Hard Line (album)

Last updated
Hard Line
Hard.line.jpg
Studio album by
the Blasters
ReleasedFebruary 1985 (February 1985)
Genre Roots rock
Label Slash [1]
Producer Jeff Eyrich
the Blasters chronology
Non Fiction
(1983)		Hard Line
(1985)		The Blasters Collection
(1990)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Christgau's Record Guide A [3]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Spin Alternative Record Guide 7/10 [6]

Hard Line is the fourth album by the American roots rock band the Blasters, released in 1985. [7] [8] Dave Alvin quit the band shortly after the album's release. [9] The album peaked at No. 86 on the Billboard 200. [10]

Contents

The song "Dark Night" was featured in the film From Dusk Till Dawn . [11]

Production

The album was produced by Jeff Eyrich, who had attended the same high school as brothers Dave and Phil Alvin, the band's main songwriter and lead vocalist, respectively. [12] [13] John Cougar Mellencamp wrote and produced one song; Mellencamp's producer, Don Gehman, produced "Just Another Sunday". [12] The album was recorded in Los Angeles and Nashville. [14] Stan Lynch, David Hidalgo, and Larry Taylor appear on Hard Line. [15]

Critical reception

Trouser Press wrote that the "highlights include 'Trouble Bound' and 'Help You Dream', both featuring the Jordanaires." [16] The Washington Post thought that "Dave Alvin's songwriting has grown dramatically -- the melodies are finally as prominent as the rhythms, and the lyrics tell the hand-me-down stories of the best folk songs." [12] The Chicago Tribune called Dave Alvin "one of the most underrated lyricists in popular music." [17] The Los Angeles Times wrote that "the Blasters [have] become secure enough musically to lower the instrumental voltage and let Phil Alvin’s vocals take center stage." [18] The Sun Sentinel opined that "the Blasters sound as if they took a long trip through the United States and sponged up every pop music form they ran into." [19]

Track listing

All tracks written by Dave Alvin, except where noted.

No.TitleLength
1."Trouble Bound"3:48
2."Just Another Sunday" (Alvin, John Doe)4:15
3."Hey, Girl"3:11
4."Dark Night"3:51
5."Little Honey" (Alvin, Doe)3:35
6."Samson and Delilah" (Traditional)3:47
7."Colored Lights" (John Cougar Mellencamp)3:27
8."Help You Dream"3:40
9."Common Man"3:43
10."Rock & Roll Will Stand"2:38
Total length:35:55

Personnel

The Blasters

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References

  1. ↑ Popoff, Martin (September 8, 2009). Goldmine Record Album Price Guide. Penguin. ISBN   9781440229169 – via Google Books.
  2. ↑ Deming, Mark. "Hard Line – The Blasters". AllMusic . Retrieved October 30, 2007.
  3. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1990). "The Blasters: Hard Line". Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s . Pantheon Books. ISBN   0-679-73015-X . Retrieved October 30, 2007.
  4. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 1. MUZE. pp. 668–669.
  5. ↑ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. pp. 65–66.
  6. ↑ Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide . Vintage Books. ISBN   0-679-75574-8.
  7. ↑ "The Blasters | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  8. ↑ "A Testament to the Blasters". Perfect Sound Forever.
  9. ↑ "Dave Alvin". MTV News.[ dead link ]
  10. ↑ "The Blasters". Billboard.
  11. ↑ "5 essential songs from The Blasters to blast before the band's Long Beach show". March 21, 2018.
  12. 1 2 3 Himes, Geoffrey (March 14, 1985). "More Powerful Blasters" – via www.washingtonpost.com.
  13. ↑ Doe, John; DeSavia, Tom (June 4, 2019). More Fun in the New World: The Unmaking and Legacy of L.A. Punk. Hachette Books. ISBN   9780306922114 – via Google Books.
  14. ↑ "Spins". SPIN. SPIN Media LLC. June 12, 1985 – via Google Books.
  15. ↑ The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. March 12, 2003. ISBN   9781858284576 – via Google Books.
  16. ↑ "Blasters". Trouser Press. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  17. ↑ "THE BLASTERS ARE TAKING A HARD LINE ON THE MEANING OF POP PATRIOTISM". chicagotribune.com. 8 August 1985.
  18. ↑ "POP REVIEW : THE BLASTERS BROADEN THEIR SCOPE". Los Angeles Times. February 17, 1986.
  19. ↑ Benarde, Scott (15 March 1985). "JUST FOR THE RECORD, TAKE A CHANCE ON THESE". Sun-Sentinel.com.

Further reading

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