Joe
Algeri - Everything Under the Sun
Joe Algeri
Sings Everything Under the Sun
"It's
lo-fi country if such a bad phrase need exist. Sitting on
the porch (we call them
verandahs here) without much else to do... standing in warm
sun but maybe feeling a bit fucked up..."
With
the release of Everything Under The Sun Joe Algeri detours
off the rock n' roll freeway
and takes the old dirt track back home. The 13 songs are
delicately delivered with a home-spun folk-i-ness... simple,
sparse, melancholic and crooning. So why does Joe temporarily
shut down the generator on Jack & the Beanstalk's familiar
power-pop? Well this is the type of trip back to the country
that Joe has been taking ever since he started playing music.
This disc represents a collection of highlights from his
early solo releases, available for the first time ever on
CD, together with 10 new recordings.
After
the spilt of his former band the Stonemasons in 1994, Joe
pleasantly surprised everyone
with his first solo release "10,000 Sunny Days".
Only available locally on cassette, we can now hear for the
first time ever a clear re-mastering of 'After The Rain'
and a new, live-in-the-studio version of a long time favourite,
'Apricot Girl'.
Following
his first European trip in 1995, Joe then produced a 18 song
cassette called "The
Summerhouse Bootlegs" which featured many demos for
what was to become the Jack & the Beanstalk album, "And
Other Stories", plus some more acoustic gems like 'Your
Song' and 'Far' which are both represented here. In 1997,
10 new solo tunes, were recorded for the somewhat darker "The
Loneliest Man Alive" cassette. From that release 'Lee
Hazlewood' has been re-recorded here with a string arrangement,
however the listener is still no closer to finding out what
the song is actually about.
After
Jack & the Beanstalk's
European tour in 1998, Joe grabbed an acoustic guitar and
hung around to play more solo concerts. He also recorded
a number of live demos in a French studio, the haunting 'Unreal'
is featured here. Later that summer he headed to the US and
a chance meeting with Adam Schmitt resulted in 'Yeah... No'
written and recorded the same warm day at Adam's house in
Illinois.
Back down under, Joe reminisces
his northern adventures with new tracks, 'Endless Summer'
and 'Lonely With A Smile'. The highlight however, is the
Beanstalk's easy going beat to the serene 'Awkward' and 'The
Airport Song'.
So this is Everything Under The
Sun, over 4 years in the making, in 5 different countries.
Now it's time to relax, listen and bring it all back home.
Enjoy your weekend in the countryside too.
Everything Under The Sun
Joe Algeri
Pure Pop
(Parasol/Torpedo).
A dual release from American and Swedish labels by the front
man of the
power popping Aussie band Jack and the Beanstalk. Everything
Under the Sun is Algeri unplugged, as he delivers 13 heartwarming,
acoustic numbers that allow his fine voice to take center
stage. Dylan fans will love the harmonica based "Apricot
Girl" and the cover of Gene Clark's "Outlaw Song." "Lonely
with a Smile" has a very pretty string section. There's
also a track filled with radio edits of Algeri and Jack and
the Beanstalk appearances from all over the world. Very cool!
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