Never Home

Last updated
Never Home
Freedy Johnston - Never Home.jpg
Studio album by
Freedy Johnston
ReleasedFebruary 25, 1997
Genre Alternative
Length40:19
Label Elektra
Producer Danny Kortchmar
Freedy Johnston chronology
This Perfect World
(1994)		Never Home
(1997)		 Blue Days Black Nights
(1999)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [1]
Robert Christgau A− [2]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [3]

Never Home is the fourth album by singer-songwriter Freedy Johnston. It was released in 1997 on Elektra Records. Johnston credited producer Danny Kortchmar with imparting a more spontaneous, live-sounding feel to this album than its predecessor, This Perfect World .

Contents

The leadoff track, "On the Way Out," is a wry song about shoplifting. It's a re-recorded version of a song that appeared on the soundtrack to the movie Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead . (He had originally written it for the movie Empire Records , but it was not accepted.) It and "One More Thing to Break" are the only two songs on the album that have much of a rock edge.

"Western Sky" is about a man afraid to fly because of the death of his father in a crash. Johnston doesn't typically use events in the lives of friends as inspiration for his songs, but this is an exception. He was a little uncomfortable with the notion of having "exploited" a friend, although he noted that the friend had no problem with the song. [4]

Another highlight, "Gone to See the Fire," concerns a woman gradually working out a very disturbing secret about her boyfriend. "If It's True" wrestles with unplanned pregnancy.

"Something's Out There," a fairly light song about UFO abduction, is a rare collaboration for Johnston. He wrote it with Stan Lynch, the album's drummer, who is best known for his work with Tom Petty.

Cellist Jane Scarpantoni, a frequent Johnston collaborator, appears on two tracks.

Track listing

All songs written by Freedy Johnston, except where noted.

  1. "On the Way Out" – 2:48
  2. "I'm Not Hypnotized" – 3:14
  3. "Western Sky" – 4:29
  4. "One More Thing to Break" – 3:42
  5. "He Wasn't Murdered" – 3:11
  6. "You Get Me Lost" – 4:31
  7. "Hotel Seventeen" – 3:36
  8. "Gone to See the Fire" – 3:12
  9. "Seventies Girl" – 4:05
  10. "If It's True" – 4:00
  11. "Something's Out There" (Johnston, Stan Lynch) – 3:31

Personnel

Related Research Articles

<i>Home Is Where the Heart Is</i> (David Cassidy album) 1976 studio album by David Cassidy

Home Is Where the Heart Is is the second album released on RCA Records by David Cassidy. It was released in 1976 and was produced by Cassidy and Bruce Johnston. Although critically well received, the album did not chart in any country. The album is noted in particular for Cassidy's recording of Paul McCartney's song "Tomorrow" which McCartney rated as taking the song to its ultimate potential.

<i>Hold Out</i> 1980 studio album by Jackson Browne

Hold Out is the sixth album by American singer-songwriter Jackson Browne, released in 1980. Although critically the album has not been as well received as other Browne recordings, it remains his only album to date to reach number 1 on the Billboard chart.

<i>I Cant Stand Still</i> 1982 studio album by Don Henley

I Can't Stand Still is the debut solo studio album by American musician Don Henley, drummer and co-lead vocalist for the Eagles. It was released in 1982 by Asylum Records. Henley, Danny Kortchmar and Greg Ladanyi produced the album. I Can't Stand Still achieved gold status, and peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard 200 and at the same position on the UK Albums Chart. Three singles were released from the album, including the hit "Dirty Laundry", which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became Henley's best-selling single. The title track "I Can't Stand Still" reached number No. 48 and the controversial track "Johnny Can't Read" reached No. 42 on the charts. The album showcased some of Henley's frustrations at the time. "Dirty Laundry" displays his disgust with the media and tabloid news coverage, and "Johnny Can't Read," shows his displeasure with the American educational system.

<i>Building the Perfect Beast</i> 1984 studio album by Don Henley

Building the Perfect Beast is the second solo studio album by Don Henley. The album was released on November 19, 1984 on the Geffen Records label. A commercial and critical success, it is generally regarded as the culmination of the smoother, more adult-oriented sound of Henley's solo work.

<i>The End of the Innocence</i> (album) 1989 studio album by Don Henley

The End of the Innocence is the third solo studio album by Don Henley, the co-lead vocalist and drummer for the Eagles. The album was released in 1989, on Geffen Records, and would be his last release on that label. It was also his last solo album of the 1980s and it would be eleven years before he released another solo album, 2000's Inside Job.

<i>Lawyers in Love</i> 1983 studio album by Jackson Browne

Lawyers in Love is the seventh album by American singer-songwriter Jackson Browne, released in 1983. It reached number 8 on the Billboard Pop album chart and number 30 on the Billboard 200. It was Browne's fourth straight Top 10 album and stayed on the charts for 33 weeks. Out of eight tracks, four were released as singles. The title song was a top-20 pop hit for Browne, and was accompanied by one of his first music videos released on MTV.

<i>Lives in the Balance</i> 1986 studio album by Jackson Browne

Lives in the Balance is the eighth album by American singer/songwriter Jackson Browne, released in 1986. It reached number 23 on The Billboard 200 chart. The title track as well as "For America" and "In the Shape of a Heart" were released as singles. The album was ranked number 88 on Rolling Stone's list of the best 100 albums of the 1980s. The album reached number 2 in Sweden.

<i>Sandman</i> (album) 1976 studio album by Nilsson

Sandman is the twelfth studio album by American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson, released in January 1976 on RCA Victor.

Freedy Johnston Musical artist

Freedy Johnston is a New York City–based singer-songwriter originally from Kinsley, Kansas.

Stan Lynch Musical artist

Stanley Joseph "Stan" Lynch is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He was the original drummer for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers for 18 years until his departure in 1994.

<i>This Perfect World</i> 1994 studio album by Freedy Johnston

This Perfect World is the third album by singer-songwriter Freedy Johnston. It was released in 1994 on Elektra Records.

<i>Can You Fly</i> 1992 studio album by Freedy Johnston

Can You Fly is the second album by singer-songwriter Freedy Johnston. It was released in 1992 on Bar/None Records. Can You Fly appeared on Fast Folk's year-end list of the ten best albums of 1992, and The Village Voice's Robert Christgau later dubbed it "a perfect album".

<i>Enchanted</i> (Stevie Nicks album) 1998 box set by Stevie Nicks

Enchanted is a three disc box set of material by American singer-songwriter and Fleetwood Mac vocalist Stevie Nicks, which encompasses her solo career from 1981's Bella Donna to 1994's Street Angel.

<i>Lukather</i> 1989 studio album by Steve Lukather

Lukather is the debut solo studio album by Toto guitarist Steve Lukather, released on August 28, 1989.

The Heart of the Matter (song) Song by Don Henley, Mike Campbell and J.D. Souther

"The Heart of the Matter" is a song recorded by American rock singer Don Henley from his third solo studio album, The End of the Innocence (1989). Written by Henley, Mike Campbell, and J. D. Souther and produced by Henley, Campbell, and Danny Kortchmar, the song was released as the album's third single, reaching No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks in early 1990.

<i>Roll of the Dice</i> 1995 studio album by The Fabulous Thunderbirds

Roll of the Dice is a 1995 studio album by Texas-based blues rock band The Fabulous Thunderbirds, their second without Jimmie Vaughan.

<i>Right Between the Promises</i> 2001 studio album by Freedy Johnston

Right Between the Promises is the sixth studio album by singer-songwriter Freedy Johnston. It was released in 2001 on Elektra Records.

<i>Live at McCabes Guitar Shop</i> (Freedy Johnston album) 2006 live album by Freedy Johnston

Live at McCabe's Guitar Shop is a live album by singer-songwriter Freedy Johnston. It was recorded in 1998 and released in 2006 on Shout! Factory Records.

<i>Rain on the City</i> 2010 studio album by Freedy Johnston

Rain on the City is the eighth studio album by singer-songwriter Freedy Johnston. It was released in 2010 on Bar/None Records. It is Johnston's first album of original material since 2001's Right Between the Promises.

<i>Neon Repairman</i> 2015 studio album by Freedy Johnston

Neon Repairman is the ninth studio album by singer-songwriter Freedy Johnston, as well as his first self-produced album. It was released in 2015 on Singing Magnet Records. Robbie Fulks wrote that on the album, "The music is played with hearts out and dicks in, to coin a phrase that I sincerely hope does not catch on." Peter Gerstenzang of City Pages called the album "another stunning collection brimming with both indelible melodies and wonderfully seedy characters."

References

  1. ↑ Ankeny, Jason. Never Home at AllMusic. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  2. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "Freedy Johnston". Robert Christgau . Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  3. ↑ DeCurtis, Anthony. "Never Home", Rolling Stone , March 6, 1997, p. 70.
  4. ↑ "Triste" . Retrieved 4 August 2015.
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.