the Wallflowers

the wallflowers
released: August 25, 1992

recording the album

Recorded and mixed in four weeks.
Produced by Paul Fox who Jakob characterized as the "sixth creative force" involved with the record.
Recorded virtually live in the studio. Writing for Scene Magazine, Roger Len Smith notes, "Seventy percent of the vocals were recorded with the band, relatively unheard of in trademark studio procedures."
The aim of the recording process was to have the album reflect the band's sound. Jakob explains, "It was all monitors, speakers. I actually sang just behind a glass door with everybody in the other room. It gets a real sound doing that, but we didn't do that for any old-fashioned reasons or idealistic reasons. . . we just did it that way because that's how we rehearse and that's how we spend time doing shows."

songs on the album

The album is about 70 minutes long, significantly longer than the average 45 minute disk. Album Network observes, "Its earthy, organic textures and propensity for the Hammond organ give songs like 'Ashes To Ashes,' 'After the Blackbird Sings,' 'For the Life Of Me,' 'Shy of the Moon' and 'Sugarfoot' a quality not unlike The Band of the early 70s."
Besides the 12 songs that made the final cut, there were some notable out takes. "Sixth Avenue Heartache" was one. Jakob notes that some folks at the label thought it wasn't as strong as others. Ironically, that song turned out to be the breakthrough first single from the band's second album. "Birdcage," a song that appears on (Breach) was also considered for the first album.
Another song that didn't make it on the album was "Bringing Down the Horse." This song was a "driving rocker" recorded with Jonathan Frakes (Star Trek: The Next Generation) playing trombone.
Because the album was recorded live, Rami played organ and piano at the same time. On songs like "Shy of the Moon," "Sugarfoot," and "Hollywood," he played the organ with his left hand and the piano with his right hand.
Jakob's solo acoustic guitar and vocals on "Asleep at the Wheel" were recorded in one take.
Jakob plays piano on "Somebody Else's Money" and "Honeybee."

album cover

Jakob did all the artwork for the album--the design and the lettering, including the designation of "side 1" and "side 2" on the CD.
Though the bands faces don't appear on the album, this is the order of the lineup: Barrie, Peter, Tobi, Rami & Jakob.

Sometimes Gracie, the dog, traveled with the band. She also appeared in the video for "Be Your Own Girl."

recognition

Initially the album sold about 40,000 copies. "More people than I know," Jakob said wryly.
By the Spring of 1997, when Bringing Down the Horse was at the top of the charts, more than 500,000 copies of The Wallflowers had been sold.