3614 Jackson Highway

Last updated
3614 Jackson Highway
3614-jackson-highway.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 20, 1969
RecordedApril 1969
Studio Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama
Genre
Length33:08
Label
Producer
Cher chronology
Cher's Golden Greats
(1968)
3614 Jackson Highway
(1969)
Chastity
(1969)
Singles from 3614 Jackson Highway
  1. "I Walk on Guilded Splinters"
    Released: June 2, 1969
  2. "For What It's Worth"
    Released: August 4, 1969
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]

3614 Jackson Highway is the sixth album by American singer-actress Cher, released on June 20, 1969, by ATCO. This album was a commercial failure, peaking at 160, although it received praise and positive reviews from the music critics. 3614 Jackson Highway was the address of Muscle Shoals Sound Studios. The album is by and large a covers album.

Contents

Album information

3614 Jackson Highway was released in the summer of 1969. It remains Cher's first and last solo studio album for Atco, and was produced by Jerry Wexler, Tom Dowd and Arif Mardin. The cover is a photograph of Cher with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section musicians featured on the album. They are: front row, left to right: guitarist Eddie Hinton, bassist David Hood, Sonny Bono, Cher, producer Jerry Wexler, background vocalist Jeannie Greene, background vocalist Donna Jean Godchaux, and producer Tom Dowd. Back row, left to right: lead guitarist Jimmy Johnson, producer Arif Mardin, drummer Roger Hawkins and keyboardist Barry Beckett. Missing were background vocalists Mary Holiday and Sue Pilkington.

The ambitious record was conceived as a way to bring success to Cher, as well as her group Sonny & Cher, after a two-year period of commercial failure. The constant evolution of pop culture left the formulaic nature of Sonny & Cher's musical endeavors obsolete; pop music had continued to transform into a more political style marked by anti-war songs protesting the conflict in Vietnam. For months the duo maintained a nightclub act, but audience response was less than positive.

Although the album was largely ignored by the public, critical reception was enthusiastic. Cher's maturing vocals, along with the sophisticated instrumentation and arrangements, garnered praise.

In 1968 and 1969 Cher recorded songs for an album with a tentative release in 1970. For unknown reasons the album was cancelled and five of the tracks were released as singles. The remaining five remained unreleased until 2001 when Rhino Records released a limited edition of 3614 Jackson Highway with the unreleased songs as bonus tracks.

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."For What It's Worth" Stephen Stills 2:22
2."(Just Enough to Keep Me) Hangin' On"
  • Buddy Mize
  • Ira Allen
3:18
3."(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay"2:41
4."Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You" Bob Dylan 3:08
5."I Threw It All Away"Dylan2:49
6."I Walk on Guilded Splinters" Dr. John Creaux 2:32
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Lay, Baby, Lay [2] "Bob Dylan3:36
2."Please Don't Tell Me"
  • Carroll W. Quillen
  • Grady Smith
3:36
3."Cry Like a Baby"2:46
4."Do Right Woman, Do Right Man"2:46
5."Save the Children" Eddie Hinton 2:54
2001 CD edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."Easy to Be Hard"3:44
13."I Believe"
3:55
14."Danny Boy" Frederick Weatherly 5:20
15."Momma Look Sharp"Sherman Edwards3:33
16."It Gets Me Where I Want to Go"
  • Gabriel Lapano
  • Lance Wakely
3:10
17."You've Made Me So Very Happy"2:43
18."Yours Until Tomorrow"2:51
19."The Thought of Loving You"David White2:24
20."The First Time" Sonny Bono 3:24
21."Chastity's Song (Band of Thieves)"Elyse J. Weinberg3:08
22."Chastity's Song (Band of Thieves)" (stereo album version)Weinberg3:05
23."Superstar"3:07

Personnel

Production

Design

Charts

Chart (1969)Peak
position
United States Billboard 200 [3] 160

Related Research Articles

<i>Dusty in Memphis</i> 1969 studio album by Dusty Springfield

Dusty in Memphis is the fifth studio album by English singer Dusty Springfield. Initial sessions were recorded at American Sound Studio in Memphis, while Springfield's final vocals and the album's orchestral parts were recorded at Atlantic Records' New York City studios. The album was released in March 1969 in the United States by Atlantic Records, and Philips Records distributed the record outside the U.S. Springfield worked on the album with a team of musicians and producers that included Jerry Wexler, Arif Mardin, Tom Dowd, conductor Gene Orloff, backing vocalists the Sweet Inspirations, bassist Tommy Cogbill, and guitarist Reggie Young.

<i>Christmas and the Beads of Sweat</i> 1970 studio album by Laura Nyro

Christmas and the Beads of Sweat is the fourth album by New York-born singer, songwriter, and pianist Laura Nyro. The album was released on the Columbia Records label in November 1970 after Nyro had recorded it in the early summer with producers Felix Cavaliere and Arif Mardin. Whilst Nyro had handed over production reins, she was still in control of the project and co-arranged her compositions.

<i>Aretha Now</i> 1968 studio album by Aretha Franklin

Aretha Now is the thirteenth studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin, released on June 14, 1968, by Atlantic Records. Quickly certified Gold, it eventually reached a million in US sales. It hit No. 3 on Billboard's album chart. In 1993, it was reissued on CD through Rhino Records. The album was rated the 133rd best album of the 1960s by Pitchfork.

<i>Let Me in Your Life</i> 1974 studio album by Aretha Franklin

Let Me in Your Life is the twentieth studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin, released on February 25, 1974, by Atlantic Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Think (Aretha Franklin song)</span> 1968 single by Aretha Franklin

"Think" is a song written by American singer Aretha Franklin and Ted White, and first recorded by Franklin. It was released as a single in 1968, from her Aretha Now album. The song reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Franklin's seventh top 10 hit in the United States. The song also reached number 1 on the magazine's Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles, becoming her sixth single to top the chart. The song was written by Franklin and her then husband Ted White. Franklin re-recorded the song in the Atlantic Records New York studio for the soundtrack of the 1980 film The Blues Brothers and in 1989 for the album Through the Storm. Pitchfork placed it at number 15 on its list of "The 200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s".

"I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)" is a 1967 single released by American soul singer Aretha Franklin. Released on Atlantic Records as the first big hit of her career and the lead single from her tenth studio album of the same name, it became a defining song for Franklin, peaking at number one on the rhythm and blues charts and number nine on the pop charts. The B-side was "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man". Before this Franklin had placed only two Top 40 singles on the pop chart during her modest tenure with Columbia Records.

The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section is a group of American session musicians based in the northern Alabama town of Muscle Shoals. One of the most prominent American studio house bands from the 1960s to the 1980s, these musicians, individually or as a group, have been associated with more than 500 recordings, including 75 gold and platinum hits. They were masters at creating a southern combination of R&B, soul and country music known as the "Muscle Shoals sound" to back up black artists, who were often in disbelief to learn that the studio musicians were white. Over the years from 1962 to 1969, there have been two successive groups under the name "Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section" and the common factor in the two was an association with Rick Hall at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muscle Shoals Sound Studio</span> Recording studio in Sheffield, Alabama

Muscle Shoals Sound Studio is an American recording studio in Sheffield, Alabama, formed in 1969 by four session musicians known as The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. They had left nearby FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals to create their own recording facility.

<i>See All Her Faces</i> 1972 studio album by Dusty Springfield

See All Her Faces is the seventh studio album by singer Dusty Springfield, originally released on the Philips Records label in 1972. It contains a mixture of tracks from different recording sessions; some tracks were recorded with Jeff Barry for an aborted third album for Atlantic Records, other tracks were recorded for Philips in the UK between April and July 1970 – these came to be Springfield's final recordings with longtime producer and arranger Johnny Franz. Some, such as "Willie and Laura Mae Jones", recorded with Jerry Wexler, Tom Dowd and Arif Mardin, had been previously released as singles in the US. See All Her Faces collects many of those tracks, recorded from 1969 to 1971, placing seven of the British recordings on Side A, while Side B comprises tracks recorded both in the UK and the US. As a result, the album has no cohesive sound, but offers many different styles of music. The album boasts eight producers, including Springfield herself. It has been suggested that See All Her Faces is best appreciated track by track, rather than as a whole stylistic statement, as her album Dusty in Memphis is often praised to be.

<i>This Girls in Love with You</i> 1970 studio album by Aretha Franklin

This Girl's in Love with You is the sixteenth studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin, released on January 15, 1970 by Atlantic Records. It reached Billboard's Top 20 and was reissued on compact disc through Rhino Records in 1993. Her version of The Beatles' "Let It Be" was the first recording of the song to be commercially issued. Songwriter Paul McCartney sent Franklin and Atlantic Records a demo of the song as a guide.

<i>Soul 69</i> 1969 studio album by Aretha Franklin

Soul '69 is the fourteenth studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin released in 1969 by Atlantic Records, the album features covered material. The album charted at number 1 on Billboard's R&B albums chart and at number 15 on Billboard's Top Albums, but launched two largely unsuccessful singles, "Tracks of My Tears", which reached number 21 on "Black Singles" and number 71 on "Pop Singles", and "Gentle on My Mind", which charted at number 50 and number 76 respectively. The album was re-released on compact disc through Rhino Records in the 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barry Beckett</span> American keyboardist, session musician, record producer, and studio founder

Barry Edward Beckett was an American keyboardist, session musician, record producer, and studio founder. He is best known for his work with David Hood, Jimmy Johnson, and Roger Hawkins, his bandmates in the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, which performed with numerous notable artists on their studio albums and helped define the "Muscle Shoals sound".

"Call Me" is a song written and recorded by American singer Aretha Franklin. The song was co-produced by Jerry Wexler, Tom Dowd and Arif Mardin.

<i>Melody Fair</i> (album) 1970 studio album by Lulu

Melody Fair is an album recorded by Lulu in 1970 for a release on Atco Records. She had recorded her first album for Atco, New Routes, in the fall of 1969 under the production auspices of top Atlantic Records execs Jerry Wexler, Tom Dowd and Arif Mardin. Although New Routes had been a commercial disappointment, Wexler, Dowd and Mardin had Lulu record tracks for a follow-up album in March 1970 with virtually the same session personnel who had played on New Routes, although the latter album had been recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio and the 1970 sessions were recorded at Criteria Studios in Miami.

<i>New Routes</i> 1970 studio album by Lulu

New Routes is an album by Scottish singer Lulu recorded between 10 September and 2 October 1969 at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, one of that facility's earliest recordings, for a 16 January 1970 release.

<i>Chastity</i> (soundtrack) 1969 soundtrack album by Cher

Chastity is the first soundtrack album featuring American singer-actress Cher, released on June 1969 by Atco. It was released to promote and accompany the 1969 motion picture, Chastity. The album, like the film from which it came, was a commercial failure.

<i>The Train Im On</i> 1972 studio album by Tony Joe White

The Train I'm On was the fifth album released by Tony Joe White, and the second he released for Warner Brothers. It was produced by Jerry Wexler and Tom Dowd and recorded in 1972 at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, Muscle Shoals, Alabama.

<i>Muscle Shoals Nitty Gritty</i> 1970 studio album by Herbie Mann

Muscle Shoals Nitty Gritty is a 1970 album by jazz flutist Herbie Mann. It was released on Mann's Embryo Records label, and distributed by Cotillion Records, a division of Atlantic Records.

"Take Time to Know Her" is a song written by Steve Davis and performed by Percy Sledge. It reached #5 on the Canadian pop chart, #6 on the U.S. R&B chart, and #11 on the U.S. pop chart in 1968. It was featured on his 1968 album Take Time to Know Her.

<i>The Atlantic Singles Collection 1967–1970</i> 2018 compilation album by Aretha Franklin

The Atlantic Singles Collection 1967–1970 is a compilation album of singer Aretha Franklin, released by Rhino Records in September 2018. The album contains her first 17 singles for Atlantic Records released in the United States from her debut for the label "I Never Loved a Man " of February 1967 through "Border Song " of October 1970. The Amazon sales website identifies these as digitally remastered versions of the original mono issues, although that is not indicated in the set's liner notes or packaging. The original recordings were produced by Jerry Wexler, at times in collaboration with Tom Dowd and Arif Mardin.

References

  1. "3614 Jackson Highway Review". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 2009-02-04.
  2. "Cher - 3614 Jackson Highway | Rhino".
  3. "Atco Album Discography, Part 2". Bsnpubs.com. 2005-10-06. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 2011-08-03.