Splendor Solis (album)
Encyclopedia
Splendor Solis is The Tea Party
's second album, and their first release on EMI Music Canada. The overall tone of the album is very organic and natural, with many songs featuring 6 and 12 string guitar acoustic guitars, and very little in terms of electronic effects or production techniques.
The album draws heavily on rock
and blues
of the 1970s, as well as displaying some psychedelic
influences. As a result The Tea Party was often compared to Led Zeppelin
, a parallel that was reinforced by Jeff Martin
playing guitar with violin bow (not unlike Jimmy Page
) on "Save Me
". Martin's voice and singing style also drew comparisons to that of Jim Morrison
, as did some of the album's lyrics.
Splendor Solis was very well received in Canada
, reaching platinum status in 1994 (now double platinum in 2000) and earning a Juno nomination for "Best Hard Rock Album". The band was also nominated for "Best New Group". Splendor Solis was also The Tea Party's first gold selling album in Australia
, where the band had enjoyed great success throughout their career.
Music videos directed by Floria Sigismondi
.
independent album:
The Tea Party
The Tea Party is a Canadian rock band with blues, progressive rock, Indian and Middle Eastern influences, dubbed "Moroccan roll" by the media. Active throughout the 1990s up until 2005 when the band broke up, The Tea Party released eight albums on EMI Music Canada, selling 1.6 million records...
's second album, and their first release on EMI Music Canada. The overall tone of the album is very organic and natural, with many songs featuring 6 and 12 string guitar acoustic guitars, and very little in terms of electronic effects or production techniques.
The album draws heavily on rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
of the 1970s, as well as displaying some psychedelic
Psychedelic music
Psychedelic music covers a range of popular music styles and genres, which are inspired by or influenced by psychedelic culture and which attempt to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues-rock bands in the...
influences. As a result The Tea Party was often compared to Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, a parallel that was reinforced by Jeff Martin
Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)
Jeffrey Scott Martin is a Canadian guitarist and singer-songwriter best known for fronting the rock band The Tea Party. Martin began his career as a solo artist in October 2005, when The Tea Party disbanded....
playing guitar with violin bow (not unlike Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
) on "Save Me
Save Me (The Tea Party song)
"Save Me" is a song by Canadian rock band The Tea Party. It was released as a promotional single in Canada. The music video was shot in Toronto, directed by Floria Sigismondi....
". Martin's voice and singing style also drew comparisons to that of Jim Morrison
Jim Morrison
James Douglas "Jim" Morrison was an American musician, singer, and poet, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band The Doors...
, as did some of the album's lyrics.
"Sure," said Stuart ChatwoodStuart ChatwoodStuart Chatwood, is a Canadian musician, best known as the bass guitar and keyboard player for the rock band The Tea Party. The Tea Party are known for fusing together musical styles of both the Eastern and Western worlds, in what they call "Moroccan roll"...
said of these comparisons "we draw from 70s rock as much as the other influences we've talked about. You can't ignore the power that Led Zeppelin or The DoorsThe DoorsThe Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
had, and there are elements of those influences in our songs, but it's a cop outCop outCop out is an idiom which means to avoid taking responsibility for an action, fulfilling a duty or meeting expectations; as a noun, it refers to someone who 'cops out'.Cop out or cop-out may also refer to:...
to then write us off as some retro act. If people listen closely, they'll appreciate the originality of what we're doing, time changes. The fact that Jeff's a rock baritone doesn't justify the laziness of critics who slag him as a Morrison wanna-be."
Splendor Solis was very well received in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, reaching platinum status in 1994 (now double platinum in 2000) and earning a Juno nomination for "Best Hard Rock Album". The band was also nominated for "Best New Group". Splendor Solis was also The Tea Party's first gold selling album in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, where the band had enjoyed great success throughout their career.
Track listing
- "The RiverThe River (The Tea Party song)"The River" is a song by Canadian rock band The Tea Party. It was released as a single in Australia and the UK, where it reached #79 in the UK Singles Chart, and a promotional single in Canada and the USA...
" – 5:44 - "Midsummer DayMidsummer Day (song)"Midsummer Day" is a song by Canadian rock band The Tea Party. It was released as a promotional single in Canada....
" – 5:58 - "A Certain Slant of LightA Certain Slant of Light"A Certain Slant of Light" is a song by Canadian rock band The Tea Party. It was released as a single in Australia and a promotional single in Canada. The music video was shot in the Sydney suburbs of Kurnell and Kings Cross, directed by Floria Sigismondi and features a some of The Tea Party's...
" – 5:00 - "Winter Solstice" – 2:45
- "Save MeSave Me (The Tea Party song)"Save Me" is a song by Canadian rock band The Tea Party. It was released as a promotional single in Canada. The music video was shot in Toronto, directed by Floria Sigismondi....
" – 6:35 - "Sun Going Down" – 6:31
- "In This TimeIn This Time"In This Time" is a song by Canadian rock band The Tea Party. It was released as a single in Australia."In This Time" is a folk inspired composition written for Gibson harp guitar....
" – 4:57 - "Dreams of Reason" – 6:19
- "Raven Skies" – 5:17
- "Haze on the Hills" – 2:24
- "The Majestic Song" – 4:37
Singles
- "The RiverThe River (The Tea Party song)"The River" is a song by Canadian rock band The Tea Party. It was released as a single in Australia and the UK, where it reached #79 in the UK Singles Chart, and a promotional single in Canada and the USA...
" - "Save MeSave Me (The Tea Party song)"Save Me" is a song by Canadian rock band The Tea Party. It was released as a promotional single in Canada. The music video was shot in Toronto, directed by Floria Sigismondi....
" - "A Certain Slant of LightA Certain Slant of Light"A Certain Slant of Light" is a song by Canadian rock band The Tea Party. It was released as a single in Australia and a promotional single in Canada. The music video was shot in the Sydney suburbs of Kurnell and Kings Cross, directed by Floria Sigismondi and features a some of The Tea Party's...
"
Music videos directed by Floria Sigismondi
Floria Sigismondi
Floria Sigismondi is an Italian, naturalised Canadian, photographer and director.Apart from her art exhibitions, she is best known for writing and directing The Runaways, starring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning...
.
- "In This TimeIn This Time"In This Time" is a song by Canadian rock band The Tea Party. It was released as a single in Australia."In This Time" is a folk inspired composition written for Gibson harp guitar....
" - "Midsummer DayMidsummer Day (song)"Midsummer Day" is a song by Canadian rock band The Tea Party. It was released as a promotional single in Canada....
"
Recurring Songs
Splendor Solis includes re-recordings of several songs from The Tea Party's eponymously titledThe Tea Party (album)
The Tea Party is the eponymous debut album of Canadian rock group The Tea Party. The album was originally recorded as a demo which the band submitted to several record companies, however the trio was not signed to any recording contract and decided to release the album independently...
independent album:
- "Midsummer Day"
- "Winter Solstice"
- "Save Me"
- "Sun Going Down"
- "Dreams of Reason"
Credits
- Jeff Burrows - drums and percussion
- Stuart Chatwood - bass guitars, cello, art coordination
- Jeff Martin - guitars, vocals, production at White Crow Audio (Burlington, VermontBurlington, VermontBurlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County. Burlington lies south of the U.S.-Canadian border and some south of Montreal....
) - Glen Robinson - engineering and mixing at Powerplay Studios (New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
) - Bob LudwigBob LudwigBob Ludwig is an American mastering engineer.He is a well known and respected figure within the music industry. His name is credited on the covers of albums released across the world, and he has won numerous awards....
- remastering at Gateway Mastering Studios (Portland, MainePortland, MainePortland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
) - Steve Cole - art conception and design