Big Calm
1998 studio album by Morcheeba
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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]
| Big Calm | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 16 March 1998 | |||
| Genre | Electronic | |||
| Length | 46:48 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| Morcheeba chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Big Calm | ||||
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| Review scores | |
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| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Chicago Tribune | [2] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A−[3] |
| The Guardian | [4] |
| Los Angeles Times | [5] |
| Muzik | 8/10[6] |
| NME | 8/10[7] |
| Pitchfork | 6.7/10[8] |
| Rolling Stone |  [9] |
| Spin | 8/10[10] |
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 on a cassette tape, the duo brought in vocalist Skye Edwards and 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 tracks are written by Paul Godfrey, Ross Godfrey and Skye Edwards, except track 11, written by Paul Godfrey, Ross Godfrey, Skye Edwards and Jason Furlow.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "The Music That We Hear" | 3:50 |
| Total length: | 50:38 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Shoulder Holster" (Radio Mix) | 4:14 |
| 13. | "Shoulder Holster" (Diabolical Brothers Mix) | 5:56 |
| Total length: | 56:58 | |
Personnel
- Skye Edwards – vocals
- Paul Godfrey – Lyrics, Production, beat sample programming, scratching, live drums.
- Ross Godfrey – Chords, 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"
- Dave Lee – French Horn on "Over and Over" and "Fear and Love"
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications and sales
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[26] | Gold | 35,000^ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[27] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| France (SNEP)[28] | Gold | 100,000* |
| Italy | — | 125,000[29] |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[30] | 2× Platinum | 600,000‡ |
| United States | — | 250,000[31] |
| Summaries | ||
| Worldwide | — | 2,000,000[32] |
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* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||