Hal Shows
Lifeboat
© 1995 Hal Steven Shows (634479566820)
CD IN STOCK. ORDER NOW. Will ship immediately.
A song-cycle examining "the personal consequences of living in a dysfunctional society . . . balancing seamy imagery with playful, often catchy melodies . . ." (Miami New Times)
tracks
- 1 St. Christopher's Note
- 2 Pawnish Queen
- 3 News
- 4 Blue Muse
- 5 Brave New Girl
- 6 Under The Lights
- 7 I.C. U.
- 8 Curiosity
- 9 Soho Ranger
- 10 A Bad Cold
- 11 Next easter in Belfast
try this
albums you will love
genres you will love
By Location
links
notes
In 1980, Hal Shows founded the celebrated post-punk rock band Persian Gulf, whose Changing the Weather was named Best EP recording of 1984, by dean of American rock critics Robert Christgau, in The Village Voice. Persian Gulf's unclassifiable brand of rock garnered acclaim in national papers of musical record such as Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Option, High Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and elsewhere, and the band toured consistently
throughout the 1980's. Subsequent work with the band included Persian Gulf:The Movie (1986), and Trailer, released in the UK in 1987. In 1989, Persian Gulf disbanded in New York City. Mr. Shows has since released Birthday Suit (1990), a roots- rock record with international flavorings, and Lifeboat (1995), a song-cycle
which was named one of The Top Ten Recordings of 1995 in The Tallahassee Democrat. Two compilations of his recordings, Whitman's Sampler and Cave Art Collective, were
released in 1999 and 2000 respectively. Kitty's Collection, a benefit CD for a friend in need, and Psychedelics, a collection of experimental pieces, were released in 2001. Native Dancer, his latest work, just issued in May 2003. Hal Shows lives near Chaires, Florida, with his family and a catdog.
DISCOGRAPHY:
Changing the Weather, EP, 1984
Persian Gulf: the Movie, LP, 1986
Trailer, EP, 1987
Birthday Suit, LP, 1990
Lifeboat, CD, 1995
Whitman's Sampler, CD, 1999
Cave Art Collective, CD, 2000
Kitty's Collection (Various Artists), CD, 2001
Psychedelics, CD, 2001
Native Dancer, CD, 2003
reviews
Please log in to review this album.
- author: Steve Macqueen/Tallahassee Democrat/1995
"[Lifeboat] affirms once again Shows' artistic strengths-- a gift for melody, thoughful lyrics, clever arrangements, and a bare-bones rock and roll approach that manages to incorporate a variety of sounds and styles . . . and, for a work spread over so much time and so many places, Lifeboat works as a coherent whole."
- author: Jim Murphy/Miami New Times/1996
"Lifeboat reveals a songwriter who knows how to manipulate his audience by balancing seamy imagery with catchy, often playful melodies . . . the bleak philosophical outlook that informs Lifeboat is belied by Shows' deadpan delivery and a grab bag of musical styles that make the CD easy to digest . . . Appropriately, his most disturbing tale here is also, in a way, his funniest . . . Throughout Lifeboat, Shows' rage is never so far below the surface that it goes unnoticed."
Can't wait to hear it
author: Manx MannHal Shows was my sophomore English teacher back in the *gulp* early eighties at Florida State. A couple of years later, I saw his band play a house party at the "German Embassy" in Tallahassee, and I was hooked. I used to run into him outside Beertown (he did a great song with the same name), where we drank quarts and talked about Neil Young and British pop, which was good at that time. I'm long out of Tallahassee now, but I know I'll be pulled back someday, just like Hal was. I can't wait to hear this CD, and I hope he's still playing his Jazzmaster on it.