''No Room'' is an album by the
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is a home rule city that is the county seat and most populous municipality of Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, making it the 12th most populous city in Color ...
, band
the Samples
The Samples is an American rock band formed in Boulder, Colorado in 1987. The band's name came from the members' early sustenance of food samples from the local grocery store. The music has been described as "reggae influenced rock/pop" and a ...
, released in 1992. Prior to recording the album, the band left
Arista Records
Arista Records () is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously handled by BMG Entertainmen ...
to regain control of their musical direction.
The Samples supported the album with a North American tour; they also played the 1993
H.O.R.D.E.
Horizons of Rock Developing Everywhere or H.O.R.D.E. Festival was a touring summer rock music festival originated by the musical group Blues Traveler in 1992. In addition to travelling headliners, the festival gave exposure to bands, charities, a ...
festival. They wrote and tested the songs while touring their previous album. ''No Room'' sold almost 80,000 copies in its first nine months of release; it had topped more than 150,000 copies by 1998.
Critical reception
The ''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
'' noted the "crystalline production, bubbling keyboard arrangements, snaky guitar lines and a tight, syncopated rhythm section."
[ The '']Daily Breeze
The ''Daily Breeze'' is a 57,000-circulation daily newspaper published in Hermosa Beach, California
Hermosa Beach (''Hermosa'', Spanish language, Spanish for "Beautiful") is a beachfront city in Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of Calif ...
'' deemed the album "rock with a point—and with touches of jazz fusion, ska, reggae and even a country twang."
Mentioning the Samples' return to an independent label, the ''Tulsa World
The ''Tulsa World'' is the daily newspaper for the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and primary newspaper for the northeastern and eastern portions of Oklahoma. Tulsa World Media Company is part of Lee Enterprises. The new owners announced in January 202 ...
'' opined that "the band's loyalty to its formative ideas gives its music a consistent, yet broad-based, signature." ''Trouser Press
''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference to ...
'' wrote: "'When It's Raining' is a standout, a shimmering melody surfing on a wiggly groove, finally capturing in the studio some of what the Samples transmit onstage."
Track listing
All songs written by Sean Kelly, except where noted.
# "When It's Raining" – 3:33
# "Summertime" (Kelly, Al Laughlin) – 4:57
# "Another Disaster" (Kelly, Andy Sheldon) – 5:15
# "Did You Ever Look So Nice" (Kelly, Laughlin) – 4:02
# "Nothing Lasts for Long" – 4:35
# "Stone Tears" (Sheldon) – 4:43
# "Giants" (Sheldon) – 3:20
# "Suburbia" (Kelly, MacNichol) – 4:49
# "14th and Euclid" (Kelly, Laughlin) – 4:16
# "Won't Be Back Again" (Kelly, Laughlin) – 2:40
# "Pain" – 3:57
# "Little Whale" (Vince Sendra) – :56
# "Seany Boy (Drop Out)" – 2:39
# "Taking Us Home" – 4:03
Lineup
* Sean Kelly (Lead Singer, Guitars)
* Andy Sheldon (Bass, Vocals)
* Al Laughlin (Keyboards, Vocals)
* Jeep MacNichol (Drums/Percussion, Vocals)
References
{{Authority control
The Samples albums
1992 albums
Albums produced by Jim Scott (producer)