Performer Notes
- Everything But The Girl: Ben Watt (vocals, acoustic guitar, synthesizers, programming); Tracey Thorn (vocals).
- Additional personnel: Howie B (programming, scratches); Spring Heel Jack (programming).
- Producers: Ben Watt, Spring Heel Jack, Howie B, Todd Terry, Omni Trio.
- Engineers include: Ben Watt, Mads Bjerke, Matthius H.
- Recorded at Little Joey's, Milo and The Strongroom, London, England in 1995.
- Personnel: Ben Watt (vocals, acoustic guitar, synthesizer, programming, sound effects); Tracey Thorn (vocals); Howie B (programming, scratches); Jeremy Shaw, Johnny Rockstar, Spring Heel Jack (programming).
- Audio Mixers: Andy Bradfield; Spring Heel Jack.
- Audio Remasterers: Omni Trio; Todd Terry.
- Audio Remixers: Omni Trio; Todd Terry.
- Recording information: Little Joey's (1995); London, England (1995); Milo (1995); Milo, London, England (1995); STrongroom (1995).
- Photographers: Marcelo Krasilcic; Jim Friedman.
- Unknown Contributor Role: Ben Watt.
- Ben and Tracey went clubbing last night and decided to go straight from the dance floor to the studio. They emerge with WALKING WOUNDED, an album that features Tracey's plaintive vocals backed by layers of electronic percussion. Tracey's soul-baring singing pulls you into the songs--we ride with her atop waves of drum beats and dreamy orchestrations in dance styles that vary from jungle to hip-hop to house. The combination brings about an interesting sensation: The beats move your feet while her wistful voice eases you into a state of relaxation. Melody and melancholy are wrapped together in these dance-sized pieces. So are crossover and hit: In Europe, a remix of the title song was the first true pop/jungle hit. (Simultaneously in the U.S., a remix of "Missing," a track from the band's previous album, AMPLIFIED HEART, stayed on the Billboard pop chart for more than a year, longer than any single in Billboard history.)
Professional Reviews
Rolling Stone (6/13/96, pp.85-86) - 4 Stars (out of 5) - "...a hair away from being flawless....The aural jaggedness of contemporary clubland not only perfectly complements EBTG's piercing words and aching vocals but it also burns away any residual preciousness. What's left is raw, pure and absolutely gorgeous."
Spin (9/99, p.164) - Ranked #87 in Spin Magazine's "90 Greatest Albums of the '90s."
Spin (1/97, p.59) - Ranked #15 on Spin's list of the `20 Best Albums of '96.'
Spin (7/96, p.88) - 9 (out of 10) - "...Though [Thorn's] restraint runs counter to current diva acrobatics, she's still incredibly mannered, gently nudging songs along with a personalized assortment of heys and yeahs. It's the grain of her voice...rather than her range, that is special..."
Entertainment Weekly (12/27/96-1/3/97, pp.144-146) - Ranked #2 on Entertainment Weekly's list of the "Top 10 Albums And Singles Of 1996."
Entertainment Weekly (5/24/96, pp.93-94) - "...provide modern pop's first corollary to the weird sounds cooked up by the early '60s' most avant-garde lounge stylists: Esquivel and Martin Denny....[EBTG] offer an ideal conduit between today's chic underground and pop fans everywhere." - Rating: A
Vibe (8/96, p.132) - "...Everything But The Girl continue to explore new territory...and deeper into house, jungle and trip hop..."
Melody Maker (5/4/96, p.59) - Recommended - "...Personally, I always found Ben and Tracey's continual love-affair-turned-sour laments a little too drippy, too sappy for my taste, but...oh, what a little laid back drum'n'bass can do!..."
Village Voice (2/25/97) - Ranked #12 in the Village Voice's 1996 Pazz & Jop Critics' Poll.
Mojo (Publisher) (6/96, p.117) - "...A certain lyrical introspection on the title track...infuses deep Jungle waves and breaks with resonance and sensitivity....[WALKING WOUNDED] is a testimony to the strength of collaboration, the possibility of rejuvenation..."
NME (Magazine) (5/4/96, p.56) - 6 (out of 10) - "...isn't quite the all-out conversion to gutsy house, drum'n'bass and trip-hop we had hoped for....the songs are...well-crafted and no doubt spectacularly meaningful, and Thorn's vocals as finely elegiac and deeply emotive as ever..."
Clash (magazine) - "'The Heart Remains A Child' is a truly beautiful bit of mid-paced pop: a rustling percussive loop paired with keening acoustic guitar and an aching lyric."
