In Loving Memory Of... is the debut studio album by American-Canadian rock band Big Wreck. Released in 1997, the album features the single "The Oaf," which became a Top Ten hit in the U.S. Subsequent singles, "That Song" and "Blown Wide Open", found airplay in the United States but experienced greater success in Canada where they both reached the Top Ten on the country's alternative chart. "Under the Lighthouse" was released as a single exclusively in Canada.
| In Loving Memory Of... | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 7, 1997 | |||
| Studio | Presence Studios, Toronto, Ontario | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock, progressive rock, blues rock, post-grunge | |||
| Length | 60:30 | |||
| Label | WEA, Atlantic | |||
| Producer | Matt DeMatteo, Big Wreck, Chris Wardman | |||
| Big Wreck chronology | ||||
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| Singles from In Loving Memory Of... | ||||
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| Review scores | |
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| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
In Loving Memory Of... features layered progressive elements in addition to its heavy Southern rock style. Lyrically, it deals predominantly with relationship issues. Frontman Ian Thornley noted, "The majority of the album is actually written about one girl. Somebody who's still fucking me up." He also admitted that the track "Look What I Found" was intended to sound like Soundgarden as a reference to how popular bands gain fame emulating other groups.[3]
To promote their debut album, Big Wreck opened for progressive metal band Dream Theater in what was their first major national tour.
In 2018, Big Wreck embarked on a 35-date North American tour to celebrate the 20th anniversary of In Loving Memory Of..., in which they performed every song from the album at each show.[4] The album was also reissued the same year with new artwork and two previously unreleased outtakes from the recording sessions. This reissue also saw the album's first vinyl press.
Track listing edit
All lyrics are written by Ian Thornley; all music is composed by Ian Thornley except where noted
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Oaf" | 4:39 | |
| 2. | "That Song" | 5:04 | |
| 3. | "Look What I Found" | 4:55 | |
| 4. | "Blown Wide Open" | 5:55 | |
| 5. | "How Would You Know" | Ian Thornley, Brian Doherty | 4:36 |
| 6. | "Oh My" | 3:23 | |
| 7. | "Under the Lighthouse" | 4:11 | |
| 8. | "Fall Through the Cracks" | Ian Thornley, David Henning | 4:20 |
| 9. | "Waste" | Ian Thornley, Brian Doherty | 4:00 |
| 10. | "By the Way" | 5:10 | |
| 11. | "Between You and I" | 3:45 | |
| 12. | "Prayer" | 3:49 | |
| 13. | "Overemphasizing" | 6:43 | |
| Total length: | 60:30 | ||
| No. | Title | Original single release | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Ill Advice" | "That Song" (Japanese release only) | 4:03 |
| 15. | "Still Holding" (Demo) | "The Oaf" (Japanese release only) | 4:00 |
| Total length: | 68:33 | ||
"Fall Through the Cracks" and "Overemphasizing" were produced by Chris Wardman.
Personnel edit
- Ian Thornley — vocals, lead guitar, mando guitar, keyboards, drums (on "By the Way")
- Brian Doherty — guitar
- David Henning — bass
- Forrest Williams — drums
Charts edit
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Modern Rock | U.S. Mainstream Rock | CAN | CAN Alt. | ||
| 1997 | "The Oaf (My Luck Is Wasted)" | 24 | 9 | 21 | 3 |
| 1998 | "That Song" | — | 32 | 31 | 7 |
| 1998 | "Blown Wide Open" | — | — | 31 | 8 |
| 1998 | "Under the Lighthouse" (released in Canada only) | — | — | 12 | — |
References edit
- ^ "HITS" (PDF). worldradiohistory.com. September 26, 1997.
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ Worley, Gail. "An Interview with Ian Thornley". ink19.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2009. Retrieved November 1, 2009.
- ^ Big Wreck Take 'In Loving Memory Of' on 20th Anniversary Tour. Exclaim!. Retrieved January 19, 2019.