Mouth by Mouth - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

History

After two moderately successful LPs and one EP, His Name Is Alive

His Name Is Alive

His Name Is Alive is an experimental rock band/project from Livonia, Michigan. After several self-released cassettes, they debuted on 4AD Records in 1990, starting a long run at the label...

leader Warren Defever

Warren Defever

Warren Defever is a musician and producer from Livonia, Michigan. He is most known for his chameleonic project His Name Is Alive, though he is active in numerous other circles...

was in a position to vastly improve his home recording studio, and spent the fall of 1992 recording his most polished album yet, Mouth by Mouth. Featuring a wider variety of singers than on previous releases, along with a newly polished sound, the album sounded considerably different than previous releases, although it continued in the vein of This Mortal Coil

This Mortal Coil

This Mortal Coil was a gothic dream pop supergroup led by Ivo Watts-Russell, founder of the British record label 4AD. Although Watts-Russell and John Fryer were technically the only two official members, the band's recorded output featured a large rotating cast of supporting artists, many of whom...

-inspired gothic/folk/progressive rock and ambient soundscapes. The album appeared in May 1993, in three different versions (explained below).

This was the first HNIA release to come out after 4AD

4AD

4AD is a British independent record label that was started in 1979 by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent, funded by Beggars Banquet Records, and is still active today...

's distribution deal with Warner Bros. Records

Warner Bros. Records

Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...

in the USA, so that all 4AD albums would see release in the USA. While ostensibly this would be a good deal for Defever and HNIA, with wider distribution, Warner Brothers balked at the many samples that appear throughout the 4AD UK version of the album, for fear of being sued. Therefore, the USA release was considerably compromised, omitting several samples, using different mixes for some songs, and leaving off the final track, "The Homesick Waltz." Ironically, the musical backing for "Can't Go Wrong Without You" is made up of entirely of samples from Prince

Prince (musician)

Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...

's Purple Rain

Purple Rain (album)

Purple Rain is the sixth studio album by Prince, the first to officially be credited to Prince and The Revolution, and is the soundtrack album to the 1984 film Purple Rain.Purple Rain is regularly ranked among the best albums in pop music history...

LP, and Warner Brothers failed to notice this.

In 2006, Defever made the UK version available for sale through his Silver Mountain Media group, from copies 4AD found "in the back of a warehouse." This marked the first time US buyers could buy the full version without paying for a pricey import. The CD quickly sold out from the website. In 2008, 4AD made this version finally officially available in the USA, by way of electronic downloads on sites like eMusic

EMusic

eMusic is an online music and audiobook store that operates by subscription. It is headquartered in New York City with an office in London and owned by Dimensional Associates. As of September 2008 eMusic has over 400,000 subscribers....

or iTunes

ITunes

iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....

4AD releases

CD release (CAD3006CD)

"Baby Fish Mouth" - 2:32
"Lip" - 2:57
"Cornfield" - 3:15
"In Every Ford" - 3:43
"Lord, Make Me a Channel of Your Peace" - 2:17
"Drink, Dress and Ink" - 2:30
"Where Knock Is Open Wide" - 2:46
"Can't Go Wrong Without You" - 3:14
"Jack Rabbits" - 1:50
"Sort Of" - 1:03
"Sick" - 3:50
"Blue Moon" - 2:15
"Ear" - 2:02
"Lemon Ocean" - 2:47
"The Torso" - 3:23
"The Dirt Eaters" - 4:47
"The Homesick Waltz" - 4:00

"The Dirt Eaters" is a different version than appeared on the The Dirt Eaters EP

The Dirt Eaters EP

The Dirt Eaters in an EP by His Name Is Alive, originally released by 4AD in early 1992. It has never been released on its own in the United States, as it was included on the 4AD/Rykodisc USA reissue of Home Is In Your Head in 1992.-History:...

, a rock and roll version replacing the acoustic version that appeared on the EP. The Jack Nicholson sample that appeared on the EP version appears again, although shortened (removing the part where he says "And all the weeds.")

The 4AD vinyl LP release (CAD3006) uses several different samples and mixes for some of the songs, and does not include "The Homesick Waltz," despite having the lyrics for it in the inner sleeve.

The 4AD cassette release (CADC3006) is similar in mixing and sampling to the CD release, but like the LP does not include "The Homesick Waltz."

The 4AD CD version is currently available by 4AD's website, and also on music download services like eMusic

EMusic

and iTunes

ITunes

.

All tracks written by Defever, credited as His Name Is Alive, except 4, 9 and 16, written by Melissa Elliott, and 12, a cover of a Big Star track, written by Alex Chilton

Alex Chilton

William Alexander "Alex" Chilton was an American songwriter, guitarist, singer and producer, best known as the lead singer of the Box Tops and Big Star...

, credited here as "LX Chilton."

4AD/Warner Brothers USA release

"Baby Fish Mouth" - 2:32
"Lip" - 2:57
"Cornfield" - 3:15
"In Every Ford" - 3:43
"Lord, Make Me a Channel of Your Peace" - 2:17
"Drink, Dress and Ink" - 2:30
"Where Knock Is Open Wide" - 2:46
"Can't Go Wrong Without You" - 3:14
"Jack Rabbits" - 1:50
"Sort Of" - 1:03
"Sick" - 3:50
"Blue Moon" - 2:15
"Ear" - 2:02
"Lemon Ocean" - 2:47
"The Torso" - 3:14
"The Dirt Eaters" - 4:24

As mentioned above, several samples are missing on this release, in comparison to the 4AD UK release, along with the track "The Homesick Waltz." Different mixes are used for several songs, many with a "hotter" mix, giving it a more "rock" sound to supposedly appeal to the USA grunge

Grunge

Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...

fad. Most noticeable is "The Dirt Eaters," which does not include the Jack Nicholson sample, or the ethereal echo on Denise James' vocals. This version is out of print. The UK version is now available in the US as electronic downloads from sites like eMusic

EMusic

or iTunes

ITunes

Singers

While Karin Oliver

Karin Oliver

Karin Oliver is a former singer for the Livonia, Michigan band His Name Is Alive. She was with the band from 1989 to 1998. After leaving the band following the USA release party for the Ft. Lake album, she pursued a career in marketing full time. She also provided vocals for Velour 100, a band...

sang nearly all of HNIA's songs up this point, Mouth By Mouth used a wide variety of Defever's associates on vocals. The lead vocals on the album are: Karen Neal sings 1, 2 and 4; Karin Oliver sings 3, 5, 7, 10, 12, 15 and 17; Chelle Marie Ehlers sings 6 and 8; Denise James sings 11, 13, 14 and 16.

Personnel

Warren Defever
Warren Defever
Warren Defever is a musician and producer from Livonia, Michigan. He is most known for his chameleonic project His Name Is Alive, though he is active in numerous other circles...

- Guitar, Sampling
Karin Oliver
Karin Oliver
Karin Oliver is a former singer for the Livonia, Michigan band His Name Is Alive. She was with the band from 1989 to 1998. After leaving the band following the USA release party for the Ft. Lake album, she pursued a career in marketing full time. She also provided vocals for Velour 100, a band...

- Vocals, Cello
Melissa Elliott - Guitar
Denise James - Vocals
Damian Lang - Drums
Elden M. - Vocals, Sound Effects
Trey Many - Drums
Chelle Marie - Vocals
Karen Neal - Vocals

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