Native Place

Someone's native place is a concept of specific rural settlement origin particularly found in rapidly urbanizing societies. This in Asia and elsewhere may be linked to the rural home of grandparents and ancestors of first and second or third generation city-born descendants. In China this is known as jiāxiāng (:zh:家乡), among other terms, and is legally entrenched in the hukou registration. In Korea this is known as kohyang (:ko:고향) and related to nostalgia for rural life. This concept is distinct from notions of tribe, region or nation and is specifically anchored on specific settlements. Whereas European notions of sub-national homeland such as German heimat or Swedish hembygd may have a larger regional identity, and in literature this a trope in romanticism, in Asia the native place is highly localized. In India "native place" can refer to one's origin from very distant ancestors.

Native Place is an album by the English band the Railway Children, released in 1990¹. The band broke up after the album's release, in part due to EMI's acquisition of Virgin Records. The album peaked at No. 59 on the UK Albums Chart. "Every Beat of the Heart" peaked at No. 1 on Billboards Modern Rock Tracks chart. The band promoted the album by touring with the Heart Throbs.

Production

The album was produced by Steve Lovell and Steve Power. It was recorded over a period of four months, to the annoyance of chief songwriter Gary Newby.

Critical reception

Trouser Press wrote: "No longer an unassuming pop group, the Railway Children are growing into dance-oriented chart hacks." The Washington Post opined that "Native Place is not brave or powerful or important, but it's seriously listenable." The Daily Breeze determined that the album "leans more toward guitar-oriented pop, boasting strong melodies, airy textures and a sunny optimism." The Dayton Daily News stated that "the group's sound recalls the jangling guitars of the Byrds combined with a sweeping keyboard sound from the early '80s." AllMusic wrote that "the slick production and sunny synths couldn't leech the buoyancy and emotional impact from the poetic, romantic songwriting and warm harmonies of Gary Newby." MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide deemed Native Place "one of the definitive pop albums of the early '90s ... Newby's gentle vocals are flawless."

Track listing

Personnel

The Railway Children Gary Newby – vocals, lead guitar, keyboards, artwork, sleeve design Brian Bateman – rhythm guitar Stephen Hull – bass Guy Keegan – drums, percussion with: Matt Irving – additional keyboards, accordion Matthew Taylor – saxophone on "Because"

References

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1364254063 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.