Arias & Symphonies


Arias & Symphonies is the second album by the Burlington band Spoons. It contains the highly successful singles "Nova Heart" and "Arias & Symphonies". It was first released on compact disc in 2000. In 2012, a 30th Anniversary Edition of the album was released on CD with bonus tracks, which are mostly live recordings from Barrymore's, Ottawa, October 26, 1982, originally recorded and broadcast by CHEZ-FM. The iTunes download version includes an extra "live CD" of their performance at the El Mocambo in Toronto, June 26, 1982, which was originally broadcast by CHUM-FM.
The photograph on the album cover is from the Spanish Riding School in Vienna.

Background

After the release of the band's first album, Stick Figure Neighbourhood, Gordon Deppe stated "the album, it wasn't a good representation of what we were capable of...we've got the same kind of attitude towards life but...the songs are taking us around the world. We're getting out of the neighbourhood."
Deppe continued by noting that the songs for Arias and Symphonies would be more dance oriented, as their European influences, such as OMD and Peter Hammill, have done.
Arias and Symphonies was named one of the 20 Most Influential Albums of the 1980s by The Chart Magazine, and the song "Nova Heart" garnered a spot in Bob Mercereau's book "The Top 100 Canadian Singles".

Track listing

Personnel

The Spoons