Downtown | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1985 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 37:12 | |||
Label | Warner Bros. | |||
Producer | T-Bone Burnett, Marshall Crenshaw, Larry Hirsch | |||
Marshall Crenshaw chronology | ||||
|
Downtown is the third album by singer/songwriter Marshall Crenshaw. Recorded after the relative failure of his album Field Day , Downtown was a departure from his previous albums due to its more rootsy sound.
The album received moderately positive reviews, though less positive than his previous work, and was commercially unsuccessful, peaking at number 113.
After the relative disappointment of Field Day, Crenshaw had unsuccessfully attempted to leave Warner Bros. Records. Because of the conditions under which the album was recorded, Crenshaw felt that the songs on the album had a "downcast vibe" to them. He recalled, "That was in a period where I was really having trouble finishing things, and even committing to finishing things. My brain was really pretty scrambled at that point in time. That was after Field Day, and the whole fallout with that, where there was a real sense of doom about my career. It was really weird. If somebody had been able to whisper in my ear back then and tell me that everything was going to be reasonably okay… I wish somebody would've been able to do that. I was really worried." [2]
Crenshaw decided to embark on a stylistic change from his previous albums, aiming for a more rootsy sound. This is seen in his choice of producer, T-Bone Burnett; Crenshaw explained, "That [change in style] was genuine because I was really obsessed with that kind of music. [Producer] T Bone Burnett is a brilliant guy. He was very focused, very serious. He was one of those people I crossed paths with back then who was super driven, super ambitious, someone who wasn't going to be denied or thwarted." [3]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [4] |
Robert Christgau | A− [5] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [6] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [7] |
Downtown was released in 1985 and featured three singles, "Little Wild One (No. 5)", "Blues Is King", and "The Distance Between". "Blues Is King" was inspired by the B.B. King album Blues Is King ; Crenshaw was mixed on the song, saying, "I was never 100 percent happy with the lyrics, but I always thought the music was really beautiful, and that the track was nice, too. I don't play that one much. I haven't played it probably since the record was out." [2]
Downtown was commercially less successful than its predecessors, hitting number 113 while its singles failed to chart. The album has received positive reception, with Robert Christgau calling it "well-crafted" and "fully imagined," though both Christgau and AllMusic rated Crenshaw's previous work higher.
All songs written by Marshall Crenshaw, except where noted.
"Blues is King" was produced by Mitch Easter and Marshall Crenshaw.
Marshall Howard Crenshaw is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and guitarist best known for hit songs such as "Someday, Someway," a US top 40 hit in 1982, "Cynical Girl," and "Whenever You're on My Mind." He is also the co-author of one of the biggest radio hits of the 1990s, the Gin Blossoms's "Til I Hear It from You." His music has roots in classic soul music and Buddy Holly, to whom Crenshaw was often compared in the early days of his career, and whom he portrayed in the 1987 film La Bamba.
Don Dixon is an American record producer, songwriter, and musician. He is considered to be one of the key producers of what is called the jangle pop movement of the early 1980s, including working with R.E.M. and The Smithereens.
Broken Blossom is the fourth studio album by American singer Bette Midler, her second album release in 1977 and her fifth on the Atlantic Records label. Just as Midler's three previous studio albums Broken Blossom includes songs from a wide variety of genres, ranging from Edith Piaf's signature tune "La vie en rose", Phil Spector-esque covers of Billy Joel's "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" and Harry Nilsson's "Paradise" and hard rock like Sammy Hagar's "Red", to a jazzy duet with Tom Waits, "I Never Talk to Strangers", and a rendition of "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes", originally from Walt Disney's 1950 film version of Cinderella. The album reached #51 on Billboard's album chart.
Marshall Crenshaw is the debut studio album by American musician Marshall Crenshaw. It was released on April 28, 1982, by Warner Bros. Records. Crenshaw, a performer in the musical Beatlemania, had begun to write songs for the album while staying in New York. The album was recorded with his backing band and producer Richard Gottehrer, engineer Thom Panunzio, and second engineer Jim Ball.
Midnight Lightning is a posthumous compilation album by American rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix. It was released in November 1975 by Reprise Records in the US and Polydor Records in the UK. It was the second to be produced by Alan Douglas and Tony Bongiovi and contains demo-type recordings that were overdubbed with musicians who had never played with Hendrix. Despite including reworkings of the popular live songs "Hear My Train" and "Machine Gun", the album was not as well received as its predecessor, peaking at numbers 43 in the US and 46 in the UK.
Wolf Tracks: The Best of Los Lobos is the third compilation album by the American rock band Los Lobos, released in 2006 by Rhino Records. It contains twenty tracks originally released between 1983 and 2002, except for the previously unissued album outtake "Border Town Girl".
Good Evening is a 1989 album by Marshall Crenshaw. Although critically well-received, it failed to chart.
Bobby Bland and B. B. King Together Again...Live is a live album recorded in 1976 at the Coconut Grove in Los Angeles by Bobby Bland and B. B. King.
Born to Laugh at Tornadoes is a 1983 album by the art-funk band Was. Rolling Stone declared it "conceptually, the best album of the year" shortly after its release. Despite the glowing reviews, Tornadoes made little commercial impact in a year dominated by Michael Jackson's Thriller and Prince's 1999.
No Better Than This is the 21st album by American singer-songwriter and musician John Mellencamp. Produced by T Bone Burnett, the album was released on August 17, 2010. It was recorded at several historic locations throughout the United States. The title track was the album's first single and was sent to multiple radio formats on June 28, 2010.
Field Day is the second album by American rock musician Marshall Crenshaw. Recorded quickly after the moderate success of his self-titled debut album, Field Day featured a change in style and production after Crenshaw switched producers from Richard Gottehrer to Steve Lillywhite. The recording of the album was remembered positively by Crenshaw as was the album's sound.
Closer to You is the 11th studio album by J. J. Cale, released in 1994. It was published under the independent French label Delabel and distributed by Virgin Records.
Songs for the Daily Planet is the 1994 debut album of American alternative country artist Todd Snider. It was released in 1994 via MCA Records.
Mary Jean & 9 Others is the fourth album by singer-songwriter Marshall Crenshaw. The album was produced by Don Dixon and features a return to the sounds of Crenshaw's earlier work after the country rock excursion of his previous album, Downtown.
Life's Too Short is the sixth album by singer/songwriter Marshall Crenshaw.
Miracle of Science is the seventh studio album by singer/songwriter Marshall Crenshaw, and his first studio effort for the indie imprint Razor & Tie. Having left the major labels to increase his creative control, Crenshaw produced the album and played most of the instruments.
#447 is the eighth studio album by rock artist Marshall Crenshaw. It was released in 1999 on Razor & Tie. It was re-released in 2021 on Shinytone, in both vinyl and CD formats. There are two bonus tracks on the re-released CD.
What's In The Bag? is the ninth studio album by singer/songwriter Marshall Crenshaw.
Jaggedland is the tenth studio album by the rock artist Marshall Crenshaw. It was released in 2009 on 429 Records.
"Blues Is King" is a 1985 song by American rock musician Marshall Crenshaw. The song was released on his 1985 album Downtown. Originally written as an instrumental titled "Bruce Is King," the song features lyrics inspired by the B.B. King album Blues Is King.