Morphine Like Swimming CD

Morphine: Dana Colley (baritone, tenor, bass & double saxophones, background vocals); Mark Sandman (2-string slide bass, vocals, tritar, keyboards, mellotron, guitar); Billy Conway (drums, percussion, background vocals).
Additional personnel: Mike Rivard (acoustic bass); Larry Dersch (drums); Melissa Gibbs, Meredith Byam, DJK (background vocals).
Recorded at Fort Apache, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Personnel: Mark Sandman (vocals); Dana Colley (baritone saxophone); Billy Conway (drums).
Audio Mixer: Matthew Ellard.
After three highly acclaimed releases on Rykodisc, 1997's Like Swimming was Morphine's first recording for Dreamworks, for whom the trio nail down their unmistakable sound on such great tracks as "Early to Bed," "Eleven O'Clock," "Swing It Low," and the title track. Other selections, such as "Potion," "I Know You, Pt. III," "Wishing Well," "French Fries w/ Pepper," and "Hanging on a Curtain," are also notable. ~ Greg Prato
After three highly acclaimed releases on Rykodisc, 1997's Like Swimming was Morphine's first recording for Dreamworks, which put the trio on the verge of a major commercial breakthrough (their last album, Yes, reached the middle of Billboard's Hot 100 album chart). And although the album contains its share of highlights, it turned out to not be as strong as its predecessors were and failed to break the band through to the big time. Some of the material doesn't sound fully developed, almost as if the Boston trio was rushed to complete the album. Still, the trio nails down the unmistakable Morphine sound on such great tracks as "Early to Bed," "Eleven O'Clock," "Swing It Low," and the title track. Other selections, such as "Potion," "I Know You, Pt. III," "Wishing Well," "French Fries w/ Pepper," and "Hanging on a Curtain," are all notable, but not as gripping or memorable as the material that made Cure for Pain and Yes such exceptional releases. Again, Like Swimming is not a total washout, but it is a disappointment when compared to the above-mentioned classic albums. ~ Greg Prato
Morphine is a textbook example of just how far the definition of alternative rock can be stretched. A casual listen to radio or peek at the charts in the post-Nirvana world would lead one to believe that the parameters of modern rock lie somewhere between Live and Bush, with little variation from the jackhammer-guitar-and-angst-ridden-vocals formula allowed. But vocalist/two-string "slide" bassist Mark Sandman and his unconvential trio are the photographic negative of the Nirvanawannabe legions.
Sandman's low, breathy vocals and elastic basslines combine with Dana Colley's impossibly low sax grunts and Billy Conway's syncopated, jazzy drumming to create a sound that makes Spinal Tap's infamous "Big Bottom" seem positively tinny. Throughout LIKE SWIMMING the band pursues a jazzy, understated groove that is sinuous, sensual and downright slippery. Lyrics use simplicity and humor to good effect, and exist largely to set the mood for the tunes' angular, minor-key riffs. The liquid flow of Morphine's songs makes listening to the band's fourth album feel very much LIKE SWIMMING.

Award Winner

Entertainment Weekly (3/14/97, p.81) - "With a lineup of two-string slide bass, baritone sax, and drums, this Boston trio makes a seductively noirish noise unlike anything in contemporary rock....exotically refreshing."
- Rating: A
Q (4/97, p.126) - 3 Stars (out of 5) - "...With this fourth album, Morphine have quite sensibly resisted the urge to dangerously tamper with a possibly unique formula."
Option (5-6/97, p.117) - "...grabs ahold of your head and bottom and won't let go. Sandman's lyrics are a mix of hipster bedtime stories and crafty non sequiturs, and they set smooth as silk against the superbly simple funksmanship of drummer Billy Conway and the inspired moans of saxman Dana Colley..."