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Unity (Big Mountain album)

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1994 studio album by Big Mountain
Unity
Studio album by Big Mountain
Released1994
Genre
Length47:06
LabelGiant
Big Mountain chronology
Wake Up
(1992) 		Unity
(1994) 		Resistance
(1996)

Unity is an album by the American band Big Mountain, released in 1994.

The album peaked at No. 174 on the Billboard 200. "Sweet Sensual Love" was released as a single, peaking at No. 51 on the UK Singles Chart. Unity sold more than a million copies. The band supported the album by headlining Reggae Sunsplash in 1994 and 1995.

Production

The songs were written by frontman Quino; many of the lyrics contain political themes and criticisms of U.S. governmental policy. Quino sang in Spanish on some songs. "Border Town" is about undocumented workers. The cover of "Baby, I Love Your Way" first appeared on the soundtrack to Reality Bites.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Buffalo News
Calgary HeraldB
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music
Los Angeles Daily News

The Calgary Herald wrote that the band "is never less than soothing, often inspiring, and its lyrics of love (personal, spiritual, political) is a welcome respite from the below-the-belt toastin' so common today." The Baltimore Sun praised the cover of "Baby, I Love Your Way" but determined that, "unfortunately, that sort of trick works only once an album, and anyone expecting more of the same from Unity will be sorely disappointed." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution stated that Unity "offers Rastafarian vibes for summer beer decks everywhere."

The Los Angeles Times noted that "the seed planted by Jamaican music and reggae culture is filtered through an American perspective." The Los Angeles Daily News called the album "too pop oriented, too lightweight", writing that "it lacks the pathos that made Marley, at even his most chirpy, believable." The Orange County Register concluded that "this group is extremely commercial; at its most hard-hitting, Big Mountain sounds like a more accessible Steel Pulse."

Track listing

Unity track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Fruitful Days"3:56
2."Border Town"4:03
3."Upful & Right"3:28
4."Sweet Sensual Love"3:46
5."I Would Find a Way"5:05
6."Tengo Ganas"4:24
7."Baby, I Love Your Way"4:09
8."Young Revolutionaries"3:50
9."Revolution"3:39
10."Time Has Come"3:41
11."Big Mountain"7:05
Total length:47:06

Charts

Chart performance for Unity
Chart (1994) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) 97
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) 15
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) 52
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) 52
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) 29
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) 37
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) 10
US Billboard 200 174

References

  1. Bratt, L. Erik (June 22, 1994). "The big test lies ahead for Big Mountain". The San Diego Union-Tribune. p. E7.
  2. "Big Mountain Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  3. Snadowsky, Leslie Tamar (Oct 1994). "Music reviews — Unity by Big Mountain". Seventeen. 53 (10): 130.
  4. Whitburn, Joel (2001). Top Pop Albums 1955–2001. Record Research Inc. p. 71.
  5. "A swarm of new albums...". The Province. 26 June 1994. p. B7.
  6. "Big Mountain | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  7. ^ Larkin, Colin (1998). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 1 (3rd ed.). MUZE. p. 528.
  8. Moskowitz, David V. (2006). Caribbean Popular Music. Greenwood Press. pp. 29–30.
  9. Barton, David (June 24, 1994). "Big Mountain: Revolutionary Reggae". The Sacramento Bee. p. TK18.
  10. Beal, Jr., Jim (November 11, 1994). "Reggae in the U.S.A. – San Diego's Big Mountain due Friday". San Antonio Express-News. p. 12J.
  11. "Album reviews — Unity by Big Mountain". Billboard. 106 (31): 50. Jul 30, 1994.
  12. Bratt, L. Erik (August 4, 1994). "Big Mountain – Hasn't Peaked Yet". Entertainment. The San Diego Union-Tribune. p. 13.
  13. ^ Dollar, Steve (July 31, 1994). "Spin Cycle". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. N4.
  14. Gaughan, Liz (August 12, 1994). "Big Mountain's promoters call their music...". The Buffalo News. p. G33.
  15. ^ Muretich, James (24 July 1994). "Big Mountain: Unity". Calgary Herald. p. B8.
  16. ^ Shuster, Fred (July 29, 1994). "Big Mountain/'Unity'". Los Angeles Daily News. p. L20.
  17. Considine, J.D. (29 July 1994). "'Baby' remake is summit of Big Mountain album". Features. The Baltimore Sun. p. 5.
  18. Snowden, Don (3 Aug 1994). "Big Mountain Mixes Optimism, Second-Generation Reggae". Los Angeles Times. p. F3.
  19. Darling, Cary (July 29, 1994). "Poppy molehills spoil a Big Mountain effort". Orange County Register. p. P42.
  20. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 30.
  21. "Austriancharts.at – Big Mountain – Unity" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  22. "Dutchcharts.nl – Big Mountain – Unity" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  23. "Offiziellecharts.de – Big Mountain – Unity" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  24. "Charts.nz – Big Mountain – Unity". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  25. "Swedishcharts.com – Big Mountain – Unity". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  26. "Swisscharts.com – Big Mountain – Unity". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  27. "Billboard 200: Week of August 27, 1994". Billboard. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
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