Their signature song is Gorecki, from their eponymous debut album and it was inspired by Henryk Górecki's Third Symphony, the Symphony of Sorrowful Songs. Other essential songs are Cotton Wool, God Bless, B Line, Gabriel, Sweet, and Wonder.
To date, the band has released six studio albums: Lamb (1996), Fear of Fours (1999), What Sound (2001), Between Darkness And Wonder (2003), 5 (2011) and Backspace Unwind (2014). In 2003 they also issued a compilation entitled Best Kept Secrets.
In February 2005, Lamb announced that they would pursue their own solo projects, ending their collaboration for now. Their last concerts were in Paradiso, Amsterdam, and these shows appear in the DVD 'Lamb Live at the Paradiso' which was released in 2011.
Lou Rhodes released her first solo album Beloved One (2006) which received a Mercury nomination. This was followed by Bloom (2007), and One Good Thing (2010). Lou also branched out and became an author, with children's books The Phlunk (2013) and The Phlunk's Worldwide Symphony (2014 Strata Books).
Producer Andy Barlow focused on his band Hoof and a project called Luna Seeds with vocalist–songwriter Carrie Tree, and produced the Fink album Distance and Time. In 2013 Barlow's debut solo album as LOWB, Leap and the Net Will Appear was re-released on a new label, Distiller Records. Andy continued to work as a producer, working with Bristol band The Ramona Flowers on their album Dismantle and Rebuild (2014) which he also co-wrote. Most recently, he produced and mixed David Gray's new album Mutineers (2014).
The hiatus ended in 2009 when Lamb reunited and started performing again. Lamb returned to the studio the following year to record their fifth studio album 5 which was released in 2011. They also released their first live album in 2011 Live at Koko and the long-awaited DVD Lamb Lamb Live at the Paradiso.
In October 2014, the band released a new album Backspace Unwind, followed by a single 'We Fall in Love' (subsequently voted "Best Chillout/Lounge Track" at the International Dance Music Awards 2015). They began a tour in 2014 which included the UK and Europe. The tour continued into 2015 with shows and festivals in Australia, New Zealand and Europe.
There are other artists with the same name:
(2) A group formed by Barbara Mauritz and Bob Swanson in San Francisco in the late 1960s. This group disbanded in 1972. The minor San Francisco group Lamb tend to be remembered only for their appearance on the Fillmore: The Last Days concert album, where they were one of several non-star artists on a set dominated by bigger names like the Grateful Dead, Santana, and Boz Scaggs. The band did actually put out three albums in the early '70s, however, and were quite an interesting group. Not only were they not readily comparable to other acts on the San Francisco rock circuit, but it's debatable whether they could be fairly categorized as a rock band at all. Their music blended jazz, folk, singer/songwriter pop, gospel, and even some classical and avant-garde influences. Certainly the dominant figure was singer Barbara Mauritz, whose bluesy and earthy vocals had considerable resonance, but which could also traverse the band's frequently mystical, poetic lyrics with much delicacy and nuance. Reminiscent in spots of such varied artists as Tim Buckley, Judy Collins (in her art-song phase), David Ackles, and Savage Rose (in that band's most gospel-soaked period), their records were ultimately idiosyncratic enough to defy ready comparison to anyone. And they were, too, ultimately too inaccessible to make much commercial impact, despite plenty of tracks of considerable power, beauty, and enigma.
Lamb were formed by the duo of Texan singer Mauritz and multi-instrumentalist (though primarily guitarist) Bob Swanson. The two (writing both separately and together) was responsible for the band's material. They attracted attention in San Francisco when they opened for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young for a few nights at Winterland in November 1969. Impresario Bill Graham became their manager, and producer David Rubinson, who had worked with notable groups such as Santana and Moby Grape, acted in that capacity for their first record. Their debut album on the Fillmore label, A Sign of Change, was perhaps their most uncompromising and experimental, relying largely on jazz-folk acoustic arrangements and spotlighting Mauritz's impressive voice on impressionistic, dream-like lyrics. They moved over to Warner Bros (while retaining Rubinson as executive producer) for the follow-up, Cross Between, which moved toward slightly more mainstream rock arrangements and a more pronounced gospel feel on several tracks. Yet others were throwbacks to the first album in their obscure but enchanting poesy, sometimes owing more to a classical-influenced art song tradition than conventional pop music.
Lamb went yet further toward gospel-rockish material on their third and final album, Bring Out the Sun, which was their most mainstream outing, though hardly mainstream overall, with a couple of tracks again giving vent to their more experimental jazz-folk-classical side. The LP was co-billed to Lamb and Barbara Mauritz, though Swanson was still involved as a composer and instrumentalist on much of the material. Whether or not this co-billing was intended as a transition from Lamb to a solo career, Mauritz was soon recording as a solo, putting out Music Box for Columbia. Her solo career didn't take off, however, although she continued to perform and write (composing the music for many commercials). In the mid-'80s, Bob Swanson returned full-time to photography. The Lamb founded by Swanson and Mauritz, incidentally, had no relation to either the Christian rock band Lamb that began to record later in the '70s, or the drum'n'bass duo Lamb that began recording in the late '90s.
(3) A demoscene musician, active from early 1990s till early 2000s, known for composing many chiptunes, as well as themed collection-album called Autumn Leaf.
(4) A messianic Jewish pop music group formed in 1972 by Joel Chernoff and Rick "Levi" Coghill. This group has recorded as recently as 2005 (with Ted Pearce replacing Rick Coghill).
(5) A Japanese duo from Tokyo, formed in 1999. Kudo sings, Nakamura does everything else. They make pretty, light-hearted, chilled-out pop.
(6) A Japanese rockband who regularly do shows in Tokyo, Japan. They're known for their melodic, emotional, and exciting sound with twin guitars, and bass and drums. Lamb's music has taken on elements from post-rock, math-rock, and pop.
Their first EP, MEME, was released in April of 2020.
Small
Lamb Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To see all the lights shining--they're so pretty
And think of the millions of lights going on
At this present moment
And those come and gone
[Chorus]
And it makes me float free
And it makes me float free
To feel how small my life must be
Whenever I can, I go down to the sea
And wonder at how many miles there must be
And all of the people on all of the shores
At this present moment
And those gone before
[Chorus]
Sometimes I'm out in a bustling street
Dazzled by all of the faces I see
It strikes me we got lost some after birth
But one smile can turn over
Heaven and Earth
[Chorus: x2]
In Lamb's song "Small," the singer takes us on a journey, evoking profound and introspective imagery about how small and insignificant their life may be in the grand scheme of things. The song begins with the singer climbing high above the city to see all the lights shining, letting their mind think about the millions of lights that have been turned on and off in that present moment and have come and gone over time. The song then repeats the chorus "And it makes me float free, to feel how small my life must be," where we can understand the singer's sense of awe and wonder at how much is going on around them and how little their contribution seems to be.
The second verse of the song takes us down to the sea where the singer looks at the vast expanse of water and wonders how many miles worth of people and lives are just beyond their reach. Then they mention how many people have come before and how many are present now. In the final verse, the singer finds themselves in a bustling street, observing so many faces, yet feels that something is lost after birth. However, even one smile can change everything, and to feel that shift in perspective is the freedom to float.
In essence, the song "Small" speaks to the idea that while we may feel like we are insignificant in the grand scheme of things, when we stop to look around, there is so much to take in, to learn from, and to experience. Any action we take, no matter how small it may seem, can turn over heaven and Earth.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes I climb high above the city
I take time to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life
To see all the lights shining--they're so pretty
I look at the city from afar and admire the bright, beautiful lights
And think of the millions of lights going on
I reflect on the vastness of the city and how many lights are on at the same time
At this present moment
I consider the present and how it relates to my perspective
And those come and gone
I also contemplate the past and how it has influenced the present
And it makes me float free
This contemplation gives me a sense of liberation
To feel how small my life must be
I realize that my own life is just a small part of the vastness of the world
Whenever I can, I go down to the sea
I take advantage of opportunities to be close to nature
And wonder at how many miles there must be
I marvel at the expanse of the ocean and how much there is still to discover and explore
And all of the people on all of the shores
I also remember that there are many other people in the world living in their own unique situations
Sometimes I'm out in a bustling street
I observe people going about their daily lives in a busy city
Dazzled by all of the faces I see
Seeing so many different people and expressions is awe-inspiring
It strikes me we got lost some after birth
I recognize that, despite the diverse world around us, we often become disconnected from it
But one smile can turn over
However, even one small act of kindness or positivity can have a big impact
Heaven and Earth
It can change our perspective and be a powerful reminder of the beauty in the world
And it makes me float free
All of these experiences allow me to feel a sense of liberation and freedom
To feel how small my life must be
Again, I am reminded of the vastness of the world and how small my own existence is in comparison
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANDREW JOHN BARLOW, LOUISE ANN RHODES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
amanda stanko
Love this song, love the lyrics.
Sometimes I climb high above the city
To see all the lights shining there so pretty
And think of the millions of lives going on
At this present moment and those come and gone
And it makes me float free
To feel how small my life must be
And it makes me float free
To feel how small my life must be
When ever I can I go down to the sea
And wonder at how many miles there must be
And all of the people on all of it's shores
At this present moment and those gone before
And it makes me float free
To feel how small my life must be
And it makes me float free
Sometimes I'm out in the bustling street
Dazzled by all of the faces I see
It strikes me we get lost so soon after birth
But one smile can turnover Heaven and all earth
And it makes me float free
To feel how small my life must be
And it makes me float free
To feel how small my life must be
amanda stanko
Love this song, love the lyrics.
Sometimes I climb high above the city
To see all the lights shining there so pretty
And think of the millions of lives going on
At this present moment and those come and gone
And it makes me float free
To feel how small my life must be
And it makes me float free
To feel how small my life must be
When ever I can I go down to the sea
And wonder at how many miles there must be
And all of the people on all of it's shores
At this present moment and those gone before
And it makes me float free
To feel how small my life must be
And it makes me float free
Sometimes I'm out in the bustling street
Dazzled by all of the faces I see
It strikes me we get lost so soon after birth
But one smile can turnover Heaven and all earth
And it makes me float free
To feel how small my life must be
And it makes me float free
To feel how small my life must be
Dave Carlson
amanda stanko i looked up "sometimes i climb" and one of the things said "sometimes i climb under my bed and pretend to be a carrot"😂
Gábor Fóti
Amazing song, probably the best ever I've heard from Lamb. I love this band! Genious! The video a low-budget one, however not bad at all.
Chouchou Maldemer
Lovely stuff ... all around ! Thanks Lamb !
Keep up the good work !
Tee M
i love this song
Sabrina MacVicar
Still listening 12 years later! :) best song ever
Lightotronic
love this song love the samples in tha beginnin'
Ryan Berrios
I wish I could listen to this on Apple Music
P D
Best played very loud with some kick ass tweeters in your stack 🔊
MrUNOTURBO123
AMAZING PURE CLASS everytime i listen 2 this song i imagine it hahaha