Perspective (Rick Nelson album)

Last updated
Perspective
Perspective (Rick Nelson album).JPG
Studio album by
ReleasedFebruary 2, 1969
Genre
Length30:56
Label Decca
Producer John Boylan
Rick Nelson chronology
Another Side of Rick
(1967)
Perspective
(1969)
In Concert at the Troubadour, 1969
(1970)

Perspective is the eighteenth studio album by American singer Rick Nelson, and his eleventh for Decca Records.

Contents

The album was a departure from Nelson's previous rockabilly records and an experiment in a more contemporary orchestral style. [1] Like Nelson's prior album Another Side of Rick, it was produced by John Boylan. [2] Boylan selected a number of contemporary songs for the album, including four by Randy Newman, who was not yet a well known songwriter. [3] He also contributed two of his own songs, while Nelson's wife Kris performed vocals on "Hello to the Wind" (a joint Boylan/Nelson composition) and supplied album artwork. [3] The album was recorded in California in 1968, Nelson's only recording that year. It was not released until nearly a year later. [3]

Neither of the two Boylan-produced albums were a commercial success. [3] Although Nelson grew to dislike Perspective's overproduced style, he credits the album with clarifying his future musical direction. "Perspective with those songs was a complete experiment and those Steve Miller type sound effects between tracks were my idea.... I'm not sorry I did those things because, if anything, it made up my mind as to the way I wanted to go... I just simplified the whole thing and went back to the formula of drums, bass, and guitar. That's where I'd always been most effective." [2]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]

Richie Unterberger of AllMusic said that "Nelson did have good taste in selecting material, covering songs by Paul Simon, Richie Havens, Harry Nilsson, and Randy Newman, all of whom (except Simon) were little known by most of the public in 1967; indeed, Nelson covers five Newman songs in a row to end the album, creating the effect of an aborted "Nelson Sings Newman" concept record. [4]

Billboard selected the album for a "Pop Special Merit" review, and described as "an appealing, left - field type of tune" [6]

Historian John Einarson stated that Nelson's albums "Perspective and Another Side of Rick embraced both folk and pop, with covers of Eric Andersen, Nilsson, Paul Simon, and Randy Newman. The eclectic choices reveal an artist still searching for a style that would reconcile his past and give him a future." [7]

Track listing

Side one

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."When the Sun Shined Its Face on Me"Reid Whitelaw2:19
2."Without Her" Harry Nilsson 2:32
3."The Lady Stayed with Me" John Boylan 2:19
4."Three Day Eternity" Richie Havens 2:22
5."For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her" Paul Simon 2:43
6."Stop by My Window"John Boylan2:52

Side two

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Hello to the Wind"John Boylan, Ricky Nelson3:05
2."Wait 'til Next Year" Randy Newman 2:29
3."Love Story"Randy Newman2:59
4."So Long Dad/Love Story (Reprise) [Medley]"Randy Newman3:57
5."I Think It's Going to Rain Today"Randy Newman3:19

Related Research Articles

Country rock is a music genre that fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal styles, and additional instrumentation, most characteristically pedal steel guitars. Country rock began with artists like Buffalo Springfield, Michael Nesmith, Bob Dylan, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, the Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers, The International Submarine Band and others, reaching its greatest popularity in the 1970s with artists such as Emmylou Harris, the Eagles, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Linda Ronstadt, Little Feat, Poco, Charlie Daniels Band, and Pure Prairie League. Country rock also influenced artists in other genres, including The Band, the Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Rolling Stones, and George Harrison's solo work, as well as playing a part in the development of Southern rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Nilsson</span> American singer-songwriter (1941–1994)

Harry Edward Nilsson III, sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal overdub experiments, a return to the Great American Songbook, and fusions of Caribbean sounds. Nilsson was one of the few major pop-rock recording artists to achieve significant commercial success without performing major public concerts or touring regularly.

<i>12 Songs</i> (Randy Newman album) 1970 studio album by Randy Newman

12 Songs is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Randy Newman, released in April 1970 by Reprise Records. It features a swampy style of roots music with introspective, satirical songwriting. "Have You Seen My Baby?", the album's only single, was released in May.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">For What It's Worth</span> 1966 single by Buffalo Springfield

"For What It's Worth " is a song written by Stephen Stills. Performed by Buffalo Springfield, it was recorded on December 5, 1966, released as a single on Atco Records in December 1966 and peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the spring of 1967.

<i>Aerial Ballet</i> 1968 studio album by Nilsson

Aerial Ballet is the third studio album by American musician Harry Nilsson, released in July 1968.

<i>Harry</i> (album) 1969 studio album by Harry Nilsson

Harry is the fourth studio album by Harry Nilsson, released August 1969 on RCA. It was his first album to get onto Billboard Magazine's Billboard 200 chart, remaining there for 15 weeks and reaching #120.

<i>Nilsson Sings Newman</i> 1970 studio album by Nilsson

Nilsson Sings Newman is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson, released in February 1970 on RCA Victor. It features songs written by Randy Newman. Recorded over six weeks in late 1969, the album showcases Nilsson's voice multi-tracked in layers of tone and harmony. Its arrangements are otherwise sparse, with most of the instrumentation provided by Newman on piano. The record was not a great commercial success, but won a 1970 "Record of the Year" award from Stereo Review magazine. The LP record cover art was illustrated by Dean Torrence.

<i>Little Criminals</i> 1977 studio album by Randy Newman

Little Criminals is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Randy Newman. Like most of Newman's work, the album eschews traditional pop-music themes in favor of musical story-telling, often featuring quirky characters and cynical views. The first song on the album – "Short People" – became a hit single in its own right. The album itself peaked at #9 on the US Billboard 200 chart, Newman's highest-charting album to date.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harpers Bizarre</span> American sunshine pop band

Harpers Bizarre was an American sunshine pop band of the 1960s, best known for their Broadway/sunshine pop sound and their cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "The 59th Street Bridge Song ."

<i>Da Capo</i> (Love album) 1966 studio album by Love

Da Capo is the second studio album by American rock band Love, released in November 1966 by Elektra Records. The album was recorded during September and October 1966 at RCA Studios in Hollywood, California, with the exception of lead single "7 and 7 Is", recorded the previous June. The single was a departure for the band and became their highest charting, reaching No. 33 on the Billboard Hot 100. Despite the success of "7 and 7 Is", a string of well received live performances at the time and contemporary critical acclaim for the album upon its release, it peaked at No. 80 on the Billboard 200.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">7 and 7 Is</span> 1966 single by Love

"7 and 7 Is" is a song written by Arthur Lee and recorded by his band Love on June 17 and 20, 1966, at Sunset Sound Recorders in Hollywood. It was produced by Jac Holzman and engineered by Bruce Botnick.

John Patrick Boylan is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, music publisher and A&R executive.

<i>Garden Party</i> (album) 1972 studio album by Rick Nelson and The Stone Canyon Band

Garden Party is the twenty-first studio album by Rick Nelson, this one a country rock album recorded with the Stone Canyon Band in 1972. The title song tells the story of Nelson being booed at a concert at Madison Square Garden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear</span> 1967 single by Alan Price Set

"Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear" is a song written by Randy Newman, about a young man of modest means who entertains affluent diners with his dancing bear. The Alan Price Set released a version as a double A-side with "Tickle Me" on 24 February 1967, and it reached number four on the Record Retailer chart in Britain. The success brought Newman to public attention as a songwriter; he recorded the song himself for his 1972 album Sail Away.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Everybody's Talkin'</span> 1968 single by Fred Neil

"Everybody's Talkin' (Echoes)" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Fred Neil in 1966 and released two years later. A version of the song performed by American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson became a hit in 1969, reaching No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and winning a Grammy Award after it was featured in the film Midnight Cowboy. The song, which describes the singer's desire to retreat from the harshness of the city to a more peaceful place and an easier life, is among the most famous works of both artists, and has been covered by many other notable performers.

<i>Stoney End</i> (Barbra Streisand album) 1971 studio album by Barbra Streisand

Stoney End is the twelfth studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand. Released in 1971 and produced by Richard Perry, it was a conscious change in direction for Streisand, having a more upbeat, contemporary pop/rock sound. It included cover versions of several songs by contemporary singer-songwriters, including Laura Nyro, Randy Newman and Joni Mitchell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Don't Need You</span> 1981 single by Kenny Rogers

"I Don't Need You" is a song written by Rick Christian, and was first recorded and released as a single in 1978 on Mercury Records, by Rick Christian himself at Shoe Productions, a recording studio/production company in Memphis, Tennessee, but it failed to chart.

<i>Come Saturday Morning</i> (Liza Minnelli album) 1970 studio album by Liza Minnelli

Come Saturday Morning is the fifth studio album by American singer and actress Liza Minnelli, released in 1969 by A&M Records, her second with the label. In the UK it was released as Introducing Liza Minnelli.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bluebird (Buffalo Springfield song)</span> Song by the rock group Buffalo Springfield

"Bluebird" is a song recorded by the American rock group Buffalo Springfield. It was written and produced by Stephen Stills, with co-production by Ahmet Ertegun. In June 1967, Atco Records released it as a single to follow-up their hit "For What It's Worth" (1966).

<i>Another Side of Rick</i> 1967 studio album by Rick Nelson

Another Side of Rick is the seventeenth studio album by American singer Rick Nelson, and his tenth for Decca Records. It was released on November 13, 1967. Jimmie Haskell arranged the album and John Boylan produced it.

References

  1. Courrier, Kevin (2005). Randy Newman's American Dreams. ECW Press. p. 117. ISBN   978-1-55022-690-4.
  2. 1 2 Homer, Sheree (2012). Rick Nelson, Rock 'n' Roll Pioneer. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. p. 88. ISBN   978-0-7864-6060-1.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Selvin, Joel (1990). Ricky Nelson: Idol for a Generation. Chicago: Contemporary Books. p. 175. ISBN   978-0-8092-4187-3.
  4. 1 2 ""Perspective" - Album Review". Allmusic. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
  5. Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 1020. ISBN   9781846098567 . Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  6. "Special Merit Pop Picks: Perspective" (PDF). Billboard . September 7, 1968. p. 46.
  7. Einarson, p. 66

Bibliography