''Splendor Solis'' is the second album by Canadian rock band
The Tea Party
The Tea Party is a Canadian rock band with industrial rock, blues, progressive rock, and Middle Eastern music influences, dubbed " Moroccan roll" by the media. Active throughout the 1990s and up until 2005, the band re-formed in 2011. The Tea ...
, released in 1993 as their first major label release on EMI Music Canada. The album sold very well in Canada, reaching #20 on the Canadian album chart and achieving
platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver".
Pla ...
status in 1994 and earning a
Juno
Juno commonly refers to:
*Juno (mythology), the Roman goddess of marriage and queen of the gods
*Juno (film), ''Juno'' (film), 2007
Juno may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters
*Juno, in the film ''Jenny, Juno''
*Ju ...
nomination for Best Hard Rock Album. The band was also nominated for Best New Group.
Overview
The album draws heavily on the
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
and
blues of the 1970s, as well as displaying some
psychedelic influences. As a result, The Tea Party was often compared to
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
, a parallel that was reinforced by
Jeff Martin playing guitar with a violin bow (not unlike
Jimmy Page) on "
Save Me". Martin's appearance, voice and singing style also drew comparisons to those of
Jim Morrison
James Douglas Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) was an American singer, poet and songwriter who was the lead vocalist of the rock band the Doors. Due to his wild personality, poetic lyrics, distinctive voice, unpredictable and err ...
, as did some of the album's lyrics.
"Sure," said Stuart Chatwood 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 Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential rock acts ...
had, and there are elements of those influences in our songs, but it's a cop out
Cop out or cop-out may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Cop Out (2010 film)'', a comedy film directed by Kevin Smith
* ''Cop-Out'', a film by Lawrence L. Simeone, produced by Kimberley Casey
* ''Cop-Out'', the US title for the 1967 UK film '' S ...
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."[Stuart Chatwood, Turning music into gold April 1994, Beat, Melbourne, Australia.]
Track listing
Singles
*"
The River"
*"
Save Me"
*"
A Certain Slant of Light"
Music videos directed by
Floria Sigismondi
Floria Sigismondi (, born 1965) is an Italian-Canadian film director, screenwriter, music video director, artist, and photographer.
She is best known for writing and directing '' The Runaways'', for directing music videos for performers includi ...
.
*"
In This Time"
*"
Midsummer Day
Midsummer is a celebration of the season of summer usually held at a date around the summer solstice. It has pagan pre-Christian roots in Europe.
The undivided Christian Church designated June 24 as the feast day of the early Christian martyr S ...
"
Re-recorded songs
''Splendor Solis'' includes re-recordings of several songs from the band's independent album, ''
The Tea Party
The Tea Party is a Canadian rock band with industrial rock, blues, progressive rock, and Middle Eastern music influences, dubbed " Moroccan roll" by the media. Active throughout the 1990s and up until 2005, the band re-formed in 2011. The Tea ...
'':
*"Midsummer Day"
*"Winter Solstice"
*"Save Me"
*"Sun Going Down"
*"Dreams of Reason"
Personnel
*Jeff Burrows – drums and percussion
*Stuart Chatwood – bass guitars, cello, art coordination
*Jeff Martin – guitars, vocals, production at White Crow Audio (
Burlington, Vermont)
*Glen Robinson – engineering and mixing at Powerplay Studios (
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
)
*Alex Armitage – assistant mixing engineer at Power Play Studios (
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
)
*
Bob Ludwig – remastering at Gateway Mastering Studios (
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropo ...
)
*Steve Cole – art conception and design
Charts
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Splendor Solis (Album)
The Tea Party albums
1993 albums