The Walking

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The Walking
The Walking cover
Studio album by Jane Siberry
Released 1988
Recorded 1987
Genre Alternative Pop/Rock, Ambient Pop, Experimental
Length 57:44
Label Duke Street Records/Reprise Records
Producer(s) Jane Siberry and John Switzer
Professional reviews
Jane Siberry chronology
The Speckless Sky
(1985)
The Walking
(1988)
Bound by the Beauty
(1989)


The Walking is a 1987/1988 album by Jane Siberry. The album was released on Reprise Records internationally, but remained on the independent label Duke Street Records in Canada.

The album was poorly received by Canadian critics at first. It largely turned its back on the quirky new wave pop that Siberry had been known for; in its place was a surreal amalgam of progressive rock and Laurie Anderson-style performance art narratives, only one of which was shorter than six minutes.

CFNY, a radio station which owed a good deal of its status as the Canadian radio station that mattered in the 1980s to Siberry's 1984 hit "Mimi on the Beach", controversially announced that it did not view any track on The Walking as a viable single. Consequently, sales of the album were slow at first, although they improved when Siberry provided radio stations with a shorter edit of "Ingrid and the Footman".

With time, the album's critical evaluation has improved. It is now considered one of her best albums, although it is generally not recommended to casual fans as the best introduction to Siberry's music.

[edit] Track listing

All songs by Jane Siberry.

  1. "The White Tent the Raft" – 9:12
  2. "Red High Heels" – 7:19
  3. "Goodbye" – 4:17
  4. "Ingrid and the Footman" – 7:06
  5. "Lena is a White Table" – 6:41
  6. "The Walking (and Constantly)" – 6:16
  7. "The Lobby" – 6:19
  8. "The Bird in the Gravel" – 10:34

[edit] Personnel

[edit] Additional personnel

  • Rob Yale – keyboards on 1
  • Wendell Ferguson – electric guitar on 4
  • David MacVittie – backing vocals on 4
  • Bob Blumer – backing vocals on 4
  • Rebecca Jenkins – backing vocals on 4, 7
  • Gina Stepaniuk – backing vocals on 4
  • Cheri Camp – backing vocals on 4, 7
  • Sarah McElcherantrumpet on 7
  • Steven Donald – trombone on 7