Thomas Anderson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Oklahoma |
| Origin | Austin, Texas |
| Genres | Rock music |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Labels | Out There, Blue Million Miles, Red River, Dutch East India Trading |
Thomas Anderson is an American singer-songwriter. [1] [2]
Early life
Anderson was born in Miami, Oklahoma. [3] [4] [5] He graduated from Oklahoma State University–Stillwater in 1981 with an English degree. [3] [5] [6]
Musical career
Anderson recorded his debut album, Alright, It was Frank... and He's Risen From the Dead and Gone Off With His Truck, in Norman, Oklahoma in the late 1980s. [6] The album was released in 1989, [7] originally on vinyl on the Out There label. [8] He moved to Austin, Texas in 1992 [9] but returned to Oklahoma some years later. In 1993, Alright, It Was Frank... was re-released on CD by the Dutch East India Trading label. [8]
His second album, Blues for the Flying Dutchman, was originally released by a small German label before being picked up by Dutch East India. [6] His third album, Moon Going Down, was released on the Marilyn label, which has been described as "slightly higher profile" than the labels he released his previous albums on. [7] In 1998, he released Bolide, a seven-track mini-album, on Red River Records. [10] In 2003, Anderson released another album, Norman, Oklahoma, also on Red River Records. [4] In 2012, he released The Moon in Transit, a collection of 12 four-track recordings of previously unreleased songs taken from his 13-year archives, on the Out There label. [11] He followed this the following year with another compilation album drawn from these archives, titled On Becoming Human. [11] [12]
Reception
In 1996, Tulsa World wrote that Anderson was "one of the most critically lauded yet efficiently obscure songwriters of the last decade." [7] Rolling Stone reviewed "Blues for the Flying Dutchman" favorably, giving it three and a half stars. The magazine said that the album "should find a place with everyone who believes that rock 'n' roll can still reflect and interpret the world in an original way - from the margins." [6] Robert Christgau has also given Anderson's albums multiple A grades. [9]
Discography
- Alright, It was Frank... and He's Risen From the Dead and Gone Off With His Truck (Out There, 1989)
- Blues for the Flying Dutchman (Blue Million Miles, 1993)
- Moon Going Down (Marilyn, 1995)
- Bolide (Red River, 1998)
- Norman, Oklahoma (Red River, 2003)
- The Moon in Transit (Out There compilation, 2012)
- On Becoming Human (Out There compilation, 2013)
- Heaven (Out There, 2016)
- My Songs Are the House I Live In (Out There, 2017)
- Beyond That Point (2018)
- Analog Summer (2020)
- Ladies And Germs (2021)
References
- ^ Mills, Fred (2016-03-08). "The College Rock Chronicles, Pt. 7: Thomas Anderson". Blurt Magazine. Retrieved 2017-10-29.
- ^ Himes, Geoffrey (1991-03-08). "Rock Troubadours Sing New Ballads". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2017-10-29.
- ^ a b "Songsmith Combines Rock With Legend". NewsOK.com. 1992-09-20. Retrieved 2017-10-29.
- ^ a b "Thomas Anderson - Norman, Oklahoma". No Depression. 29 February 2004. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
- ^ a b Smith, R.J. (29 December 1998). "Flying Saucer Rock & Roll". Village Voice. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
- ^ a b c d Brown, Mark (14 December 1993). "Austin's Potential Lures Oklahoma Songwriter". Tulsa World. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
- ^ a b c Conner, Thomas (14 July 1996). "Thomas Anderson". Tulsa World. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
- ^ a b "Alright It Was Frank". Retrieved 5 February 2016.
- ^ a b "Thomas Anderson - Angry Young Grad Student". No Depression. 31 December 1996. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
- ^ Conner, Thomas (12 March 1999). "What a drag! Cast album brings groundbreaking show to the masses". Tulsa World. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
- ^ a b Christgau, Robert. "Consumer Guide: Thomas Anderson". Retrieved 5 February 2016.
- ^ "On Becoming Human". Blurt. 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2016.