Grave Dancers Union

Grave Dancers Union
Cover art by Jan Saudek
Studio album by Soul Asylum
Released October 6, 1992
Recorded The Powerstation and River Sound, New York City
Pachyderm Discs, Cannon Falls, Minnesota
Cherokee Studios, Hollywood, May 1992
Genre Alternative rock
Length 44:42
Label Columbia
Producer Michael Beinhorn
Soul Asylum chronology
And the Horse They Rode In On
(1990)And the Horse They Rode In On1990		 Grave Dancers Union
(1992)		 Let Your Dim Light Shine
(1995)Let Your Dim Light Shine1995
Singles from Grave Dancers Union
  1. "Somebody to Shove"
    Released: May 5, 1992
  2. "Black Gold"
    Released: January 1993
  3. "Runaway Train"
    Released: June 1, 1993
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Christgau's Consumer Guide[2]
Entertainment WeeklyA[3]
The Philadelphia Inquirer[4]
Q[5]
Rolling Stone[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[7]

Grave Dancers Union is the sixth studio album by the American alternative rock band Soul Asylum, released in 1992. The album spent 76 weeks on the Billboard music charts and was certified triple-platinum in 1993, establishing Soul Asylum as one of the most successful rock groups of the first half of the 1990s.

Overview

During recording of Grave Dancers Union, producer Michael Beinhorn grew dissatisfied with drummer Grant Young's performance and brought in Sterling Campbell. He and Campbell would each wind up playing on half the record.[8] Campbell eventually became Young's replacement in 1995.

The "Runaway Train" single, released in June 1993, reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and won a Grammy Award for best rock song in 1994. Though the album had sold moderately well to that point, the breakout success of that single was a major factor in the album's eventual multi-platinum sales figures.

The album cover features a photograph by Czech erotic art photographer Jan Saudek titled "Fate Descends towards the River Leading Two Innocent Children", which was taken in 1970.

The album's title comes from the line "I tried to dance at a funeral, New Orleans style, I joined the Grave Dancers Union, I had to file", from the song "Without a Trace."

Track listing

All songs written by Dave Pirner.

  1. "Somebody to Shove" – 3:15
  2. "Black Gold" – 3:57
  3. "Runaway Train" – 4:26
  4. "Keep It Up" – 3:48
  5. "Homesick" – 3:34
  6. "Get on Out" – 3:30
  7. "New World" – 4:04
  8. "April Fool" – 3:45
  9. "Without a Trace" – 3:33
  10. "Growing into You" – 3:13
  11. "99%" – 3:59
  12. "The Sun Maid" – 3:51

Singles

  1. "Somebody to Shove"
  2. "New World"
  3. "Black Gold"
  4. "Runaway Train"
  5. "Without a Trace"

Personnel

Band members

Additional musicians

Production and staff

  • Michael Beinhorn – arranger, celesta, glockenspiel, producer, horn arrangements
  • Chris Shaw - engineer
  • Eric Anderson, Bruce Ross – additional engineering
  • David Michael Dill, Dan Gellert, Bill Smith – assistant engineers
  • Andy Wallace – mixing
  • David Leonard – mixing of "The Sun Maid"
  • Steve Sisco – mixing assistant
  • Wally Traugott – mastering
  • Francesca Restrepo – art direction, design
  • Jan Saudek – photography

Charts

Album

Year Chart Position
1992 Billboard Heatseekers[9] 1
1992 The Billboard 200[9] 11

Singles

Year Single Chart Position
1992 "Somebody to Shove" Modern Rock Tracks[10] 1
1993 "Black Gold" Mainstream Rock Tracks[10] 4
1993 "Black Gold" Modern Rock Tracks[10] 6
1993 "Runaway Train" Adult Contemporary[10] 15
1993 "Runaway Train" Mainstream Rock Tracks[10] 3
1993 "Runaway Train" Modern Rock Tracks[10] 13
1993 "Runaway Train" The Billboard Hot 100[10] 5
1993 "Runaway Train" Top 40 Mainstream[10] 2
1993 "Somebody to Shove" Mainstream Rock Tracks[10] 9
1993 "Without a Trace" Mainstream Rock Tracks[10] 6
1993 "Without a Trace" Modern Rock Tracks[10] 27

Awards

Grammy Awards

Year Winner Category
1993 "Runaway Train" Best Rock Song[11]

References

  1. ↑ Sullivan, Denise. "Grave Dancer's Union – Soul Asylum". AllMusic. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  2. ↑ Christgau, Robert (2000). "Soul Asylum: Grave Dancers Union". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. Macmillan Publishers. ISBN 0-312-24560-2. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
  3. ↑ Robbins, Ira (October 23, 1992). "Grave Dancers Union". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
  4. ↑ Wood, Sam (December 8, 1992). "Soul Asylum: Grave Dancers Union (Columbia)". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  5. ↑ "Soul Asylum: Grave Dancers Union". Q (74): 121. November 1992.
  6. ↑ "Soul Asylum: Grave Dancers Union". Rolling Stone: 49. January 21, 1993.
  7. ↑ Harris, Keith (2004). "Soul Asylum". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian. The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. pp. 759–60. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  8. ↑ Klobuchar, Tim. "Former Drummer Finds Asylum Away From Rock". Young's Resort. University of Minnesota. Archived from the original on November 25, 2002. Retrieved November 13, 2011. The beginning of the end for Young's Soul Asylum career actually started during the recording sessions for Grave Dancers Union.
  9. 1 2 "Grave Dancer's Union Billboard Albums". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Grave Dancer's Union Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  11. ↑ "Grave Dancer's Union Billboard Grammy Awards". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
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