Darn Floor-Big Bite

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Darn Floor - Big Bite
Darn Floor - Big Bite cover
Studio album by Da
Released 1987
Recorded 3-D Studios
(Costa Mesa, California)
Genre Rock
Label Frontline Records
Producer Daniel Amos
Professional reviews
Da chronology
Fearful Symmetry (album)
(1986)
Darn Floor - Big Bite
(1987)
Kalhöun
(1991)

Darn Floor - Big Bite is the title of an album by rock band Daniel Amos, released in 1987 on Frontline Records.

DA followed the critically acclaimed ¡Alarma! Chronicles four part album series with this album which left many scratching their heads. Although it was praised by many fans and critics, it became one of DA's worst selling albums, rejected by an industry which, ironically, didn't understand what it meant.

The title of the album came from an incident involving Koko the gorilla, who had been trained to understand limited amounts of American Sign Language. Koko reacted to an earthquake with the words "Darn darn floor bad bite. Trouble trouble." The general lyrical theme of the album is comparing Koko's limited and inadequate understanding of the earthquake, to man's limited and inadequate understanding of the nature of God.

The album is also heavily inspired by the works of Czesław Miłosz, especially in songs like "The Unattainable Earth" (which was named after one of Miłosz' books), "Safety Net", "Pictures of the Gone World", "Divine Instant", and "Half Light, Epoch, and Phase". Taylor also incorporated several lines from the book Little, Big by John Crowley into his lyrics, including the line "I drink you endlessly toward my hollow heart" in the song "Earth Household." Taylor's love for Annie Dillard comes through strongly with the final song, "The Shape Of Air", which features an all star choir.

The unique album cover was designed by Dave Perry. In 2007, the DVD Instruction Through Film was released which included the never-before-seen video footage of the band taking the album cover photos. Also that year, work began on a 20th Anniversary Edition of the album that was expected to be fully remastered and to include bonus material. It is expected that the reissue would be released by the Arena Rock Recording Co. with help from Stunt Records.


Contents

[edit] Track listing

[edit] Side one

  1. "Return of the Beat Menace" (Words by Taylor, Music by Taylor/Flesch/Chandler)
  2. "Strange Animals" (Words by Taylor, Music by Taylor/Flesch/Chandler)
  3. "Darn Floor - Big Bite" (Words by Taylor, Music by Taylor/Flesch/Chandler)
  4. "Earth Household" (Words by Taylor, Music by Taylor/Flesch/Chandler)
  5. "Safety Net" (Words by Taylor, Music by Taylor/Flesch/Chandler)

[edit] Side two

  1. "Pictures of the Gone World" (Words by Taylor, Music by Taylor/Flesch/Chandler)
  2. "Divine Instant" (Words by Taylor, Music by Taylor/Flesch/Chandler)
  3. "Half Light, Epoch and Phase" (Words by Taylor, Music by Taylor/Flesch/Chandler)
  4. "The Unattainable Earth" (Words by Taylor, Music by Taylor/Flesch/Chandler)
  5. "The Shape of Air" (Taylor)

[edit] Personnel

[edit] Additional musicians

  • Alex MacDougall: Additional Percussion.
  • Background vocals on "The Shape Of Air" by Gene Eugene, Riki Michele, Debi Taylor, Maria Chandler, Mike Stand, Jeff Crandall, Ric Alba, plus those two friends of Gene's.

[edit] Production notes

  • Engineered by Doug Doyle.
  • Recorded and Mixed at 3-D Studios, Costa Mesa, California.
  • Photography by Ed McTaggart and Dave Perry.
  • Video by Dave Perry, Videocon Productions, Costa Mesa, California.
  • Cover Concept by Da.
  • Art Direction and Layout by Ed McTaggart