Beneath This Gruff Exterior | ||||
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Studio album by John Hiatt & The Goners | ||||
Released | May 6, 2003 | |||
Recorded | 2002–03 | |||
Studio | Blackbird (Nashville, Tennessee) | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 50:00 | |||
Label | New West [1] | |||
Producer | Don Smith, John Hiatt, The Goners | |||
John Hiatt & The Goners chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
The Guardian | [3] |
Uncut | [4] |
Beneath This Gruff Exterior is singer-songwriter John Hiatt's seventeenth album, released on May 6, 2003. It was his first album with New West Records, and it was also the only album on which backing band The Goners received front cover credit along with Hiatt (although The Goners had previously backed Hiatt on 1988's Slow Turning and 2001's The Tiki Bar Is Open ).
All tracks written by John Hiatt
and The Goners:
with:
John Robert Hiatt is an American singer-songwriter. He has played a variety of musical styles on his albums, including new wave, blues, and country. Hiatt has been nominated for nine Grammy Awards and has been awarded a variety of other distinctions in the music industry.
Clide Vernon "Sonny" Landreth is an American blues musician from southwest Louisiana who is especially known as a slide guitar player. He was born in Canton, Mississippi, and settled in Lafayette, Louisiana. He lives in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana.
With a Little Help from My Friends is the debut album by singer-songwriter Joe Cocker, released in late April 1969. It was certified gold in the US and peaked at number 35 on the Billboard 200. In the UK, the album charted in May 1972 at number 29 when it was re-released as a double pack with Cocker's second LP Joe Cocker!.
Overcoats is singer-songwriter John Hiatt's second album, released in 1975. It is his second and last album for Epic Records.
Slug Line is the third album by John Hiatt, released in 1979. It was the first of two albums with MCA Records. It was his first charting album, reaching No. 202 on Billboard's album charts, and also the highest-charting album during his first 15 years as a recording artist.
All of a Sudden is singer-songwriter John Hiatt's fifth album, released in 1982. It was the first of three albums with Geffen Records.
Riding with the King is singer-songwriter John Hiatt's sixth album, released in 1983. It was the second of three albums with Geffen Records. Ron Nagle and Scott Mathews produced side one of the album at The Pen in San Francisco, with Mathews himself playing all instruments and providing all the background vocals. The second side of the album was produced by Nick Lowe at Eden Studios in London with the musicians known as the Cowboy Outfit that Lowe recorded two albums with in the mid-1980s.
Warming Up to the Ice Age is singer-songwriter John Hiatt's seventh album, released in 1985. It was his last album with Geffen Records, who dropped Hiatt after the album failed to chart. It was the last Hiatt studio album to miss the Billboard 200. "The Usual" would later be covered by Bob Dylan and by George Thorogood & The Destroyers. "Living a Little, Laughing a Little", originally a hit for The Spinners, was a duet with Elvis Costello.
Slow Turning is singer-songwriter John Hiatt's ninth album, released in 1988. It provided Hiatt's only significant radio hit with the title track. The single "Slow Turning" was also featured in the 2002 motion picture drama The Rookie which starred Dennis Quaid. "Feels Like Rain" was later covered by Buddy Guy on an album of the same name and was featured in the 2004 Kate Hudson movie Raising Helen. Aaron Neville also covered "Feels Like Rain" on his 1991 album "Warm Your Heart". "Drive South" became a No. 2 country hit for Suzy Bogguss in early 1993. "Icy Blue Heart" was covered by Emmylou Harris on her 1989 album Bluebird, with backing vocals by Bonnie Raitt, and was covered later by Linda Ronstadt on her 1998 album We Ran. Ilse DeLange recorded "It'll Come To You"" and "Feels Like Rain" on her live album "Dear John". During the barroom scene in the film "Thelma and Louise", the band is playing "Tennessee Plates".
Stolen Moments is singer-songwriter John Hiatt's tenth album, released in 1990. It was his highest charting solo album upon its release, peaking at No. 61. Joan Baez later covered "Through Your Hands" on her 1992 album Play Me Backwards, and David Crosby covered it on his 1993 record Thousand Roads. Don Henley's version reached No. 33 on the US Billboard charts and appeared in the film Michael. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band covered "The Rest of the Dream" on a 1990 album of the same title. Ilse DeLange recorded "Child of the Wild Blue Yonder" on her live album Dear John.
Crossing Muddy Waters is singer-songwriter John Hiatt's fifteenth album, released in 2000. A raw album recorded with no drummer, it is purely an acoustic album that brought elements of bluegrass music into his Americana sound. It was nominated for a Grammy award in 2001 for Best Contemporary Folk Album.
The Tiki Bar is Open is singer-songwriter John Hiatt's sixteenth album released on September 11, 2001. It was his last album with Vanguard Records. *Although they are uncredited, the album features backing band The Goners, the same cadre of friends who backed Hiatt in his 1988 release Slow Turning.
"Hermann ♥'s Pauline" is the sixth single by Super Furry Animals and the first to be released from their second album Radiator. It reached #26 on the UK Singles Chart on its release in May 1997.
"(Drawing) Rings Around the World" is a song by Super Furry Animals and was the second single taken from the band's fifth album, Rings Around the World. The track reached number 28 on the UK Singles Chart on release in October 2001. Singer Gruff Rhys has described the song as being about "rings of communication around the world. All the rings of pollution".
Songs from the Road is a posthumous released live blues album by Jeff Healey. It was released in July, 2009. This album was released over a year after his death, and contains hits and covers. As noted by one reviewer, "...the blind musician will be remembered best for playing searing guitar on his lap, looking like a pedal steel guitar man gone mad. Songs from the Road...captures Healey's gift for energizing rock and blues tunes with powerful, sometimes blistering guitar work. It's a talent that occasionally sneaks up on the listener." Randy Bachman was invited to join the band on stage on one song, Hoochie Coochie Man.
Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns is an album by John Hiatt, released in August 2011 on the New West label. It was produced by Kevin Shirley.
The Open Road is an album by John Hiatt, released in 2010 through the record label New West. It is his 21st album.
Mystic Pinball is the twenty-first solo studio album by American musician John Hiatt. It was released on September 25, 2012 via New West Records. Recording sessions took place at Ben's Studio in Nashville. Production was handled by Kevin Shirley. It features contributions from Doug Henthorn, Brandon Young, Doug Lancio, Russ Pahl, Patrick O'Hearn, Kenneth Blevins, Arlan Schierbaum and Ron Dziubla.
Doug Lancio is an American guitarist and record producer, based in Nashville, Tennessee. He has worked with a wide range of artists including John Hiatt, Nanci Griffith, Patty Griffin and Bob Dylan.
Kenneth Blevins is an American drummer and percussionist known primarily for his session work. As a session drummer, he has contributed to the work of many well-known artists.