Swamp Ophelia

Indigo Girls

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 10, 1994)
• Original Release Date: May 10, 1994
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000029EV
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #100,737 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

Reflecting the growth Amy Ray and Emily Saliers experienced during the late '80s and early '90s as songwriters and as performers, Swamp Ophelia finds the duo feeling more experimental, and also more relaxed. Guests like Lisa Germano (violin, mandolin), Jane Scarpantoni (cello), and Jane Siberry (vocals) assist in creating a satisfying and full sound. Songs like the romantic "Power of Two" and Amy's solo venture "Fare Thee Well" would do Jackson Browne proud. The Roches add a lovely vocal layer to "Reunion," and bongos and percussion give the bouncy "Least Complicated" an interesting texture. The darker tones of "Dead Man's Hill," with its haunting melodica and tom-toms, provide needed contrast to the lighter moods in the collection. Their harmonies are a delight, and the closer, "This Train (Revised)," is a wonderful, energetic nod to Woody Guthrie.--Lorry Fleming

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still in the swamp...., January 20, 2004

By	L. Quido "quidrock" (Tampa, FL United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I still find it hard to believe that it's been nearly 10 years since the release of "Swamp Ophelia", and it's still a recurring theme in my personal playlist. Before I purchased the CD, I'd had a passing interest in the Indigo Girls, but I'd heard Amy Ray's song "Fugitive" used as a backdrop for modern dance, and I was hooked.

Today, this still remains my favorite of their CD's; little of it is socio-political, like much of their work. I can even forgive the use of one of the light ballads "The Power of Two" in the soundtrack of one of those forgettable Drew Barrymore movies.

Like most Indigo Girl collections, the music varies between the emotional ballads and light folk songs of positivity that are Emily Saliers, and the darker, more brooding rhythms of melancholy Amy Ray. One thing never varies, and that it the crisp and pure quality of their vocal harmonies; they are perfectly matched. They utilize a variety of folk instruments (cello, acousic guitar, different drums and bongs, the mandolin) and a variety of friends helping with lyrics and vocals to blend this collection into something memorable.

Fugitive may be my favorite of all Ray's songs, but the pace, tempo, and lyrics to her "Reunion" keep the first side of the CD flowing....

"I don't want you to feel
any obligation
It feels so funny to be free"

The song feels like a treatise on psychological care - perhaps Ray drew it from her background, or that of a friend. Ray's "Dead Man's Hill" on side two is another show stopper, with an amazing mix of sounds, and loaded with interesting percussion. Dead Man's Hill feels like a place and time revisited from Ray's youth - it starts out with friendship, but there's a scary, cold feeling to the closing lyrics of the song.

Not a big fan of Amy Ray's lyrics, there is only one song on the CD that I dislike, and it closes the first side -"Touch Me Fall". It's a tirade of a song, notable for the fact that the "swamp Ophelia" title is chosen from its lyrics.

I'm much more partial to Salier's songs than those of Ray, and there is not one on this CD that isn't inspired. Judging from the reaction to the IG songs in concert, apparently many fans, in addition to me, love "Least Complicated", a song that is truly uncomplicated and joyous in its rhythms and lyrics. It always draws a cheer at live performances, and the whole audience sings along....

"I'm just a mirror of a mirror myself
All the things that I do
And the next time I fall
I'm gonna have to recall
It isn't love, it's only something new"

Her ballads, "Wood Song", "Mystery" and "Fare Thee Well" are all trademark Saliers, with simple arrangements and notable harmony. Perhaps her best on the CD (although I still play "Least Complicated" at least three times whenever I put in the CD) is "Language or the Kiss", which is one of the standards the duo perfoms when live. Here there's a full sound and instrumentation, with emphasis on percussion. But it is the lyrics that are telling...

"But I'm made mute by the virtue of decision
And I choose...
Most of your life goes on without me.
Oh, the fear I've known
That I might reap the praise of strangers
And end up on my own".

If you purchase only one disc of the Indigo Girl's music, don't go for one of the hits compilations, because you miss so much of the texture of where they were when they wrote the tunes that fit together in a single CD. "Swamp Ophelia" transcends time and talent, and obviously, lasts a decade. Wonder if it will last a lifetime with me?

Bravo, Emily and Amy!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars cd to be listened to 100 times, November 14, 2000

By	Clara Choi (Houston, Texas United States) - See all my reviews

i bought this cd when it first came out, not really knowing who the indigo girls were. I listened to it a couple times and put it aside, not because it was bad, but i didnt think it wasnt anything great. Last spring, while i was going through all my old cds, i found swamp ophelia again and put it in my cd player.

this cd must be listened to many times, before you will truly fall in love with it. i rediscovered this cd and im so happy because even though i have listened to it on repeat for days, every time i play it, i notice more andmore things. the best part is when you think you know every song on there, but when you listen closely to the songs, you discover their greatness.

the cd is veryyyy goooddd...but not for everyone i think. take your time and you will enjoy it for years to come. it never grows old and constantly amazes you. its good to listen to in the background during the day or while you're falling asleep.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Their best effort, tuneful and sophisticated., May 12, 2002

By A Customer

This album ranks as the pinnacle of the Indigo Girls' development as a singer/songwriter duo, and even made the US Top 10. However, the duo's sophisticated and autumnal tone has precluded serious Australian interest - none of their records have reached the Australian Top 40, indeed only "Indigo Girls" charted at all.
However, this is a most impressive album that I must recommend to listerners. It is a wonderfully orchestrated work with brilliant use of acoutic instruments on the first three tracks, which blend together brilliantly in soaring vocal harmonies, most apparent on "Least Complicated" and "Language or The Kiss", with Emily's lyrics expressing perfectly the paradoxes evident in an ordinary romance. "Power of Two" is the pinnacle of the duo's career, perfectly expressing the desire for undrstanding in human relationships. "Touch Me Fall" shows Amy's harder-edged songwriting contrast with the folksy Emily Sailers, and indeed this song rocks exceptionally hard whilst retaining an impressive sophistication. "Mystery" with Jane Siberry adding backing vocals, is almost as impressive as "Power of Two". "Dead Man's Hill" is a sparse Amy Ray tune with most impressive acoustic guitars, whilst the opener "Fugitive" blends this sparser tone with beautiful horns and cellos and an intriguing lyric about a lost woman.
This is quite a package of two distinct songwriting and singing styles blended to near-perfection. I recommend it wholheartedly.