spirit of the Shangri-las' blue-collar love songs."[11] The Chicago Tribune concluded that "it's the good to great songs, artlessly terrific singing and sparse arrangements that make Quilt a keeper."[13] The Time Union deemed the album "positively delightful," labeling it "a cross between the Roches and the Shangri-Las."[16]
AllMusic wrote that "there's something decidedly postmodern about the Shams' approach to music, which combines girl group '60s pop with off-kilter jangliness and a sort of country twang."[17]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "It'll All Catch Up to You" | |
| 2. | "Stuck Here on the Ground" | |
| 3. | "Dark Angel" | |
| 4. | "Dressed to Kill" | |
| 5. | "Only a Dream" | |
| 6. | "Ice Tea" | |
| 7. | "Watching the Grass Grow" | |
| 8. | "File Clerk Blues" | |
| 9. | "Down at the Texaco" | |
| 10. | "Brown's Diner" | |
| 11. | "Time" | |
| 12. | "Always with Me" |
References
edit- ^ "Shams Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic.
- ^ a b Robins, Wayne (30 Oct 1992). "The Shams". Weekend. Newsday. p. 82.
- ^ Schoemer, Karen (Jan 1992). "The Shams Are for Real — Quilt by the Shams". Mademoiselle. Vol. 98, no. 1. p. 53.
- ^ "Middlescence". Entertainment Weekly.
- ^ a b McLeese, Don (23 Apr 1992). "Female rockers defy stereotype". Onward. Austin American-Statesman. p. 19.
- ^ The Encyclopedia of Record Producers. Billboard Books. 1999. p. 383.
- ^ Cotter, Kelly-Jane (Feb 7, 1992). "The Shams' McMahon is genuine article". On the Go. The Home News. p. 2.
- ^ Popson, Tom (24 Apr 1992). "The Shams: Pop, folk and scene's from women's lives". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. N.
- ^ Fricke, David (Dec 10, 1992). "On the Edge". Rolling Stone. No. 645–646. p. 177.
- ^ a b MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 943.
- ^ a b "The Shams: 'Quilt'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
- ^ a b "Shams". Trouser Press. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
- ^ a b Kot, Greg (23 Apr 1992). "Recordings". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 7.
- ^ a b "The Shams". Robert Christgau.
- ^ "On the Mouth". Entertainment Weekly.
- ^ Haymes, Greg (May 27, 1993). "Matador Invasion". Times Union. p. P4.
- ^ "Quilt". AllMusic.