A Trip to Marineville

A Trip to Marineville is the debut studio album by English art punk band Swell Maps. It was released in June 1979, through record labels Rather and Rough Trade.

A Trip to Marineville
Studio album by Swell Maps
Released	27 June 1979
Recorded	July 1977 – 17 April 1979
Studio	Woodbine Mobile Recording Studio (Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire) Spaceward Studios (Cambridge) Phones B. Sportsman's bedroom (Olton)
Genre	Post-punk[1]
Label	Rather Rough Trade
Producer	Swell Maps
Swell Maps chronology
A Trip to Marineville (1979) Jane from Occupied Europe (1980)

Background

All tracks except "Vertical Slum", "My Lil' Shoppes 'Round the Corner" and "Steven Does" were recorded in Woodbine Mobile Recording Studio in Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England on 28–29 December 1978, 15 and 17 February 1979 and 15–17 April 1979. "Vertical Slum" was recorded at Spaceward Studios, Cambridge, England on 14 September 1977. "My Lil' Shoppes 'Round the Corner" and "Steven Does" were recorded in Phones B. Sportsman's bedroom in Olton in July 1977.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Pitchfork	8.3/10[1]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[3]
Smash Hits	9½/10[4]
Spin Alternative Record Guide	8/10[5]
Uncut	[6]

Reviews for critics regarding A Trip to Marineville were generally positive. NME ranked A Trip to Marineville at number 36 on its end-of-year-list of the best albums of 1979.[7]

A Trip to Marineville is featured in The Guardian's list "1000 Albums to Hear Before You Die".[8]

Track listing

Side A

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"H. S. Art"	Nikki Sudden	2:21
2.	"Another Song"	Sudden	1:43
3.	"Vertical Slum"	Jowe Head Sudden	1:12
4.	"Spitfire Parade"	Sudden	3:10
5.	"Harmony in Your Bathroom"	Head	5:24
6.	"Don't Throw Ashtrays at Me!"	Epic Soundtracks	1:16
7.	"Midget Submarines"	Sudden	4:33
8.	"Bridge Head, Pt. 9"	Earl Head Soundtracks Sudden	1:58

Side B

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Full Moon in My Pocket"	Head Soundtracks	1:30
2.	"Blam!!"	Sudden	3:31
3.	"Full Moon (Reprise)"	Head Soundtracks	1:21
4.	"Gunboats"	Sudden	8:25
5.	"Adventuring into Basketry"	Earl Head Soundtracks Sudden	7:28
6.	"My Lil' Shoppes 'Round the Corner"	Unknown	0:44

Side C

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Loin of the Surf"	Head	2:14
2.	"Doctor at Cake"		2:05

Side D

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Steven Does"		1:45
2.	"Bronze & Baby Shoes"	Head	3:45

Personnel

Swell Maps

• Epic Soundtracks (Kevin Godfrey) – drums (tracks A1–5, A7, A8, B1–5, C1 and D2), piano (tracks A1, A5, A8 and B3), backing vocals (tracks A1, A2, A7 and D2), handclaps (tracks A1, A2, A7), "voice" (tracks A6, B4), synth bass (track A7), alarm bell (track A7), xylophone (track A8), organ (track B4), "balloons" (track B4), "microphone damage" (track B5), violin (track D2), chanting (track A3), "aquatics" (track A5), toy saxophone (track A6), production, album cover design
• Jowe Head – bass guitar (tracks A1, A2, A4, A5, B1–5 and D2), backing vocals (tracks A1, A2, A4, A7 and B2), guitar (tracks A1, A3, C1 and D2), vocals (tracks A5, B1 and D2), harmonica (tracks A1 and A6), "voice" (tracks A6 and A8), handclaps (tracks A1 and A2), chanting (tracks A3), cymbal (track A6), vacuum cleaner (track A7), toy saxophone (track A8), "balloons" (track B4), slide guitar (track B4), production, EP cover design
• Nikki Sudden – guitar (tracks A1, A2, A4, A5, A7, A8, B1–5 and D2), vocals (tracks A1–4, A7 and B4), handclaps (tracks A1, A2), chanting (track A3), "omnipresence" (track A6), "voice" (track B2), "balloons" (track B4), piano (track D2), toy saxophone (track D2), backing vocals (track D2), production, sleeve design
• Richard Earl – guitar (tracks A1, A2, A4, A5, A7, B1–5 and D2), backing vocals (tracks A1, A2, A4), handclaps (tracks A1 and A2), xylophone (tracks A6 and A8), chanting (track A3), "aquatics" (track A5), "voice" (track A6), vacuum cleaner (track A8), screams (track A8), "balloons" (track B4), organ (track B4), slide guitar (track B4), production

Additional personnel

• David Barrington (Phones) – guitar (tracks B6 and C1), bass guitar (track A3), chanting (track A3), backing vocals (tracks A5 and B2), "voice" (track B5), cymbal (track B5), vocals (track B6)
• John (Golden) Cockrill – backing vocals (tracks A5 and B2), guitar (track A3), chanting (track A3), bass guitar (track C1)

Technical

• John Rivers – engineering
• Mike Kemp – engineering ("Vertical Slum")

References

1. Tangari, Joe (22 November 2004). "Swell Maps: A Trip to Marineville / Jane from Occupied Europe". Pitchfork. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
2. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "A Trip to Marineville – Swell Maps". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
3. Wolk, Douglas (2004). "Swell Maps". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 799–800. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
4. Starr, Red (12–25 July 1979). "Albums". Smash Hits. Vol. 1 no. 16. p. 25.
5. Kreilkamp, Ivan (1995). "Swell Maps". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 392–93. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
6. "Swell Maps: A Trip to Marineville". Uncut. p. 123. Marineville subverts bilious sneers with old-fashioned yarns set to raucous guitar thrashes...
7. "Albums and Tracks of the Year for 1979". NME. Archived from the original on 14 November 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
8. "1000 albums to hear before you die – Artists beginning with S (part 2)". The Guardian. 22 November 2007. Retrieved 3 November 2020.

External links

• A Trip to Marineville at Discogs (list of releases)