Riveresque

river'esque
Studio album by
Weddings Parties Anything
ReleasedSeptember 1996 (1996-09)
VenueBlenheim House
StudioSeed Recording Studios, EMI Studios 301
GenreRock, folk rock, country
Length57:38
LabelMushroom/Festival
ProducerDylan Hughes, Cameron Craig, Weddings Parties Anything
Weddings Parties Anything chronology
Donkey Serenade
(1995) 		river'esque
(1996) 		Trophy Night: The Best of Weddings Parties Anything
(1998)

Riveresque (styled as river'esque) is the ninth studio album by Australian folk rockers, Weddings Parties Anything.[1] It was released in September 1996 with band members co-producing alongside Cameron Craig and Dylan Hughes.[1][2] It peaked at No. 34 on the ARIA Albums Chart.[3] According to the inlay card: "Riverésque after the style of a river winding, flowing towards the sea, meandering."[4]

It is the first album on their new record label, Mushroom Records, and was initially distributed by Festival Records.[1][5] After Mushroom's CEO Michael Gudinski dropped Festival as their distributor he took up with Sony Music Australia.[6]

Re-release pressings of river'esque were issued in October 1997 and feature a different sleeve.[6][7] It includes a bonus nine-track CD, Garage Sale, which was also available separately at their live performances during 1997.[6][7] The bonus CD has three cover versions: Tim Hardin's "Reason to Believe", Susanna Clark and Richard Leigh's "From the Heart", and Ewan MacColl's "Sweet Thames Flow Softly".[7]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[7]
Mega Music Reviews[8]
Amazon.com[9]

Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, felt that river'esque was "another top-notch release, mixing storming rockers with pristine ballads. Anderson's gypsy violin also served to flesh out the band's honest and direct songs."[1] Aaron Badgley of AllMusic opined that "the band has their trademark sound, mostly due to Michael Thomas's impassioned vocals, but there seemed to be a new energy in this release. In particular, Jen Anderson's violin playing seems more in the foreground, producing a very melancholy sound to the typically sad songs of regrets, lost loves, unrequited loves, and the struggles of being musicians. The sound on this CD leans more toward alternative country than folk, but it works incredibly well."[7] While the bonus disc, Garage Sale, "features a much looser sound, and three cover versions... Overall a pleasant CD, but it does not live up to River'esque, and sounds more like outtakes or B-sides. Fun for fans, but not much of an interest to the casual listener."[7]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Mick Thomas,[10] except where noted

river'esque
No.TitleLength
1."Houses" (M. Thomas, Paul Thomas)3:35
2."Don't Need Much"2:36
3."A Decent Cup of Coffee"4:39
4."The Ghosts of Walhalla"4:04
5."For a Short Time"5:11
6."The Sound of a Train" (Jen Anderson, M. Thomas)3:57
7."Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" (M. Thomas, P. Thomas)3:04
8."In Your Room"4:15
9."Lights of Devonport"5:36
10."The Afternoon Sun" (C. P. Cavafy, M. Thomas)3:49
11."Luckiest Man"4:14
12."Five Shows a Day" (Anderson, M. Thomas, P. Thomas)4:47
13."Walkerville"7:44
Garage Sale
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Rolling Home"Stephen O'Prey, Mick Thomas[10] 
2."Rambling Girl Returns"M. Thomas 
3."Reason to Believe"Tim Hardin 
4."Don't Need Much" (acoustic)M. Thomas 
5."Cheap Brandy and Foundation"J. Stewart, M. Thomas 
6."Garage Sale"Jen Anderson, Michael Barclay, O'Prey, M. Thomas, Paul Thomas, Mark Wallace 
7."Sweet Thames Flow Softly"Ewan MacColl 
8."Septembers Gone"O'Prey 
9."From the Heart"Susanna Clark, Richard Leigh 

Personnel

Credited to:[2][7]

Weddings Parties Anything
  • Jen Anderson – violin, mandolin, vocals
  • Michael Barclay – drums, vocals
  • Stephen O'Prey – bass guitar, vocals
  • Mick Thomas – guitar, mandolin, vocals
  • Paul Thomas – guitar, pedal steel, vocals
  • Mark Wallace – accordion, keyboards, vocals
Additional musicians
  • Lou Bennett – vocals
  • Anna Burley – vocals
  • Sally Dastey – vocals
Production work
  • Producer – Cameron Craig, Dylan Hughes, Wedding Parties Anything
  • Mixer – Cameron Craig, Doug Roberts
Art work
  • Photography – Jen Anderson, Mick Thomas

Charts

Chart performance for Riveresque
Chart (1996) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[11] 34

References

  1. ^ a b c d McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia entry for 'Weddings, Parties, Anything'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on 15 June 2004.
  2. ^ a b Holmgren, Magnus; Clarke, Gordon; Love, Jim. "Weddings Parties Anything". Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 30 September 2013. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  3. ^ Hung, Steffen. "Discography Weddings Parties Anything". Australian Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung). Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  4. ^ Weddings, Parties, Anything (1997), Riveresque, Mushroom Records, retrieved 18 October 2016 – via National Library of Australia{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ "Songwriters: Weddings Parties Anything". Mushroom Music Publishing. Archived from the original on 23 July 2008. Retrieved 9 May 2008.
  6. ^ a b c Eliezer, Christie. "Music Industry News: Weddings Delayed". In Music & Media. Archived from the original on 6 December 1999. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Badgley, Aaron. "River'esque – Weddings, Parties, Anything". AllMusic. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |*wash curtains in kitchen access-date= ignored (help) Note: User may have to click on a tab, e.g. Credits, to access further information.
  8. ^ Mega Music Reviews review
  9. ^ Amazon.com review
  10. ^ a b "'Don't Need Much' at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 18 October 2016. Note: User may have to click "Search again" and provide details at "Enter a title:" e.g. Dont Need Much; or at "Performer:" Weddings Parties Anything
  11. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Weddings Parties Anything – River'esque". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 October 2022.