2WO is the second studio album by Canadian new wave band Strange Advance released in February, 1985. It featured two hit Canadian singles, "We Run" and "The Second That I Saw You". Along with their first album, this was a Canadian gold record for the band.
Background and writing This recording features heavy use of keyboards and synthesizers including the Fairlight, Yamaha DX7, and Jupiter 8.
Recalling the inspiration behind the hit song "We Run", Drew Arnott said it was "one of those 'wake up sweating' dreams. I just described what I saw. The smallest things can be the most inspiring. Ed Shaw added a delay to a sound in "We Run" which made the whole track come alive for me. Major bow to Michael Kamen for the strings and Scott Litt (REM) for the mix."
One song written during the 2WO sessions but left off the record was "Lady with a Blade", which would later appear on the 1995 compilation album Worlds Away & Back.
Critical reception
Tomas Mureika of allmusic calls 2WO "A seriously overlooked album".
Track listing
Album credits Personnel Darryl Kromm – lead vocals, guitar Drew Arnott – keyboards, drums, vocals, lead vocal on "We Run"
with:
Ken "Spider" Sinnaeve – bass Gerald O'Brien – keyboards and arrangement assistance Howard Ayee – bass on "We Run", "The Second That I Saw You" Dawnlee Tait – backing vocals Andy Bown – 12 string guitar; bass on "Running Away" Ed Shaw – guitar Andy Newmark – drums on "Running Away" Earl Slick – guitar on "Running Away" David Roberts – backing vocals Steve Sexton – keyboards on "We Run" Keith Scott – guitars Chitose Ishikura – Japanese voiceover on "The Second That I Saw You" Chris Arnott – Gaelic voiceover Kevin Markland – percussion Laura Oldham – slapstick Michael Kamen – oboe, keyboards, vocal effect on "I'll Be the One to Cry" Domenic Troiano – guitar on "The Second That I Saw You" Tony Lester – guitar Simon Brierley – lead guitar John Jones – piano Ericka Goodman – harp Bernie LaBarge – backing vocals John Forbes, Jean Piche, Dee Long, Drew Arnott – Fairlight programming
Production Drew Arnott –– producer Michael Kamen – producer of "Nor Crystal Tears", string arrangements on "We Run" Remixing – Scott Litt; Drew Arnott & Lenny DeRose on "Nor Crystal Tears" Engineering – Lenny DeRose, Andy Jackson, Dave Oglivie, Dee Long, Scott Litt Mastering – Bob Ludwig, Masterdisk, New York
References Citations
Other