Safe Upon the Shore

Safe Upon The Shore
Studio album by Great Big Sea
Released	July 13, 2010
Recorded	2009–2010 at Great Big Studio in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Various Tour Buses, dressing rooms and The Music Shed, New Orleans, Humber Valley Resort
Genre	Folk rock
Length	45:28
Label	Warner Music Canada
Producer	Steve Berlin
Great Big Sea chronology
Fortune's Favour (2008) Safe Upon The Shore (2010) XX (2012)

Safe Upon the Shore is the ninth and final studio album released by Canadian folk rock band Great Big Sea. The album was released on July 13, 2010.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Long Life (Where Did You Go)"	Séan McCann, Jeen O'Brien, Joel Plaskett	3:12
2.	"Nothing But a Song"	Alan Doyle, Séan McCann	3:04
3.	"Yankee Sailor"	Alan Doyle, Bob Hallett, Paul Lamb, Joel Plaskett	4:10
4.	"Good People"	Séan McCann, Paul Lamb	2:35
5.	"Dear Home Town"	Alan Doyle, Randy Bachman	3:58
6.	"Over the Hills"	Traditional, Arr. Bob Hallett	3:09
7.	"Hit the Ground and Run"	Alan Doyle, Russell Crowe	3:02
8.	"Safe Upon the Shore"	Séan McCann, Murray Foster	3:28
9.	"Have a Cuppa Tea"	Ray Davies	3:12
10.	"Wandering Ways"	Séan McCann, Greg Browne	3:19
11.	"Follow Me Back"	Bob Hallett, Jeremy Fisher, Jeen O'Brien	3:21
12.	"Road to Ruin"	Alan Doyle, Paul Lamb, Joel Plaskett	2:23
13.	"Gallows Pole"	Traditional, arranged by Robert Plant, Jimmy Page	2:58
14.	"Don't Wanna Go Home"	Alan Doyle	3:46

iTunes Canada Deluxe Version ^[1]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
15.	"Protest Song"	Sean McCann, Jeremy Fisher	3:12
16.	"Nothing But A Song (Video)"	Alan Doyle, Séan McCann	3:14
17.	"Nothing But A Song (Demo) [Pre-Order Only]"	Alan Doyle, Séan McCann	3:44

iTunes US Bonus Track Version ^[2]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
15.	"Nothing But A Song (Demo) [Bonus Track]"	Alan Doyle, Séan McCann	3:44
16.	"Protest Song (Bonus Track) [Pre-Order Only]"	Sean McCann, Jeremy Fisher	3:12

Tracks 2, 3, 4, 7, and the bonus tracks were road tested before they recorded it in the studio. ^[3]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[4]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at No. 2 on the Canadian Albums Chart, falling short to Eminem's Recovery. The album sold 7,000 copies in its first week, while Eminem placed first with 30,000 copies.^[5]

Critical reception

Greg Prato of allmusic gave the album mainly positive reviews, saying "there is more than meets the eye (or more fittingly, the ear) to this Canadian outfit. Great Big Sea has created a pure 'heartland sound' all its own."

Personnel

• Alan Doyle – Vocals, Guitars, Bouzouki, Mandolin, Banjo, Piano
• Bob Hallett – Vocals, Accordion, Concertina, Whistle, Harmonica, Bouzouki, Mandolin, Fiddle, Banjo, Pipes
• Séan McCann – Vocals, Guitar, Bodhran, Percussion

With

• Murray Foster - Vocals, Bass, Guitar
• Kris MacFarlane - Vocals, Drums, Percussion, Guitar, Keyboards, Piano Accordion

Guest Musicians

• Sonny Landreth - Slide Guitar
• Jeen O'Brien - Vocals
• Steve Berlin - Keyboards, Melodica, Percussion
• Washboard Hank - Washboard
• Mark Mullins - Trombone, Arrangements
• Craig Klein - Trombone
• Greg Hicks - Trombone
• J.P. Cormier - Mandolin, Guitar, Banjo, Fiddle
• Shannon Powell - Tambourine
• Jeremy Fisher - Guitar

Charts

Chart positions Chart (2010) Peak position US Billboard 200 159 US Billboard Top Heatseekers 4 US Billboard Top Folk Albums 3 Canadian Albums Chart 2

Sales Country Sales Canada 7,000

References

1. "iTunes - Music - Safe Upon the Shore by Great Big Sea". Itunes.apple.com. 2010-07-13. Retrieved 2012-03-08.
2. "Archived copy". iTunes. Archived from the original on 2021-02-22. Retrieved 2022-07-16.
3. "Archived copy". iTunes. Archived from the original on 2021-02-22. Retrieved 2022-07-16.
4. Safe Upon the Shore at AllMusic
5. John Williams (2010-07-21). "GBS can't beat Eminem on charts | Music | Entertainment". Winnipeg Sun. Retrieved 2012-03-08.