Big Calm
Studio album by
Morcheeba
Released16 March 1998
GenreElectronic
Length46:48
LabelIndochina, Sire
ProducerMorcheeba and Pete Norris
Morcheeba chronology
Who Can You Trust?
(1996)		 Big Calm
(1998)		 Fragments of Freedom
(2000)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Chicago Tribune[2]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[3]
The Guardian[4]
Los Angeles Times[5]
Muzik8/10[6]
NME8/10[7]
Pitchfork6.7/10[8]
Rolling Stone[9]
Spin8/10[10]

Big Calm is the second studio album by English electronic music group Morcheeba. It was released in March 1998 by Indochina Records and Sire Records. The album reached the top 20 of the UK Albums Chart,[11] while the single "Part of the Process" charted in the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart in August of the same year.[11] "The Music That We Hear", included on special-edition versions of the album, is a reworking of "Moog Island" from Morcheeba's debut album, Who Can You Trust? The album cover was inspired by that of the 1966 Ray Conniff compilation Hi Fi Companion.[12]

Recording and composition

The recording of the album started on Christmas Day 1995, as Morcheeba members Paul and Ross Godfrey were awaiting the release of Who Can You Trust?. After basic demos had been laid down at their home studio, the duo brought in vocalist Skye Edwards and a number of guest performers to complete the record.[13] Steve Bentley-Klein provided a string-arrangement for "The Sea", while "Let Me See" features Dom Pipkin on organ and Jimmy Hastings on flute. The song "Blindfold" had been written for the film She's So Lovely, but was not deemed ready for the feature. "Friction" features Spikey T while the title track includes contributions from Jason Furlow and DJ Swamp.[13]

Track listing

All lyrics written by Paul Godfrey, Ross Godfrey & Skye Edwards except 11 written by Paul Godfrey, Ross Godfrey, Skye Edwards & Jason Furlow

No.TitleLength
1."The Sea"5:47
2."Shoulder Holster"4:04
3."Part of the Process"4:24
4."Blindfold"4:37
5."Let Me See"4:20
6."Bullet Proof"4:11
7."Over and Over"2:20
8."Friction"4:13
9."Diggin' a Watery Grave"1:34
10."Fear and Love"5:04
11."Big Calm"6:00
Total length:46:48
US edition bonus track
No.TitleLength
12."The Music That We Hear"3:50
Total length:50:38
Japanese edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
12."Shoulder Holster" (Radio Mix)4:14
13."Shoulder Holster" (Diabolical Brothers Mix)5:56
Total length:56:58

Personnel

  • Skye Edwards – vocals and production
  • Paul Godfrey – programming, scratching, live drums and lyrics
  • Ross Godfrey – all guitars, sitar, pedal steel, lap steel, clavinet, Hammond, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer piano, drums, EMS synthesizer and MKS 80
  • Pete Norris – sound manipulation, synthesizer programming
  • Spikey-T – Jamaican vocals on "Friction"
  • Jason Furlow aka Nosaj the Great – rapping on "Big Calm"

Charts

Certifications and sales

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[25] Gold 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[26] Gold 50,000^
France (SNEP)[27] Gold 100,000*
Italy — 125,000[28]
United Kingdom (BPI)[29] Platinum 300,000^
United States — 250,000[30]
Summaries
Worldwide — 2,000,000[31]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Big Calm – Morcheeba". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  2. ↑ Kot, Greg (20 March 1998). "Morcheeba: Big Calm (China/Sire)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  3. ↑ Weingarten, Marc (1 May 1998). "Big Calm". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  4. ↑ Sullivan, Caroline (20 March 1998). "Morcheeba: Big Calm (Indochina)". The Guardian.
  5. ↑ Nichols, Natalie (29 March 1998). "Morcheeba, 'Big Calm,' China/Sire". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  6. ↑ Da Bank, Rob (April 1998). "Morcheeba: Big Calm (Indochina)". Muzik (35): 74.
  7. ↑ Patterson, Sylvia (11 April 1998). "Morcheeba – Big Calm". NME. Archived from the original on 22 November 1999. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  8. ↑ Wisdom, James P. (July 1998). "Morcheeba: Big Calm". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 19 February 2003. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  9. ↑ Manning, Kara (23 March 1998). "Morcheeba: Big Calm". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 11 August 2009. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  10. ↑ Hermes, Will (May 1998). "Morcheeba: Big Calm / Sneaker Pimps: Becoming Remixed". Spin. 14 (5): 141. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  11. 1 2 "Morcheeba | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  12. ↑ "Hi-Fi Companion". Discogs. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  13. 1 2 "Classic album: Morcheeba on Big Calm". musicradar.com. 9 June 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  14. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 193.
  15. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Morcheeba – Big Calm" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  16. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Morcheeba – Big Calm". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  17. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Morcheeba – Big Calm" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  18. ↑ "Charts.nz – Morcheeba – Big Calm". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  19. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Morcheeba – Big Calm". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  20. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  21. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Morcheeba – Big Calm". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  22. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  23. ↑ "Top Selling Albums of 1998". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  24. ↑ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 1998". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  25. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2000 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  26. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Morcheeba – Big Calm". Music Canada. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  27. ↑ "French album certifications – Morcheeba – Big Calm" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  28. ↑ Williams, Paul (6 July 2000). "International" (PDF). Music Week. p. 6. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  29. ↑ "British album certifications – Morcheeba – Big Calm". British Phonographic Industry.
  30. ↑ Williams, Paul (20 July 2002). "Warners positions Morcheeba as 'global band'" (PDF). Music & Media. p. 6. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  31. ↑ O'Clee, Daisy (16 August 2003). "Money? It's just part of the process..." Retrieved 6 March 2019 – via www.theguardian.com.
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