Mending Wall (album)

Mending Wall is the first album by the Canadian band Chalk Circle, released in 1987 on Duke Street Records.[1][2] The band supported the album by touring with Crowded House.[3] Mending Wall sold more than 50,000 copies before the end of 1987.[4]

Mending Wall
Studio album by
Chalk Circle
Released1987
Recorded1986–1987
GenreRock
Length42:51
LabelDuke Street
ProducerChris Wardman
Chalk Circle chronology
The Great Lake EP
(1986)		 Mending Wall
(1987)		 As the Crow Flies
(1989)

A reissue of the album included a cover of T-Rex's "20th Century Boy", which was released as a single. The subsequent reissue of The Great Lake EP, in 1988, also included the track as one of the bonus cuts.

Production

The album was named after a Robert Frost poem.[5] It was produced by Chris Wardman.[6] "This Mourning" deals with nuclear annihilation, while "N.I.M.B.Y" (Not In My Back Yard) is about environmental issues. Frontman Chris Tait thought that the album failed to show the band's live sound.[7]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]

The Ottawa Citizen wrote that "these are textured songs, rich in atmosphere... There are fluid guitar lines; a mixture of acoustic and electronic; a meeting of rock and folk."[9] The Kingston Whig-Standard determined that "Tait has a British synth-band voice, but it's perfectly tailored to this kind of music."[10] The Globe and Mail noted the "borrowed British post-punk moodiness."[11]

Track listing

CD: Duke Street Records / DSRD-31035 (Canada)
  1. "This Mourning"
  2. "My Artificial Sweetener"
  3. "What Counts"
  4. "N.I.M.B.Y."
  5. "Empty Park"
  6. "Hands"
  7. "Park Island"
  8. "Village"
  9. "Who Can Say"

CD: Duke Street Records / DSMD-31035 (Canada)
  1. "This Mourning"
  2. "My Artificial Sweetener"
  3. "What Counts"
  4. "N.I.M.B.Y."
  5. "20th Century Boy"
  6. "Empty Park"
  7. "Hands"
  8. "Park Island"
  9. "Village"
  10. "Who Can Say"
  • 1987 reissue adds "20th Century Boy"

Singles

References
  1. "Chalk Circle Biography by John Bush". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  2. "Chalk Circle. Mending Wall". Canadian Composer (221): 35. Jun 1987.
  3. Barr, Greg (22 Sep 1987). "Chalk Circle gets around with its own tour". Ottawa Citizen. p. A17.
  4. MacInnis, Craig (25 Nov 1987). "Young Toronto band a quiet success story". Toronto Star. p. B1.
  5. MacInnis, Craig (3 July 1987). "Can Lit 101". Toronto Star. p. D8.
  6. MacInnis, Craig (25 Sep 1988). "Pop band homes in on Toronto". Toronto Star. p. E2.
  7. MacInnis, Craig (5 July 1988). "A tougher Chalk Circle to rock at Ontario Place". Toronto Star. p. D7.
  8. "Mending Wall Review by Sean Carruthers". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  9. Erskine, Evelyn (12 June 1987). "Rock". Ottawa Citizen. p. D5.
  10. Burliuk, Greg (18 July 1987). "Mending Wall Chalk Circle". Magazine. The Kingston Whig-Standard. p. 1.
  11. Dafoe, Chris (9 Mar 1988). "High-tech show overwhelms Rush". The Globe and Mail. p. C8.
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