Sunrise Over Sea is the third album of The John Butler Trio and the fifth featuring John Butler

John Butler (musician)

John Charles Wiltshire-Butler or John Charles Butler is an Australian musician, songwriter, record label owner and producer...

. It was released in March 2004.

Conception and production

In late 2003, John Butler entered Woodstock Studios

Woodstock Studios

Woodstock Studios is a recording facility owned by Australian musician, Joe Camilleri, leader of Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons and The Black Sorrows, and is located in East St Kilda, Melbourne, Australia. It has been used by Australian artists: Augie March, John Butler Trio, The Cat Empire and Paul Kelly....

 in Melbourne owned by Joe Camilleri

Joe Camilleri

Joseph Vincent "Joe" Camilleri, aka Jo Jo Zep or Joey Vincent, is an Australian vocalist, songwriter and saxophonist. Camilleri has recorded as a solo artist and as a member of Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons and The Black Sorrows...

, the leader of Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons

Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons

Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons were an Australian blues and rock music band which featured singer, songwriter and saxophonist, Joe Camilleri . The band was active in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and had several Australian chart hits, including "Hit and Run", "Shape I'm In" and "All I Wanna Do"...

 and the Black Sorrows

The Black Sorrows

The Black Sorrows are an Australian band founded by Joe Camilleri, the group's only constant member. Founded in 1983, The Black Sorrows are still active today, and are best remembered for their top 40 Australian hits of the late 1980s and early 1990s, including "Hold On To Me", "Chained To The...

. He had a new band consisting of percussionist Nicky Bomba

Nicky Bomba

Nicholas Caruana aka Nicky Bomba is an Australian musician and singer. He is the frontman of his band Bomba as well as the drummer and percussionist of John Butler Trio and has also performed with several other artists. He is also a solo artist.-Biography:Bomba's family migrated to Australia late...

 and upright-bass player Shannon Birchall

Shannon Birchall

Shannon Birchall is an Australian born musician, probably best known as the bassist for jam band the John Butler Trio. Birchall is often labeled a virtuoso by different music experts. He is also known for composing and conducting the string sections of the John Butler Trio's...

. This would be Bomba's only recording with the Trio (having returned to his own reggae band

Bomba (band)

Bomba are an Australian funk and reggae band from Melbourne. Led by Maltese-Australian Nicky Bomba, they are renowned internationally for their "energetic live shows and passionate performances", although they are more popular at home. They have released four albums, the latest of which is Bomba...

) until 2010's April Uprising

April Uprising (album)

April Uprising is the fifth studio album by Australian Roots band the John Butler Trio. The album was recorded from late 2009-early 2010 in Fremantle, Australia. The album's name comes from Butler's appearance on the television documentary series, Who Do You Think You Are, where he journeyed to...

.

John Butler told the Australian edition of Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...

published in April 2004 that he wanted greater freedom to pursue his vision. "Essentially what I learnt out of this process was, more so than ever, I'm the keeper of the music. I have the intuition and the foresight to pick the right players to my music. I've learned it's not always about having the same players for five, six or 10 years, it’s having the right chemistry for these songs at this time. Some of my favourite Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix

James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...

 music is off-the-cuff stuff with Band of Gypsys

Band of Gypsys

Band of Gypsys was a blues rock band led by Jimi Hendrix and backed by Billy Cox and Buddy Miles. Hendrix formed the band after the dissolution of The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Band of Gypsys is also the band's eponymous live album recorded on two separate nights, 31 December 1969 and 1 January...

."

The title Sunrise Over Sea is probably a reference to his home in Byron Bay which is one of the most easterly points in Australia and therefore one of the first points to see the sunrise. It is also part of the lyrics to the song "Peaches & Cream."

All the songs on the album were written, arranged and produced by John Butler

John Butler (musician)

John Charles Wiltshire-Butler or John Charles Butler is an Australian musician, songwriter, record label owner and producer...

, except for "What You Want" where the string section was arranged by Shannon Birchall and John Butler and was scored and conducted by Shannon Birchall.

Additional musicians performing on the album include: Michael Barker - "Treat Yo Mama", "Company Sin", "Bound To Ramble", Seeing Angels", "There'll Come a Time", "Zebra"; Danielle Caruna - "Treat Yo Mama", "Peaches & Cream", "What You Want", "Sometime"; Michael Caruna - "Zebra"; Dave Pensabene - "Zebra"; Tim Neil - "Sometimes"

Recent editions of the album have included the bonus track "Something's Gotta Give", which was released on an EP in 2004. It is a politically charged song that was very successful off the back of the recent LP.

In August 2004, a new disc, What You Want

What You Want

What You Want is the second commercially available single/EP by Australian jam band the John Butler Trio from the album Sunrise Over Sea...

was released, with the song "What You Want" (Shared by Sunrise over Sea) and including a new version of the song "Treat Yo' Mama" and a cover of The Beatles

The Beatles

The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...

' song "Across the Universe

Across the Universe

"Across the Universe" is a song by the English group The Beatles. It was written by John Lennon, and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song first appeared on the various artists charity compilation album No One's Gonna Change Our World in December 1969, and later, in different form, on Let It Be,...

".

Chart success

The album debuted at number one in the Australian album charts on 15 March 2004 and achieved gold record status in its first week of release. "Zebra" was released in December 2003 and made the ARIA singles charts in early 2004. It was number 8 in the Triple J Hottest 100

Triple J Hottest 100

The Triple J Hottest 100 is an annual music poll, based on the votes of national Australian radio station Triple J listeners, in order to determine their favourite song of the year. Voting is conducted by the internet and begins roughly two weeks prior to the new year for the previous year's songs...

 for 2003 and also had significant airplay on commercial FM radio across Australia.

Year	Chart	Position
2004	Australian ARIA Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...  Albums Chart	1

Australian release

1. "Treat Yo Mama" – 4:47
2. "Peaches and Cream" – 6:47
3. "Company Sin" – 4:39
4. "What You Want
   What You Want
   What You Want is the second commercially available single/EP by Australian jam band the John Butler Trio from the album Sunrise Over Sea...
   
   " – 5:21
5. "Damned to Hell" – 1:49
6. "Hello" – 4:26
7. "Bound to Ramble" – 6:08
8. "Seeing Angels" – 6:14
9. "There'll Come a Time" – 3:36
10. "Zebra" – 3:57
11. "Mist" – 2:25
12. "Oldman" – 5:10
13. "Sometimes" – 10:37

International Release

1. "Treat Yo Mama" – 4:47
2. "Peaches and Cream" – 6:47
3. "Company Sin" – 4:39
4. "What You Want
   What You Want
   What You Want is the second commercially available single/EP by Australian jam band the John Butler Trio from the album Sunrise Over Sea...
   
   " – 5:21
5. "Damned to Hell" – 1:49
6. "Hello" – 4:26
7. "Bound to Ramble" – 6:08
8. "Seeing Angels" – 6:14
9. "There'll Come a Time" – 3:36
10. "Zebra" – 3:57
11. "Mist" – 2:25
12. "Oldman" – 5:10
13. "Sometimes" – 11:05 (Includes :28 of silence)
14. "Something's Gotta Give" - 10:14 (Includes 7:07 of silence and ambience)

External links

• the John Butler Trio webpage
• Music Plug site