The Indescribable Wow is the fifth studio album from American singer and songwriter Sam Phillips. It is her first album for Virgin Records and her first album she released after moving from Christian pop to secular alternative rock and using the name Sam rather than Leslie. The single "Holding On to the Earth" peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in early 1989.[1]

The Indescribable Wow
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 9, 1988 (1988-08-09)
StudioOcean Way Recording (Los Angeles, California); Sunset Sound (Hollywood, California).
GenrePop, rock
Length34:16
LabelVirgin
ProducerT Bone Burnett
Sam Phillips chronology
Recollection
(1987)
The Indescribable Wow
(1988)
Cruel Inventions
(1991)

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [2]

The Indescribable Wow was well received. In Rolling Stone the reviewer said, "Phillips is a major talent, with great rewards to offer"[3] while AllMusic states that the album's music is "timeless".[2]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by name except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I Don't Want to Fall In Love" 2:54
2."I Don't Know How to Say Goodbye to You" 3:19
3."Flame" 2:35
4."Remorse" 3:43
5."What Do I Do" 3:58
6."I Can't Stop Crying" 3:21
7."Holding On to the Earth"Sam Phillips, T Bone Burnett3:02
8."She Can't Tell Time" 3:58
9."What You Don't Want to Hear"Sam Phillips, T Bone Burnett3:05
10."Out of Time" 4:24

Personnel

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Production

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  • T Bone Burnett – producer
  • Rik Pekkonen – recording
  • Tchad Blake – additional recording
  • Mike Ross – recording assistant
  • Dave Knight – assistant engineer
  • Clif Norrell – assistant engineer
  • Brian Soucy – assistant engineer
  • Kevin Killen – mixing
  • Howie Weinberg – mastering at Masterdisk (New York City, New York)
  • Jeff Ayeroff – art direction
  • Mick Haggerty – art direction, design, cover photography
  • Melanie Nissen – back and inside photography

References

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  1. ^ The Indescribable Wow - Sam Phillips > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles at AllMusic. Retrieved June 29, 2009.
  2. ^ a b Ankeny, Jason. The Indescribable Wow at AllMusic. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
  3. ^ Guterman, Jimmy (August 25, 1988). "Sam Phillips The Indesribable Wow > Album Review". Rolling Stone. No. 533. Archived from the original on March 24, 2010. Retrieved September 1, 2011.