''The Stone'' is the debut studio album by

Babble Babble may refer to: * ''Babble'' (That Petrol Emotion album), 1987 album by That Petrol Emotion * ''Babble'' (Coyne & Krause album), 1979 album by Kevin Coyne And Dagmar Krause * Babble (band), a later incarnation of the Thompson Twins * Babb ...

, an electronic dance music group that was composed of Tom Bailey, Alannah Currie (formerly of the

Thompson Twins Thompson Twins were a British pop band formed in 1977 in Sheffield. Initially a new wave group, they switched to a more mainstream pop sound and achieved considerable popularity during the mid-1980s, scoring a string of hits in the United Ki ...

), and Keith Fernley. The group changed its name as it changed the outward appearance of its sound, from pop to dub-influenced chill-out. The underlying melodies and the familiar voices of Bailey and Currie still gave a

tone. However, the addition of Quest vocalist Amey St. Cyr (" Take Me Away" and "Tribe"), emcee

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("Beautiful"), deep basslines, and loads of spacious effects made it a much more relevant album for the

lounge music Lounge music is a type of easy listening music popular in the 1950s and 1960s. It may be meant to evoke in the listeners the feeling of being in a place, usually with a tranquil theme, such as a jungle, an island paradise or outer space. The rang ...

scene. Promotion of the album was minimal. However, during an interview in

Classic Pop magazine ''Classic Pop'' is a bi-monthly British music magazine, which launched in October 2012. It was devised and founded by Ian Peel, who was also editor for the first 19 issues. Rik Flynn stepped in as editor until Issue 23 followed by current editor ...

in 2014, Bailey stated the album was influential in the recording of ''

Original Soundtracks 1 ''Original Soundtracks 1'' is a studio album recorded by rock band U2 and Brian Eno under the pseudonym Passengers as a side project. Released on 6 November 1995, the album is a collection of songs written for mostly imaginary films (the exce ...

'', an album released in 1995 by U2 and

Brian Eno Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop an ...

under the pseudonym Passengers.

Critical reception

William Ruhlmann of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

considered the album to "sound a lot like a Thompson Twins record, especially when Tom Bailey is singing." He added: "The group has brought in some ambient sounds, borrowed some cheesy Indian restaurant music, and stolen the main riff from "I Am the Walrus." These are not improvements. By whatever name they choose, Bailey and Currie have not returned to form."

Track listing

#"The Downward Pull of Heaven's Force" - 1:38 #"Tribe" - 5:49 #"You Kill Me" - 6:13 #"Spirit" - 6:51 #" Take Me Away" - 6:42 #"The Stone" - 3:31 #"Beautiful" - 6:22 #"Space" - 5:50 #"Sunray Dub" - 2:23 #"Drive" - 6:03

References

1994 debut albums Babble (band) albums Reprise Records albums {{1990s-electronic-album-stub