Slippin' Out [2LP]

Delta - Slippin' Out [2LP]

Double LP version. Having ended the '90s with the spirited Laughing Mostly compilation of singles and demos, Delta finally released their debut studio album of twelve songs in the summer of 2000 on the Dishy Recordings label. Accepting that this might be their sole studio album the band threw everything at these recordings allowing it to exist in its own sphere, unbothered by their contemporary generation and disregarding the idea of even releasing a single. Recorded at DEP International there was a notable difference to the scruffier, looser charm of their 1990s recordings, a tighter focus developed by having the experienced Lenny Franchi mixing the LP with them. Lenny had been working with a number of Island artists including My Bloody Valentine and Tricky so knew his way around a desk. There was also the question of budget, so every day counted. Ultimately though you can hear the joy in the recordings, even amongst the melancholy and angst. As James recently recalled in an interview in Shindig! Magazine: "It was such a big deal for us. It's one of my fondest memories doing that record. Everyone was happy. If there's anything that I'd stand by, I think it would be that." Louis Clark Jr joined the band towards the end of the '90s and brought a classically-trained element to the recordings particularly with his string arrangements. For "Cuckoo," "I Want You," and the prophetic "We Come Back" Louis brought in eight players from the Birmingham Conservatoire; the baroque style is partly why the record often receives comparisons to Love's "Forever Changes." On release Slippin' Out was a big favorite with writers at the NME, Mojo, and The Guardian again and before long the band were signed to Mercury/Universal for their second studio album Hard Light, a far more expensive and expansive love affair. It was a temporary palatial home where things quietly fell apart again, but that's another chapter."If long-term memory is nothing more than selective editing and only pop's most weighty visceral works are built to last then it's quite possible that in 50 years the Britpop era will be best recollected for the two bands it ostracized. Earlier this year we met Shack and thought their story of mercurial brilliance indicated the biggest music biz oversight of the '90s. We were wrong because we hadn't met Delta yet. This is richer and more engrossing than anything by Shack." --The Guardian 
01. Color Madre 
02. Cuckoo 
03. Yampee 
04. Everybody 
05. Slippin' Out 
06. We Come Back 
07. Bra 
08. It's Alright 
09. Don't Bring It Home 
10. L'Egohead 
11. Elephant Man 
12. I Want You 
13. The City's Bigger Than Both Of Us 
14. The World That You See 
15. Shake It 
16. I'm A Window 
17. The Bigger Picture