| Walnut Whales | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| EP by | ||||
| Released | 2002 | |||
| Recorded | 2002 | |||
| Genre | Indie folk, contemporary folk, folk rock | |||
| Length | 36:15 | |||
| Label | Self-released | |||
| Producer | Noah Georgeson, Joanna Newsom | |||
| Joanna Newsom chronology | ||||
| ||||
Walnut Whales is the self-distributed debut EP by American multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Joanna Newsom.[1] It was released in 2002[2] and sold in limited numbers in CD-R format.[3][4] All tracks on the record, except for "Erin", "Flying a Kite", and "The Fray", were later re-recorded, the re-recorded versions being released on Newsom's debut studio album The Milk-Eyed Mender (2004), with minor lyrical changes.[3][4] The EP has been described as indie folk, contemporary folk,[5] and folk rock.[6]
The title of the EP was inspired by the 1975 children's book "Snips and Snails and Walnut Whales: Nature Crafts for Children" by Phyllis Fiarotta.[2][7][8]
Background
Walnut Whales was initially not intended for public distribution, but at the suggestion of Noah Georgeson, Newsom's then-boyfriend as well as co-producer and recording engineer of the EP,[3] she burned several copies to sell at her early performances.[9][10] Newsom's friend and bandmate in Golden Shoulders, Adam Kline, gave one of her CDs to singer-songwriter Will Oldham at a show in Nevada City. Oldham was impressed with Newsom's music and asked her to tour with him. Kline also gave a copy of the record to the owner of his record label, Drag City. Drag City signed Newsom and released her debut studio album The Milk-Eyed Mender in 2004.
Discussing the record, Newsom stated that "The very first Walnut Whales recording was recorded just a few weeks after I had started singing, out of the blue, started singing. And the voice, you can hear how uncomfortable I am with it, and how terrified I am with it."[11]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Joanna Newsom
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Erin" | 3:38 |
| 2. | "Cassiopeia" | 4:00 |
| 3. | "Peach, Plum, Pear" | 3:27 |
| 4. | "Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie" | 3:52 |
| 5. | "Flying a Kite" | 6:34 |
| 6. | "The Fray" | 3:22 |
| 7. | "En Gallop!" | 6:26 |
| 8. | "The Book of Right-On" | 4:40 |
References
- ↑ "Not On Label (Joanna Newsom Self-Released)". Discogs. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
- 1 2 "Walnut Whales track listing ~ Joanna Newsom Lyrics.com". Joanna Newsom Lyrics. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
- 1 2 3 "Walnut Whales by Joanna Newsom". Genius. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
- 1 2 "Wiki - Walnut Whales — Joanna Newsom". Last.fm. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
- ↑ Walnut Whales by Joanna Newsom - RYM/Sonemic, retrieved 2021-02-09
- ↑ "Joanna Newsom Walnut Whales (EP)- Spirit of Rock Webzine (en)". Spirit of Rock. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
- ↑ ThriftBooks. "Snips and Snails and Walnut Whales:... book by Phyllis Fiarotta". ThriftBooks. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
- ↑ "9780911104493: Snips and Snails and Walnut Whales: Nature Crafts for Children - AbeBooks - Fiarotta, Phyllis; Fiarotta, Noel: 0911104496". AbeBooks. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
- ↑ Gillespie, Ryan (October 2006). "Under the Radar - Joanna Newsom Interview". Under the Radar. Archived from the original on October 13, 2007. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
- ↑ Harmanci, Reyhan (2005-05-29). "Playing by the bookings". SFGATE. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
- ↑ Cramer, Michael (April 19, 2004). "Harp's Delight - An interview with Joanna Newsom". Dusted.