Name: The Swimming Pool Q's
Album: Blue Tomorrow
Year: 1986
Style: Jangle Pop, Folk
Similar Bands: Let's Active, Bongos, dB's, Shakespears Sister. Frank Black
One Word Review: Celestial Twang
Based Out Of: Atlanta GA
Label: A&M
Blue Tomorrow - Cover, Sleeve & Record
Blue Tomorrow - Back, Lyrics, Record
Blue Tomorrow (1986)
- Now I'm Talking About Now 3:59
- She's Lookin' Real Good 4:21
- Pretty on the Inside 2:56
- Laredo Radio 3:52
- Wreck Around 4:30/
- More Than One Heaven 3:39
- Corruption 4:33
- Blue Tomorrow 3:58
- A Dream In Gray 3:40
- Big Fat Tractor 3:32
Album Rating (1-10): 5.5
Members & Other Bands:
Billy Burton - Drums (Coolies)
Bob Elsey - Guitar (Kevin Kinney)
Jeff Calder - Vox, Guitar, Sax, Theremin, Electric Dulcimer (Supreme Court, Glenn Phillips, Hot Place, Amazing Journey, Girls, Guns and Glory)
J.E. Garnetts - Bass (Atlanta Rhythm Section)
Anne Richmond Boston - Vox Keys, Art Direction (Marti Jones, Face to Face, Widespread Panic, Supreme Court, Drive By Truckers)
Greg Q Quesnel - Engineer
Scott Harmon - Asst. Engineer
Donal Jones - Asst. Engineer
Ron Christopher - Mix Engineer
Dennis Blackham - Mastering
Howie Weinstein - Mastering
Charlie Brusco - Direction
Jeff Gold - Art Direction
Richard Frankel - Art Direction
Douglas Brian Martin - Design
Britian Hill - Photographer
Karin - Stylist
Marty Kearns - Synth Programming. Keyboard Arrangements
Mike Howlett - Sequencer Program
Unknown-ness: I feel like I may have heard of this band, but as to their musical style, I do not know for sure. I can guess, with the sillyish name, year of '86, font and fashion choices, that this may not be too enjoyable. It looks like it may be overly complex, and very dated to the mid 80's pastel and jangley yet meandering production. The ponies per person does not really help, but gives it a folksy feel.
Album Review: The Swimming Pool
Q’s, name taken from the phrase “swinging pool cues” in a novel, were a new
wave band in the Atlanta area in the early 80’s. Often lumped into the Athens
scene of the B-52’s, REM and Pylon, they were still a very different band. As
the token new wave band, they often opened for bands that came through town
like Devo, Klaus Nomi, The Police and Lou Reed. They released 4 albums in the early
part of their career, and then reformed and released a fifth album in 2003.
They even used Kickstarter to remaster and reissue their earlier albums.
“Now I'm Talking
About Now” starts the album on a celestial cloud of sorts. A soaring,
trumpeting synth hook repeats, as if beckoning a new king. The song continues
down the renaissance path, with some Indigo Girls vocals, and come echoing
percussion (think- Tom Petty’s “Don’t Come Around Here No More”). The
instrumental section offers a spotlight to the electric guitar, which continues
to soar and dip in the background under the vocals. The angelic harmonies
toward the end of the song only enhance the lofty vibe the song emits.
“She's Lookin'
Real Good” pulses with a bass beat as it begins, and jangly guitars play with percussion
clicks. The song is led with male vocals, and has a bit of a bluesy, country
twang to the delivery, particularly with the echoing vocals. Some of the vocals
lines end with Frank Black’s style of execution.
“Pretty on the
Inside” transitions back to a lofty, celestial scene, placed on the back of the
lead vocals, and toe taping, non-threatening music. The guitar solo soars, but
does not detract from the flowing, meandering melody.
“Laredo Radio” is
a definition of Alt-Country, with its rural guitar, and slightly gruff male
vocals. The song feels like generic background music. The surf guitar
instrumental does breathe a little life into the song, but it is far too brief,
and the song transgresses to its tedious melody far too quickly. The chorus
tries to build up, but it does not have any teeth to make it memorable.
“Wreck Around”
begins like it is entering a dream state, with methodic bass notes over a
jangly guitar loop. The flip flopping shared vocal duties takes us back to the
haunting female vocals. The song has a Fleetwood Mac feel to it (as far as my
uneducated impression of them goes).
“More Than One
Heaven” is a nice break in the meandering melodies, and presents one true fun,
bouncy, pop song. The hooks are short, and full of energy, as does the echoing drums
and steady, driving tempo. The vocal melody is a rollicking, fun to follow
course, and is harmonized, to give it a nice thickness. The layout of the song
is predictable, and enjoyable, even if the song has a little of a goddy vibe (the
“take me on up” bridge). The male vocals give a spoken word sermon over the
transitional breakdown to the final verse of the song.
“Corruption” has
an angry, country version of Frank Black feel again, and this feels more like landscape
rock, like The Alarm or Big Country. The song is slinky and dirty, but is kind
of empty of substance. There is an electric guitar solo in the middle that does
feel a little like hair metal.
“Blue Tomorrow”
is the title track to the album, and begins with a jangly non-hook. The synth
keyboard adds the necessary hook, which is quite catchy, and gives off a Belle
& Sebastian vibe. But the male vocals are in this song: a break from the
male/female switches. The song is catchy in an Americana Pop vibe, and is
basic, yet pleasant. You think the melody of the chorus will be the first
instance of Blue Tomorrow, but then the melody shifts to give you a different
interpretation of the melody and it works quite well in its building of energy.
“A Dream In Gray”
has a little swagger. We’re back on track with the switch to a female fronted
song. It sways side to side, thanks to the slightly disjointed guitar hook and
complimentary drum beat. The song does not give much chance for itself to
change, adapt or build, so it remains a little one-dimensional. Falling back on
the staggered guitar building blocks, at least the vocals do change up from deep
reverberating to free flowing angelic hums.
“Big Fat Tractor”
has a country, less-campy version of Fred Schneider’s vocals, and the female
vocals do well to parallel his vocals, in a similar style to Kate Pierson also
of the B-52’s. The song is down and dirty country honky tonk song, with a few
odd breaks and emotional vocal offerings, which are often pinched out. It is an
interesting, and parts of it grind out with metal guitars. It is a nice
chaotic, near-experimental end to an album that held back for almost its entirety.
Stand Out Track:
More Than Just One Heaven
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