| seanDEMOnium | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demo album by | ||||
| Released | 1997 | |||
| Recorded | 1993 -1997 | |||
| Length | 63:21 | |||
| Label | Chow Fun Records | |||
| Producer | Sean Altman | |||
| Sean Altman chronology | ||||
| ||||
seanDEMOnium is the first solo album by American singer-songwriter Sean Altman, released in 1997 after his departure from Rockapella, the vocal group he co-founded.
Background and release
editAltman honed his song-writing skills during his eleven-year tenure with Rockapella, which included co-writing the theme song for the PBS Kids geography game show Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? and seven albums on Japan’s ForLife Records label that contain 14 original songs written by Altman both solo and in collaboration with others. After a divorce in 1994, Altman's lyrics took a darker, more introspective turn that was almost too strong for the group to use. Rockapella recorded many of these songs — “Follow Me To Heaven” (Vocobeat), “Come My Way”, “For The Love” (Out Cold), “Daisy Simone” and “I’m Waiting” (Lucky Seven) — but, in 1997, Altman left Rockapella to pursue a solo career, explaining that “Rockapella, once the perfect vehicle for [his] music, now [didn't] seem so perfect anymore."[1] That same year, Altman released a collection of nineteen songs entitled seanDEMOnium to reflect the fact that the album was self-recorded. Nine of the recordings are a cappella, though many of the instrument-backed tracks feature vocal percussion by Rockapella’s Jeff Thacher. All the songs were recorded multi-track on cassette tape on a Tascam 688 Midistudio, except for “Are You A Man?” which was recorded on a Teac 144 Portastudio — one of the first portable recording studios.
Reception
editUpon its release, the album was instantly acclaimed:[2][3]
“Imagine Dion meeting Marshall Crenshaw at the Beatles' house, with the Kinks, Beach Boys, Four Seasons and Persuasions all dropping by for a song swap....The words have a cynical edge, but what really grabs you is the old-fashioned sweetness and punch of Altman's neo-doowop vocals playing off incredibly hook-happy tunes.” (Philadelphia Daily News) [4]
“A quirky mix of killer hooks and cheeky instrumentation.” (Time Out New York) [5]
“One of the quirkiest albums we’ll hear this year, and one of the most unique....Altman’s ambitions are too much to contain on only one album....A pure popster...he maintains an eclectic and eccentric edge...both entertaining and engaging.” (Goldmine) [6]
“This record rocks....Rockapella mastermind, Internet entrepreneur and recent divorce' Altman tells barbed, musically diverse tales of his romantic misadventures....A dark, funny, resilient, postmodern concept album about love and loss.” (Hits Magazine) [7]
Track listing
editAll songs written, composed, and produced by Sean Altman, except where noted.
Italicized song titles denote short, non-song interludes; bold titles denote a cappella recordings, while all others are instrument-backed.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Seandemonium-Bop" | 0:04 |
| 2. | "Person" | 3:07 |
| 3. | "Baby Go Bye Bye" | 3:17 |
| 4. | "Big Sean Music NY" | 0:04 |
| 5. | "Pretty Baby" | 2:20 |
| 6. | "I Quit" | 0:08 |
| 7. | "Falling Over You" (Written by: Sean Altman, Billy Straus) | 3:01 |
| 8. | "Marry Me" | 3:14 |
| 9. | "Married Man" | 3:07 |
| 10. | "Day's Easy Moan" | 0:23 |
| 11. | "I Won't Mind" | 2:41 |
| 12. | "The Pink Pig" | 0:19 |
| 13. | "Be My Friend" | 2:25 |
| 14. | "Rebecca" | 2:34 |
| 15. | "oooh-Angst" | 0:04 |
| 16. | "Julie Gone" | 3:38 |
| 17. | "Perky Interlude" | 0:21 |
| 18. | "Hazel Eyes" | 2:47 |
| 19. | "Sullen Malaise" | 0:04 |
| 20. | "Miserable Destiny" (Written and produced by: Sean Altman, Scott Leonard) | 3:23 |
| 21. | "My Parents' Son" | 4:02 |
| 22. | "Elektra" | 0:39 |
| 23. | "Polly Gets" | 1:53 |
| 24. | "You're Mine" | 3:28 |
| 25. | "Max & Sean's Phresh Jew Thang" | 0:29 |
| 26. | "Fan" | 2:27 |
| 27. | "Presto Change-o" | 2:53 |
| 28. | "I'm Waiting" | 3:17 |
| 29. | "Male Patterm Baldness" | 0:04 |
| 30. | "Are You A Man?" (Contains Hidden Bonus Track) | 7:22 |
Personnel
edit- Sean Altman – vocals, guitar (#18, 24), random banging and clanging (#7, 10, 17, 24, 25, 27, 30)
- Kevin Altman – guest vocals (#12)
- Hugh Browne – guitar (#11, 21, 24, 26)
- Wendy Chatman – baby voice (#3)
- Grandpa Max – guest vocals (#25)
- Scott Leonard – guest vocals, vocal percussion (#20)
- Billy Straus – guitar, bass (#7, 25, 30)
- Jeff Thacher – vocal percussion (#2, 3, 5, 8, 9, 13, 14, 16, 23, 24, 26, 28)
- Paul Wohlstetter – guitar, bass (#8, 14, 23, 27)
- David Yazbek – percussion (#23, 27)
References
edit- ^ Schultz, David (2006-05-09). "Sean Altman: No Accompaniment Needed". Earvolution. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
- ^ "SeanPress: Sean Altman in the Press (March - June, 1998)". Seanaltman.com. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
- ^ "SeanPress: Sean Altman in the Press (July - December, 1998)". Seanaltman.com. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
- ^ "seanDEMOnium - Grade: A". Philadelphia Daily News. 1998-03-06.
{{cite magazine}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ "seanDEMOnium". Time Out New York. 1998-04-16.
{{cite magazine}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Zimmerman, Lee (1998-07-17). "Sean Altman: seanDEMOnium". Goldmine. Vol. 24 No. 15, no. 469.
{{cite magazine}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ "Sean Altman seanDEMOnium (Big Sean Music)". Hits Magazine. 1998-03-27.
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