Mood Elevator

Last updated
Mood Elevator
JackLogan MoodElev.jpg
Studio album by
Jack Logan & Liquor Cabinet
ReleasedJanuary 16, 1996 (1996-01-16)
RecordedA barn in Royal Center, Indiana over a 10-day period
Genre Rock music
Length46:31
Label Medium Cool/Restless
Producer Peter Jesperson, Kelly Keneipp
Jack Logan & Liquor Cabinet chronology
Bulk
(1994)		Mood Elevator
(1996)		Little Private Angel
(1998)

Mood Elevator is the second album by the Winder, Georgia-based singer-songwriter Jack Logan, recorded in conjunction with a group of musicians known as Liquor Cabinet. It was released on January 16, 1996, on both Medium Cool Records (a Twin/Tone imprint) and Restless Records. As of 1999, it had sold 12,000 copies. [1]

Contents

Background and recording

Logan began writing songs in the 1980s, when virtually no one but him and his close friends knew about his musical career. He became famous after he was introduced to Peter Jesperson, the former manager of the Replacements, by Peter Buck, who picked 42 of his favorite songs of the hundreds Logan had written at that point. These songs were then released on Twin/Tone Records, in the form of the 1994 album Bulk. This same pool of songs was tapped into for the 17 tracks on Mood Elevator. [2] With regard to songwriting, Logan has said he considers his own life too uninteresting to write songs about, and so focuses on writing songs based on fictional characters instead. [2]

Unlike Logan's debut album, Bulk, the 17 songs on Mood Elevator were recorded in a 16-track studio that had been set up in a friend's barn in the small town of Royal Center, Indiana. During the first night of recording, Logan recalls wanting to test out the equipment, after which a member of Liquor Cabinet soon wrote a guitar part. Logan then wrote some lyrics to go with it, and the session ended up producing three of Mood Elevator's songs, which Logan wanted to record then because he was "aching to go". [3] Logan and Liquor Cabinet recorded a total of 36 songs in 10 days during the sessions. Half the album's songs were written prior to the start of recording, and the other half were written in the studio. [4]

Production

The album was co-produced by Peter Jesperson, who originally discovered Logan and picked out his favorite songs out of more than 600 to release as Logan's debut album, Bulk. This became Logan's big break, leading to appearances on The Today Show and Late Night With Conan O'Brien. [5] The other producer on Mood Elevator was Kelly Keneipp, who also performed guitar and keyboard on the album. [4]

Single

The album's first single was the song "Neon Tombstone", for which Logan also animated a video. [4]

Critical reception

Mood Elevator, like Bulk, received overwhelmingly favorable reviews from critics, including a four-star review from Rolling Stone , which they had also awarded to Bulk. [5] It was also reviewed favorably in People , in which its music was described as almost identical to that of Bulk, and which concluded, "Logan and company may not get high marks for originality, but something's working here." [6] Other favorable reviews included one in SF Weekly , where James Sullivan wrote that on Mood Elevator, "He [Logan] and his group identify the finer points of rock's more indulgent styles and condense them into hard, memorable nuggets," [7] and one in the Boston Phoenix, which described the album's songs as "fascinating fragments of stories and thoughts that are too real to ignore." [2] This critical acclaim led the Georgia House of Representatives to pass a bill commending Logan and Liquor Cabinet on March 15, 1996. [8] Geoffrey Himes wrote in the Washington Post that Mood Elevator "...lacks the breathtaking breadth of "Bulk," but it does boast half a dozen of Logan's finest efforts", and cited "Just Babies" and "Vintage Man" as among the album's best songs. [9]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [10]
Chicago Tribune Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [11]
Entertainment Weekly A [12]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [13]
Orlando Sentinel Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [14]
USA Today Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [15]

Track listing

  1. Teach Me The Rules
  2. Unscathed
  3. Chinese Lorraine
  4. When It All Comes Down
  5. My New Town
  6. Ladies And Gentlemen
  7. Just Babies
  8. Sky Won't Fall
  9. No Offense
  10. Another Life
  11. Estranged
  12. Neon Tombstone
  13. What's Tickling You
  14. What Was Burned
  15. Vintage Man
  16. Suicide Doors
  17. Bleed

Personnel

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Replacements (band)</span> American rock band

The Replacements were an American rock band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1979. Initially a hardcore punk band, they are one of the main pioneers of alternative rock. The band was composed of the guitarist and vocalist Paul Westerberg, guitarist Bob Stinson, bass guitarist Tommy Stinson and drummer Chris Mars for most of its existence. Following several acclaimed albums, including Let It Be and Tim, Bob Stinson was kicked out of the band in 1986, and Slim Dunlap joined as lead guitarist. Steve Foley replaced Mars in 1990. Towards the end of the band's career, Westerberg exerted more control over the creative output. The group disbanded in 1991, with the members eventually pursuing various projects. A reunion was announced on October 3, 2012. Fans affectionately refer to the band as The 'Mats, a nickname that originated as a truncation of "The Placemats," a mispronunciation of their name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">After Forever</span> Dutch metal band

After Forever was a Dutch symphonic metal band with strong progressive metal influences. The band relied on the use of both soprano vocals and death growls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy Stinson</span> American musician

Thomas Eugene Stinson is an American rock musician. He came to prominence in the 1980s as the bass guitarist for The Replacements, one of the definitive American alternative rock groups. After their breakup in 1991, Stinson formed Bash & Pop, acting as lead vocalist, guitarist and frontman. In the mid-1990s he was the singer and guitarist for the rock band Perfect, and eventually joined the hard rock band Guns N' Roses in 1998.

<i>The Colour of My Love</i> 1993 studio album by Celine Dion

The Colour of My Love is the twelfth studio album and third English-language album by Canadian singer Celine Dion. It was released by Sony Music on 9 November 1993. The songs were produced mainly by David Foster, Ric Wake, Guy Roche, Walter Afanasieff and Christopher Neil, and four of them were written by Diane Warren. The album features cover versions of "The Power of Love" and "When I Fall in Love".

<i>ATLiens</i> 1996 studio album by Outkast

ATLiens is the second studio album by American hip hop duo Outkast. It was released on August 27, 1996, by Arista Records and LaFace Records. From 1995 to 1996, Outkast recorded ATLiens in sessions at several Atlanta studios—Bosstown Recording Studios, Doppler Recording Studios, PatchWerk Recording Studio, Purple Dragon Studios, and Studio LaCoCo—as well as Chung King Recording Studio and Sound On Sound Recording in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lonestar</span> American country music group

Lonestar is an American country music group from Nashville, Tennessee. The group consists of Drew Womack, Michael Britt, Dean Sams, and Keech Rainwater (drums). Britt, Sams, and Rainwater co-founded the band in 1992 with original lead vocalist Richie McDonald and bass guitarist/vocalist John Rich. Rich exited the band in 1998 and went on to join Big Kenny as one-half of the duo Big & Rich. Since his departure, Lonestar has relied alternatingly on session and touring musicians for bass guitar accompaniment. McDonald exited the band in 2007 to record as a solo artist, and was replaced by former McAlyster vocalist Cody Collins before returning in 2011. McDonald left a second time in 2021 to join The Frontmen, with former Sons of the Desert lead vocalist Drew Womack replacing him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brendan Benson</span> American musician (born 1970)

Brendan Benson is an American musician and singer-songwriter. He plays guitar, bass guitar, keyboard, and drums. He has released eight solo albums and is a member of the band The Raconteurs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shenandoah (band)</span> American country music group

Shenandoah is an American country music band founded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, in 1984 by Marty Raybon, Ralph Ezell, Stan Thorn, Jim Seales, and Mike McGuire. Thorn and Ezell left the band in the mid-1990s, with Rocky Thacker taking over on bass guitar; Keyboardist Stan Munsey joined the line up in 1995, until his departure in 2018. The band split up in 1997 after Raybon left. Seales and McGuire reformed the band in 2000 with lead singer Brent Lamb, who was in turn replaced by Curtis Wright and then by Jimmy Yeary. Ezell rejoined in the early 2000s, and after his 2007 death, he was replaced by Mike Folsom. Raybon returned to the band in 2014. That same year, Jamie Michael replaced the retiring Jim Seales on lead guitar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alain Johannes</span> Chilean-American musician

Alain Johannes Mociulski is a Chilean-American multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, whose primary instruments are guitar and bass. He is a founding member of several bands, including the alternative rock group Eleven, and has been involved with acts such as hard rock band Queens of the Stone Age, Them Crooked Vultures, PJ Harvey, Chris Cornell, Arctic Monkeys, Mark Lanegan and The Desert Sessions, both as a musician and as a producer.

Jack Logan is an American singer-songwriter born in Greenville, Mississippi and raised in Lawrenceville, Illinois. He began recording, however, after moving to Winder, Georgia. He created two comic books in the 1980s, starring Peter Buck of R.E.M. as a superhero, and the connection to Peter Buck led to Twin/Tone Records' Peter Jesperson's interest in releasing some of Logan's material. He also drew a comic book that was included with LP copies of the Coolies second album, Doug.

<i>The Boys Light Up</i> 1980 studio album by Australian Crawl

The Boys Light Up is the debut album from Australian pub rock band Australian Crawl, which was released in 1980 and contains the title track, "The Boys Light Up", "Indisposed", "Downhearted" and their previously released debut single "Beautiful People". The album reached #4 on the Australian album charts and remained in the charts for an unbroken 101 weeks, eventually selling over 280 000 copies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Azar</span> American singer-songwriter

Stephen Thomas Azar is an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and philanthropist. Active since 1996, he has released a total of seven studio albums: one on the former River North Records, one on Mercury Nashville, and five independently. Azar has charted nine times on Billboard Hot Country Songs, most successfully with his late 2001-early 2002 hit "I Don't Have to Be Me ", which reached the number two position there. After leaving Mercury in 2005, Azar began recording independently; Slide On Over Here, his second independently-released album, charted the top-40 country singles "Moo La Moo" and "Sunshine " in 2009.

<i>Live: Wherever You Are</i> 2006 live album (with studio tracks) by Jack Ingram

Live: Wherever You Are is an album, released in 2006, by country music artist Jack Ingram. His first album for Big Machine Records, it is largely a live album, although it features two studio tracks respectively entitled "Wherever You Are" and "Love You", both of which were released as singles. The former became Ingram's breakthrough hit, having reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts in 2006.

<i>Im Movin On</i> (CeCe Peniston album) 1996 studio album by CeCe Peniston

I'm Movin' On is the third studio album recorded by American singer CeCe Peniston, released on September 9, 1996, by A&M Records. Taking Peniston's work deeper foray into mainstream R&B genre, A&M consulted a number of pop musicians to record with her, including Dave Hall, Gordon Chambers, and Andrea Martin. Other collaborated include DJ Steve "Silk" Hurley, Damon Thomas, Danny Sembello, Darryl Pearson, and Jorge "G-Man" Corante.

<i>Better Day</i> (album) 2011 studio album by Dolly Parton

Better Day is the forty-third solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on June 28, 2011, by Dolly Records and Warner Music Nashville. The album was produced by Parton and Kent Wells. To promote the album, Parton embarked on her Better Day World Tour. With 49 shows, the tour visited North America, Europe, and Australia.

Mike Henderson is an American singer-songwriter.

<i>Band of Brothers</i> (Willie Nelson album) 2014 studio album by Willie Nelson

Band of Brothers is the 63rd studio album by country music singer-songwriter Willie Nelson. The album marks Nelson's return to writing after sixteen years, with nine out of the fourteen tracks being new original songs.

<i>Fallen Angels</i> (Bob Dylan album) 2016 studio album by Bob Dylan

Fallen Angels is the 37th studio album by Bob Dylan, released by Columbia Records on May 20, 2016.

<i>The Late Show</i> (Son of the Velvet Rat album) 2018 live album by Son of the Velvet Rat

The Late Show is the ninth album from the Austrian rock band Son of the Velvet Rat.

<i>Bulk</i> (album) 1994 studio album by Jack Logan

Bulk is the debut album by the American indie rock musician Jack Logan, released in 1994. The album's 42 songs were chosen by Twin/Tone's Peter Jesperson from a pool of around 600, recorded over a period of more than 10 years; Jesperson had been alerted to Logan by Peter Buck.

References

  1. ↑ Siegler, Dylan (3 April 1999). "Capricorn Picks Up Jack Logan's "Buzz"". Billboard . Retrieved 5 July 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 Ashare, Matt (25 January 1996). "Repairman Jack Logan's Mood Elevator is on the rise". Boston Phoenix . Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  3. ↑ Moon, Tom (14 January 1996). "A Mechanic Who's Also A Songwriting Machine Jack Logan And His Rock Band Have Been Cranking Out The Material – To Critical Acclaim". Philly.com . Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 Bambarger, Bradley (16 December 1995). "Medium Cool's Logan on the Rise on "Mood Elevator"". Billboard. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
  5. 1 2 Crowe, Jerry (13 January 1996). "Jack Logan's Keeping His Day Job". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 5 July 2014.
  6. ↑ "Picks and Pans Review: Mood Elevator". People . 19 February 1996. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  7. ↑ Sullivan, James (6 March 1996). "Recordings". SF Weekly . Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  8. ↑ "HR 1300 – Logan, Jack and the band Liquor Cabinet; commend". Georgia House of Representatives – 1995/1996 Sessions.
  9. ↑ Himes, Geoffrey (26 January 1996). "Logan's Elevator: Take a Ride". The Washington Post .
  10. ↑ Mason, Stewart. "Mood Elevator Review". AllMusic . Retrieved 5 July 2014.
  11. ↑ Kot, Greg (25 January 1996). "Jack Logan Mood Elevator (Medium Cool/Restless)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
  12. ↑ Cannon, Bob (19 January 1996). "Mood Elevator (1996)". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved 5 July 2014.
  13. ↑ Cromelin, Richard (13 January 1996). "Jack Logan, "Mood Elevator"". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 5 July 2014.
  14. ↑ Gettelman, Parry (19 April 1996). "Jack Logan". Orlando Sentinel . Retrieved 5 July 2014.
  15. ↑ Gundersen, Edna (17 October 1996). "'Mood Elevator' rises higher". USA Today . Retrieved 5 July 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.