For the Country

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For the Country
For the Country.jpg
Studio album by
Dumptruck
Released1987
Genre Guitar pop, folk rock, country rock
Label Big Time
Producer Hugh Jones
Dumptruck chronology
Positively Dumptruck
(1986)		For the Country
(1987)		Days of Fear
(1994)

For the Country is the third album by the American band Dumptruck, released in 1987. [1] [2] The first single was "Going Nowhere". [3] The band supported the album with North American and European tours. [4] [5] It sold around 35,000 copies in its initial release, prior to Dumptruck's lawsuit against Big Time Records. [6] For the Country was reissued in 2003. [7]

Contents

Production

Produced by Hugh Jones, the album was recorded in Wales. [8] [9] The band lost two members prior to the recording sessions, with Kevin Salem and Tom Shad joining on guitar and bass, respectively. [3] Salem was attracted to the band because they encouraged an expansive Neil Young-sprawl to his playing. [10] Singer and guitar player Seth Tiven, who was influenced primarily by the songwriting of Phil Ochs and the Stooges, wrote most of the songs, and felt that the band was more open to trying new things in the studio. [3] Tiven thought that he wrote more when he was depressed. [8] B. J. Cole contributed on pedal steel. [11]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [11]
Alternative Rock 5/10 [12]
The Baltimore Sun Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [13]
Boston Herald Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Hartford Advocate Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [14]
Omaha World-Herald Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [15]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [16]

The Boston Globe noted that "at times [the album] evokes the spirit of the Byrds' late-60's psychedelic classic, Notorious Byrd Brothers ." [17] The St. Petersburg Times concluded that the band "does English guitar pop better than most of its counterparts across the Atlantic." [18] The Vancouver Sun labeled For the Country "a guitar-drenched dream, with soft, languid vocals and oodles of ringing guitar sounds." [19] The Baltimore Sun lamented the absence of cofounder Kirk Swan. [13]

The Toronto Star praised the "electric country-rock with definite psychedelic overtones." [20] The Gazette stated, "For the Country is virtually alone among recent rock releases in any sub-genre, a collection of songs that derives its power from thematic unification and quiet energy." [21] Mark Jenkins, of The Washington Post , listed the album among the ten best of 1987, calling it "spare, bittersweet but tuneful folk-rock". [22]

The Trouser Press Record Guide called For the Country "involving and unsettling". [23] In 2004, the Evansville Courier & Press opined that the album contained "the seeds of both the Gin Blossoms' jangle-pop and the Jayhawks' alternative country rock." [24]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Island" 
2."50 Miles" 
3."Friends" 
4."Carefree" 
5."Brush Me Back" 
6."Hung Out on a Line" 
7."Going Nowhere" 
8."For the Country" 
9."Dead Weight" 
10."Wire" 
11."Barking Up the Wrong Tree" 

References

  1. ↑ Hernon, Kurt (July 1999). "Dumptruck". Perfect Sound Forever.
  2. ↑ Brodeur, Scott (February 25, 1989). "Fiery Dumptruck at J.C. Dobbs". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. D3.
  3. 1 2 3 Strauss, Duncan (October 22, 1987). "Retooled Dumptruck Hits the Road". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 5.
  4. ↑ Jenkins, Mark (November 15, 1988). "Dumptruck". The Washington Post. p. C14.
  5. ↑ Pecorelli, John (November 13, 1987). "Dumptruck concert is rock at its hardcore best". The Daily Utah Chronicle. p. 8.
  6. ↑ Reger, Rick (January 13, 2004). "Dumptruck reissue conjures up the record industry's ugly past". Chicago Tribune. p. 5.1.
  7. 1 2 "Discs". The Edge. Boston Herald. December 27, 2003. p. 30.
  8. 1 2 Righi, Len (December 3, 1988). "Even Piled with Problems, Dumptruck Plows Ahead". The Morning Call. p. A69.
  9. ↑ Erskine, Evelyn (January 29, 1988). "Rock". The Ottawa Citizen. p. B6.
  10. ↑ Gordon, Robert (February 9, 1995). "Agony and the ecstasy". Rolling Stone. No. 701. p. 32.
  11. 1 2 "For the Country Review by Rick Anderson". AllMusic. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  12. ↑ Thompson, Dave (2000). Alternative Rock. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 782.
  13. 1 2 Anft, Michael (November 26, 1987). "Pop". The Baltimore Sun. p. 26G.
  14. ↑ Asanovic, Tomo (November 23, 1987). "On the Cutting Edge". Hartford Advocate. p. 32.
  15. ↑ Healy, James (October 18, 1987). "New Sounds". Entertainment. Omaha World-Herald. p. 30.
  16. ↑ DeCurtis, Anthony (January 1, 1988). "Record Reviews". Anchorage Daily News. Rolling Stone. p. F1.
  17. ↑ Morse, Steve (September 27, 1987). "Growing Number of 'Indies' Offer More Adventure on Vinyl". Arts and Film. The Boston Globe. p. 103.
  18. ↑ Snider, Eric (November 1, 1987). "Records". St. Petersburg Times. p. 2F.
  19. ↑ Mackie, John (February 6, 1988). "Dumptruck: For the Country". The Vancouver Sun. p. C6.
  20. ↑ Quill, Greg (January 15, 1988). "For the Country Dumptruck". Toronto Star. p. E9.
  21. ↑ Lepage, Mark (January 28, 1988). "Country-rock gem from little-known Dumptruck". The Gazette. p. B5.
  22. ↑ "Critics Choice: The Top Ten Times Five". Weekend. The Washington Post. January 1, 1988. p. 13.
  23. ↑ Robbins, Ira A., ed. (1991). The Trouser Press Record Guide (4th ed.). Collier Books. pp. 206–207.
  24. ↑ Wilson, Mark (January 4, 2004). "CD Reviews". Evansville Courier & Press. p. M2.
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