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Sarah McLachlan: Mirrorball

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Arista Records
Released: 1999.06.15
Time:
 65:46
Category: Folk, Celtic
Producer(s): Sarah McLachlan
Rating: ********. (9/10)
Media type: CD
Web address: www.sarahmclachlan.com
Appears with:
Purchase date: 2001.05.04
Price in €: 16,99



 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] Building a Mystery (McLachlan/Marchand) - 4:06
[2] Hold On (McLachlan) - 5:18
[3] Good Enough (McLachlan) - 5:10
[4] I Will Remember You (McLachlan/Egan/Merenda) - 3:41
[5] Aida (McLachlan/Marchand) - 3:57
[6] I Love You (McLachlan) - 4:28
[7] Do What You Have To Do (McLachlan/Wolstenholme) - 4:09
[8] The Path Of Thorns [Therms] (McLachlan) - 6:03
[9] Fear (McLachlan) - 5:00
[10] Possession (McLachlan) - 5:12
[11] Sweet Surrender (McLachlan) - 3:57
[12] Ice Cream (McLachlan) - 3:02
[13] Fumbling Towards Ecstasy (McLachlan/Marchand) - 5:46
[14] Angel (McLachlan) - 5:49

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


SARAH MCLACHLAN - Vocals, Piano, Guitars

SEAN ASHBY - Guitars, Vocals
CAMILLE HENDERSON - Vocals
BRIAN MINATO - Bass Guitar
DAVID SINCLAIR - Guitars, Vocals
VINCE JONES - Keyboards, Vocals
ASHWIN SOOD - Drums, Percussions, Vocals, Ass. Producer

TOM LORD-ALGE - Mixing
FEMIO HERNANDEZ - Ass. Mixing
GREG CALBI - Mastering
TIM OBERTHIER - Recording
JOHN RUMMEN - Art Direction

DAN FRASER - Tour Director
PAUL RUNNALS - Production Manager
DAN GARNETT - Tour Manager
DIANNE JOHNSON FRASER - Tour Accountant
REX - Director of Social Activities

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


1999 CD Arista 19049

Mirrorball was recorded over 35 shows during Sarah McLachlan's 1998 spring tour in support of Surfacing. Mirrorball captures a period of time in the evolution of Sarah's musical career and includes such songs as Angel, Building a Mystery, Adia, Possession and I Will Remember You.



McLachlan: Is it live or is it greatest hits?

Recorded over 35 shows during her 1998 spring tour in support of her award-winning, multi-platinum 1997 album, Surfacing, this 14-track collection is more a greatest hits package than anything else. There is so little crowd ambience - the exception being the single spirited singalong on the oldie-but-goodie Ice Cream - or deviation from the recorded versions of McLachlan's songs that you almost wonder why anyone even bothered with the live recording. (McLachlan says in the press notes it's because she's preparing to take some time off to have kids with husband-drummer Ashwin Sood and might lose some band members in the process.) If you're into alternate versions, there is some notable noodling around on tracks like Good Enough, I Will Remember You, Aida, Fear and Possession. However, in terms of standouts, listen to the dreamy I Love You and Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, the pretty Do What You Have To Do, and the trippy but danceable Fear and Possession. Also helpful for those unable to wrap their own voices around some of McLachlan's higher or more drawn-out notes are the lyrics to all the songs provided in the liner notes. A TV special to coincide with this album's release, also called Mirrorball, has also been commissioned. It was filmed by Sophie Muller (whose credits include videos with Annie Lennox and No Doubt) during McLachlan's final two Surfacing dates at the Rose Garden Arena's Theatre Of Clouds in Portland, Oregon. The video release of Mirrorball was filmed during these two dates.

By JANE STEVENSON - Sunday, June 20, 1999
Toronto Sun



McLachlan returns with live LP

It would be hard to argue with a Sarah McLachlan live album if, like most great live recordings, it operated essentially as a greatest hits package. Because, hey, the girl has had some great hits. But as an early fan who has been disappointed by much of McLachlan's recent "adult contemporary" work, Mirrorball is no treat. Granted it was recorded during the tour for Surfacing, but nearly every song is from that album or '94's Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, with only one cut from Solace and nothing from Touch. Newer fans will be more than satisfied with the record as her voice, if not her songs, continues to wield considerable emotional power. But with nearly half her catalogue (see also Freedom Sessions and Rarities, B-Sides and Other Stuff) simply repackaged versions of previously released songs, McLachlan is beginning to stretch her artistic credibility.

By JOSHUA OSTROFF
Ottawa Sun



Released at the front end of what might be Lilith Fair's last hurrah, Mirrorball is a take-home sampler of the live performances that have catapulted McLachlan into the modern rock stratosphere. Over half of the album's 14 songs are radio hits (including four of the first five), proving McLachlan's worth as a pop songstress bar none, but also hinting at an underlying stagnation in her recent musical output. Though fans of McLachlan and folks who missed her Lilith performances will likely enjoy Mirrorball, it's a little too by-the-book to win any converts or please critical listeners. There is few dialogue between songs, for example, and the sound quality is so pristine that if it weren't for the occasional hoot and holler from the audience one would never know it's a live album.

Steve Kurutz, All-Music Guide



Grafted from McLachlan's supremely satisfying 1998 performances, Mirrorball is drawn almost equally from the multiplatinum Surfacing and its superior predecessor, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy. (Included also is the lovely, hard-to-come-by "I Will Remember You.") Live, a haunting ballad such as "Possession" becomes a fevered, aggressive bit of psychedelia. "Hold On" reveals new depths when performed behind the beat with morphing time signatures and driving piano. McLachlan's warmly expressive voice is still at the epicenter of her performances. She roams through these 14 songs with agile ease, riding the rails between singing for dramatic arena effect--huskily growling, airily trilling--and knowing what to play down with her sensually controlled crooning (witness such gems as Fumbling's title song and "Good Enough"). Overall, McLachlan's vocals match the heavily percussive intensity of her band and the build of her backing vocalists, producing a more spacious sound than the precise pitch rendered on her studio recordings.

Paige La Grone, Amazon.com essential recording



Mirrorball wurde bei Sarah McLachlans grandiosen Auftritten im Jahr 1998 mitgeschnitten, und besteht zu fast gleichen Teilen aus Stücken aus ihrem mehrfach mit Platin ausgezeichneten Album Surfacing und seinem großartigen Vorgänger Fumbling Towards Ecstasy.
Außerdem enthalten, und sonst sehr schwer zu kriegen, ist das entzückende "I Will Remember You". Live wird eine schwermütige Ballade wie "Possession" zu einem aggressiven, fieberhaft erregten, psychedelischen Stück. "Hold On" gibt noch mehr von sich preis, wenn es mit wechselnden Taktarten und treibendem Klavier dargeboten wird. McLachlans warme, ausdrucksvolle Stimme durchwandert diese 14 Stücke mit behender Leichtigkeit, und schafft den Balanceakt zwischen dem Singen für den dramatischen Effekt im Stadion (heiseres Brummen, lockeres Tremolo), und dem bewußt eingesetzten, sinnlich kontrollierten, sanft schmachtenden Singen (der Titelsong von "Fumbling..." und "Good Enough" sind wahrhaft ein Erlebnis). Ihre Stimme harmonisiert gut mit der sehr perkussiven Intensitat ihrer Band und der Kraft ihrer Background-Sänger; und so entsteht ein weit geräumigerer Klang als der klar definierte, den man von ihren Studioproduktionen kennt.

Paige La Grone, Amazon.de



The Who's Live at Leeds not withstanding, history has shown little use for live albums, a '70s dinosaur rock concept that has largely gone the way of the eight-track tape. Mirrorball would seem to have little purpose other than to showcase Sarah McLachlan's ever-more-splendid voice, which is reason enough.
Mirrorball encompasses hits ("Angel," "Possession," "Building a Mystery"), rarities ("Path of Thorns," from the pre-breakthrough Solace, "I Will Remember You"), and crowd-pleasers ("Ice Cream"), none of which vary wildly from their recorded counterparts. "Possession" is a little funkier, and "I Will Remember You" a little more assured, while Surfacing's frankly awful "I Love You" is little improved. Mirrorball has minimal crowd noise and little to suggest it isn't a studio album. It functions just as well as a greatest hits package, or, given that McLachlan tends to release records at a glacial pace, a placeholder in between studio records. At this rate, her next one won't be due until sometime in 2002.

Allison Stewart - June 18, 1999
Copyright © 1994-1999 CDNOW, Inc. All rights reserved.



With the success of Lilith Fair the past few years, it was only a matter of time before Sarah McLachlan would release a live album. Mirrorball captured Ms. Lilith and her crack 7-piece band on tour, performing her biggest hits and a few choice album tracks. One of the best things about seeing McLachlan perform is the way she alters the arrangements of the songs. If you want to go to a concert and hear the artist play everything just like it is on the CD, Sarah's not the one you want to go see.

After a great "Building the Mystery," she goes into a new scaled back version of "Hold On." I swear; she must have an endless number of arrangements for this song. As the song comes to a close, the band segues perfectly into "Good Enough." From here, she slips into the 'screaming pubescent girl' part of the show, with a string of ballads. For "Possession," she picks things back up again. This version is one of the best tracks on the disc, with a noticeably more electric feel to it, actually rocking out at the end. In a classic case of mood killing, she plays "Ice Cream." I can't for the life of me figure out why she doesn't drop this song from her setlists. But, she redeems herself with a transcendent version of "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy."

Is the CD worth it just for the few songs I mentioned above? Absolutely. McLachlan's band is outstanding, and she brings a whole different aspect of her music to the stage. If you've seen her perform, you know what I mean. If you haven't, and you own a DVD player, skip the CD and buy the DVD instead. It has 9 additional tracks, plus it's loaded with other 'goodies': multiple camera angles, 2 different audio tracks, an interview, photos and more. Regardless of the format you choose; you won't be disappointed.

By Steve Marshall of The Night Owl - March 23, 2000
PreAmp - Music Reviews & News



To the innocent and unknowing public, Sarah McLachlan's new album "Mirrorball" would seem to be quite an excellent find…at first glance, that is. The album encompasses all of Sarah's recent hits, including "Building A Mystery," "Adia," "Sweet Surrender," and a few of the other hit tunes that have made McLachlan the familiar name that she is in the music industry today. Unfortunately, what the album cover doesn't tell you (aside from what is indicated on a small sticker on the jewel case), is that all the songs on the CD are recorded live - complete with some off-key singing and lots of cheering audience in the background. McLachlan's sweet, melodic voice blends into the noise of the crowds, forcing the unlucky souls (like me) who had missed her concerts to crank up the volume and strain their ears to pick up the lyrics. While the collection of ballads here would almost qualify this as a "greatest love songs" release, it's the difference in quality between McLachlan's studio recordings versus this live recording that gets to me. The "studio versus live" gap may not be as obvious as in the instance of a band like the Spice Girls, but the difference still shows. Overall "Mirrorball" is a good album, but if you've never bought a Sarah McLachlan album in your entire life, getting her non-live albums may be a better way to get acquainted. Or perhaps, you should just hold out a little longer for a proper "greatest hits" album.

Niki Tracy, MTVAsia.com



Sarah has never broken the UK music market as much as her talent (and amazingly clear and emotionally affecting voice) should dictate. She's a key figure at the Lillith Fair concerts, which celebrate women's popular music, and the fabulous, folky Adia grazed the charts a while ago, but this is the extent of her singing stardom so far. This album may be a turning point. It's a selection of live and reinterpreted songs, taken largely from earlier albums. A sort of Greatest Hits for an artist who is yet to have the chart hits. This is music from the heart, for the heart, sheer class. Buy this now and then embark on a spending spree for the back catalogue.

Virgin.net
 

 L y r i c s


BUILDING A MYSTERY

You come out at night
That's when the energy comes
And the dark side's light
And the vampires roam
You strut your rasta wear
And your suicide poem
And a cross from a faith
That died before Jesus came
You're building a mystery

You live in a church
Where you sleep with voodoo dolls
And you won't give up the search
For the ghosts in the halls
You wear sandals in the snow
And a smile that won't wash away
Can you look out the window
Without your shadow getting in the way
Oh you're so beautiful
With an edge and a charm
But so careful
When I'm in your arms

(chorus)
'cause you're working
Building a mystery
Holding on and holding it in
Yeah you're working
Building a mystery
And choosing so carefully

You woke up screaming aloud
A prayer from your secret god
You feed off our fears
And hold back your tears

Give us a tantrum
And a know it all grin
Just when we need one
When the evening's thin

Oh you're a beautiful
A beautiful fucked up man
You're setting up your
Razor wire shrine

chorus

repeat chorus


HOLD ON

Hold on
Hold on to yourself
for this is gonna hurt like hell.

Hold on
Hold on to yourself.
You know that only time can tell

what is it in me that refuses to believe
this isn't easier than the real thing.

My love
you know that you're my best friend.
You know that I'd do anything for you
and my love
let nothing come between us
my love for you is strong and true.

Am I in heaven here or
am I...
At the crossroads I am standing.

So now you're sleeping peaceful
I lie awake and pray
that you'll be strong tomorrow
and will see another day
and we will praise it
and love the light that brings a smile
across your face.

Oh god
if you're out there won't you hear me.
I know we're never talked before

and oh god
the man I love is leaving
won't you take him when he comes to your door.

Am I in heaven here or
am I in hell
at the crossroads I am standing.

So now you're sleeping peaceful
I lie awake and pray
that you'll be strong tomorrow
and we will see another day
and we will praise it
and love the light that brings a smile
across your face

Hold on
hold on to yourself
for this is gonna hurt like hell.


GOOD ENOUGH

Hey your glass is empty,
it's a hell of a long way home,
Why don't you let me take you,
it's no good to go alone,
I never would have opened up
but you seemed so real to me,
After all the bullshit I've heard
it's refreshing not to see,
I don't have to pretend,
she doesn't expect it from me

So don't tell me I
haven't been good to you,
Don't tell me I
haven't been there for you
Just tell me why
nothing is good enough

Hey little girl would you like some candy,
your momma said that it's o.k.,
The door is open come on outside,
no I can't come out today,
It's not the wind that cracked your shoulder
and threw you to the ground,
Who's there that makes you so afraid
you're shaken to the bone,
You know I don't understand,
you deserve so much more than this

So don't tell me why
he's never been good to you,
Don't tell me why
he's never been there for you,
And I'll tell you that why
is simply not good enough,
So just let me try
and I will be good to you
Just let me try
and I will be there for you,
I'll show you why
you're so much more than good enough


I WILL REMEMBER YOU

I will remember you
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by
Weep not for the memories

Remember the good times that we had?
I let them slip away from us when things got bad
How clearly I first saw you smilin' in the sun
Wanna feel your warmth upon me, I wanna be the one

I will remember you
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by
Weep not for the memories

I'm so tired but I can't sleep
Standin' on the edge of something much too deep
It's funny how we feel so much but we cannot say a word
We are screaming inside, but we can't be heard

But I will remember you
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by
Weep not for the memories

I'm so afraid to love you, but more afraid to loose
Clinging to a past that doesn't let me choose
Once there was a darkness, deep and endless night
You gave me everything you had, oh you gave me light

And I will remember you
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by
Weep not for the memories

And I will remember you
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by
Weep not for the memories
Weep not for the memories


ADIA

Adia I do believe I failed you
Adia I know I let you down
don't you know I tried so hard
to love you in my way
it's easy let it go...

Adia I'm empty since you left me
trying to find a way to carry on
I search myself and everyone
to see where we went wrong

'cause there's no one left to finger
there's no one here to blame
there's no one left to talk to honey
and there ain't no one to buy our innocence
'cause we are born innocent
believe me Adia, we are still innocent
it's easy, we all falter
does it matter?

Adia I thought we could make it
but I know I can't change the way you feel
I leave you with your misery
a friend who won't betray
I pull you from your tower
I take away your pain
and show you all the beauty you possess
if you'd only let yourself believe that

we are born innocent
believe me Adia, we are still innocent
it's easy, we all falter, does it matter?
believe me Adia, we are still innocent

'cause we are born innocent
Adia we are still
it's easy, we all falter ... but does it matter?


I LOVE YOU

I have a smile
stretched from ear to ear
to see you walking down the road

we meet at the lights
I stare for a while
the world around disappears

just you and me
on this island of hope
a breath between us could be miles

let me surround you
my sea to your shore
let me be the calm you seek

oh and every time I'm close to you
there's too much I can't say
and you just walk away

and I forgot
to tell you
I love you
and the night's
too long
and cold here
without you
I grieve in my condition
for I cannot find the strength to say I need you so

oh and every time I'm close to you
there's too much I can't say
and you just walk away

and I forgot
to tell you
I love you
and the night's
too long
and cold here
without you


DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO

What ravages of spirit
conjured this temptuous rage
created you a monster
broken by the rules of love
and fate has lead you through it
you do what you have to do
and fate has led you through it
you do what you have to do ...

and I have the sense to recognize that
I don't know how to let you go
every moment marked
with apparitions of your soul
I'm ever swiftly moving
trying to escape this desire
the yearning to be near you
I do what I have to do
the yearning to be near you
I do what I have to do
but I have the sense to recognize

that I don't know how
to let you go
I don't know how
to let you go

a glowing ember
burning hot
burning slow
deep within I'm shaken by the violence
of existing for only you

I know I can't be with you
I do what I have to do
I know I can't be with you
I do what I have to do
and I have sense to recognize but
I don't know how to let you go
I don't know how to let you go
I don't know how to let you go


THE PATH OF THORNS (Terms)

Instrumental


FEAR

Morning smiles
like the face
of a newborn child,
innocent, unknowing.

Winter's end
promises
of a long lost friend.
Speaks to me of comfort

but I fear
I have nothing to give.
I have so much
to lose here in this lonely place.
Tangled up in your embrace
there's there's nothing I'd like better than
to fall.

but I fear
I have nothing to give.

Wind in time
rapes the flower
trembling on the vine
and nothing yields to shelter
from above.
They say temptation will destroy our love.
The never ending hunger

but I fear
I have nothing to give
I have so much
to lose here in this lonely place
tangled up in our embrace
there's nothing I'd like better than
to fall

but I fear
I have nothing to give.
I have so much to lose.
I have nothing to give.
We have so much to lose...


POSSESSION

Listen as the wind blows
from across the great divide,
Voices trapped in yearning,
memories trapped in time,
The night is my companion
and solitude my guide,
Would I spend forever here
and not be satisfied,

And I would be the one
to hold you down,
kiss you so hard,
I'll take your breath away
and after I'd wipe away the tears,
Just close your eyes dear

Through this world I've stumbled
so many times betrayed,
Trying to find an honest word,
to find the truth enslaved,
Oh you speak to me in riddles and
you speak to me in rhymes
My body aches to breathe your breath,
you words keep me alive,

And I would be the one
to hold you down,
kiss you so hard,
I'll take your breath away
and after I'd wipe away the tears,
Just close your eyes dear

Into this night I wander,
it's morning that I dread,
Another day of knowing of
the path I fear to tread,
Oh into the sea of waking dreams
I follow without pride,
Nothing stands between us here
and I won't be denied,

And I would be the one
to hold you down,
kiss you so hard,
I'll take your breath away
and after I'd wipe away the tears,
Just close your eyes dear...


SWEET SURRENDER

it doesn't mean much
it doesn't mean anything at all
the life I've left behind me
is a cold room
I've crossed the last line
from where I can't return
where every step I took in faith
betrayed me
and led me from my home

and sweet
sweet surrender
is all that I have to give

you take me in
no questions asked
you strip away the ugliness
that surrounds me
are you an angel
am I already that gone
I only hope
that I won't disappoint you
when I'm down here
on my knees

and sweet
sweet
sweet surrender
is all that I have to give

sweet
sweet
sweet surrender
is all that I have to give

and I don't understand
by the touch of your hand
I would be the one to fall

I miss the little things
oh I miss everything

it doesn't mean much
it doesn't mean anything at all
the life I left behind me
is a cold room


ICE CREAM

Your love
is better than ice cream.
Better than anything else that I've tried
and your love
is better than ice cream
everyone here know how to fight

and it's a long way down
it's a long way down
it's a long way
down to the place where we started from.

Your love
is better than chocolate
better than anything else that I've tried
and oh love is better than chocolate.
Everyone here knows how to cry

and it's a long way down
it's a long way down
it's a long way
down to the place where we started from.


FUMBLING TOWARDS ECSTASY

All the fear has left me now
I'm not frightened anymore.
It's my heart that pounds beneath my flesh.
it's my mouth that pushes out this breath

and if I shed a tear I won't cage it.
I won't fear love
and if I feel a rage I won't deny it.
I won't fear love.

Companion to our demons
they will dance and we will play.
With chairs candles and clothes
making darkness in the day.
It will be easy to look in or out
upstream or down
without a thought

and if I shed a tear I won't cage it.
I won't fear love
and if I feel a rage I won't deny it.
I won't fear love.

Peace in the struggle to find peace.
Comfort on the way to comfort

and if I shed a tear I won't cage it.
I won't fear love
and if I feel a rage I won't deny it
I won't fear love.
I won't fear love.
I won't fear love...


ANGEL

Spend all your time waiting
for that second chance
for a break that would make it okay
there's always one reason
to feel not good enough
and it's hard at the end of the day
I need some distraction
oh beautiful release
memory seeps from my veins
let me be empty
and weightless and maybe
I'll find some peace tonight

in the arms of an angel
fly away from here
from this dark cold hotel room
and the endlessness that you fear
you are pulled from the wreckage
of your silent reverie
you're in the arms of the angel
may you find some comfort there

so tired of the straight line
and everywhere you turn
there's vultures and thieves at your back
and the storm keeps on twisting
you keep on building the lie
that you make up for all that you lack
it don't make no difference
escaping one last time
it's easier to believe in this sweet madness oh
this glorious sadness that brings me to my knees

in the arms of an angel
fly away from here
from this dark cold hotel room
and the endlessness that you fear
you are pulled from the wreckage
of your silent reverie
you're in the arms of the angel
may you find some comfort there
you're in the arms of the angel
may you find some comfort here
 

 M P 3   S a m p l e s


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