Summary
Ramp is an album by the American band Giant Sand, released in 1991.[1][2] The album was released via frontman Howe Gelb's Amazing Black Sand label, before being picked up by Restless Records.[3]
| Ramp | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1991 | |||
| Genre | Country rock | |||
| Label | Amazing Black Sand | |||
| Producer | Howe Gelb | |||
| Giant Sand chronology | ||||
| ||||
Production edit
The majority of the album was produced by Gelb.[4] Victoria Williams contributed backing vocals to the album's second track, "Romance of Falling," the only track produced by Dusty Wakeman.[5][6] Pappy Allen also makes an appearance on Ramp.[7] The album was recorded in Los Angeles and Tucson.[6]
Critical reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| Robert Christgau | A−[8] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [9] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide |  [4] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 7/10[10] |
Robert Christgau wrote: "The first side makes something of the dissociated atmospherics that undermined the band's previous umpteen releases; the second's almost popwise. Together they're what country-rock was never really like, or wanted to be."[8] Trouser Press thought that "Gelb seems to have found a way to propel himself at will into a deconstruction zone where boogie can mutate into pre-rock vocal harmony ('Warm Storm') and Sun Ra can be construed as a lounge lizard (the slurry 'Jazzer Snipe')."[11] The Austin American-Statesman deemed it "the kind of revelatory release that makes one want to search out everything the band has previously recorded."[12] LA Weekly likened the album to "Neil Young hallucinating punk rock... But this time out, the riffs are gentler, the harmonies sweeter."[13]
The Spin Alternative Record Guide opined that the band "has mastered the art of rambling within a loose structure."[10]
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Warm Storm" | |
| 2. | "Romance of Falling" | |
| 3. | "Wonder" | |
| 4. | "Welcome to My World" | |
| 5. | "Anti-Shadow" | |
| 6. | "Jazzer Snipe" | |
| 7. | "Z.Z. Quicker Foot" | |
| 8. | "Neon Filler" | |
| 9. | "Seldom Matters" | |
| 10. | "Resolver" | |
| 11. | "Nowhere" | |
| 12. | "Always Horses Coming" | |
| 13. | "Patsy's Blues" |
Personnel edit
- Joey Burns - bass
- John Convertino - drums
- Howe Gelb - guitar, vocals
References edit
- ^ The Rough Guide to Rock (2nd ed.). Rough Guides Ltd. 1999. p. 408.
- ^ The Mojo Collection: 4th Edition. Canongate Books. November 1, 2007. Archived from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2021 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Arts Journal". Arizona Daily Star. November 15, 1992. p. 11D.
- ^ a b MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 482.
- ^ a b "Ramp". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2021-08-04. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
- ^ a b Armstrong, Gene (May 22, 1992). "Cacavas scores big with 'Good Times'; Giant Sand shows improvement on 'Ramp'". Arizona Daily Star. p. 3F.
- ^ Cohen, Jason (Jan 1993). "Giant Sand's Wanderlust & Whimsy". Option. No. 48. p. 76.
- ^ a b "Giant Sand". www.robertchristgau.com. Archived from the original on 2021-08-04. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 3. MUZE. p. 736.
- ^ a b Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. p. 166.
- ^ "Giant Sand". Trouser Press. Archived from the original on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
- ^ McLeese, Don (19 Mar 1993). "Some Eclectic Evening". Austin American-Statesman. p. B3.
- ^ "Giant Sand Ramp". LA Weekly. 17 Dec 1992. p. 105.