Constructive Melancholy (CD)

(Birdman Records BMR021, 1999)

The compilation album

  • I Saw The World/ Another Time [new interpretation]. 4:55
  • Rocket Man. 3:03
  • The Jeweler. 2:47
  • From The Movie Of The Same Name. 2:17
  • Raindrops. 2:02
  • Love/Sex [from radio show 1972]. 2:30
  • Look Into Her Eyes. 4:34
    • Constructive Melancholy
  • Sail Away. 3:07
  • The Old Man. 3:16
  • The Wizard Of Is. 3:34
  • Once Upon A Time. 2:35
  • Sonnet 65. 0:44
  • Casablanca. 2:26
  • City Of Gold. 3:00
  • Miss Morse Update. [new interpretation] 0:41
  • Froggle. 1:21
  • Everybody's Got Pain. 2:46
  • Song About A Rose. 2:20
  • She's Gone. 2:12
  • The Wedding. 1:41
  • Margery. 2:58
  • Snow Queen. 3:56
  • If You Don't Want To, I Don't Mind. 3:18
  • The Riegal. 3:10
  • These Things Too. 3:30
  • Green And Blue. 0:26

Notes:
 At last, the first official release of Pearls Before Swine songs from the Reprise period. The release has been delayed many times, but nevertheless, the album came out worth waiting for. 70 minutes of music, and 26 songs is a very good deal, and the collection is very well compiled. Perhaps not all of my (your?) favorites are included (e.g. 'When The War Began' is sadly missing), but the collection is still a beautiful showcase of Tom's talents. All of the favorites wouldn't fit on one CD anyway, for that we'll have to wait for the complete reissue of all Reprise albums by Rhino (and the reissue of Stardancer by Blue Thumb).

Review:
 Constructive Melancholy: 30 Years of Pearls Before Swine (Birdman)
It's hard to say why some '60s bands sound fresher than ever in the '90s while others make you cringe. Pearls Before Swine - an obscure but much-loved ever-shifting collection of musicians around chief songwriter and singer Tom Rapp - can be heard anew on an anthology that represents their five albums on Reprise Records (1969-72) that appeared under the name Pearls Before Swine or Tom Rapp (or both). The sound quality is beautiful, and the songs ("Rocket Man," "The Jeweler," "Look Into Her Eyes," "City of Gold") seem warmer and more immediate than ever. "Sail Away," from the Reprise label debut These Things Too, still has the power to carry listeners away. It's wise, wistful folk-pop: necessary pearls for today's swine.
Jim Winders, Spectator Online.

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