Night of the Wolverine


Night of the Wolverine is the third album by Dave Graney 'n' the Coral Snakes. The album was released in April 1993 on Mercury Records. With Graney on vocals, the Coral Snakes line-up included his wife Clare Moore on drums and percussion; Robin Casinader on keyboards, violin and mandolin; Rob Hayward on lead guitar; and Andrew Picouleau on bass guitar. Tex Perkins of tour mates, The Cruel Sea, guested on lead vocals for "Night of the Wolverine II" with Amanda Mitchell on backing vocals. The title track and "You're Just Too Hip, Baby" reached No. 48 and No. 59, respectively, on Triple J's Hottest 100 for 1993. Night of the Wolverine earned an ARIA Award nomination for 'Best Alternative Release' at the 1994 ARIA Music Awards.

Background

At the end of 1992, Graney signed a publishing deal with Polygram music and used the advance to finance the recording of Night of the Wolverine.
It is described as "a certified Australian rock classic. It captured Graney at the peak of his songwriting powers... full of elegant and eccentric detail". Tex Perkins guested on lead vocals for "Night of the Wolverine II" with Amanda Mitchell on backing vocals. No singles were released but a video was made by Tony Mahony for the song "You're Just Too Hip, Baby". The title track and "You're Just Too Hip, Baby" reached No. 48 and No. 59, respectively, on Triple J's Hottest 100 for 1993. The band undertook a six-week national tour with Hunters & Collectors, followed by another national tour with The Cruel Sea; this raised their profile with mainstream music critics. The album earned an ARIA Award nomination for 'Best Alternative Release' at the 1994 ARIA Music Awards.
Night of the Wolverine was re-released in 1996 in Australia with a different cover, and in the United Kingdom on the This Way Up label. Two singles, "Three Dead Passengers" and "You're Just Too Hip, Baby" were released at that time. It was also re-released on the Cockaigne label in 2004 with extra tracks from albums after Coral Snakes disbanded.

Reception

Professional reviews

's Jonathan Lewis said the album was "Part lounge, part country, and part straightforward pop... A disarmingly likeable mixture of gently humorous lyrics backed by the impeccable musicianship of the Coral Snakes, this album deserved to be huge". Ed Nimmervoll described the album, " revealed, the fertile imagination of its primary songwriter, shedding the cowboy clothes for the mysteriously elusive character of the 'Wolverine'. The album is one of the classic records of Australian music, Graney dipping into his own past as well as literature and film for inspiration. The album's contents, and high profile tours... set Dave Graney up to become a firm favourite with Australian music critics. Night of the Wolverine had been written and recorded without a conscious plan of attack. It just was". Ian McFarlane said it was "a certified Australian rock classic. It captured Graney at the peak of his songwriting powers... full of elegant and eccentric detail".

Track listing

  1. "You're Just Too Hip Baby" – 4:20
  2. "Mogambo" – 3:49
  3. "Night of the Wolverine I" – 4:46
  4. "I'm Just Havin' One O' Those Lives" – 3:47
  5. "I Held the Cool Breeze" – 4:24
  6. "I Remember You " – 3:40
  7. "Three Dead Passengers in a Stolen Second Hand Ford" – 4:00
  8. "That's the Way It's Gonna Be" – 3:56
  9. "Maggie Cassidy" – 4:11
  10. "You Need to Suffer" – 3:19
  11. "Night of the Wolverine II" – 8:32
  12. : "If I Could Have Stayed at Home"
  13. : "The King of Adelaide"
  14. : "You Could Always Make the Band Laugh"
  15. "Out There " – 4:56
Bonus tracks

Personnel

Dave Graney 'n' the Coral Snakes members
Additional musicians
Production details
Art work