Volo Volo

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Volo Volo
Studio album by
Poi Dog Pondering
Released1992
GenreWorldbeat
LabelColumbia
ProducerAlan Winstanley, Clive Langer, Jerry Harrison
Poi Dog Pondering chronology
Jack Ass Ginger EP
(1991) 		Volo Volo
(1992) 		Pomegranate
(1995)

Volo Volo is an album by the American worldbeat band Poi Dog Pondering.[1][2] It was released in 1992 via Columbia Records.[3] The album title is allegedly Swahili for "revolver".[4] Poi Dog Pondering supported the album with a North American tour.[5]

The album was a commercial disappointment, with only 50,000 copies sold by the fall of 1993.[6] Columbia dropped the band; to regroup, several members of Poi moved from Austin to Chicago.[7]

Production

The band built the songs by creating the rhythms first, before adding other instruments on top of the drum patterns.[8] About half of the album was produced by Alan Winstanley and Clive Langer.[9] Jerry Harrison also worked on Volo Volo.[10][11]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
Chicago Tribune[9]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[13]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[14]

The Washington Post wrote that "instead of acoustic rag-tag charm and unpredictability, something [the band's] early recordings had in abundance, Volo Volo offers a more focused and groove-oriented sound."[8] Trouser Press thought that the album "bears an occasional disconcerting resemblance to smart UK popsters like the Smiths, Wedding Present and Waterboys."[15]

The New York Times deemed the band's sound "a kind of world beat-influenced earth music," writing that Volo Volo "celebrates buildings, collarbones, thunder and the joy of shaking one's booty."[16] Spin panned the album, declaring that "this is kinda like a 'Don't Worry Be Happy' stew that's so dull you'll be jonesin' for some raw flesh to bite into."[17] The Philadelphia Inquirer disparaged the "techno-dance seasonings," opining that Poi had hopped on the "EMF/Happy Mondays bandwagon."[18]

AllMusic wrote that "interestingly, Poi Dog Pondering here seems to be attempting a move into a more pop-oriented direction, sounding at times like a bizarre meeting between Santana, the Meters, Wham!, and Simple Minds."[12] MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide praised the "amazingly haunting" violin of Susan Voeltz.[13]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Lackluster" 
2."Collarbone" 
3."Get Me On" 
4."The Hardest Thing" 
5."Ta Bouche Est Tabou" 
6."I've Got My Body" 
7."Jack Ass Ginger" 
8."Be the One" 
9."Tall" 
10."Building" 
11."Te Manu Pukarua" 
12."Blood and Thunder" 
13."Entrance" 
14."Endtrance" 

References

  1. ^ "Poi Dog Pondering Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  2. ^ Zane (Jun 6, 1992). "Albums — Volo Volo by Poi Dog Pondering". Melody Maker. Vol. 68, no. 23. p. 30.
  3. ^ "Poi Dog Pondering, Unleashed: Free of Record-Label Control, the Chicago Band Has Emerged with a New Groove-Heavy Beat". Los Angeles Times. September 10, 1996.
  4. ^ Okamoto, David (1 Nov 1991). "Poi Dog Pondering leaves blissful hippie image behind". Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph. p. D8.
  5. ^ Allan, Marc D. (3 May 1992). "Poi Dogs ponder their promise". The Indianapolis Star. p. G4.
  6. ^ Szilagyi, Pete (21 Oct 1993). "Spinning Popularity into Sales: Critical acclaim doesn't mean commercial success for Austin albums". Onward. Austin American-Statesman. p. 3.
  7. ^ "Poi Dog Pondering: The Best of the Austin Years Album Review". www.austinchronicle.com.
  8. ^ a b "Poi Dog's Hawaiian Punch". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  9. ^ a b Caro, Mark. "Poi Dog Pondering Volo Volo". Chicago Tribune.
  10. ISBN 978-0-87930-607-6
    – via Google Books.
  11. ^ Christensen, Thor (1 May 1992). "Shank Hall Spicy blend". The Milwaukee Journal. p. D2.
  12. ^ a b "Volo Volo". AllMusic.
  13. ^ a b MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 882.
  14. ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. pp. 549–550.
  15. ^ "Poi Dog Pondering". Trouser Press. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  16. ^ Schoemer, Karen (April 24, 1992). "Sounds Around Town". The New York Times.
  17. ^ Spencer, Lauren (Feb 1992). "Spins". Spin. Vol. 7, no. 11. p. 70.
  18. ^ Quintavell, Faith (30 Apr 1992). "Poi Dog Pondering at the Troc". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. C5.
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