The Walking

More information Review scores, Source ...

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

Close

The album was initially poorly received by Canadian critics.^[2] It largely turned its back on the quirky new wave pop that Siberry had been known for; in its place was a surreal amalgam of progressive rock and Laurie Anderson-style performance art narratives, only one of which was shorter than six minutes.^[3]

Toronto progressive radio station CFNY, an early champion of Siberry's music, announced that it did not view any track on The Walking as viable for airplay on their station.^[2] Sales of the album were slow at first, although they improved when Siberry provided radio stations with a shorter edit of "Ingrid and the Footman".^{[citation needed]}

The album was better-received by critics in the United States, who were less familiar with Siberry's earlier pop-oriented material.^[4]

With the benefit of passing time, the Allmusic review by Sean Carruthers does a little bit of belated justice to the caliber of composition and performance of this recording: "It's her most accomplished work to date, but it's bound to lose the casual listener quickly."^[1]

The video for "Ingrid and the Footman" received a Juno Award nomination for Best Video at the Juno Awards of 1989.^[5]

All songs by Jane Siberry.

1. "The White Tent the Raft" – 9:12
2. "Red High Heels" – 7:19
3. "Goodbye" – 4:17
4. "Ingrid and the Footman" – 7:06
5. "Lena is a White Table" – 6:41
6. "The Walking (and Constantly)" – 6:16
7. "The Lobby" – 6:19
8. "The Bird in the Gravel" – 10:34

• Jane Siberry – vocals, guitars, piano, keyboards, backing vocals, bells
• Al Cross – drums, percussion, tambourine, backing vocals
• Anne Bourne – piano, organ, keyboards, backing vocals
• John Switzer – bass, tambourine, percussion, backing vocals
• Ken Myhr – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, backing vocals

Album