The band has a cult following in the United Kingdom and continental Europe, although the eclectic and unique sound Tindersticks possesses never made significant inroads in the mainstream.
Personnel
* Stuart Ashton Staples, born 14 November 1965 - Lead voice, guitar, melodica
* Dickon James Hinchliffe, born 9 July 1967 - violin, guitar, voice, piano, string and brass arrangements
* Neil Timothy Fraser, - born 22 November 1962 - lead guitar, vibraphone
* David Leonard Boulter, born 27 February 1965 - keyboards, percussion
* Alasdair Robert De Villeneuve Macaulay, born 2 August 1965 - drums, percussion, trumpet
* Mark Andrew Colwill, born 12 May 1960 - bass guitar
The band formed in late 1991, Staples, Boulter, Frazer, Macauley and Hinchcliffe having previously been members of Asphalt Ribbons. The final band line-up for the "old horse" mini-LP (1991) was: Stuart Staples (vocals) Dave Boulter (organ & accordion) Neil Fraser (guitar) Dickon Hinchliffe (Guitar & strings) Al Macauley (percussion & drums) John Thompson (bass). Mark Colwill was recruited when John Thompson left the Asphalt Ribbons, but it is not sure if he played any gigs under the Asphalt Ribbons name. Then they changed their name to Tindersticks after Stuart A. Staples discovered a box of German matches on a Greek beach.
Tindersticks started recording demo tapes in 1992, and were signed by Tippy Toe Records who released their first single, "Patchwork".
Their self-titled first and second albums established their signature sound and received widespread critical acclaim. Their live performances, often augmented by large string sections and even, on occasion, a full orchestra, were rapturously received. (The live album Bloomsbury Theatre 12.3.95 is a recording of one such concert.) By the time of the third album, Curtains, however, it was clear that a change of direction was called for. There was a certain ennui to the songs, and the lengthy "Ballad of Tindersticks" was a weary swipe at the pressures of being a touring band.
The fourth album, Simple Pleasure, lived up to its title with a series of snappy, direct songs influenced by soul music. The female backing vocals on several tracks, and the respectful cover of Odyssey's "If You're Looking For A Way Out", signalled the band's wish to move towards lighter, more soulful material. However, the inner sleeve's documentation of the number of takes each track went through was evidence that the band continued to adopt a painstaking approach to recording.
The fifth album, Can Our Love, continued the band's soulful direction, in particular evidence on the tender "Sweet Release" and in the nod to the Chi-Lites in the title of "Chilitetime".
The sixth and most recent album, Waiting For The Moon, was more stripped down and introspective in nature, particularly on the harrowing "4.48 Psychosis" (based on the play of the same name by the British playwright Sarah Kane) and "Sometimes It Hurts". Only the bouncy "Just A Dog" lightened the otherwise melancholy mood of the album.
In 2005 Staples embarked on a solo career and there was resultant speculation that the band had split. Staples has so far produced two solo albums, Lucky Dog Recordings 03-04 and Leaving Songs. The title of the second album, and Staples' notes on it, indicate that Tindersticks may indeed be at an end: "These are songs written on the verge of leaving the things I loved and stepping into a new unknown life, both musically and personally. I was always aware that these songs were the end of something, a kind of closing a circle of a way of writing that I started so long ago and I knew I had to move on from."
In September 2006, the band played a one-off concert at London's Barbican Centre, performing their second album in full with a nine-member string section and two brass players, including former collaborator Terry Edwards on trumpet. This concert brought the band's members back together. A new recording process in 2007 resulted in a new album, The Hungry Saw, which was released on April 28th 2008.
In the meantime, in July 2007, Island Records had released The BBC Sessions, a double CD compilation of the band's sessions for BBC radio programmes. Also in 2007, a stripped-down line-up of three of the original band, Staples, Boulter and Fraser, spent time writing and recording in a newly-equipped studio in Limousin, France. They were joined by Thomas Belhom on drums and Dan McKinna on bass, with Ian Caple engineering. The resulting album, The Hungry Saw, was released on Beggars Banquet in April 2008. Tindersticks played a number of other European dates during the summer festival season and also announced a winter 2008 European tour.
In 2010, the eighth album Falling Down a Mountain was released on 4AD / Constellation Records with a changed band line-up, with Earl Harvin replacing Belhom on drums and David Kitt, a solo artist in his own right, joining the band on guitar and vocals.
The group's ninth album The Something Rain was released in February 2012.
As well as their nine studio albums, the band has produced the soundtracks for four films by the French director Claire Denis: Nenette et Boni,Trouble Every Day, 35 Rhums and White Material
They recorded a cover of the Four Tops song, "What Is A Man", for the theme to the British TV series The Sins.
The Tindersticks song Tiny Tears was featured prominently in the Series 1 episode "Isabella" of HBO's The Sopranos. Additionally, a version of "Running Wild" was played during the ending credits of the penultimate episode of the series, "The Blue Comet". In the Season One Finale of Brotherhood, "El Diablo En El Ojo" is used twice.
* Tindersticks (aka First Album) (This Way Up, 1993)
* Tindersticks (aka Second Album) (This Way Up, 1995)
* Curtains (This Way Up, 1997)
* Simple Pleasure (Island, 1999)
* Can Our Love... (Beggar's Banquet, 2001)
* Waiting for the Moon (Beggar's Banquet, 2003)
* BBC Sessions (2007)
On 17th October 2014, Tindersticks released the commissioned soundscapes from the In Flanders Fields WW1 museum in Ypres, Belgium.
See the band's site at www.tindersticks.co.uk.
All The Love
Tindersticks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All the love inside me
Is on it's way
Is on it's way to find you
Don't try to hide
From my love for you
All the love
Is on it's way
Is on it's way to find you
Like the tide
I'll always return to you
And all the love
All the love inside you
It's for me
In the dooms in the tall grass
You said and smiled
You're the only one
That could ever tease me
All the love
All the love inside you
Diffuse me still
Getting closer to you
Only sure
Sing your love
To the stars
They're the guiding
Me back to you
All the love
All the love inside me
Feels your breath
Upon my back hand
Here's your song
Would cause me home
If I could tell you
Of all the things I've seen
All the love
All the love inside them
At lack to wait
For its own protection
For so long
Became just a memory
And all the love
All the love inside them
Twisted into hate
They have no choice to
Pass on the fear
Pass on the pain
Pouring down into the child
Into the man
Into the world
Glued to love
The gun that's in his hand
All the love
All the love inside me
Fell like the drought
In a petty ocean
Had to stop
Looked at my hands
And my fingertips
Trembling at the thought
Of touching you
The lyrics of Tindersticks's song, "All the love," speak of a love that cannot be ignored nor hidden. The singer's love is on its way to find its object and will always return like the tide. There is a shared love between the two as the singer acknowledges that all the love inside the object of his love is meant for him. The song highlights the importance of love, its power, and the darkness that hate can bring.
The first stanza of the song speaks of the singer's love, which is on its way to find its object and that there is no point in hiding from it. The singer expresses the urgency of his love, which is like the tide that always returns to the shore, signifying that his love will always be present. In the second stanza, the singer mentions that the love inside the object of his love is meant for him, and he feels closer to the person. We learn from the third stanza that love can become twisted into hate, causing fear and pain to be passed down through generations. The singer addresses this reality. The final stanza speaks of the singer's trembling at the thought of touching his love, indicating how vital and profound that love is.
Line by Line Meaning
All the love
The entirety of my love
All the love inside me
The love residing within me
Is on it's way
It is heading towards you
Is on it's way to find you
It is coming to seek you out
Don't try to hide
Do not conceal yourself
From my love for you
From my affection towards you
Like the tide
Similar to the ocean tides
I'll always return to you
I will continually come back to you
And all the love
Also, the amount of love
All the love inside you
The affection you harbor
It's for me
Is towards me specifically
In the dooms in the tall grass
During times of tribulation and obscurity
You said and smiled
You communicated merrily
You're the only one
You are solely the one
That could ever tease me
Who could ever jokingly vex me
Diffuse me still
Even now, soothe me
Getting closer to you
Approaching near you
Only sure
Only certain
Sing your love
Declare your affection
To the stars
To celestial bodies
They're the guiding
They are the leading force
Me back to you
Directing me towards you
Feels your breath
Senses your exhalation
Upon my back hand
Against my hand and back
Here's your song
Here is your melody
Would cause me home
Would assist in returning to my abode
If I could tell you
If I had the ability to inform you
Of all the things I've seen
Regarding all the encounters I have observed
All the love inside them
The love within everyone
At lack to wait
Prompted to linger
For its own protection
For their own safeguarding
For so long
For such an extended time
Became just a memory
Simply turned into a recollection
Twisted into hate
Distorted into hostility
They have no choice to
They are left with no alternative but to
Pass on the fear
Convey the terror
Pass on the pain
Transmit the distress
Pouring down into the child
Flowing into the young one
Into the man
Flowing into the adult
Into the world
Extending to the entire globe
Glued to love
Attached to love
The gun that's in his hand
The firearm he wields
Fell like the drought
Felt like the aridness
In a petty ocean
Within a trivial-sized sea
Had to stop
Required to come to a halt
Looked at my hands
Inspected my own hands
And my fingertips
As well as my fingertips
Trembling at the thought
Shuddering with the idea
Of touching you
Of coming in contact with you
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: STUART ASHTON STAPLES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind