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Unity (Big Mountain album)

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Unity
Studio album by
Big Mountain
Released1994
Genre
Length47:06
LabelGiant[1]
Big Mountain chronology
Wake Up
(1992) 		Unity
(1994) 		Resistance
(1996)

Unity is an album by the American band Big Mountain, released in 1994.[2][3]

The album peaked at No. 174 on the Billboard 200.[4] "Sweet Sensual Love" was released as a single, peaking at No. 51 on the UK Singles Chart.[5][6] Unity sold more than a million copies.[7] The band supported the album by headlining Reggae Sunsplash in 1994 and 1995.[8]

Production

[edit]

The songs were written by frontman Quino; many of the lyrics contain political themes and criticisms of U.S. governmental policy.[9] Quino sang in Spanish on some songs.[10] "Border Town" is about undocumented workers.[11] The cover of "Baby, I Love Your Way" first appeared on the soundtrack to Reality Bites.[12]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution[13]
The Buffalo News[14]
Calgary HeraldB[15]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[7]
Los Angeles Daily News[16]

The Calgary Herald wrote that the band "is never less than soothing, often inspiring, and its lyrics of love (personal, spiritual, political) is a welcome respite from the below-the-belt toastin' so common today."[15] The Baltimore Sun praised the cover of "Baby, I Love Your Way" but determined that, "unfortunately, that sort of trick works only once an album, and anyone expecting more of the same from Unity will be sorely disappointed."[17] The Atlanta Journal-Constitution stated that Unity "offers Rastafarian vibes for summer beer decks everywhere."[13]

The Los Angeles Times noted that "the seed planted by Jamaican music and reggae culture is filtered through an American perspective."[18] The Los Angeles Daily News called the album "too pop oriented, too lightweight", writing that "it lacks the pathos that made Marley, at even his most chirpy, believable."[16] The Orange County Register concluded that "this group is extremely commercial; at its most hard-hitting, Big Mountain sounds like a more accessible Steel Pulse."[19]

Track listing

[edit]
Unity track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Fruitful Days"3:56
2."Border Town"4:03
3."Upful & Right"3:28
4."Sweet Sensual Love"3:46
5."I Would Find a Way"5:05
6."Tengo Ganas"4:24
7."Baby, I Love Your Way"4:09
8."Young Revolutionaries"3:50
9."Revolution"3:39
10."Time Has Come"3:41
11."Big Mountain"7:05
Total length:47:06

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for Unity
Chart (1994) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[20] 97
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[21] 15
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[22] 52
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[23] 52
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[24] 29
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[25] 37
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[26] 10
US Billboard 200[27] 174

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Bratt, L. Erik (June 22, 1994). "The big test lies ahead for Big Mountain". The San Diego Union-Tribune. p. E7.
  2. ^ "Big Mountain Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  3. ^ Snadowsky, Leslie Tamar (Oct 1994). "Music reviews — Unity by Big Mountain". Seventeen. 53 (10): 130.
  4. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2001). Top Pop Albums 1955–2001. Record Research Inc. p. 71.
  5. ^ "A swarm of new albums...". The Province. 26 June 1994. p. B7.
  6. ^ "Big Mountain | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  7. ^ a b Larkin, Colin (1998). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 1 (3rd ed.). MUZE. p. 528.
  8. ^ Moskowitz, David V. (2006). Caribbean Popular Music. Greenwood Press. pp. 29–30.
  9. ^ Barton, David (June 24, 1994). "Big Mountain: Revolutionary Reggae". The Sacramento Bee. p. TK18.
  10. ^ Beal, Jr., Jim (November 11, 1994). "Reggae in the U.S.A. – San Diego's Big Mountain due Friday". San Antonio Express-News. p. 12J.
  11. ^ "Album reviews — Unity by Big Mountain". Billboard. 106 (31): 50. Jul 30, 1994.
  12. ^ Bratt, L. Erik (August 4, 1994). "Big Mountain – Hasn't Peaked Yet". Entertainment. The San Diego Union-Tribune. p. 13.
  13. ^ a b Dollar, Steve (July 31, 1994). "Spin Cycle". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. N4.
  14. ^ Gaughan, Liz (August 12, 1994). "Big Mountain's promoters call their music...". The Buffalo News. p. G33.
  15. ^ a b Muretich, James (24 July 1994). "Big Mountain: Unity". Calgary Herald. p. B8.
  16. ^ a b Shuster, Fred (July 29, 1994). "Big Mountain/'Unity'". Los Angeles Daily News. p. L20.
  17. ^ Considine, J.D. (29 July 1994). "'Baby' remake is summit of Big Mountain album". Features. The Baltimore Sun. p. 5.
  18. ^ Snowden, Don (3 Aug 1994). "Big Mountain Mixes Optimism, Second-Generation Reggae". Los Angeles Times. p. F3.
  19. ^ Darling, Cary (July 29, 1994). "Poppy molehills spoil a Big Mountain effort". Orange County Register. p. P42.
  20. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 30.
  21. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Big Mountain – Unity" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  22. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Big Mountain – Unity" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  23. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Big Mountain – Unity" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  24. ^ "Charts.nz – Big Mountain – Unity". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  25. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Big Mountain – Unity". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  26. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Big Mountain – Unity". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  27. ^ "Billboard 200: Week of August 27, 1994". Billboard. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
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