Give Yourself a Hand
Encyclopedia
Give Yourself a Hand is the fourth album by the Crash Test Dummies
, released in 1999 through ViK. Records. It is their final album for BMG
. The album spawned a quirky hit "Keep a Lid on Things
". The Times
review of the album described it as "the best music of their career...an album of rare wit and vitality."
, Crash Test Dummies were given a lot of creative freedom, thanks to the success of God Shuffled His Feet
. However, the album was considered a disappointment and, the band's label, BMG
pressured the band into immediately writing a follow-up. During the initial song-writing process, the band wrote and recorded 35 demos, all of which were rejected by BMG. The demos from these sessions would be shelved until 2011, when a selection of them were released on the compilation album Demo-litions
.
In 1998, the band would then proceed to write and record the album that became Give Yourself a Hand. At the time, Brad Roberts
had moved to Harlem
and was greatly inspired by the urban music he heard in the area. As a result, he began the writing an album that was full of soul and hip-hop beats, including Roberts singing in Falsetto
for the first time. The sound of the album can also to attributed to the contributions from co-writer/producer Greg Wells
.
The band's keyboardist Ellen Reid
is featured singing lead vocals on several tracks, including the album's second single "Get You in the Morning
".
.
Music by Brad Roberts
& Greg Wells
.
except where indicated.
's classic Walking Wounded
. Some textures here are stunning, with electric piano flourishes and hip-hop drumbeat samples that sound tunefully great. The Dummies exhibit an unexpected knack for drum'n'bass shadings in "Pissed with Me" and "A Little Something." Unfortunately, the beauty of the surroundings can't compensate for Roberts' singularly strange lyrical talents." However, he goes on to state that "the songs sung by Ellen Reid fare much better, especially the beautiful "A Little Something," which at least gives voice to vulnerability."
Crash Test Dummies
The Crash Test Dummies is a Canadian folk rock/alternative rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba, widely known for their 1993 single "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm".The band is most identifiable through Brad Roberts and his distinctive bass-baritone voice...
, released in 1999 through ViK. Records. It is their final album for BMG
BMG
Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann...
. The album spawned a quirky hit "Keep a Lid on Things
Keep A Lid On Things
"Keep a Lid on Things" is a song by Canadian group Crash Test Dummies and was the first single from their 1999 album Give Yourself a Hand. The song featured a new sound for the group, most notably Brad Roberts using falsetto vocals.-Track listing:...
". The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
review of the album described it as "the best music of their career...an album of rare wit and vitality."
Background
For their third album A Worm's LifeA Worm's Life
A Worm's Life is the third album by Crash Test Dummies, released in 1996. It came after their successful album, God Shuffled His Feet.-Background:...
, Crash Test Dummies were given a lot of creative freedom, thanks to the success of God Shuffled His Feet
God Shuffled His Feet
The album was the band's biggest mainstream hit. Allmusic writer Stephen Thomas Erlewine, who gave it 4½ out of 5 stars, attributes the album's success to "Jerry Harrison's remarkably clear and focused production" and that "apart from the relatively concise pop smarts of the singles "Mmm Mmm Mmm...
. However, the album was considered a disappointment and, the band's label, BMG
BMG
Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann...
pressured the band into immediately writing a follow-up. During the initial song-writing process, the band wrote and recorded 35 demos, all of which were rejected by BMG. The demos from these sessions would be shelved until 2011, when a selection of them were released on the compilation album Demo-litions
Demo-litions
Demo-litions: Cast-off Recordings 1996-97 is a 2011 compilation album by the Crash Test Dummies. It consists of unreleased demos made during the songwriting process that eventually resulted in the album Give Yourself a Hand...
.
In 1998, the band would then proceed to write and record the album that became Give Yourself a Hand. At the time, Brad Roberts
Brad Roberts
Bradley Kenneth "Brad" Roberts is the lead singer and guitarist for the Canadian folk-rock band Crash Test Dummies. He sings in the bass-baritone range.-Career:...
had moved to Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
and was greatly inspired by the urban music he heard in the area. As a result, he began the writing an album that was full of soul and hip-hop beats, including Roberts singing in Falsetto
Falsetto
Falsetto is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal folds, in whole or in part...
for the first time. The sound of the album can also to attributed to the contributions from co-writer/producer Greg Wells
Greg Wells
Greg Wells is a multiple Grammy nominated musician, record producer and songwriter based in Los Angeles. Wells has produced and written hits with Adele, Weezer, Pink, Theophilus London, Deftones, Katy Perry, Rufus Wainwright, The All American Rejects, OneRepublic, Mika, Aerosmith, Burt Bacharach,...
.
The band's keyboardist Ellen Reid
Ellen Reid
Ellen Reid provides backing vocals, piano, keyboards and accordion for the Canadian rock band Crash Test Dummies....
is featured singing lead vocals on several tracks, including the album's second single "Get You in the Morning
Get You In The Morning
"Get You in the Morning" is a song by Canadian group Crash Test Dummies and was the second and final single from their 1999 album Give Yourself a Hand...
".
Track listing
Lyrics by Brad RobertsBrad Roberts
Bradley Kenneth "Brad" Roberts is the lead singer and guitarist for the Canadian folk-rock band Crash Test Dummies. He sings in the bass-baritone range.-Career:...
.
Music by Brad Roberts
Brad Roberts
Bradley Kenneth "Brad" Roberts is the lead singer and guitarist for the Canadian folk-rock band Crash Test Dummies. He sings in the bass-baritone range.-Career:...
& Greg Wells
Greg Wells
Greg Wells is a multiple Grammy nominated musician, record producer and songwriter based in Los Angeles. Wells has produced and written hits with Adele, Weezer, Pink, Theophilus London, Deftones, Katy Perry, Rufus Wainwright, The All American Rejects, OneRepublic, Mika, Aerosmith, Burt Bacharach,...
.
except where indicated.
- "Keep a Lid on ThingsKeep A Lid On Things"Keep a Lid on Things" is a song by Canadian group Crash Test Dummies and was the first single from their 1999 album Give Yourself a Hand. The song featured a new sound for the group, most notably Brad Roberts using falsetto vocals.-Track listing:...
"-2:45 - "A Cigarette Is All You Get"-2:27
- "Just Chillin'"-3:32
- "I Want to Par-tay!"-2:29
- "Give Yourself a Hand"-3:00
- "Get You in the MorningGet You In The Morning"Get You in the Morning" is a song by Canadian group Crash Test Dummies and was the second and final single from their 1999 album Give Yourself a Hand...
"-2:57 - "Pissed With Me"-3:09
- "Just Shoot Me, Baby"-3:34
- "A Little Something" (Ellen ReidEllen ReidEllen Reid provides backing vocals, piano, keyboards and accordion for the Canadian rock band Crash Test Dummies....
, Brad RobertsBrad RobertsBradley Kenneth "Brad" Roberts is the lead singer and guitarist for the Canadian folk-rock band Crash Test Dummies. He sings in the bass-baritone range.-Career:...
, Greg WellsGreg WellsGreg Wells is a multiple Grammy nominated musician, record producer and songwriter based in Los Angeles. Wells has produced and written hits with Adele, Weezer, Pink, Theophilus London, Deftones, Katy Perry, Rufus Wainwright, The All American Rejects, OneRepublic, Mika, Aerosmith, Burt Bacharach,...
)-4:36 - "I Love Your Goo" (Brad RobertsBrad RobertsBradley Kenneth "Brad" Roberts is the lead singer and guitarist for the Canadian folk-rock band Crash Test Dummies. He sings in the bass-baritone range.-Career:...
)-3:31 - "Aching to Sneeze" (Brad RobertsBrad RobertsBradley Kenneth "Brad" Roberts is the lead singer and guitarist for the Canadian folk-rock band Crash Test Dummies. He sings in the bass-baritone range.-Career:...
)-3:23 - "Playing Dead"-3:15
Personnel
- Brad RobertsBrad RobertsBradley Kenneth "Brad" Roberts is the lead singer and guitarist for the Canadian folk-rock band Crash Test Dummies. He sings in the bass-baritone range.-Career:...
– lead vocals, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s - Ellen ReidEllen ReidEllen Reid provides backing vocals, piano, keyboards and accordion for the Canadian rock band Crash Test Dummies....
– back-up vocals, vocals on Just Chillin, Get You in The Morning, and A Little Something, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Benjamin DarvillBenjamin DarvillBenjamin Darvill , known by his stage name Son of Dave, is a Canadian musician and singer–songwriter, based in the United Kingdom. He was a member of folk rock band Crash Test Dummies in which he played harmonica, mandolin, guitar and percussion before going solo in 2000.SOD was born in Winnipeg,...
– harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, - Dan RobertsDan RobertsDan Roberts is the bassist for the Canadian rock band, Crash Test Dummies, and brother of their lead singer, Brad Roberts.-Biography:...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
s - Mitch DorgeMitch DorgeMitch Dorge is a Canadian drummer, composer and record producer.-Biography:...
– drumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s, 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...
, digitalDigitalA digital system is a data technology that uses discrete values. By contrast, non-digital systems use a continuous range of values to represent information...
stuff - David K - 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...
on Playing Dead - David Piltch - acoustic bassAcoustic bassThe term acoustic bass may refer to one of the following bass instruments:*Double bass - an upright contrabass violin*Acoustic bass guitar - the acoustic version of the bass guitar...
on Just Chillin
Reception
The album received mixed reviews. Allmusic writer Paul Pearson gave the album 3 out of 5 stars and states that Give Yourself a Hand redefines the Dummies sound with lightly applied techno strokes, not far off from Everything But the GirlEverything but the Girl
Everything but the Girl was a two-person English band, formed in Hull during 1981, consisting of lead singer and occasional guitarist Tracey Thorn and guitarist, keyboardist, and singer Ben Watt . They are currently inactive although vocalist Tracey Thorn hinted that they may reform someday...
's classic Walking Wounded
Walking Wounded
Walking Wounded is a 1996 album by Everything but the Girl, their ninth studio release. It is their highest charting album to date, reaching number 4 in the UK and number 37 in the U.S....
. Some textures here are stunning, with electric piano flourishes and hip-hop drumbeat samples that sound tunefully great. The Dummies exhibit an unexpected knack for drum'n'bass shadings in "Pissed with Me" and "A Little Something." Unfortunately, the beauty of the surroundings can't compensate for Roberts' singularly strange lyrical talents." However, he goes on to state that "the songs sung by Ellen Reid fare much better, especially the beautiful "A Little Something," which at least gives voice to vulnerability."