''Let Your Dim Light Shine'' is the seventh studio album by
American rock band
Soul Asylum
Soul Asylum is an American alternative rock band formed in 1981 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Their 1993 hit "Runaway Train" won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song.
The band was originally called Loud Fast Rules, with a lineup consisting of Dav ...
, released June 6, 1995 on
Columbia Records. Critically, it suffered in comparison to its predecessor, ''
Grave Dancers Union'', the band's breakout release. It includes the hit "
Misery," which was parodied by
"Weird Al" Yankovic as "Syndicated Inc." on his album ''
Bad Hair Day
''Bad Hair Day'' is the ninth studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on March 12, 1996. It was also Yankovic's last studio album for the Scotti Brothers label before it was purchased by Volcano Records in 1999 and his final studio album t ...
''.
This was the first Soul Asylum album with drummer
Sterling Campbell, who had previously provided half of the drums on ''
Grave Dancers Union''.
The album's title comes from a lyric of the song "Promises Broken."
Reception
AllMusic gave a mostly critical summary of ''Let Your Dim Light Shine'', with
Stephen Thomas Erlewine commenting that the music "isn't quite as impressive" compared to previous efforts, and moreover that this element is easily overlooked because of the "self-importance" of the lyrics.
Track listing
All songs written by
David Pirner
David Anthony Pirner (born April 16, 1964) is an American songwriter, singer, and producer best known as the lead vocalist and frontman for the alternative rock band Soul Asylum.
Early life and work
Pirner was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin and gr ...
unless noted otherwise.
#"
Misery" – 4:24
#"Shut Down" – 2:51
#"To My Own Devices" – 2:59
#"Hopes Up" – 3:45
#"Promises Broken" (
Dan Murphy,
Marc Perlman
The Jayhawks are an American alternative country and country rock band that emerged from the Twin Cities music scene in the mid-1980s. Led by vocalists/guitarists/songwriters Gary Louris and Mark Olson, their country rock sound was influentia ...
) – 3:14
#"Bittersweetheart" – 3:34
#"String of Pearls" – 4:56
#"Crawl" (Stephen Jordan, Pirner) – 4:00
#"Caged Rat" – 3:03
#"Eyes of a Child" – 3:35
#"
Just Like Anyone" – 2:47
#"Tell Me When" (Pirner, David Samuels) – 3:42
#"Nothing to Write Home About" – 3:14
#"I Did My Best" – 3:46
For the Japanese release of ''Let Your Dim Light Shine'', an additional track was added to the album. It was a cover of the
Descendents
The Descendents are an American punk rock band formed in 1977 in Manhattan Beach, California, by guitarist Frank Navetta, bassist Tony Lombardo and drummer Bill Stevenson. In 1979, they enlisted Stevenson's school friend Milo Aukerman as a ...
song "Hope". Note that "Bittersweetheart" fades out at 3:17, but the guitar feedback remains, therefore "Bittersweetheart" quickly segues into "String of Pearls". The running time of both songs equals about 8 minutes and 30 seconds long.
Personnel
Soul Asylum
*
Dave Pirner
David Anthony Pirner (born April 16, 1964) is an American songwriter, singer, and producer best known as the lead vocalist and frontman for the alternative rock band Soul Asylum.
Early life and work
Pirner was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin and gr ...
– lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, trumpet, producer
*
Dan Murphy – lead guitar, backing vocals, producer
*
Karl Mueller – bass guitar, producer
*
Sterling Campbell – drums, percussion, vocals, producer
Additional musicians
*
Trini Alvarado
Trinidad "Trini" Alvarado (born January 10, 1967) is an American actress best known for her performances as Margaret "Meg" March in the 1994 film adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's novel ''Little Women'' and Lucy Lynskey in the comedy/horror fi ...
– backing vocals
*John Devries – backing vocals
*
Joey Huffman
Joseph Rodney Huffman (born August 4, 1962) is an American musician. Primarily known as a keyboard player, Huffman has performed with many artists, both in the studio and live. He was a member of Witness, Drivin N Cryin and the Georgia Satellite ...
– organ, piano,
mellotron
*Eric Pierson – guitar
*
Jane Scarpantoni –
cello
The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G ...
*Dave Schramm –
pedal steel guitar
*Tim Ray – piano, electric piano
Production
* John Siket – engineer
* Michael Stern -engineer (non credited)
*
Butch Vig – producer
*
Andy Wallace – mixer
*
Howie Weinberg
Howie Weinberg is an American audio mastering engineer with over 2,257 mastering credits, three TEC Awards, 21 Grammy Awards, two Juno Awards, and one Mercury Prize.
Career
Weinberg mastered Herbie Hancock's 1983 album '' Future Shock''. Other ...
– mastering
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Singles
Certifications
References
Soul Asylum albums
1995 albums
Albums produced by Butch Vig
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