Sharkmouth
Studio album by
Russell Morris
Released12 October 2012 (2012-10-12)
Recorded2011-2012
GenreRock music, Blues music
Length44:07
LabelFanfare, Ambition Records
ProducerMitch Cairns
Russell Morris chronology
Wild Bulls and Horses
(2011)		 Sharkmouth
(2012)		 The Very Best of Russell Morris
(2013)

Sharkmouth is a studio album by Australian singer–songwriter Russell Morris. It was released on 12 October 2012 by Fanfare, Ambition Records. The album was presented to all the major labels who declined to release it. It peaked at No. 6 on the ARIA Albums Chart to become Morris' first top ten album and the highest selling album of his career.[1]

Sharkmouth is based on stories from Australia's Depression years and some of their colourful characters, like boxer Les Darcy, gangsters of the 1920s and 1930s like Squizzy Taylor and, from the 1940s, Arthur Stace and horse Phar Lap. A Making of Sharkmouth DVD was released on 15 November 2013.[2]

Background

In an August 2013 interview with Michael Smith of TheMusic.com.au, Morris recalled: "I originally did four tracks, 'Blackdog Blues', 'Ballad of Les Darcy', 'Big Red' and 'Sharkmouth' – and I thought I'd see if anyone was interested. We did the rounds and went to all the record companies, and all of them said no."[3] Morris continued with the recording, "I went back offering not only the album but also the publishing on the album and my old publishing, on songs like 'Wings of an Eagle' and 'Sweet, Sweet Love', but they still declined to release it." Morris pressed 500 copies of the album and began performing it at gigs when Robert Rigby from Ambition Entertainment said he'd release it under the FanFare label.[3]

The project was created after Morris had read about a 1920s gangster from Sydney, Shark Jaws. This was the driving force behind a desire to create an album including Australian characters from the 1920s and 1930s era. Mitch Cairns explains: "To our knowledge, most 'Australiana' characters have been portrayed in a traditional colonial folk sense, so we wanted to find a way to deliver the stories in a more mainstream vein whilst still placing them in a 'vintage era'. A blues style seemed to be the perfect fit!! We tried to keep the vibe of the album raw and honest with lots of textural instruments and sounds, but above all, it had to be simple and spacious. We are also very honoured to have some very special guests on the album, including Troy Cassar-Daley, Mark Lizotte and Renée Geyer." The album Sharkmouth has stories about Australian characters which are all moulded together in a melting pot of swinging shuffles and delta grooves.[4]

Accolades

At the ARIA Music Awards of 2013, the album was nominated for and won ARIA Award for Best Blues and Roots Album.[5][6]

Track listing

Standard edition[7]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Black Dog Blues"Morris, Jim Keays3:33
2."The Big House"Morris2:44
3."The Ballard of Les Darcy"Morris, Garry Paige3:57
4."'Bout to Break"Morris, Mitch Cairns4:13
5."Sharkmouth"Morris, Paige4:00
6."Walk My Blues"Morris, Paige2:43
7."The Drifter" (featuring Renée Geyer)Morris, Paige4:14
8."Squizzy"Morris3:51
9."The Bridge"Morris, Alan Howe3:06
10."Money Dont Grow on Trees"Morris3:54
11."Big Red"Morris, Paige3:33
12."Mr Eternity"Morris, Cairns4:24
Total length:44:07

Personnel

  • Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Resonator Guitar [Dobro] – Shannon Bourne
  • Artwork By – Adam Miller
  • Backing Vocals – Jerson Trinidad (tracks: 10), Steve Romig (tracks: 2, 4, 9, 10, 12)
  • Banjo, Cello – Mark Lizotte (tracks: 8)
  • Bass – Mitch Cairns
  • Drums – Adrian Violi
  • Electric Guitar [Solo] – Troy Cassar-Daley (tracks: 10)
  • Harmonica – Chris Wilson (tracks: 7, 10, 12)
  • Mastered by – John Ruberto
  • Mixed by – David Carr
  • Piano, Organ – James Black (tracks: 2, 9)
  • Producer – Mitch Cairns
  • Recorded By, Engineer – Mitch Cairns
  • Vocals – Renée Geyer (tracks: 7), Russell Morris

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[17] Platinum 70,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format Edition(s) Label Catalogue
Australia 12 October 2012[18]
Standard FanFare, Ambition Records FANFARE085
30 October 2012[19]
FANFARE085V
15 November 2013[20]
Collectors Edition FANFARE085S

References

  1. ↑ "Russell Morris 'Sharkmouth' and 'Van Diemen's Land' To Be Released On Vinyl". Noise 11. 27 September 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  2. ↑ "Making Of Sharkmouth, The". JBHiFi. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  3. 1 2 "The Real Underbelly". TheMusic.com.au. 7 August 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  4. ↑ "Sharkmouth (standard edition): JB HI-FI". Jbhifionline.com.au. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  5. ↑ "ARIA Noms + Fine Arts & Artisan Winners". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). 14 October 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  6. ↑ "2013 ARIA Awards Winners By Year". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  7. ↑ "Sharkmouth (standard edition) : JB HI-FI". Jbhifionline.com.au. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  8. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Russell Morris – Charkmouth". Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  9. ↑ "ARIA Report issue 1208" (PDF). ARIA Report. 6 May 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 May 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  10. ↑ "Top 100 Albums Chart - 2013". ARIA Charts. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  11. ↑ "ARIA Top 50 Australian Artists Albums 2013". Aria.com.au. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  12. ↑ "ARIA JAZZ & BLUES ALBUMS CHART 2013". Aria.com.au. 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  13. ↑ "ARIA JAZZ & BLUES ALBUMS CHART 2014". Aria.com.au. 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  14. ↑ "ARIA JAZZ & BLUES ALBUMS CHART 2015". Aria.com.au. 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  15. ↑ "ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts - Top 50 Jazz & Blues Albums 2016". ARIA. January 2017. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  16. ↑ "ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts - Top 50 Jazz & Blues Albums 2017". ARIA. January 2018. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  17. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2014 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  18. ↑ "Sharkmouth by Russell Morris". iTunes Store (Australia). Apple. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  19. ↑ "Sharkmouth by Russell Morris (Vinyl)". JBHiFi (Australia). JBHiFi. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  20. ↑ "Sharkmouth - The Collectors Edition by Russell Morris". JBHiFi (Australia). JBHiFi. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
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