The Bells "The Ultimate Seaside Companion" HitIt! Records HIT-22 1997 (52:06)
The Fortune (3:51)
Mississippi Palisades (3:02)
My East is Your West (4:17)
Stray (1:28)
Empty Sam (4:17)
No More Changing of the Guard (5:02)
Island Head (6:35)
Toledo Steel (2:09)
Caravan (5:06)
To Play a Slow Game (5:41)
The Ultimate Seaside Companion (6:49)
The Fortune II (3:49)
The Bells are Chris Connelly with William Rieflin, Chris Bruce and Jim O'Rourke.
Overall impressions: beautiful. This is the album I think Chris has had in his head for 20+ years. This one's an instant classic for me. Once again, Chris has managed to challenge himself. He's created yet another album that is similiar to the others, but completely different. Each album is truly it's own individual beast, and this beast is dark, yet uplifting, lush pop. Beautifully crafted lyrics and songs. Chris is often compared to such luminaries as David Bowie, Nick Cave, Scott Walker, etc, but he's really come into his own as a gifted songwriter. Everyone who likes Chris' solo work will probably like this one, but keep in mind that there aren't really any rockers or harder songs on this album.
Go here for a more detailed track by track review.
The
Chris Connelly Homepage
The Chris Connelly
Discography
Kimberly's Bells
page
HitIt! Records