Product Description

GRAVE DANCER'S UNION was the culmination of career's worth of near misses for Soul Asylum. After slogging away at the college radio and club circuits, the third single from this album, "Runaway Train", placed Soul Asylum among rock's superstars. The record even lead to an invitation to perform at President Clinton's inauguration.
"Somebody to Shove" is aclassic Soul Asylum rocker. It features big guitars, punching drums, and a chorus that seems designed expressly as a sing-along for a stadium full of fans. "Black Gold" starts with a deceptive acoustic guitar line that leads into the monster electric riffs of the chorus. On "Runaway Train", Dave Pirner's lyrics and vocals are genuinely affecting. "Keep it Up", "April Fool", and "Get on Out" are direct descendants ofthe band's pedigree in 1970s rock. The album's standout is "Without a Trace", one of Soul Asylum's best songs. It contains one of the great near rhymes in the history of rock-listen carefully to hear it.

Track Listing

1. Somebody To Shove
2. Black Gold
3. Runaway Train
4. Keep It Up
5. Homesick
6. Get On Out
7. New World
8. April Fool
9. Without A Trace
10. Growing Into You
11. 99%
12. Sun Maid

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #50710 in Music
• Released on: 1999-01-25
• Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

remember these songs ?
soul asylum released this in 1992 and in the years prior and since their success has never even touched their glory days with this album,fame and wealth was there for the taking and they enjoyed it im sure but it didnt last but this little rock album will always have a place in my collection.
It certainly was a the right time and the right place for this band,1992 was an era when grunge ruled the world and while this album is more mainstream rock than grunge it did include the grungey 'somebody to shove' and 'blck gold',but it was the classic 'runaway train' that the band found their overall fame,a simple brooding ballad that just sticks in the head.The album has aged somewhat if im honest and in places there is a sense of 'dad rock' in the music,maybe playing it too safe if you understand my meaning but tracks like 'without a trace' and '99' remain steadfast rock classics and this album is one of the 90s albums that everyone should check out and thats high enough praise,a nice 3.5 out of 5 is my rating.

A gentler side to early-90s American rock
A step above their compatriots like Counting Crows or Hootie and the Blowfish, Soul Asylum hit the world stage with this, their 1992 album, and most notably with the singles "Runaway Train" and "Black Gold".

"Grave Dancers Union" is an excellent blend of richly produced rock soundtrack, incisive self-deprecating lyrics, and Pirner's raw and angst-ridden voice, which haunts every track even when the theme is light-hearted.

The album slightly falls over in the second half, with "Growing into You" and more notably, "99%" standing out as weak, but "Without a trace" sends shivers down your spine the first time you hear it, but there are worse ways to end an album than with the clever and lighthearted ditty "The Sun Maid".

It's addictively pleasant as an album, never too dark or too rocky, but self aware enough to avoid being filed as MOR. Even if you just liked the singles on the car stereo a few years back, this is worth discovering anew.