Perfectly Good Guitar

Perfectly Good Guitar
Studio album by John Hiatt
Released	September 7, 1993
Studio	Conway Studios, Hollywood, CA Ocean Way Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA
Genre	Rock
Length	52:31 / 57:30
Label	A&M [1]
Producer	Matt Wallace
John Hiatt chronology
Stolen Moments (1990) Perfectly Good Guitar (1993) Hiatt Comes Alive at Budokan? (1994)
Singles from Perfectly Good Guitar
"Perfectly Good Guitar" Released: 1993 "Something Wild" Released: 1993 "Buffalo River Home" Released: 1994

Perfectly Good Guitar is singer-songwriter John Hiatt's eleventh album, released in 1993. It was his last studio album with A&M Records, despite it being Hiatt's highest-charting album in the US (No. 47), Canada (No. 34), the UK (No. 67), the Netherlands (No. 13), and Sweden (No. 11). The European edition of the album contains the bonus track "I'll Never Get Over You." Iggy Pop first issued the song "Something Wild" on his 1990 album, Brick by Brick . Hiatt toured in support of the album. ^[2] The tour lasted 13 months. ^[3]

Recording and release

The album was recorded in two weeks at the Conway Studios, and Ocean Way Recording Studios, both in Hollywood, CA. ^[4] It was produced by Matt Wallace. ^{[5] [6]}

Perfectly Good Guitar was released by A&M Records on September 7, 1993. ^{[4] [7] [8]} The album debuted and peaked at No. 47 on the Billboard 200 chart. ^[9] "Perfectly Good Guitar" was the first single released. ^[4] The song was inspired by a televised performance by Nirvana, where the band's bassist Krist Novoselic threw his bass into the air, intending for it to fall and shatter on the ground, but instead, the instrument ended up hitting him on the head. ^[10] The single debuted at No. 37, ^[11] and peaked at No. 16 on the Mainstream Rock chart. ^[12] The second single was "Something Wild," it debuted and peaked at No. 31 on the Mainstream Rock chart. ^[13] The third single was "Buffalo River Home." ^{[14] [15]} The single failed to chart, but a music video was made for it, directed by Paula Greif. ^[16]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[17]
Robert Christgau	[18]
Rolling Stone	[19]

Troy J. Augusto of Cash Box calls the album a "loose, windswept and jumping affair that sees Hiatt kick out an assortment of musicals jams, making for his most satisfying album in many a moon." ^[20] AllMusic's Stewart Mason writes that producer Matt Wallace gives a "Neil Young-style guitar crunch to most of the songs," and that Hiatt "seems to borrow not only Young's guitar sound, but also his sloppy, inconsistent songwriting for this album," adding "John Hiatt has released far worse albums than Perfectly Good Guitar, but given how terrific about a third of the songs are, this album's one of his more frustrating efforts." ^[7]

Track listing

All tracks are written by John Hiatt, except where noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Something Wild"		4:31
2.	"Straight Outta Time"		4:30
3.	"Perfectly Good Guitar"		4:38
4.	"Buffalo River Home"		5:11
5.	"Angel"		3:18
6.	"Blue Telescope"		4:21
7.	"Cross My Fingers"		4:02
8.	"Old Habits"	John Hiatt, Marshall Chapman	4:42
9.	"The Wreck of the Barbie Ferrari"		4:35
10.	"When You Hold Me Tight"		5:23
11.	"Permanent Hurt"		3:22
12.	"Loving a Hurricane"		3:58
Total length:			52:31

European edition bonus track

No.	Title	Length
13.	"I'll Never Get Over You"	4:36
Total length:		57:30

Charts

Chart (1993)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA Charts) [21]	83

Personnel

• John Hiatt – guitar, vocals, piano, organ
• Brian MacLeod – drums, percussion
• John Pierce – bass guitar
• Dennis Locorriere – harmony vocals
• Michael Ward – guitar
• Ravi Oli – electric sitar [Ravi Oli is a pseudonym of David Immerglück]

References

1. Sentinel, Parry Gettelman, Orlando (31 December 1993). "HARDER-EDGED JOHN HIATT IS READY FOR A THING CALLED FAME". chicagotribune.com.
2. "Billboard - April 9, 1994" (PDF). Billboard . 9 April 1994. p. 1 – via World Radio History.
3. "John Hiatt Struts His Stuff On Capitol Set 'Walk On'" (PDF). Billboard . 16 September 1995. p. 40 – via World Radio History.
4. Newman, Melinda (4 September 1993). "Hiatt's A Storyteller On New Set" (PDF). Billboard . p. 14 – via World Radio History.
5. Newman, Melinda (31 July 1993). "Upcoming Releases Rise To The Top; Garth Sparks Barbecues & Boycotts" (PDF). Billboard . p. 12 – via World Radio History.
6. "Gloria Days; Raitt Writing New Material; New Koz For Celebration; Mechanic Line" (PDF). Billboard . 13 March 1993. p. 21 – via World Radio History.
7. Mason, Stewart. "Perfectly Good Guitar Review by Stewart Mason". AllMusic .
8. "Ocean Voyage" (PDF). Billboard . 10 July 1993. p. 50 – via World Radio History.
9. "Billboard 200 - Week of September 25, 1993". Billboard .
10. Steinberg, Jacques (19 October 2008). "The Case of John Hiatt: The Lyrics? Pretty Familiar. The Performer? Less So". The New York Times .
11. "Billboard Album Rock Tracks" (PDF). Billboard . 25 September 1997. p. 88 – via World Radio History.
12. "Billboard Album Rock Tracks" (PDF). Billboard . 30 October 1993. p. 82 – via World Radio History.
13. "Billboard Album Rock Tracks" (PDF). Billboard . 29 January 1994. p. 96 – via World Radio History.
14. "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard . 2 April 1994. p. 53 – via World Radio History.
15. "Who says we're not Country?" (PDF). RPM . 18 September 1993. p. 26 – via World Radio History.
16. "Production Notes" (PDF). Billboard . 12 February 1994. p. 35 – via World Radio History.
17. Mason, Stewart. Perfectly Good Guitar at AllMusic. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
18. "Consumer Guide, John Hiatt reviews". Robert Christgau . Retrieved 12 August 2011.
19. Cohen, Jason (28 October 1993). "John Hiatt: Perfectly Good Guitar: Music review". Rolling Stone . No. RS 668. Archived from the original on 10 October 2008. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
20. Augusto, Troy J. (25 September 1993). "Pop Albums - Reviews by Troy J. Augusto" (PDF). Cash Box . p. 11 – via World Radio History.
21. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 128.