| Pages of Life | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 16, 1990 | |||
| Recorded | 1989 | |||
| Genre | Country, country rock | |||
| Length | 40:04 | |||
| Label | MCA/Curb | |||
| Producer | Ed Seay, Paul Worley | |||
| The Desert Rose Band chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Pages of Life | ||||
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Pages of Life is the third studio album by American country rock group The Desert Rose Band. It was released January 16, 1990, via MCA/Curb, and produced by Paul Worley and Ed Seay. [1]
Upon release, Pages of Life proved to be the Desert Rose Band's most commercially successful album, but also their final charting studio album. Pages of Life peaked at number 17 on the Top Country Albums chart, and was also the band's only album to enter the American Billboard 200 Albums Chart, where it reached number 187. [2] It lasted within the Top 200 for a total of four weeks. [3]
The album spawned three singles. The lead single, "Start All Over Again", peaked at number 6 on the US Hot Country Songs chart and number 3 on the Canada RPM Country Tracks chart. [4] [5] "In Another Lifetime" was the second single, reaching number 13 in the US and number 18 in Canada. [2] [6] The final single, "Story of Love", proved to be the band's final Top 30 single, peaking at number 10 in the US and number 6 in Canada. [4] [7]
Speaking to the Little Rock Gazette in 1990, guitarist John Jorgenson said of the album: "Maybe what happened is that we had a hand in mixing this album, so those rock elements came out a little more. We wanted this one to sound like we do on stage. It's a little more aggressive. The lines in country music are so stretched that it's difficult to say when something is country and something is rock. But people see we have some traditional country roots, even if it's not real obvious." [8] Chris Hillman commented in an MCA press release of the band at this point in their career: ""Start All Over Again" is the result of three year of evolving; it's where we've come to and I think it's a real solid unit. We're a real good band that plays together. We have songs of substance that are played real well - and we have a passion for this music, which you can hear." [9]
Six of the tracks were written by Hillman and his usual collaborator Steve Hill. "Missing You" was later re-recorded by Hillman and Herb Pedersen for the 2005 various artists compilation Songs for Sophie: A Collings Collective. [10] "Just a Memory" was the only Desert Rose Band song to feature a writing credit to John Jorgenson. "Darkness on the Playground" contained an anti-drug message. [11] The album featured two remakes. "Our Baby's Gone" is a remake of Pedersen's folk song about his daughter which was originally recorded with Emmylou Harris for his 1976 album Southwest, [12] and this song features Pedersen on lead vocal. "Desert Rose", written by Hillman and Bill Wildes, originally appeared on Hillman's 1984 album Desert Rose. [13] In an MCA press release, Hillman described "Story of Love" as "basic 2/4 bluegrass". He added: "But then you take a song like "In Another Lifetime" and you've got John Jorgenson playing guitar like Eric Clapton." [9]
During 1990, the band embarked on a tour to promote the album and also spent a week in Las Vegas opening for the Oak Ridge Boys. As a marketing attempt the album cover, as well as the band's publicity photos featured only Hillman, Jorgenson, and Pedersen. Jorgenson explained: "That was some kind of marketing deal, done on the theory that the audience could recall three of us easier than six guys. But the other guys are full-fledged members of the band and they all make a big contribution." [8] A music video was created for "In Another Lifetime", and the band made TV appearances for the three singles, which included such shows as Nashville Now. [14]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Los Angeles Times |  [15] |
Upon release, Randy Lewis of the Los Angeles Times wrote: "Is there a better country-rock band around today than Chris Hillman's? When you listen to the group's sure-footed third album, it's hard to think of any. As the title suggests, there is plenty of meaty material here. Fortunately, it is pages of life, not the whole book, that the band addresses, and by keeping the focus tight, the album succeeds in tackling big issues in modest ways." [15] Ken Rosenbaum of The Toledo Blade commented: "Chris Hillman's group takes the same mixture of country and easy rock that worked for him before and, with some evolution, rides it to the top again. Where it shines the most is in the biting lyrics and dare-to-confront stance of social concern. Pages of Life is a satisfying collection that you'll enjoy giving many readings." [16]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Story of Love" | Steve Hill, Chris Hillman | 2:32 |
| 2. | "Start All Over Again" | Hill, Hillman | 4:29 |
| 3. | "Missing You" | Hillman, Tom Russell, Richard Sellars | 3:51 |
| 4. | "Just a Memory" | Hillman, John Jorgenson | 3:31 |
| 5. | "God's Plan" | Hill, Hillman | 4:10 |
| 6. | "Darkness on the Playground" | Hill, Hillman | 4:53 |
| 7. | "Our Baby's Gone" | Herb Pedersen | 2:44 |
| 8. | "Time Passes Me By" | Hill, Hillman | 3:01 |
| 9. | "Everybody's Hero" | Hillman, Michael Woody | 3:18 |
| 10. | "In Another Lifetime" | Hill, Hillman | 4:50 |
| 11. | "Desert Rose" | Hillman, Bill Wildes | 2:45 |
Desert Rose Band
Production
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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Christopher Hillman is an American musician. He was the original bassist of and one of the original members of the Byrds, which in 1965 included Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, David Crosby and Michael Clarke.
The Desert Rose Band was an American country rock band from Los Angeles, California, founded in 1985 by Chris Hillman, with Herb Pedersen and John Jorgenson. The original lineup included Bill Bryson on bass guitar, JayDee Maness on pedal steel guitar, and Steve Duncan on drums. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the band charted several hit singles on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts until disbanding in February 1994.
Desert rose may refer to:
"That's All" is a song by English rock band Genesis. It is a group composition and appears as the second track on their 1983 album Genesis. It was the album's second single after "Mama". On June 17, 1993, MCA Records re-issued and re-released the song as a CD and "HiQ" cassette single.
John Richard Jorgenson is an American musician. Although best known for his guitar work with bands such as the Desert Rose Band and The Hellecasters, he is also proficient on the mandolin, mandocello, Dobro, pedal steel guitar, piano, upright bass, clarinet, bassoon, and saxophone. While a member of the Desert Rose Band, he won the Academy of Country Music's "Guitarist of the Year" award three consecutive years.
"Start All Over Again" is a song written by Chris Hillman and Steve Hill and recorded by the American country music group The Desert Rose Band. It was released in November 1989 as the first single from the album Pages of Life. The song reached number 6 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.
"Story of Love" is a song written by Chris Hillman and Steve Hill, and recorded by American country music group The Desert Rose Band. The song was produced by Paul Worley and Ed Seay, and released in July 1990 as the third and final single from the band's third studio album Pages of Life.
The Desert Rose Band is the debut studio album by the American country rock group of the same name. It was released June 2, 1987 via MCA/Curb. The album peaked at #24 on the Top Country Albums chart.
Running is the second studio album by American country rock group The Desert Rose Band. It was released September 6, 1988 via MCA/Curb. The album peaked at number 26 on the Top Country Albums chart.
A Dozen Roses – Greatest Hits is the first compilation album by American country rock group The Desert Rose Band. It was released January 4, 1991, via MCA/Curb. The album peaked at number 44 on the Top Country Albums chart.
"In Another Lifetime" is a song recorded by American country music group The Desert Rose Band. It was released in February 1990 as the second single from the band's third studio album Pages of Life. The song was written by Chris Hillman and Steve Hill, and produced by Paul Worley and Ed Seay.
Life Goes On is the fifth and final album by the country rock band The Desert Rose Band, released by Curb in 1993. The album, produced by Paul Worley and Ed Seay, was the only one from the band not to be issued in North America.
True Love is the fourth album by the country rock band The Desert Rose Band, released in 1991. The album was released by the Curb record label, failing to make an impact on the American Country charts.
"You Can Go Home" is a song by the American country rock band The Desert Rose Band, which was released in 1991 as the lead single from their fourth studio album True Love. It was written by Chris Hillman and Jack Tempchin, and produced by Tony Brown.
"Will This Be the Day" is a song recorded by American country music group The Desert Rose Band. It was released in January 1991 as the first single from their compilation album A Dozen Roses – Greatest Hits. The song was written by Chris Hillman and Steve Hill, and produced by Ed Seay and Paul Worley.
"What About Love" is a song by American country rock band The Desert Rose Band, which was released in 1993 as the lead single from their fifth and final studio album Life Goes On. The song was written by Chris Hillman and Steve Hill, and produced by Paul Worley and Ed Seay. "What About Love" peaked at No. 71 on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.
"Come a Little Closer" is a song by the American country rock band The Desert Rose Band, which was released in 1991 as the second and final single from their first compilation album A Dozen Roses – Greatest Hits. It was written by Chris Hillman and Steve Hill, and produced by Ed Seay and Paul Worley.
"Twilight Is Gone" is a song by the American country rock band The Desert Rose Band, released in 1991 as the second and final single from their fourth studio album True Love. It was written by Chris Hillman and Steve Hill, and produced by Tony Brown.
Chris Hillman is an American musician and songwriter. In addition to his solo albums and his recordings with the Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers, and the Desert Rose Band, he has been featured as a collaborator with and composer for many other artists.
JayDee Maness is an American pedal steel guitarist who is a veteran session musician in Los Angeles. He is known for his work with Gram Parsons, the Byrds, Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, Ray Stevens, Vince Gill, and the Desert Rose Band. Maness received The Academy of Country Music's "Steel Guitarist of the Year" award 18 times and was inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 2003.
