Before The Calm
Studio album by
Witness
Released12 July 1999
Recorded1998–1999 at Rockfield Studios, Wales
GenreAlternative, lo-fi
Length44:01
LabelIsland
ProducerPhil Vinall
Witness chronology
Before The Calm
(1999)		 Under A Sun
(2001)
Alternate album cover
US version
Singles from Before The Calm
  1. "Scars"
    Released: 1 March 1999
  2. "Audition"
    Released: 7 June 1999
  3. "Hijacker"
    Released: 27 September 1999

Before The Calm is the debut album from the Wigan-based band, Witness. The album was released in the UK in 1999 via Island Records and spawned three singles for the band in "Scars", "Audition" and "Hijacker", with the former two placing in the Top 75 of the UK singles chart.[1]

Reception

Upon release, the album was lauded with all-round critical acclaim.[2][3] The Times noted that the album was "tethered to neither trend nor time" and that Witness themselves were "a band to cherish".[4] Melody Maker praised "the baroque fragility of Gerard Starkie’s vocals and the effortless, atmospheric swell of Ray Chan’s guitars".[5] NME declared Before The Calm "an astonishing debut album; stripped of all affectation", and went on to draw comparisons with Joy Division, DJ Shadow and Radiohead.[6] Other reviewers likened the sound of the LP to Wilco,[7] The Blue Nile,[7] the early releases of R.E.M.,[8] along with fellow Wigan band, The Verve.[2] Tim Perry of The Independent thought that Before The Calm encompassed "a satisfyingly undulating 45 minutes of delicate, late-night, soulful songs".[9] Allmusic noted that the album was conducive to repeated listens; "(t)he more one listens to this CD, the more one realizes just how moving and thoughtful songs like "Heirloom," "Scars," and "My Friend Will See Me Through" are".[8] Writing for Hi-Fi News and Record in September 1999, Johnny Black was impressed with the album's immediate accessibility, labelling Before The Calm a "truly wonderful debut" and Witness a band whose music was "moody, rootsy, gutsy, rockin'-folk with attitude".[7] Reviewing the album five months after its American release, Terry Eagan of Ink 19 described Before The Calm as a "dark album" in which "the listener is treated to some of the most beautiful lyrics and singing to appear this year".[10] In drawing comparisons to Velvet Underground and Unknown Pleasures, he also noted that the songs on the album serve to "create an intimacy between the performers and the listener that only the most classic of albums are capable of accomplishing".[10] In a retrospective look at the album in September 2006, Nick Southall of Stylus Magazine noted the depth of Gerard Starkie's lyrics and the "aged sadness" of his vocal delivery, declaring the album "the starkest, coldest, warmest, most haunted, most beautiful collection of songs to ever venture from the North West of England, despite what popular opinion may suggest".[2]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[8]
Hi-Fi News and Record(A:1*)[7]
Ink 19positive[10]
NME[6]
Styluspositive[2]
The Independentpositive[9]

Despite being well received by the music press, album sales were minimal,[2][11] as the band's co-manager, the late Rob Partridge, contemporaneously noted that "Before The Calm doesn't include a really 'radio-friendly' single, so the promotional opportunities are quite limited".[12]

Alternative version

The US version of the album was issued on MCA Records under the name "Witness UK"[10][13] and, along with a different album cover and artwork, featured two additional bonus tracks—"Long First Chapter" and "Before The Calm"—which were to be found as b-sides on the UK single releases of "Scars" and "Hijacker", respectively.

Track listing

All tracks written by Witness, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Second Life" 2:44
2."Scars" 2:47
3."Freezing Over Morning" 4:41
4."Hijacker" 4:14
5."My Own Old Song" 3:58
6."So Far Gone" 6:12
7."Cause And Effect" 3:12
8."Heirloom"Witness/Harte5:12
9."Audition" 3:06
10."My Friend Will See Me Through" 4:39
11."Still" 3:11
US Bonus Tracks
No.TitleLength
12."Long First Chapter"3:32
13."Before The Calm"3:04

Personnel

Witness

  • Gerard Starkie – vocals, guitars
  • Ray Chan – guitars
  • Dylan Keeton – bass
  • John Langley – drums

Additional musicians

  • Julian Pransky-Poole – additional instrumentation

Recording credits

  • Phil Vinall – producer
  • Paul Read – engineer
  • Phelan Kane – programming

Release history

Region Date Label Format Catalogue
UK[14] 12 July 1999 Island Records CD CID 8084, 546 373–2
United States[13] 16 May 2000 MCA Records CD 088 112 269-2

References

  1. ↑ "Witness at OfficialCharts.com". Retrieved 17 June 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Southall, Nick. "Review: Before The Calm". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
  3. ↑ Review soundbite sticker accompanying US album release.
  4. ↑ The Times album review, July 1999
  5. ↑ Melody Maker album review, July 1999
  6. 1 2 "Review: Before The Calm". Retrieved 4 May 2009.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Black, Johnny. "Review: Witness – Before The Calm". Hi-Fi News and Record (September 1999).
  8. 1 2 3 Henderson, Alex. "Review: Before The Calm". Allmusic. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
  9. 1 2 Perry, Tim (3 July 1999). "Review: ALBUM REVIEWS". Independent News & Media. Retrieved 25 June 2009.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Eagan, Terry (October 2000). "Review: Witness UK, Before The Calm". Ink 19. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
  11. ↑ "Feature: Witness The Comeback". Wigan Reporter (3 May 2001): 39.
  12. ↑ Dylan Harris (September 2000). "Rob Partridge Interview". Retrieved 4 May 2009.
  13. 1 2 "Witness UK – Before The Calm". discogs. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
  14. ↑ "Witness – Before The Calm". discogs. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
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