No Room is an album by the Boulder, Colorado, band the Samples, released in 1992.[2][3] Prior to recording the album, the band left Arista Records to regain control of their musical direction.[4]

No Room
Studio album by
Released1992
Recorded1991
GenreRock
LabelWhat Are Records?[1]
ProducerJim Scott
The Samples chronology
Underwater People
(1991)
No Room
(1992)
The Last Drag
(1993)

The Samples supported the album with a North American tour; they also played the 1993 H.O.R.D.E. festival.[5][6] They wrote and tested the songs while touring their previous album.[7] No Room sold almost 80,000 copies in its first nine months of release; it had topped more than 150,000 copies by 1998.[8][9]

Critical reception edit

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [10]
Chicago Tribune    [11]

The Chicago Tribune noted the "crystalline production, bubbling keyboard arrangements, snaky guitar lines and a tight, syncopated rhythm section."[11] The Daily Breeze deemed the album "rock with a point—and with touches of jazz fusion, ska, reggae and even a country twang."[12]

Mentioning the Samples' return to an independent label, the Tulsa World opined that "the band's loyalty to its formative ideas gives its music a consistent, yet broad-based, signature."[13] Trouser Press wrote: "'When It's Raining' is a standout, a shimmering melody surfing on a wiggly groove, finally capturing in the studio some of what the Samples transmit onstage."[14]

Track listing edit

All songs written by Sean Kelly, except where noted.

  1. "When It's Raining" – 3:33
  2. "Summertime" (Kelly, Al Laughlin) – 4:57
  3. "Another Disaster" (Kelly, Andy Sheldon) – 5:15
  4. "Did You Ever Look So Nice" (Kelly, Laughlin) – 4:02
  5. "Nothing Lasts for Long" – 4:35
  6. "Stone Tears" (Sheldon) – 4:43
  7. "Giants" (Sheldon) – 3:20
  8. "Suburbia" (Kelly, MacNichol) – 4:49
  9. "14th and Euclid" (Kelly, Laughlin) – 4:16
  10. "Won't Be Back Again" (Kelly, Laughlin) – 2:40
  11. "Pain" – 3:57
  12. "Little Whale" (Vince Sendra) – :56
  13. "Seany Boy (Drop Out)" – 2:39
  14. "Taking Us Home" – 4:03
  15. "When It's Raining - Live" (hidden track)

Lineup edit

  • Sean Kelly (Lead Singer, Guitars)
  • Andy Sheldon (Bass, Vocals)
  • Al Laughlin (Keyboards, Vocals)
  • Jeep MacNichol (Drums/Percussion, Vocals)

References edit

  1. ^ LeComte, Richard (May 7, 1992). "The Samples Defy Description, Please Audiences". Lawrence Journal-World.
  2. ^ Morse, Steve (27 Nov 1992). "Of the previous unknowns...". Arts & Film. The Boston Globe. p. 117.
  3. ^ Alesia, Tom (February 27, 1992). "The Samples Return to Springfield with a Mission". Entertainment. The State Journal-Register. p. 17.
  4. ^ "Band Scorns The Big Time". Living Today. Omaha World-Herald. September 10, 1992. p. 37.
  5. ^ "The Samples: Lost Battle, But Lost War". Calendar. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 1 Apr 1993. p. 7.
  6. ^ Bream, Jon (9 July 1993). "Neo-hippie rock the common thread at HORDE Festival". Star Tribune. p. 4E.
  7. ^ Triplett III, Ward W. (May 8, 1992). "The Samples take name seriously". The Kansas City Star. p. H16.
  8. ^ Scott, Jane (April 30, 1993). "Sampling Success". Friday. The Plain Dealer. p. 32.
  9. ^ "Samples Return to Indie Roots". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. September 12, 1998 – via Google Books.
  10. ^ "The Samples - No Room Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  11. ^ a b Rothschild, David (8 Oct 1992). "Samples No Room". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 7.
  12. ^ Spear, Elizabeth (June 29, 1992). "Samples mesh rock with jazz fusion, ska, reggae". Daily Breeze. p. C5.
  13. ^ Brown, Mark (August 28, 1992). "Alternative Rock Quartet Now Back on Its Own Track". Tulsa World. p. C1.
  14. ^ "Samples". Trouser Press. Retrieved 5 January 2023.