Ring (The Connells album)

Ring
Studio album by
the Connells
ReleasedSeptember 21, 1993
RecordedMarch 1993
StudioBearsville (Woodstock, New York)
Genre
Length50:15
LabelTVT
Producer
The Connells chronology
One Simple Word
(1990) 		Ring
(1993) 		New Boy EP
(1994)
Singles from Ring
  1. "Slackjawed"
    Released: 1993
  2. "'74-'75"
    Released: 1993
  3. "New Boy"
    Released: 1994
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Chicago Tribune[2]
NME5/10[3]

Ring is the fifth studio album by the American alternative rock band the Connells, released in 1993.[4][5]

The album (and band)'s biggest hit was the single "'74–'75", which reached the top ten in 11 European countries, peaking at No. 1 in Norway and Sweden, and appeared on the soundtrack of the 1995 film Heavy. In the UK, the album reached number 36 on the UK Albums Chart while "'74-'75" peaked at number 14 on the UK Singles Chart.[6] In the US, the album reached number 199 on the Billboard 200 with the single "Slackjawed" reaching number nine on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart.[7][8]

On August 11, 2023, to commemorate the album's 30th anniversary, the album was remastered by Brent Lambert and released on vinyl for the first time, as well as an expanded, two-disc version on CD and in digital format, including rare B-sides and 12 previously-unreleased demo tracks.[9]

Critical reception

Trouser Press wrote: "The record contains some brilliant pieces of pop songcraft ('Carry My Picture,' 'Eyes on the Ground') and some bittersweet lyrical ruminations, but slower numbers like '’74-’75' are so sweet they border on cloying."[10]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Slackjawed"Mike Connell4:00
2."Carry My Picture"Mike Connell3:57
3."'74–'75"Mike Connell4:38
4."Doin' You"George Huntley3:33
5."Find Out"Doug MacMillan3:31
6."Eyes On The Ground"Doug MacMillan3:03
7."Spiral"Mike Connell3:07
8."Hey You"David Connell, Mike Connell, Doug MacMillan3:23
9."New Boy"Mike Connell4:39
10."Disappointed"Mike Connell5:04
11."Burden"Mike Connell3:59
12."Any Day Now"Doug MacMillan2:39
13."Running Mary"Mike Connell4:40
1994 European bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
14."Logan Street"Mike Connell3:39
15."Wonder Why"Mike Connell3:14
16."Living in the Past"Ian Anderson2:43
30th Anniversary CD1 bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
14."'74-'75 (Radio Edit)"Mike Connell3:52
15."Slackjawed (Radio Edit)"Mike Connell3:31
16."Logan Street"Mike Connell3:39
17."Wonder Why"Mike Connell3:13
18."Living in the Past"Ian Anderson2:43
30th Anniversary CD2
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."'74-'75 (Demo)"Mike Connell 
2."Carry My Picture (Demo)"Mike Connell 
3."Disappointed (Demo)"Mike Connell 
4."Doin' You (Demo)"George Huntley 
5."Eyes On The Ground (Demo)"Doug MacMillan 
6."Hey You (Demo)"David Connell, Mike Connell, Doug MacMillan 
7."Logan Street (Demo)"Mike Connell 
8."New Boy (Demo)"Mike Connell 
9."Running Mary (Demo)"Mike Connell 
10."Slackjawed (Demo)"Mike Connell 
11."Spiral (Demo)"Mike Connell 
12."Wonder Why (Demo)"Mike Connell 
13."New Boy (Live Acoustic Version)"Mike Connell 
14."Doin' You (Live Acoustic Version)"George Huntley 
15."Running Mary (Live Acoustic Version)"Mike Connell 
16."'74-'75 (Live Acoustic Version)"Mike Connell 

Personnel

The Connells
  • Doug MacMillan - lead vocals, guitar
  • Mike Connell - guitar, vocals, lead vocals on "Spiral" and "Burden"
  • George Huntley - guitar, mandolin, vocals, lead vocals on "Doin' You"
  • Steve Potak - piano, keyboards, organ
  • David Connell - bass
  • Peele Wimberley - drums, percussion
Additional personnel
  • Tim Harper - keyboards, background vocals
  • Caro Giordano - cello
Technical personnel
  • Lou Giordano - producer, mixing, engineer
  • Tom Bender - engineer
  • Kate Broudy - engineer
  • Dave Cook - engineer
  • Dan McLoughlin - engineer
  • John Yates - engineer

Charts

References

  1. ^ Ring at AllMusic
  2. ^ Webber, Brad. "The Connells Ring (TVT) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)This North Carolina..." chicagotribune.com.
  3. ^ Robinson, John (September 9, 1995). "Long Play". NME. p. 50. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  4. ^ Press, SAM McDONALD Daily. "JUST WARMING UP". dailypress.com.
  5. ^ Critic, ROGER CATLIN; Courant Rock. "CONNELLS, FRAT-HOUSE FAVORITES, BRING JANGLY POP ROCK TO TOAD'S". courant.com.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ "CONNELLS". Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  7. ^ "The Connells". Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  8. ^ "The Connells". Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  9. ^ "Craft Recordings Celebrates 30th Anniversary of the Connells' Ring With Bonus-Filled Reissue and First Widely Available Vinyl Release - Concord". concord.com. 2023-06-21. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  10. ^ "Connells".
  11. ^ "Austriancharts.at – The Connells – Ring" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  12. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Connells – Ring" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  13. ^ "The Connells: Ring" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  14. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Connells – Ring" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  15. ^ "Classifica settimanale WK 34 (dal 18.08.1995 al 24.08.1995)" (in Italian). FIMI. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  16. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – The Connells – Ring". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  17. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  18. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – The Connells – Ring". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  19. ^ "Swisscharts.com – The Connells – Ring". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  20. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  21. ^ "The Connells Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  22. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved February 15, 2022.


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