2WO
Encyclopedia
2WO is the second album by Strange Advance
released in early 1985. It featured two hit Canadian singles, "We Run" and "The Second That I Saw You". Along with their first album, this was a Canadian gold record for the band.
, Yamaha DX7
, and Jupiter 8
.
Recalling the inspiration behind the hit song "We Run", Drew Arnott said it was "One of those 'wake up sweating' dreams. I just described what I saw. The smallest things can be the most inspiring. Ed Shaw added a delay to a sound in "We Run" which made the whole track come alive for me. Major bow to Michael Kamen for the strings and Scott Litt (REM) for the mix."
One song written during the 2WO sessions but left off the record was "Lady with a Blade", which would later appear on the 1995 release Worlds Away & Back.
Strange Advance
Strange Advance was a Canadian New Wave band formed in 1982 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. They were nominated for a 1983 Juno Award as Most Promising Group of the Year and again in 1985 as Group of the Year...
released in early 1985. It featured two hit Canadian singles, "We Run" and "The Second That I Saw You". Along with their first album, this was a Canadian gold record for the band.
Background and writing
This recording features heavy use of keyboards and synthesizers including the FairlightFairlight CMI
The Fairlight CMI is a digital sampling synthesizer. It was designed in 1979 by the founders of Fairlight, Peter Vogel and Kim Ryrie, and based on a dual-6800 microprocessor computer designed by Tony Furse in Sydney, Australia...
, Yamaha DX7
Yamaha DX7
The Yamaha DX7 is an FM Digital Synthesizer manufactured by the Yamaha Corporation from 1983 to 1986. It was the first commercially successful digital synthesizer. Its distinctive sound can be heard on many recordings, especially Pop music from the 1980s...
, and Jupiter 8
Roland Jupiter-8
The Jupiter-8 is an eight-voice polyphonic analog subtractive synthesizer introduced by Roland Corporation in 1981.The Jupiter-8, or JP-8, was Roland's flagship synthesizer for the first half of the 1980's...
.
Recalling the inspiration behind the hit song "We Run", Drew Arnott said it was "One of those 'wake up sweating' dreams. I just described what I saw. The smallest things can be the most inspiring. Ed Shaw added a delay to a sound in "We Run" which made the whole track come alive for me. Major bow to Michael Kamen for the strings and Scott Litt (REM) for the mix."
One song written during the 2WO sessions but left off the record was "Lady with a Blade", which would later appear on the 1995 release Worlds Away & Back.
Critical reception
Tomas Mureika of allmusic calls 2WO "A seriously overlooked album".Track listing
Personnel
- Darryl Kromm – lead vocals, guitar
- Drew Arnott – keyboards, drums, vocals, lead vocal on "We Run"
- Ken "Spider" SinnaeveKen SinnaeveKen "Spider" Sinnaeve is a Canadian musician, best known for playing bass with Tom Cochrane and Cochrane's earlier band Red Rider.He was a founding member of the band Streetheart prior to playing with Cochrane, making amongst others a live cover of "Under my Thumb"...
– bass - Gerald O'BrienGerald O'BrienJohn Gerald O’Brien was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.He was born in Wellington and was in the RNZAF from 1943 to 1946....
– keyboards and arrangement assistance - Howard Ayee – bass on "We Run", "The Second That I Saw You"
- Dawnlee Tait – backing vocals
- Andy BownAndy BownAndy Bown is an English musician, who has specialised in keyboards and bass guitar. He is a member of the rock band Status Quo.-Career:...
– 12 string guitar; bass on "Running Away" - Ed Shaw – guitar
- Andy NewmarkAndy NewmarkAndrew "Andy" Newmark is an American musician, best known as a popular session drummer, and for playing with the funk band Sly & the Family Stone from 1972 to 1973....
– drums on "Running Away" - Earl SlickEarl SlickEarl Slick is a guitarist best known for his collaborations with David Bowie, Jim Diamond and Robert Smith, although he has also worked with other artists , John Waite, and even released some solo recordings.In the early 1970s, Earl Slick gained his...
– guitar on "Running Away" - David Roberts – backing vocals
- Steve Sexton – keyboards on "We Run"
- Keith ScottKeith ScottKeith Douglas Scott is a Canadian guitar player. He is best known for his long-term collaboration with the singer-songwriter Bryan Adams...
– guitars - Chitose Ishikura – JapaneseJapanese languageis a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
voiceover on "The Second That I Saw You" - Chris Arnott – Gaelic voiceover
- Kevin Markland – percussion
- Laura Oldham – slapstickWhip (instrument)In music, a whip or slapstick is a percussion instrument consisting of two wooden boards joined by a hinge at one end. When the boards are brought together rapidly, the sound is reminiscent of the crack of a whip. It is often used in modern orchestras, bands, and percussion ensembles.There are...
- Michael KamenMichael KamenMichael Arnold Kamen was an American composer , orchestral arranger, orchestral conductor, song writer, and session musician.-Background:...
– oboe, keyboards, vocal effect on "I'll Be the One to Cry" - Domenic TroianoDomenic TroianoDomenic Troiano was a Canadian rock guitarist, most notable for his contributions to Mandala, The James Gang, The Guess Who and as a solo artist.-History:...
– guitar on "The Second That I Saw You" - Tony Lester – guitar
- Simon Brierley – lead guitar
- John JonesJohn Jones (record producer)John Idris Jones is a musician and record producer who has worked with Duran Duran and many high-profile rock and pop musicians.-Background:...
– piano - Ericka Goodman – harp
- Bernie LaBargeBernie LaBargeBernie LaBarge is a Canadian guitarist, singer, and songwriter.-History:Bernie LaBarge began studying guitar at age 11, shortly after seeing The Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show, February 9, 1964. Bernie has been playing professionally since 1967...
– backing vocals - John ForbesJohn ForbesJohn Forbes may refer to:*John Forbes *John Forbes *John Forbes , Scottish theologian; one of the six "Aberdeen doctors"...
, Jean PicheJean PichéJean Piché is a Canadian composer and video artist.Piché studied electroacoustic and computer music at Simon Fraser University with Barry Truax, and at the Institute of Sonology in the Netherlands. He has taught electroacoustic composition in the Faculty of Music at the University of Montreal...
, Dee LongDee LongDee Long is a Minnesota politician, a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, and a former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, representing part of Minneapolis...
, Drew Arnott – FairlightFairlight CMIThe Fairlight CMI is a digital sampling synthesizer. It was designed in 1979 by the founders of Fairlight, Peter Vogel and Kim Ryrie, and based on a dual-6800 microprocessor computer designed by Tony Furse in Sydney, Australia...
programming
Production
- Drew Arnott – producer
- Michael Kamen – producer of "Nor Crystal Tears", string arrangements on "We Run"
- Remixing – Drew Arnott, Lenny DeRoseLenny DeRoseLenny DeRose is a veteran studio engineer and music producer who has been credited on several recordings dating back to the early 1980s.As an engineer, he has been credited for his work on several motion picture soundtracks, including Naked in New York, 9½ Weeks, among others...
- Engineering – Lenny DeRose, Andy Jackson, Dave Oglivie, Dee Long, Scott LittScott LittScott Litt is an American record producer who mostly works with artists in the alternative rock genre and is best known for producing six R.E.M. albums.-Biography:...
- Mastering – Bob LudwigBob LudwigBob Ludwig is an American mastering engineer.He is a well known and respected figure within the music industry. His name is credited on the covers of albums released across the world, and he has won numerous awards....
, Masterdisk, New York