Rhinofy-White Ladder
What if you put out three albums and no one cared?
You lost your record deal. Do you give up or..?
History is littered with people in this exact same situation, those who were given their chance and then faded into obscurity. But not one David Gray…
David Gray spent his own money and recorded “White Ladder” in his apartment. A desperate move, that’s for sure.
And the result went on to sell seven million copies.
But it didn’t happen quite that fast. Recorded in 1997, Gray put “White Ladder” out himself in 1998, but it didn’t really gain traction until the turn of the century, when it was rereleased on ATO and Gray opened for the Dave Matthews Band. Proving that just because it’s in the grooves that does not mean it’s gonna happen, go big, be successful.
BABYLON
With a jazzy groove akin to a Donald Fagen cut, one can honestly say that KCRW blew this up. “Babylon” is a track you hear once and love, if you’re in the target demographic…educated, financially successful hipster. To tell you the truth, the resulting buzz turned me off. Kind of like the one on Hozier’s “Take Me To Church.” In both cases, the single is not the artist’s best work.
But that’s not to say “Babylon” is not good. After the album became ingrained in the culture, when “Babylon” was in the rearview mirror, it was a pleasant listen as part of the album.
WHITE LADDER
The title track. It’s so intimate, so heartfelt, yet not a dirge.
The feel, the groove, it’s enrapturing. You can get close, but you cannot touch the track, it lives in an alternative universe, like so much great music, you resonate and pay fealty, astounded that someone can feel this much and lay it down in a way that touches us so.
SILVER LINING
Slower than “Babylon” and “White Ladder,” “Silver Lining” is hypnotic. You cannot listen without your head involuntarily moving back and forth to the beat.
We were born with our eyes wide open
So alive with wild hope now
Can you tell me why
Time after time
They drag you down
But it gets even worse…
Down in the darkness deep
Fools in their madness all around
You’re licking your wounds, gaining the power to look for your silver lining.
Ain’t that life, they kick you down, but instinct keeps you going. And nothing helps as much as music.
MY OH MY
“White Ladder” is the best track on the record, but it’s “My Oh My” that touches me most.
It takes a lotta love
It takes a lotta love my friend
To keep your heart from freezing
To push on till the end
My oh my
Reflection. It’s the human condition, but anathema in our winner-take-all society. It’s hard to square the hurt inside with all the images and stories of success. How come they can do it and you can’t?
The truth is we all struggle. And occasionally you’re entitled to wallow, to kick back, take a drink or a smoke, lick your wounds, fortify yourself for the coming battle.
And when this happens, you want a track to ride shotgun, like “My Oh My.”
SAIL AWAY
Sail away with me honey
I put my heart in your hands
Where did all the adult records go? Made by intelligent people with multiple emotions that evidence experience? There used to be one of these on a regular basis. Before the internet blew a hole in the music business, made it incomprehensible, leaving those looking for more on the outside looking in.
It’s hard to convey how big “White Ladder” was. It dominated the airwaves and adult consciousness for years.
And we wanted more. But David Gray has been unable to deliver.
His later works are better than Alanis Morissette’s, who also garnered unexpected success after toiling in relative obscurity, but none have equaled “White Ladder.” It’s like he had to struggle, be pushed to the wall, to create at this level. The same way we make crucial, life-altering decisions when we’re so far down we’ve got nothing to lose.
Either you know what I’m talking about or you don’t.
Either you’ve experienced loss or you have not.
Either you know the magic of David Gray’s “White Ladder” or you don’t.
