''Mending Wall'' is the first album by the Canadian band
Chalk Circle
''The Chalk Circle'' (sometimes translated ''The Circle of Chalk''), by Li Qianfu, is a Yuan dynasty (1259–1368) China, Chinese classical zaju verse play and gong'an fiction, gong'an Chinese crime fiction, crime drama, in four acts with a prol ...
, released in 1987 on
Duke Street Records
Duke Street Records was a Canadian independent record label"Barren ground for Canada's gutsy record labels". ''Edmonton Journal'', May 10, 1990. established in 1984 by Andrew Hermant, but the record label ceased operating in 1994. The Universal ...
. The band supported the album by touring with
Crowded House
Crowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, in 1985. Its founding members were New Zealander Neil Finn (vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter) and Australians Paul Hester (drums) and Nick Seymour (bass). Later ban ...
. ''Mending Wall'' sold more than 50,000 copies before the end of 1987.
A reissue of the album included a cover of T-Rex's "20th Century Boy", which was released as a single. The subsequent reissue of ''
The Great Lake
''The Great Lake'' is the debut EP by Chalk Circle released in 1986. The original release of the EP only featured six tracks. It was later re-released with three additional tracks on CD.
The EP contained two singles: "April Fool", a Top 10 h ...
'' EP, in 1988, also included the track as one of the bonus cuts.
Production
The album was named after a
Robert Frost
Robert Lee Frost (March26, 1874January29, 1963) was an American poet. His work was initially published in England before it was published in the United States. Known for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloq ...
poem
Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings in ...
. It was produced by
Chris Wardman. "This Mourning" deals with nuclear annihilation, while "N.I.M.B.Y" (Not In My Back Yard) is about environmental issues. Frontman Chris Tait thought that the album failed to show the band's live sound.
Critical reception
The ''
Ottawa Citizen
The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
History
Established as ''The Bytown Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris (journalist), William Harris, it was renamed the '' ...
'' wrote that "these are textured songs, rich in atmosphere... There are fluid guitar lines; a mixture of acoustic and electronic; a meeting of rock and folk." ''
The Kingston Whig-Standard
''The Kingston Whig-Standard'' is a newspaper in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. It is published five days a week, from Tuesday to Saturday. It publishes a mix of community, national and international news and is currently owned by Postmedia. It has ...
'' determined that "Tait has a British synth-band voice, but it's perfectly tailored to this kind of music." ''
The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
'' noted the "borrowed British post-punk moodiness."
Track listing
CD: Duke Street Records / DSRD-31035 (Canada)
# "
This Mourning
"This Mourning" is the lead single from Canadian band Chalk Circle's first full-length album, ''Mending Wall''. It was released on Duke Street Records in 1987.
The song itself deals with the nuclear threat of annihilation that was very much part ...
"
# "My Artificial Sweetener"
# "What Counts"
# "N.I.M.B.Y."
# "Empty Park"
# "Hands"
# "Park Island"
# "Village"
# "Who Can Say"
CD: Duke Street Records / DSMD-31035 (Canada)
# "
This Mourning
"This Mourning" is the lead single from Canadian band Chalk Circle's first full-length album, ''Mending Wall''. It was released on Duke Street Records in 1987.
The song itself deals with the nuclear threat of annihilation that was very much part ...
"
# "My Artificial Sweetener"
# "What Counts"
# "N.I.M.B.Y."
# "20th Century Boy"
# "Empty Park"
# "Hands"
# "Park Island"
# "Village"
# "Who Can Say"
* 1987 reissue adds "20th Century Boy"
Singles
* "
This Mourning
"This Mourning" is the lead single from Canadian band Chalk Circle's first full-length album, ''Mending Wall''. It was released on Duke Street Records in 1987.
The song itself deals with the nuclear threat of annihilation that was very much part ...
"
* "20th Century Boy"
* "N.I.M.B.Y"
References
{{Authority control
Chalk Circle (Canadian band) albums
1987 albums
Duke Street Records albums