''Outpost'' is an album by the

Boulder, Colorado Boulder is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule city in Boulder County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the most ...

-based 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 1996. The first single was "The Lost Children (A Slow Motion Crash)". The band promoted ''Outpost'' by playing the

H.O.R.D.E. Horizons of Rock Developing Everywhere or H.O.R.D.E. Festival was a concert tour, 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 ...

Festival. The album sold around 58,000 copies in its first two years of release. The band briefly broke up after promoting the album, before reforming with a different lineup.

Production

The Samples were able to spend two years working on the album, due to label negotiations. ''Outpost'' includes re-recordings of two older songs, as well as a re-recording of a Sean Kelly song; it also contains an unlisted live track.

Critical reception

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' wrote that "the Samples' music is still a bit blank, but it's consistently tuneful and mostly lively." The ''

Hartford Courant The ''Hartford Courant'' is the largest daily newspaper in the U.S. state of Connecticut, and is advertised as the oldest continuously published newspaper in the United States. A morning newspaper serving most of the state north of New Haven and ...

'' noted that "the music is almost devoid of musical hooks, relying instead on

ean Ean may refer to: People * Ean Campbell (1856–1921), Scottish Anglican cleric, bishop of Glasgow and Galloway * Ean Elliot Clevenger, American multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and songwriter * Ean Evans (1960–2009), bassist for Lynyrd Skynyr ...

Kelly's vocals, background harmonies and pleasant arrangements among guitar, bass and keyboards to hold the listener's interest." ''

The Indianapolis Star } ''The Indianapolis Star'' (also known as ''IndyStar'') is a morning daily newspaper that began publishing on June 6, 1903, in Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It has been the only major daily paper in the city since 1999, whe ...

'' stated: "From the dreamy, melancholy 'I Remember Dying' to the high-energy delivery of 'All My Thoughts (I Remember Johnny)', the Samples' ''Output'' ... reminds of a pre-Top 40 Fleetwood Mac." '' The Republican'' determined that "this is provocative stuff, at times reminiscent of everyone from the Police in their prime to early BoDeans and R.E.M."

Track listing

All songs written by Sean Kelly, except where noted. # "Anyone" (Kelly, Andy Sheldon, Al Laughlin, Jeep MacNichol) # "Did You Ever Look So Nice" # "Learjet" # "Shine On" # "Big Bird" (MacNichol) # "Indiana" # "Birth of Words" # "It's Curtains" (Sheldon) # "The Lost Children (A Slow Motion Crash)" # "Foreign Countries" (Kelly, Laughlin) # "Information" (Kelly, Sheldon) # "All My Thoughts (Johnny Station Wagon)" (Sheldon) # "I Remember Dying" (Kelly, Sheldon) # "When It's Raining" (live hidden track, originally on The Room album)

Personnel

* Sean Kelly – lead vocals, guitar, harmonica, keyboards * Andy Sheldon – bass, guitar, vocals * Al Laughlin – keyboards * Jeep MacNichol – drums, percussion, guitar, vocals * Greg Leisz – slide guitar * Eric Caudieux – keyboard programming, drum programming * Walt Beery – guitar, background vocals

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Outpost The Samples albums 1996 albums MCA Records albums