Almost Blue (1994) liner notes: Difference between revisions
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After the album ''Trust'' failed to set the world on fire I decided to take a break from songwriting. Having developed the strong conviction that I could better express my current feelings through other people's songs, I started to collect material to record. As the title might suggest ''Almost Blue'' was not originally intended to be a "country" record, rather a collection of melancholy songs of many styles. I had already made trial recordings of "Love for Sale" and "Gloomy Sunday" | After the album ''[[Trust]]'' failed to set the world on fire I decided to take a break from songwriting. Having developed the strong conviction that I could better express my current feelings through other people's songs, I started to collect material to record. As the title might suggest ''[[Almost Blue]]'' was not originally intended to be a "country" record, rather a collection of melancholy songs of many styles. I had already made trial recordings of "[[Love For Sale|Love for Sale]]" and "[[Gloomy Sunday]]," while our live set sometimes included Bobby "Blue" Bland standards: "[[Two Steps From The Blues]]" and "[[I'll Take Care Of You]]." However the country ballads soon became my main passion. This wasn't exactly a new fad. I had played [[Hank Williams]] songs in the folk clubs and pubs, while, as daft as it may sound, I recall being advised to remove ''The Best Of George Jones'' from the stiff tour buss sound-system in case it "confused" visiting journalists (it was 1977). The song "[[Stranger In The House]]" had been removed from my first album, ''[[My Aim Is True]]'', for similar reasons, but when [[George Jones]] began his ''[[George Jones: My Very Special Guests|My Special Friends]]'' album in 1978, I was invited to Nashville to sing it with him. The trip was somewhat anti-climatic. Mr. Jones did, indeed, not show. However, I should stress that this was due to some extra-musical legal hassle rather than any lurid reason. | ||
Producer Billy Sherrill enquired of me: "Do you pick, son?" and I, rather improbably, dubbed an acoustic guitar solo onto the "Stranger in the House" track. | Producer [[Billy Sherrill]] enquired of me: "Do you pick, son?" and I, rather improbably, dubbed an acoustic guitar solo onto the "Stranger in the House" track. | ||
CBS Nashville were also excellent hosts, introducing me to musicians and producers who had worked with Willie Nelson and [[Waylon Jennings]], and taking me to meet songwriters such as [[Rodney Crowell]], [[Rosanne Cash]] and a guy who was visiting called [[Bruce Springsteen]]. Somehow this trip gave rise to the rumour that the vocals on "Stranger in the House" were recorded at separate sessions. In fact in the middle of our "Armed Funk" tour of America in 1979 we returned to Nashville and I was able to complete the track with George "live" in the studio. | CBS Nashville were also excellent hosts, introducing me to musicians and producers who had worked with [[Willie Nelson]] and [[Waylon Jennings]], and taking me to meet songwriters such as [[Rodney Crowell]], [[Rosanne Cash]] and a guy who was visiting called [[Bruce Springsteen]]. Somehow this trip gave rise to the rumour that the vocals on "Stranger in the House" were recorded at separate sessions. In fact in the middle of our "[[:Category:Armed Funk Tour|Armed Funk]]" tour of America in 1979 we returned to Nashville and I was able to complete the track with George "live" in the studio. | ||
In a roundabout way my link with country music was strengthened by Nick Lowe's marriage to Carlene Carter, daughter of June Carter and granddaughter of Mother Maybelle of the Carter Family, not to mention the stepdaughter of Johnny Cash. None of this would have been of any relevance had had Johnny not suggested a Christmas day recording session in the ground floor studio of Nick and Carlene's large terraced house in Shepherd's Bush. In fact the session finally took place on St. Stephen's day where I was among the musicians greeted in the narrow hallway outside the tiny studio by the imposing figure of Nick's father-in-law, who rumbled "Hello I'm Johnny Cash", just like on ''Live At San Quentin''. Cut at this session were Nick's "Without Love" (Which appeared on Cash's ''Johnny 99'' album) and a rare George Jones composition entitled "We Ought To Be Ashamed" which, I'm sorry to say, proved to be prophetic. While it was great fun to sing with the big man it seems our duet did not make the grade. | In a roundabout way my link with country music was strengthened by [[Nick Lowe]]'s marriage to [[Carlene Carter]], daughter of [[June Carter Cash|June Carter]] and granddaughter of Mother Maybelle of the Carter Family, not to mention the stepdaughter of [[Johnny Cash]]. None of this would have been of any relevance had had Johnny not suggested a Christmas day recording session in the ground floor studio of Nick and Carlene's large terraced house in Shepherd's Bush. In fact the session finally took place on St. Stephen's day where I was among the musicians greeted in the narrow hallway outside the tiny studio by the imposing figure of Nick's father-in-law, who rumbled "Hello I'm Johnny Cash", just like on ''Live At San Quentin''. Cut at this session were Nick's "Without Love" (Which appeared on Cash's ''Johnny 99'' album) and a rare George Jones composition entitled "[[We Oughta Be Ashamed|We Ought To Be Ashamed]]" which, I'm sorry to say, proved to be prophetic. While it was great fun to sing with the big man it seems our duet did not make the grade. | ||
I should add that some years later Johnny did cut two of my songs, "The Big Light" and "Hidden Shame", on the albums | I should add that some years later Johnny did cut two of my songs, "[[The Big Light]]" and "[[Hidden Shame]]", on the albums ''[[Johnny Cash: Johnny Cash Is Coming to Town/Boom Chicka Boom|Johnny Cash is Coming to Town]]'' and ''[[Johnny Cash: Johnny Cash Is Coming to Town/Boom Chicka Boom|Boom-Chicka-Boom]]''. | ||
On our next tour in January '81 we managed to fit in a trial session with Billy Sherrill. At this date, which took place in the legendary CBS Studio B (Home of ''Stand By Your Man'', ''Behind Closed Doors'' and, for that matter, ''Blonde on Blonde''), we were augmented by [[Pete Drake]] on pedal steel guitar and cut two sides: "I'll Take Care Of You" and "He's Got You" (both lost). This last song was a Hank Cochran Tune which I had learned from the Loretta Lynn recording, although our treatment of it was more as a R 'n' B ballad. | On our next tour in January '81 we managed to fit in a trial session with Billy Sherrill. At this date, which took place in the legendary CBS Studio B (Home of ''Stand By Your Man'', ''Behind Closed Doors'' and, for that matter, ''Blonde on Blonde''), we were augmented by [[Pete Drake]] on pedal steel guitar and cut two sides: "I'll Take Care Of You" and "He's Got You" (both lost). This last song was a Hank Cochran Tune which I had learned from the Loretta Lynn recording, although our treatment of it was more as a R 'n' B ballad. | ||
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"Honey Hush" started out as an R'n'B tune. it was written by Big Joe Turner, however our version owes more to the Johnny Burnett Trio record. | "Honey Hush" started out as an R'n'B tune. it was written by Big Joe Turner, however our version owes more to the Johnny Burnett Trio record. | ||
"How Much I Lied" comes from | "How Much I Lied" comes from ''G.P.'', Gram Parsons' first solo record for Warner Brothers. Together with its follow up ''Grievous Angel'' this record had the greatest influence on ''Almost Blue''. | ||
-- Elvis Costello | -- Elvis Costello |
Revision as of 04:31, 2 May 2013
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