''Ring'' is the fifth
studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
by the American
alternative rock
Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
band
the Connells, released in 1993.
The album (and band)'s biggest hit was the single "'74–'75", which reached the top ten in 11 European countries, peaking at No. 1 in Norway and Sweden, and appeared on the soundtrack of the 1995 film ''
Heavy''. In the UK, the album reached number 36 on the
UK Albums Chart while "'74-'75" peaked at number 14 on the
UK Singles Chart. In the US, the album reached number 199 on the
''Billboard'' 200 with the single "Slackjawed" reaching number nine on ''Billboard''
's
Alternative Songs
Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks between 1988 and 2009, and Alternative Songs between 2009 and 2020) is a music chart published in the American magazine ''Billboard'' since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-play ...
chart.
On August 11, 2023, to commemorate the album's 30th anniversary, the album was remastered by Brent Lambert and released on vinyl for the first time, as well as an expanded, two-disc version on CD and in digital format, including rare B-sides and 12 previously-unreleased demo tracks.
Critical reception
''
Trouser Press'' wrote: "The record contains some brilliant pieces of pop songcraft ('Carry My Picture,' 'Eyes on the Ground') and some bittersweet lyrical ruminations, but slower numbers like '’74-’75' are so sweet they border on cloying."
Track listing
Personnel
;The Connells
*Doug MacMillan - lead vocals, guitar
*
Mike Connell - guitar, vocals, lead vocals on ''"Spiral"'' and ''"Burden"''
*
George Huntley - guitar, mandolin, vocals, lead vocals on ''"Doin' You"''
*Steve Potak - piano, keyboards, organ
*David Connell - bass
*Peele Wimberley - drums, percussion
;Additional personnel
*Tim Harper - keyboards, background vocals
*Caro Giordano - cello
;Technical personnel
*Lou Giordano - producer, mixing, engineer
*Tom Bender - engineer
*Kate Broudy - engineer
*Dave Cook - engineer
*Dan McLoughlin - engineer
*John Yates - engineer
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
References
1993 albums
The Connells albums
TVT Records albums
{{1990s-pop-rock-album-stub