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Walnut Whales

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Walnut Whales
EP by
Released2002
Recorded2002
GenreIndie folk, contemporary folk, folk rock
Length36:15
LabelSelf-released
ProducerNoah Georgeson, Joanna Newsom
Joanna Newsom chronology
Walnut Whales
(2002)
Yarn and Glue
(2003)

Walnut Whales is the self-distributed debut EP by American multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Joanna Newsom.[1] It was released in 2002[2] and sold in limited numbers in CD-R format.[3][4] All tracks on the record, except for "Erin", "Flying a Kite", and "The Fray", were later re-recorded, the re-recorded versions being released on Newsom's debut studio album The Milk-Eyed Mender (2004), with minor lyrical changes.[3][4] The EP has been described as indie folk, contemporary folk,[5] and folk rock.[6]

The title of the EP was inspired by the 1975 children's book "Snips and Snails and Walnut Whales: Nature Crafts for Children" by Phyllis Fiarotta.[2][7][8]

Background

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Walnut Whales was initially not intended for public distribution, but at the suggestion of Noah Georgeson, Newsom's then-boyfriend as well as co-producer and recording engineer of the EP,[3] she burned several copies to sell at her early performances.[9][10] Newsom's friend and bandmate in Golden Shoulders, Adam Kline, gave one of her CDs to singer-songwriter Will Oldham at a show in Nevada City. Oldham was impressed with Newsom's music and asked her to tour with him. Kline also gave a copy of the record to the owner of his record label, Drag City. Drag City signed Newsom and released her debut studio album The Milk-Eyed Mender in 2004.

Discussing the record, Newsom stated that "The very first Walnut Whales recording was recorded just a few weeks after I had started singing, out of the blue, started singing. And the voice, you can hear how uncomfortable I am with it, and how terrified I am with it."[11]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Joanna Newsom

No.TitleLength
1."Erin"3:38
2."Cassiopeia"4:00
3."Peach, Plum, Pear"3:27
4."Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie"3:52
5."Flying a Kite"6:34
6."The Fray"3:22
7."En Gallop!"6:26
8."The Book of Right-On"4:40

References

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  1. ^ "Not On Label (Joanna Newsom Self-Released)". Discogs. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  2. ^ a b "Walnut Whales track listing ~ Joanna Newsom Lyrics.com". Joanna Newsom Lyrics. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  3. ^ a b c "Walnut Whales by Joanna Newsom". Genius. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  4. ^ a b "Wiki - Walnut Whales — Joanna Newsom". Last.fm. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  5. ^ Walnut Whales by Joanna Newsom - RYM/Sonemic, retrieved 2021-02-09
  6. ^ "Joanna Newsom Walnut Whales (EP)- Spirit of Rock Webzine (en)". Spirit of Rock. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  7. ^ ThriftBooks. "Snips and Snails and Walnut Whales:... book by Phyllis Fiarotta". ThriftBooks. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  8. ^ "9780911104493: Snips and Snails and Walnut Whales: Nature Crafts for Children - AbeBooks - Fiarotta, Phyllis; Fiarotta, Noel: 0911104496". AbeBooks. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  9. ^ Gillespie, Ryan (October 2006). "Under the Radar - Joanna Newsom Interview". Under the Radar. Archived from the original on October 13, 2007. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  10. ^ Harmanci, Reyhan (2005-05-29). "Playing by the bookings". SFGATE. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  11. ^ Cramer, Michael (April 19, 2004). "Harp's Delight - An interview with Joanna Newsom". Dusted.