THE GOLDEN PALOMINOS

DRUNK WITH PASSION

  1/  Alive and Living Now                       (Fier,Skopelitis,Stipe)       5.38
  2/  The Haunting                               (Kramer)                      5.30
  3/  When the Kingdom Calls                     (Fier,Skopelitis,Kramer)      6.26
  4/  A Sigh                                     (Fier,Skopelitis,Kramer)      8.36
  5/  Thunder Cries                              (Fier,Skopelitis,Kramer)      4.22
  6/  Hands of Heaven                            (Fier,Skopelitis,Kramer)      5.22
  7/  Dying From the Inside Out                  (Fier,Skopelitis,Mould)       8.18
  8/  Begin To Return                            (Kidney)                      6.12

          Recorded at Platinum Island, NYC, Grog Kill, Willow, NY, Dreamland, West Hurley,
            New York, Mark Angelo, London, Sunset Sound Factory, Los Angeles, RPM, New
            York City & Greenpoint Studio, Brooklyn, New York
          Engineers : Oz Fritz, Mike Krowiak, Tom Mark, David Cook, Robert Musso and
            Billy Youdelman
          Assisted by Wes Naprstek, Steve McLoughlin and John Yates
          Mixed by "Iron" Mike Krowiak at RPM Studios
          Assisted by Jeff Lippay
          Track 4 mixed by David Cook at Dreamland
          Assisted by John Yates
          Produced and arranged by Anton Fier
          Executive Producer: Tony Meilandt
          Project Coordinator: Sarah Auld
          Mastered by Howie Weinberg
Anton Fier: drums (except 8), percussion (4,6), keyboards (6,8); Bill Laswell: bass (1,2,3,5,6,7), fretless bass (4); Nicky Skopelitis: 6 string electric guitar (1,3,5,6,7), 12 string electric guitar (1,4,7,8), dobro (1), 6 string acoustic guitar (3,4,5,6,7), 12 string acoustic guitar (3,6); Richard Thompson: lead guitar (1,3,6), guitar (2,7); Carla Bley: Hammond organ (1,3); Amanda Kramer: background vocals (1,7), keyboards (1,2,3,4,5,7), vocals (2,3,4,5,6); Michael Stipe: vocals (1); Aiyb Dieng: chatan (4,6); Bob Mould (7): vocals, guitar; Bob Kidney (8): vocals, guitars.

          1991 - Nation/Venture (Germany), VE 905 (Vinyl)
          1991 - Nation/Venture (Germany), CDVE 905 (CD)
          1991 - Nation/Charisma (USA),  91745-2  (CD)

REVIEWS :

If my information is correct, The Golden Palominos are essentially a roving and ever-morphing project of Anton Fier, who assembles an interesting cast of characters for each studio album. This list includes such legends as R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe, Bob Mould and fellow musical explorer Bill Laswell. Regardless of the wide ranging cast of talent available, Drunk With Passion is a surprisingly stable and smooth album. On five of the tracks, the vocals are handled by Amanda Kramer, who has a very soft but enticing voice that floats very serenely above the expansive and open music. The songs all have a very desert feel, similar to Mazzy Star's style, but with more overall punch. "The Haunting" actually lives up to its title, but it is also quite warm and engaging. "Dying From the Inside Out" features the formidable talents of Bob Mould on guitar and vocals. The song could very well be an outtake from his excellent albums, Workbook or Black Sheets of Rain, and immediately gets a huge recommendation for fans of those albums. Drunk With Passion is a fine, moody yet inviting album that offers a great deal of talent and enjoyment.

John Chedsey (courtesy of Satan Stole My Teddybear website)

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The 1991 album Drunk With Passion is the fifth installment of drummer Anton Fier's ongoing, ever-changing project known as Golden Palominos. As always, there's no shortage of musical heavyweights plying their trade on this edition. Guitarist Richard Thompson and bassist Bill Laswell are Palomino veterans. The vocal chores are handled by ex-Information Society singer Andrea Kramer, and Bob Mould sings lead on "Dying From the Inside Out." The emphasis here is on mood, which is decidedly ethereal, starting with the album's lead track "Alive and Living Now," featuring Michael Stipe on vocals and Carla Bley adding Hammond organ. The song is a buoyant, mid-tempo celebration of life. Other highlights include "The Haunting," with lovely vocals from Kramer, and "When the Kingdom Calls," which has some fluid, melodic guitar work from Thompson. The proceedings are so dreamy that the album threatens to float away at times. However, Mould opens "Dying From the Inside Out" with a blood-curdling howl and the band follows his lead with a primal stomp. A very classy album.

4 stars out of 5

Tom Demalon (courtesy of the All Music Guide website)

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I followed the trail of Richard Thompson which led me straight to Drunk With Passion by the Golden Palominos. Richard is my Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval for popular music - his presence on any recording is a stamp of artistic integrity. Drunk with Passion is a collection of dreamy slow-tempo songs with vocals by Amanda Kramer. Instead of the usual technique of mixing the solo vocals center-forward, Amanda's voice is buried in the mix and appears to come from all points. Her disembodied voice gives Drunk With Passion an eerie quality. `The Haunting,' `When The Kingdom Comes,' and `Hands Of Heaven' are favorites featuring the ghost of Amanda and Richard Thompson's delicate guitar work - the combination is hypnotic. Minor flaw: the screaming and chaotic `Dying From The Inside Out' spoils the relaxing mood set by the previous six compositions. It's out of place. That aside, Drunk With Passion is a mesmerizing fifty-minutes courtesy of the Golden Palominos.

courtesy of the Amazon.com website