Released August 1989 Length 40:58 So Much Water So Close to Home
(1989) Comedy
(1991) Label A&M Records | Recorded February–March 1989 Producer Scott Litt, Paul Kelly Release date August 1989 Genre Folk rock | |
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Artist Paul Kelly & The Messengers Similar Paul Kelly & The Messengers albums, Folk rock albums | ||
So much water so close to home part 1 of 3
So Much Water So Close to Home is an album by Australian rock band Paul Kelly and the Messengers and was originally released in August 1989. The title comes from a short story of the same name by author Raymond Carver. Carver had died in August 1988. Kelly would go on to co-write the score for the 2006 Australian film Jindabyne, which was also based on the same story. The entire album was recorded in the U.S. with producer Scott Litt, best known for his work with R.E.M.. It was released on Mushroom/White Records in Australia and A&M Records in the United States. The album peaked at #10 on the ARIA album charts, but none of its singles, "Sweet Guy", "Careless" and "Most Wanted Man in the World" had any Top 40 chart success. All tracks for the album were written by Kelly, who provided vocals, guitar and harmonica and also co-produced with Litt.
Contents
Background
Paul Kelly had formed Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls in 1985, named for Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side". For international releases from 1987 they used the name Paul Kelly and the Messengers to avoid possible racist interpretations. They released Gossip in 1986 on Mushroom Records in Australia and in 1987 on A&M Records for international release. Under the Sun was released in 1987 in Australia and in 1988 internationally.
Their next album, So Much Water So Close to Home was released in 1989 as by Paul Kelly and the Messengers in all markets, it peaked at #10 on the ARIA album charts, but none of its singles reached the ARIA Top 40 Singles charts. The entire album was recorded in the U.S. with producer Scott Litt, best known for his work with R.E.M.. Litt had re-mixed some of Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls' tracks from Gossip for its US release as by Paul Kelly and the Messengers. So Much Water So Close to Home was released on Mushroom/White Records in Australia and A&M Records in the United States and Europe in 1989. The title comes from a short story of the same name by author Raymond Carver. Album track, "Everything's Turning to White" is based on Carver's short story, it describes the tale of hunters/fishermen who find a dead woman's body but continue their trip for three days before reporting their discovery to police. Kelly would go on to co-write the score for the 2006 Australian film Jindabyne, which was also based on the same story. In 1991 Paul Kelly and the Messengers released their next album Comedy.
Track listing
All tracks written by Paul Kelly.
- "You Can't Take It with You" – 2:43
- "Sweet Guy" – 3:38
- "Most Wanted Man in the World" – 3:38
- "I had Forgotten You" – 2:59
- "She's a Melody (Stupid Song)" – 4:31
- "South of Germany" – 3:16
- "Careless" – 2:57
- "Moon in the Bed" – 3:03
- "No You" – 4:19
- "Everything's Turning to White" – 4:11
- "Pigeon/Jundamurra" – 2:03
- "Cities of Texas" – 3:40
Personnel
Paul Kelly and the Messengers
Additional musicians
Recording details
Songs
1You Can't Take It With You2:43
2Sweet Guy3:30
3Most Wanted Man in the World3:38