Whale Music (album)

Whale Music is a 1992 album by Rheostatics.

It should not be confused with the soundtrack to the film Whale Music, which was also composed by the band and released in 1994.

In 1996, the Canadian music magazine Chart conducted a reader poll to determine the greatest Canadian albums of all time. Whale Music placed fifth in that poll (behind only Sloan, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and The Tragically Hip.) When the magazine conducted a followup poll in 2000, Whale Music placed fourth (behind Mitchell, Young and Sloan), and was followed in fifth by the band's 1991 album Melville. In the magazine's third poll in 2005, Whale Music placed tenth. It is one of six albums to have ranked in the top ten in all three polls.

Guest musicians on the album include Neil Peart, Barenaked Ladies and members of the Bourbon Tabernacle Choir.

Track Listing

All of the band's members (Martin Tielli, Dave Bidini, Tim Vesely and Dave Clark) have songwriting credits on the album, in combinations varying from solo writing to collaboration. Each song's writing credit is noted next to the title.

1. "Self Serve Gas Station" (4:51) – Tielli
2. "California Dreamline" (4:21) – Tielli
3. "Rain, Rain, Rain" (4:20) – Tielli
4. "Queer" (5:30) – Bidini/Clark
5. "King of the Past" (4:51) – Bidini/Vesely
6. "R.D.A. (Rock Death America)" (2:32) – Bidini/Clark
7. "The Headless One" (3:27) – Vesely
8. "Legal Age Life at Variety Store" (2:33) – Bidini
9. "What's Going on Around Here?" (4:13) – Tielli
10. "Shaved Head" (5:06) – Tielli/Bidini
11. "Palomar" (4:20) – Vesely
12. "Guns" (1:49) – Clark
13. "Sickening Song" (2:54) – Tielli
14. "Soul Glue" (3:44) – Vesely
15. "Beerbash" (3:50) – Bidini
16. "Who?" (3:02) – Vesely
17. "Dope Fiends and Boozehounds" (6:33) – Tielli/Bidini/Janet Morassutti

Personnel

• Dave Allen – strings, violin, backing vocals (credited on some tracks as De Vallion String Quartet)
• Barenaked Ladies (credited as Scarborough Naked Youth Choir) – chorus
• Joey Bechta – tambourine, backing vocals
• Dave Bidini – bass, guitar, rhythm guitar, vocals
• Chris Brown – organ, piano, trombone
• Richard Burgmann – power tools
• Dave Clark – percussion, drums, vocals, power tools, alarm clock
• Matt DeMatteo – producer, engineer, power tools
• Kevin Gould – arranger
• Gene Hardy – saxophone
• Ormond Jobin – producer, engineer
• Tim Martin – accordion, vocals
• Tim Mech – electric guitar
• Lewis Melville – banjo, pedal steel, electric guitar, steel guitar
• Peter Moore – mastering
• Michael-Philip Wojewoda – guitar, tambourine, backing vocals, egg shaker, Moog
• Neil Peart – percussion, arranger, drums
• Pyramid of Stupidity Singers – vocals
• The Raindrops – backing vocals
• Tannis Slimmon – backing vocals
• James Stewart – producer, engineer
• Martin Tielli – guitar, vocals
• Dutch Toko – classical guitar
• Tim Vesely – acoustic guitar, bass, guitar, percussion, piano, accordion, vocals, string arrangements, power tools, mini moog