Together We're Heavy

Together We're Heavy
Studio album by
The Polyphonic Spree
ReleasedJune 30, 2004 (2004-06-30)
RecordedDecember 2002 – January 2003
Genre
Length57:47
LabelHollywood / Good
ProducerEric Drew Feldman, The Speekers, Jeff Levison
The Polyphonic Spree chronology
The Beginning Stages of...
(2002) 		Together We're Heavy
(2004) 		Thumbsucker
(2005)
Singles from Together We're Heavy
  1. "Hold Me Now"
    Released: 2004
  2. "Two Thousand Places"
    Released: 2004
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic70/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Entertainment.ie[3]
NME[4]
Pitchfork7.6/10[5]
Rolling Stone[6]
The Village VoiceB−[7]

Together We're Heavy is the second release from Dallas symphonic rock group The Polyphonic Spree. Produced by Eric Drew Feldman and released in Japan on June 30, 2004, Europe on July 12 and North America on July 13. It includes the hit singles "Hold Me Now" and "Two Thousand Places". The album was released by Hollywood Records, and represents the band's first "true" album (their previous release, The Beginning Stages of..., was recorded as a demo and released only by popular demand).

The US version of Together We're Heavy contains an additional bonus DVD (entitled "The Adventure of Listening") while the Japanese version contains three bonus songs.

It reached number one on the Billboard Top Heatseekers albums chart in the United States.

Track listing

All songs written by Tim DeLaughter.[8]

  1. "Section 11 (A Long Day Continues/We Sound Amazed)" – 8:32
  2. "Section 12 (Hold Me Now)" – 4:30
  3. "Section 13 (Diamonds/Mild Devotion to Majesty)" – 4:55
  4. "Section 14 (Two Thousand Places)" – 5:19
  5. "Section 15 (Ensure Your Reservation)" – 1:39
  6. "Section 16 (One Man Show)" – 4:58
  7. "Section 17 (Suitcase Calling)" – 8:48
  8. "Section 18 (Everything Starts at the Seam)" – 1:54
  9. "Section 19 (When the Fool Becomes a King)" – 10:38
  10. "Section 20 (Together We're Heavy)" – 6:30
  1. "Bonus Section 1 (The Best Part)" (Japanese release only)
  2. "Bonus Section 2 (Mercury Tea)" (Japanese release only)
  3. "Bonus Section 3 (Working Out the Kinks [Demo 2002])" (Japanese release only)

"The Adventure of Listening" DVD:

  • "A Blissed Out Occasion" – Live at the Summersonic Festival, Tokyo, 2003
    • Contains "The Anthem for Summer Camp", "It's the Sun", "Light & Day", "Everything Starts at the Seam" and "When the Fool Becomes a King"
  • "Air Near the Ground" – Live at the Cabaret Metro, Chicago, 2003
    • Contains "Soldier Girl", "Hanging Around the Day (Parts 1 & 2)" and "It's the Sun"
  • "Confessions of an Instigator" – An interview with Tim DeLaughter
  • "Moving Pictures"
    • Contains the music video for "Light & Day (Single Version)", the animated video for "Light & Day (Orchestral Version)" and "The Tramp (A Vignette)" (previously titled "Cane" and played to the song "Ensure Your Reservation")

Singles

  • "Hold Me Now" CD single (July 26, 2004)
  1. "Hold Me Now" (Radio Edit – UK Edit)
  2. "Hold Me Now" (Album Version)
  3. "Working Out the Kinks" (Demo)
  • "Two Thousand Places" CD single (December 8, 2004)
  1. "Two Thousand Places"
  2. "The Best Part"
  3. "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)"

Personnel

Adapted from AllMusic.[9]

Musicians

  • Tim DeLaughter: Lead vocals, guitars, percussion, tubular bells, piano, organ, samples, various noises
  • Ryan Fitzgerald: Acoustic and electric guitars, banjo
  • Joe Butcher: Pedal steel
  • Evan Hisey: Keyboards, organ, synthesizers
  • Jesse Hester: Piano, vocals
  • Mark Pirro: Bass guitar
  • Rick Nelson: Double bass, violin, viola
  • Bryan Wakeland: Drums, percussion
  • Audrey Easley: Flute, piccolo, tin whistle, Electronic Wind Instruments
  • Louis Schwadron: French horn
  • Toby Halbrooks: Theremin
  • James Reimer: Trombone, glockenspiel
  • Logan Keese: Trumpet, flugelhorn
  • Jennifer Jobe, Jennie Kelley, Jessica Jordan, Julie Duncanville, Kelly Repka, Michael Turner: Lead, backing and choir vocals

Production

  • Produced by Eric Drew Feldman, Jeff Levison and The Speekers
  • Recorded and engineered by Andrew Paul Baker, Ronnie Katz, Allen Sides, The Speekers and Dave Willingham
  • Assistant engineers: Chris Bell, Joel Pelphrey, Darrell Thorp
  • Mixed by Rich Costey, The Speekers and Dave Willingham
  • Mix assistant: Claudius Mittendorfer
  • Digital editing: Rail Jon Rogut
  • Mastered by Mark Chalecki and Ted Jensen

Charts

Chart performance for Together We're Heavy
Chart (2004–2005) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[10] 85
Scottish Albums (OCC)[11] 60
UK Albums (OCC)[12] 61
US Billboard 200[13] 121
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[14] 1

Release history

CD

  • UK release (July 12, 2004)
  • US release (July 13, 2004)
  • Japanese release (June 30, 2004)

DVD-Audio 5.1 Surround + DTS-Encoded track

  • US release (September 14, 2004)

References

  1. ^ "Together We're Heavy by The Polyphonic Spree". Metacritic. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  2. ^ Phares, Heather. "The Polyphonic Spree: Together We're Heavy at AllMusic. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  3. ^ Entertainment.ie review[dead link‍]
  4. ^ Fitzpatrick, Rob (9 December 2004). "The Polyphonic Spree : Together We're Heavy". NME. IPC Media. ISSN 0028-6362. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  5. ^ Mitchum, Rob (11 July 2004). "The Polyphonic Spree: Together We're Heavy". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  6. ^ Dansby, Andrew (8 July 2004). "The Polyphonic Spree: Together We're Heavy". Rolling Stone. ISSN 0035-791X. Archived from the original on 1 October 2007.
  7. ^ Christgau, Robert (November 30, 2004). "Consumer Guide: Mine Enemy the Turkey". The Village Voice. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  8. ^ "BMI - Repertoire Search". Archived from the original on 12 January 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  9. ^ "Together We're Heavy - The Polyphonic Spree - Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  10. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 221.
  11. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  12. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  13. ^ "The Polyphonic Spree Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  14. ^ "The Polyphonic Spree Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2019.