BRUCE HORNSBY & THE RANGE
''A NIGHT ON THE TOWN''
JULY 1990
54:57
**********
01 - A Night On The Town 04:25
02 - Carry The Water 05:08
03 - Fire On The Cross 04:36
04 - Barren Ground 05:27
05 - Across The River 05:10
06 - Stranded On Easy Street 03:54
07 - Stander On The Mountain 06:08
08 - Lost Soul 05:44
09 - Another Day 04:22
10 - Special Night 04:08
11 - These Arms Of Mine 05:54
Tracks By Bruce Hornsby And Bruce Hornsby & John Hornsby (01, 03, 04, 05, 06)
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• Bruce Hornsby - vocals, piano, synthesizer, accordion
• George Marinelli - guitar, mandolin
• Joe Puerta - bass, backing vocals
• John Molo - drums
Additional personnel, by track:
"Carry the Water
• Laura Creamer-backing vocals
• Shaun Murphy - backing vocals
"Fire on the Cross"
• Bela Fleck - banjo
• Wayne Shorter - saxophone
"Barren Ground"
• Shawn Colvin - backing vocals
• Bela Fleck - banjo
• Jerry Garcia - guitar
"Across the River"
• Laura Creamer-backing vocals
• Jerry Garcia - guitar
• Shaun Murphy - backing vocals
"Stranded on Easy Street"
• David Mansfield - guitar
• Jimmie Wood - harmonica
"Stander on the Mountain"
• Charlie Haden - upright bass
• David Mansfield - violin
• Shawn Colvin - backing vocals
"Lost Soul"
• Shawn Colvin - vocals
"Another Day"
• David Lasley - backing vocals
• Arnold McCuller- backing vocals
"Special Night"
• Shawn Colvin - backing vocals
"These Arms of Mine"
• Bridgette Bryant - backing vocals
• David Lasley - backing vocals
• Arnold McCuller - backing vocals
• Fred White - backing vocals
**********
REVIEW/AMG
Jim Newsom
Bruce Hornsby's hardest-rocking album, A Night on the Town announces that he is heading into a different direction in its first few notes. John Mellencamp's producer Don Gehman gives the sound, especially John Molo's drums, a feel reminiscent of Mellencamp's best work. The material here is among Hornsby's best, and guest players include Jerry Garcia, tenor saxman Wayne Shorter, banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck, vocalist Shawn Colvin (before she was known), and jazz bass legend Charlie Haden. The arrangements still include the mix of synthesized and real percussion, and the trademark piano licks are sprinkled abundantly throughout, but the overall feel is much more rock & roll than anything before or since. The songs are great, with a political edge to "Fire on the Cross" and "Barren Ground." The latter features Garcia's lead guitar, the former a fine Shorter sax solo. "Stander on the Mountain" is a perceptive reflection on a former BMOC, straight out of Hornsby's own attendance at a high school reunion, and "Lost Soul" is one of the most profound ballads he has composed, sung as a duet with Colvin. The single, "Across the River," is a powerful look at the pursuit of one's dreams in the face of local naysayers, and the subsequent return to one's hometown with the resultant "I-told-you-so's." With A Night on the Town, Bruce Hornsby achieves a mix of mostly up-tempo rock music, adult lyrical themes, and crisp production values that has seldom been matched by other popular musicians of his generation. Though it only peaked at number 20 (his first two albums had reached the Top Five), it is an artistic high point.
**********
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
William Ruhlmann
Possessed of a breezy, nonchalant style that belies his technical gifts, pianist Bruce Hornsby writes powerful songs from the heart that touch on several distinctly American traditions: pop, jazz, bluegrass, and '60s soul. He worked for a while as a studio player and songwriter, and had his first hit in 1986 with the stirring and philosophical "The Way It Is." After that, he continued to release albums that honored his own muse rather than the marketplace, and put together various backing bands to suit the mood and style of the genres he works in. Hornsby has also maintained a close musical relationship with the remaining members of the Grateful Dead, having toured as a temporary member in the early '90s and collaborated on offshoot recordings and live shows.
The Way It Is
Bruce Hornsby was born in Williamsburg, Virginia, and grew up in that combination college town and tourist center, later attending the University of Miami and the Berklee School of Music. He then spent years playing in bars and sending demo tapes to record companies. In 1980, he and his brother (and songwriting partner) John Hornsby moved to Los Angeles, where they spent three years writing for 20th Century Fox. There Bruce Hornsby met Huey Lewis, who would eventually produce him and record his material. Hornsby finally signed his band, the Range, to RCA in 1985. Their debut album, The Way It Is, was released in April 1986. It eventually produced three Top 20 hits, the biggest of which was the socially conscious "The Way It Is," which featured Hornsby's characteristically melodic right-hand piano runs. The album stayed in the charts for almost a year and a half and sold two million copies. Hornsby & the Range won the Best New Artist Grammy Award for 1986.
Scenes from the Southside
Hornsby's second album, Scenes from the Southside, was not as successful as his debut, though it sold a million copies and produced the Top Ten single "The Valley Road." Hornsby also began to make his mark as a songwriter for others: Huey Lewis had a hit with his "Jacob's Ladder," as did Don Henley with "The End of the Innocence." Hornsby's third album, A Night on the Town (1990), found him trying to break out of his signature sound into other areas. It was less successful than its predecessors but, along with the pianist's extensive session work, it signaled his determination to tackle new musical challenges. Hornsby worked extensively as a producer and sideman in the early '90s, notably doing temporary duty in the Grateful Dead after their keyboardist, Brent Mydland, died in July 1990, and producing a comeback album for Leon Russell, an idol of Hornsby's. He also became the father of twin sons.
Harbor Lights
He finally turned in his fourth album, Harbor Lights, for release in 1993. This solo album, which did not feature his backup band, the Range, went gold, and Hornsby toured the U.S. and Canada through the end of the year. He followed it with a similar effort, Hot House, in July 1995, returning three years later with the double album Spirit Trail. Here Come the Noise Makers was issued in fall 2000. Since that time, Hornsby has released a handful of albums including Big Swing Face in 2002, Halcyon Days in 2004, the jazz-oriented Camp Meeting in 2007, and Levitate in 2009. Hornsby's most impressive playing has arguably been in live settings, though, as illustrated by the two-disc set Bride of the Noisemakers (released in 2011 and featuring concert performances from Hornsby and his band the Noisemakers recorded between 2007 and 2009), which put the band's impressive ability to jam in styles ranging from rock to jazz and bluegrass on full display. A live set with Ricky Skaggs, Cluck Ol' Hen, appeared at the end of the summer in 2013. Another live album, a double-disc set called Solo Concerts, appeared on Vanguard Records in August 2014.
**********
WEBSITE
**********
TO THE TOP
********************
''A NIGHT ON THE TOWN''
JULY 1990
54:57
**********
01 - A Night On The Town 04:25
02 - Carry The Water 05:08
03 - Fire On The Cross 04:36
04 - Barren Ground 05:27
05 - Across The River 05:10
06 - Stranded On Easy Street 03:54
07 - Stander On The Mountain 06:08
08 - Lost Soul 05:44
09 - Another Day 04:22
10 - Special Night 04:08
11 - These Arms Of Mine 05:54
Tracks By Bruce Hornsby And Bruce Hornsby & John Hornsby (01, 03, 04, 05, 06)
**********
• Bruce Hornsby - vocals, piano, synthesizer, accordion
• George Marinelli - guitar, mandolin
• Joe Puerta - bass, backing vocals
• John Molo - drums
Additional personnel, by track:
"Carry the Water
• Laura Creamer-backing vocals
• Shaun Murphy - backing vocals
"Fire on the Cross"
• Bela Fleck - banjo
• Wayne Shorter - saxophone
"Barren Ground"
• Shawn Colvin - backing vocals
• Bela Fleck - banjo
• Jerry Garcia - guitar
"Across the River"
• Laura Creamer-backing vocals
• Jerry Garcia - guitar
• Shaun Murphy - backing vocals
"Stranded on Easy Street"
• David Mansfield - guitar
• Jimmie Wood - harmonica
"Stander on the Mountain"
• Charlie Haden - upright bass
• David Mansfield - violin
• Shawn Colvin - backing vocals
"Lost Soul"
• Shawn Colvin - vocals
"Another Day"
• David Lasley - backing vocals
• Arnold McCuller- backing vocals
"Special Night"
• Shawn Colvin - backing vocals
"These Arms of Mine"
• Bridgette Bryant - backing vocals
• David Lasley - backing vocals
• Arnold McCuller - backing vocals
• Fred White - backing vocals
**********
REVIEW/AMG
Jim Newsom
Bruce Hornsby's hardest-rocking album, A Night on the Town announces that he is heading into a different direction in its first few notes. John Mellencamp's producer Don Gehman gives the sound, especially John Molo's drums, a feel reminiscent of Mellencamp's best work. The material here is among Hornsby's best, and guest players include Jerry Garcia, tenor saxman Wayne Shorter, banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck, vocalist Shawn Colvin (before she was known), and jazz bass legend Charlie Haden. The arrangements still include the mix of synthesized and real percussion, and the trademark piano licks are sprinkled abundantly throughout, but the overall feel is much more rock & roll than anything before or since. The songs are great, with a political edge to "Fire on the Cross" and "Barren Ground." The latter features Garcia's lead guitar, the former a fine Shorter sax solo. "Stander on the Mountain" is a perceptive reflection on a former BMOC, straight out of Hornsby's own attendance at a high school reunion, and "Lost Soul" is one of the most profound ballads he has composed, sung as a duet with Colvin. The single, "Across the River," is a powerful look at the pursuit of one's dreams in the face of local naysayers, and the subsequent return to one's hometown with the resultant "I-told-you-so's." With A Night on the Town, Bruce Hornsby achieves a mix of mostly up-tempo rock music, adult lyrical themes, and crisp production values that has seldom been matched by other popular musicians of his generation. Though it only peaked at number 20 (his first two albums had reached the Top Five), it is an artistic high point.
**********
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
William Ruhlmann
Possessed of a breezy, nonchalant style that belies his technical gifts, pianist Bruce Hornsby writes powerful songs from the heart that touch on several distinctly American traditions: pop, jazz, bluegrass, and '60s soul. He worked for a while as a studio player and songwriter, and had his first hit in 1986 with the stirring and philosophical "The Way It Is." After that, he continued to release albums that honored his own muse rather than the marketplace, and put together various backing bands to suit the mood and style of the genres he works in. Hornsby has also maintained a close musical relationship with the remaining members of the Grateful Dead, having toured as a temporary member in the early '90s and collaborated on offshoot recordings and live shows.
The Way It Is
Bruce Hornsby was born in Williamsburg, Virginia, and grew up in that combination college town and tourist center, later attending the University of Miami and the Berklee School of Music. He then spent years playing in bars and sending demo tapes to record companies. In 1980, he and his brother (and songwriting partner) John Hornsby moved to Los Angeles, where they spent three years writing for 20th Century Fox. There Bruce Hornsby met Huey Lewis, who would eventually produce him and record his material. Hornsby finally signed his band, the Range, to RCA in 1985. Their debut album, The Way It Is, was released in April 1986. It eventually produced three Top 20 hits, the biggest of which was the socially conscious "The Way It Is," which featured Hornsby's characteristically melodic right-hand piano runs. The album stayed in the charts for almost a year and a half and sold two million copies. Hornsby & the Range won the Best New Artist Grammy Award for 1986.
Scenes from the Southside
Hornsby's second album, Scenes from the Southside, was not as successful as his debut, though it sold a million copies and produced the Top Ten single "The Valley Road." Hornsby also began to make his mark as a songwriter for others: Huey Lewis had a hit with his "Jacob's Ladder," as did Don Henley with "The End of the Innocence." Hornsby's third album, A Night on the Town (1990), found him trying to break out of his signature sound into other areas. It was less successful than its predecessors but, along with the pianist's extensive session work, it signaled his determination to tackle new musical challenges. Hornsby worked extensively as a producer and sideman in the early '90s, notably doing temporary duty in the Grateful Dead after their keyboardist, Brent Mydland, died in July 1990, and producing a comeback album for Leon Russell, an idol of Hornsby's. He also became the father of twin sons.
Harbor Lights
He finally turned in his fourth album, Harbor Lights, for release in 1993. This solo album, which did not feature his backup band, the Range, went gold, and Hornsby toured the U.S. and Canada through the end of the year. He followed it with a similar effort, Hot House, in July 1995, returning three years later with the double album Spirit Trail. Here Come the Noise Makers was issued in fall 2000. Since that time, Hornsby has released a handful of albums including Big Swing Face in 2002, Halcyon Days in 2004, the jazz-oriented Camp Meeting in 2007, and Levitate in 2009. Hornsby's most impressive playing has arguably been in live settings, though, as illustrated by the two-disc set Bride of the Noisemakers (released in 2011 and featuring concert performances from Hornsby and his band the Noisemakers recorded between 2007 and 2009), which put the band's impressive ability to jam in styles ranging from rock to jazz and bluegrass on full display. A live set with Ricky Skaggs, Cluck Ol' Hen, appeared at the end of the summer in 2013. Another live album, a double-disc set called Solo Concerts, appeared on Vanguard Records in August 2014.
**********
WEBSITE
**********
TO THE TOP
********************
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