The Indigo Girls (Amy Ray and Emily Saliers) entered my consciousness with Closer To Fine, a hit from their debut full-length recording. It was catchy and fun. It wasn't terribly well produced but it was decent enough, and as they moved along their career path and got a bit of money behind them the production level rose accordingly. Then five albums later along comes Swamp Ophelia, an arguably more mature collection of songs full of well-polished harmonies and even horns and - dare I say it - electric guitars in places.
It sounds really good and is unmistakably Indigo Girls - I can pick out those harmonies anywhere - and this time 'round they aren't afraid of tackling some darker subject matter that reaches beyond the usual love and southern history stuff. With Swamp Ophelia, they make bolder and insightful statements relating to the cycle of life and human existence - you know, the easy stuff.
The Indigo Girls' music always has been based on acoustic guitar and vocal harmony. Here they stretch out a bit by adding some African drums, the aforementioned horns, various percussion instruments and those electric guitars. One of the album's more diverse offerings is called Touch Me Fall and deals with self-perception, or how people determine their own attitudes and habits by interpreting the meaning of their own behaviours - more easy stuff!
But that's what makes Indigo Girls interesting.
The girls still have something to say, and they're continuing to grow and the fruits of their growth are pleasant - as well as thought provoking - to listen to.
This record was in my collection but I'd forgotten all about it and only discovered it as I was cataloguing the collection a couple of years ago. Cataloguing the record collection was time consuming and often tedious, although I would sometimes surprise myself and this was one of those times. I didn't know Indigo Girls had released a limited edition signed copy of this album - pressed on green translucent vinyl - and I was somewhat taken aback to learn I possessed a copy. It's not worth a lot of money (maybe $200) but it's still a kinda cool collectible and I don't think there's many of them out there. I've never been able to find an actual number but how many times can you sign your name before writers' cramp kicks in?
It's signed on one side of the label, with all the tracking information for both sides on the flip side.
The Indigo Girls (Amy Ray and Emily Saliers) entered my consciousness with Closer To Fine, a hit from their debut full-length recording. It was catchy and fun. It wasn't terribly well produced but it was decent enough, and as they moved along their career path and got a bit of money behind them the production level rose accordingly. Then five albums later along comes Swamp Ophelia, an arguably more mature collection of songs full of well-polished harmonies and even horns and - dare I say it - electric guitars in places.
It sounds really good and is unmistakably Indigo Girls - I can pick out those harmonies anywhere - and this time 'round they aren't afraid of tackling some darker subject matter that reaches beyond the usual love and southern history stuff. With Swamp Ophelia, they make bolder and insightful statements relating to the cycle of life and human existence - you know, the easy stuff.
The Indigo Girls' music always has been based on acoustic guitar and vocal harmony. Here they stretch out a bit by adding some African drums, the aforementioned horns, various percussion instruments and those electric guitars. One of the album's more diverse offerings is called Touch Me Fall and deals with self-perception, or how people determine their own attitudes and habits by interpreting the meaning of their own behaviours - more easy stuff!
But that's what makes Indigo Girls interesting.
The girls still have something to say, and they're continuing to grow and the fruits of their growth are pleasant - as well as thought provoking - to listen to.
This record was in my collection but I'd forgotten all about it and only discovered it as I was cataloguing the collection a couple of years ago. Cataloguing the record collection was time consuming and often tedious, although I would sometimes surprise myself and this was one of those times. I didn't know Indigo Girls had released a limited edition signed copy of this album - pressed on green translucent vinyl - and I was somewhat taken aback to learn I possessed a copy. It's not worth a lot of money (maybe $200) but it's still a kinda cool collectible and I don't think there's many of them out there. I've never been able to find an actual number but how many times can you sign your name before writers' cramp kicks in?
It's signed on one side of the label, with all the tracking information for both sides on the flip side.
BONUS TRACK
The Indigo Girls are from Atlanta, Georgia and their first album, Strange Fire, was self produced. Amy Ray and Emily Saliers first met and got to know each other in elementary school, but only became friends later on while attending the same high school. They started performing together as The B-Band and then as Saliers and Ray.
After forming as a duo in college, the girls played small clubs in the Emory Village district of Druid Hills, Georgia, then went their own ways for a bit until around 1985, when they began performing together again as the Indigo Girls. Their first release in 1985 was a seven-inch single named Crazy Game, with the B-side Everybody's Waiting (for Someone to Come Home). That same year they released a six-track extended play album named Indigo Girls, and in 1987 released their first full-length album, Strange Fire. With this release they secured the services of Russell Carter, who remains their manager today.
The Indigo Girls are from Atlanta, Georgia and their first album, Strange Fire, was self produced. Amy Ray and Emily Saliers first met and got to know each other in elementary school, but only became friends later on while attending the same high school. They started performing together as The B-Band and then as Saliers and Ray.
After forming as a duo in college, the girls played small clubs in the Emory Village district of Druid Hills, Georgia, then went their own ways for a bit until around 1985, when they began performing together again as the Indigo Girls. Their first release in 1985 was a seven-inch single named Crazy Game, with the B-side Everybody's Waiting (for Someone to Come Home). That same year they released a six-track extended play album named Indigo Girls, and in 1987 released their first full-length album, Strange Fire. With this release they secured the services of Russell Carter, who remains their manager today.
