Captain Swing (album)
Encyclopedia
Captain Swing is a mixed genre album by American folk
singer-songwriter
Michelle Shocked
. It was first released by Mercury Records
in 1989 and later reissued by Shocked's own label Mighty Sound in 2004. It was named after Captain Swing
, the pseudonymous rebel leader who penned threatening letters during the rural English Swing Riots
of 1830. The album was a cross-country inventory of swing musical styles -- from Dixieland to Western, Big Band to BeBop.
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Michelle Shocked
Michelle Shocked
Michelle Shocked is the stage name of Michelle Karen Johnston, an American singer-songwriter.-History:Shocked received her first international exposure in Europe, particularly Britain, with her debut album The Texas Campfire Tapes .Her first U.S...
. It was first released by Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
in 1989 and later reissued by Shocked's own label Mighty Sound in 2004. It was named after Captain Swing
Captain Swing
Captain Swing was the name appended to some of the threatening letters during the rural English Swing Riots of 1830, when labourers rioted over the introduction of new threshing machines and the loss of their livelihoods...
, the pseudonymous rebel leader who penned threatening letters during the rural English Swing Riots
Swing Riots
The Swing Riots were a widespread uprising by agricultural workers; it began with the destruction of threshing machines in the Elham Valley area of East Kent in the summer of 1830, and by early December had spread throughout the whole of southern England and East Anglia.As well as the attacks on...
of 1830. The album was a cross-country inventory of swing musical styles -- from Dixieland to Western, Big Band to BeBop.
Track listing
All tracks composed by Michelle Shocked; except where indicated- "God Is a Real Estate Developer" (Shocked, Matt Fox) - 3:13
- "On the Greener Side" - 2:56
- "Silent Ways" - 2:40
- "Sleep Keeps Me Awake" - 2:44
- "The Cement Lament" - 3:07
- "(Don't You Mess Around with) My Little Sister" - 2:39
- "Looks Like Mona Lisa" - 2:32
- "Too Little Too Late" - 2:16
- "Streetcorner Ambassador" - 3:28
- "Must Be Luff" - 2:45
- "Russian Roulette" 3:33 [hidden track]
Personnel
- Michelle ShockedMichelle ShockedMichelle Shocked is the stage name of Michelle Karen Johnston, an American singer-songwriter.-History:Shocked received her first international exposure in Europe, particularly Britain, with her debut album The Texas Campfire Tapes .Her first U.S...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, acoustic guitar - Pete AndersonPete AndersonPete Anderson is an American guitarist and music producer.Anderson is most known for his guitar work with, and critically acclaimed production of, country music star Dwight Yoakam from 1984 through 2002...
– electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, six-string bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Skip Edwards – pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, Hammond organHammond organThe Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard... - Jeff Donavan – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- James Cruce - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
on 2 - Dusty WakemanDusty WakemanDusty Wakeman is a rock/country music producer and engineer based in Burbank, California. Wakeman is also credited as a bass player on many recordings. Dusty has worked with Dwight Yoakam, Lucinda Williams, Jim Lauderdale, Buck Owens, Michelle Shocked, Tom Russell, Roger Clyne and the...
- electric bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Domenic Genova – upright bassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
- Lenny CastroLenny CastroLenny Castro is an American freelancing percussionist in the studio recording industry in the Los Angeles area.-Early life:Castro is a percussionist of Puerto Rican descent and was born and raised in New York City. His father, Hector Castro, played the keyboard in a Latin style and gave his son...
- percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... - FreeboFreeboFreebo is a bass and tuba player, guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer noted primarily for his work with Bonnie Raitt. He is also a respected session musician who has recorded and performed with Ringo Starr, John Mayall, John Hall, Aaron Neville, Dr...
(a.k.a. Daniel Friedberg) - tubaTubaThe tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the... - Zachary RichardZachary RichardZachary Richard is a Cajun singer/songwriter and poet. His music is an innovative combination of Cajun and Zydeco musical styles.-Biography:...
- accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist.... - Lee ThornburgLee ThornburgLee Thornburg is a trumpeter who has played with many artists, and also has been a member of Supertramp and Tower of Power. Thornburg also played with Wayne Cochran and the C.C. Riders in the 1970s.-Biography:...
- trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air... - David Stout - tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
- Beverly Dahlke-Smith - baritone saxBaritone saxophoneThe baritone saxophone, often called "bari sax" , is one of the largest and lowest pitched members of the saxophone family. It was invented by Adolphe Sax. The baritone is distinguished from smaller sizes of saxophone by the extra loop near its mouthpiece...
and clarinetClarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed... - Steve Grove - tenor saxTenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
- Paul Glasse - mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
- Don Reed - stringsStrings (music)A string is the vibrating element that produces sound in string instruments, such as the guitar, harp, piano, and members of the violin family. Strings are lengths of a flexible material kept under tension so that they may vibrate freely, but controllably. Strings may be "plain"...
- John Begzian - emulator program
Technical personnel
- Pete AndersonPete AndersonPete Anderson is an American guitarist and music producer.Anderson is most known for his guitar work with, and critically acclaimed production of, country music star Dwight Yoakam from 1984 through 2002...
– producer, arrangements - Peter Doell – engineer (Capitol Studio B)
- David LeonardDavid Leonard (producer)David Leonard is a Grammy Award-winning American record producer and audio engineer.-Production discography:* 1981: Chaka Khan - What Cha' Gonna Do for Me - co-engineer* 1981: The Go-Go's - Beauty and the Beat - mixing assistant...
– mixing engineer (Skip Sailor Recording, Sound Castle Studio, The Enterprise) - Don Murray - mixing engineer on 8, 9 & 10.
- Charlie PaakkariCharlie PaakkariCharlie Paakkari is a famous, award-winning Capitol Records recording engineer.- Career :Paakkari has recorded many artists in the music business, including*The Carpenters*Dwight Yoakam*Tony Bennett*Bette Midler*Elton John*Harry Connick Jr....
– additional engineer - Stephen MarcussenStephen MarcussenStephen Marcussen is the founder and chief mastering engineer of Marcussen Mastering in Hollywood, California. Marcussen is one of the most sought-after mastering engineers in the music industry and his expertise has been coveted by a wide range of artists over the years...
- mastering engineer (Precision Lacquered) - Barb Hein - production assistant
- Ross Garfield - custom drums and tuning (Drum Doctor)
- Jaime HernandezJaime HernandezJaime Hernandez is the co-creator of the black & white independent comic book Love and Rockets .-Early life:...
- cover art (Fantagraphics)