Volo Volo
1992 studio album by Poi Dog Pondering
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Volo Volo is an album by the American worldbeat band Poi Dog Pondering.[1][2] It was released in 1992 via Columbia Records.[3] The album title is allegedly Swahili for "revolver".[4] Poi Dog Pondering supported the album with a North American tour.[5]
| Volo Volo | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1992 | |||
| Genre | Worldbeat | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | Alan Winstanley, Clive Langer, Jerry Harrison | |||
| Poi Dog Pondering chronology | ||||
| ||||
The album was a commercial disappointment, with only 50,000 copies sold by the fall of 1993.[6] Columbia dropped the band; to regroup, several members of Poi moved from Austin to Chicago.[7]
Production
The band built the songs by creating the rhythms first, before adding other instruments on top of the drum patterns.[8] About half of the album was produced by Alan Winstanley and Clive Langer.[9] Jerry Harrison also worked on Volo Volo.[10][11]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [12] |
| Chicago Tribune | [9] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | [13] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [14] |
The Washington Post wrote that "instead of acoustic rag-tag charm and unpredictability, something [the band's] early recordings had in abundance, Volo Volo offers a more focused and groove-oriented sound."[8] Trouser Press thought that the album "bears an occasional disconcerting resemblance to smart UK popsters like the Smiths, Wedding Present and Waterboys."[15]
The New York Times deemed the band's sound "a kind of world beat-influenced earth music," writing that Volo Volo "celebrates buildings, collarbones, thunder and the joy of shaking one's booty."[16] Spin panned the album, declaring that "this is kinda like a 'Don't Worry Be Happy' stew that's so dull you'll be jonesin' for some raw flesh to bite into."[17] The Philadelphia Inquirer disparaged the "techno-dance seasonings," opining that Poi had hopped on the "EMF/Happy Mondays bandwagon."[18]
AllMusic wrote that "interestingly, Poi Dog Pondering here seems to be attempting a move into a more pop-oriented direction, sounding at times like a bizarre meeting between Santana, the Meters, Wham!, and Simple Minds."[12] MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide praised the "amazingly haunting" violin of Susan Voeltz.[13]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Lackluster" | |
| 2. | "Collarbone" | |
| 3. | "Get Me On" | |
| 4. | "The Hardest Thing" | |
| 5. | "Ta Bouche Est Tabou" | |
| 6. | "I've Got My Body" | |
| 7. | "Jack Ass Ginger" | |
| 8. | "Be the One" | |
| 9. | "Tall" | |
| 10. | "Building" | |
| 11. | "Te Manu Pukarua" | |
| 12. | "Blood and Thunder" | |
| 13. | "Entrance" | |
| 14. | "Endtrance" |