Two Bit Monsters

Last updated

Two Bit Monsters
Hiatt Monsters.jpg
Studio album by
Released1980
StudioInternational Automated Media, Irvine, California; Kitchen Sync Studios, Hollywood; Crystal Sound, Los Angeles
Genre Rock
Length34:43
Label MCA
Producer Denny Bruce, John Hiatt
John Hiatt chronology
Slug Line
(1979)
Two Bit Monsters
(1980)
All of a Sudden
(1982)
Alternative cover
SlugTwoBit.jpg
Album cover from Slug Line/Two Bit Monsters combo CD

Two Bit Monsters is singer-songwriter John Hiatt's fourth album, released in 1980. It was his second of two albums with MCA Records. It failed to chart, and MCA dropped Hiatt. "It Hasn't Happened Yet" would be a minor country hit for Rosanne Cash, from her album Somewhere in the Stars . Cash also covered "Pink Bedroom", on Rhythm & Romance .

Contents

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Robert Christgau B [2]
Rolling Stone (favorable) [3]

The Boston Globe wrote that "Hiatt's effort is strong, angry, and intelligent... He is not content to sneer, rather, Hiatt is one to ridicule and condemn." [4]

Track listing

All tracks written by John Hiatt, except where noted

  1. "Back to Normal" – 3:18
  2. "Down in Front" – 3:22
  3. "I Spy (For the F.B.I.)" – 2:41 (Richard "Popcorn" Wylie, Herman Kelley)
  4. "Pink Bedroom" – 2:53
  5. "Good Girl, Bad World" – 3:14
  6. "Face the Nation" – 3:07
  7. "Cop Party" – 2:54
  8. "Back to the War" – 3:28
  9. "It Hasn't Happened Yet" – 3:22
  10. "String Pull Job" – 3:22
  11. "New Numbers" – 3:02

Personnel

Technical

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Hiatt</span> American singer-songwriter and musician

John Robert Hiatt is an American singer-songwriter. He has played a variety of musical styles on his albums, including new wave, blues, and country. Hiatt has been nominated for nine Grammy Awards and has been awarded a variety of other distinctions in the music industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marty Stuart</span> American musician (born 1958)

John Marty Stuart is an American country and bluegrass music singer, songwriter, and musician. Active since 1968, Stuart initially toured with Lester Flatt, and then in Johnny Cash's road band before beginning work as a solo artist in the early 1980s. He is known for his combination of rockabilly, country rock, and bluegrass music influences, his frequent collaborations and cover songs, and his distinctive stage dress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Have a Cigar</span> 1975 single by Pink Floyd featuring Roy Harper

"Have a Cigar" is the third track on Pink Floyd's 1975 album Wish You Were Here. It follows "Welcome to the Machine" and on the original LP opened side two. In some markets, the song was issued as a single. English folk-rock singer Roy Harper provided lead vocals on the song. It is one of only three Pink Floyd recordings with a guest singer on lead vocals, the others being "The Great Gig in the Sky" (1973) with Clare Torry and "Hey Hey Rise Up" (2022) with Andriy Khlyvnyuk. The song, written by Waters, is his critique of the rampant greed and cynicism so prevalent in the management of rock groups of that era.

<i>Somewhere in the Stars</i> 1982 studio album by Rosanne Cash

Somewhere in the Stars is the fourth studio album by American singer Rosanne Cash, released on June 16, 1982, by Columbia Records; her third album for the label. It produced three Billboard hits in the country top 20, including the #4 "Ain't No Money", the #8 "I Wonder", and the #14 "It Hasn't Happened Yet". The album peaked at #6 on the country albums chart. Cash's father Johnny Cash sang background vocals on the track "That's How I Got to Memphis".

<i>Slug Line</i> 1979 studio album by John Hiatt

Slug Line is the third album by John Hiatt, released in 1979. It was the first of two albums with MCA Records. It was his first charting album, reaching No. 202 on Billboard's album charts, and also the highest-charting album during his first 15 years as a recording artist.

<i>All of a Sudden</i> (album) 1982 studio album by John Hiatt

All of a Sudden is singer-songwriter John Hiatt's fifth album, released in 1982. It was the first of three albums with Geffen Records.

<i>Riding with the King</i> (John Hiatt album) 1983 studio album by John Hiatt

Riding with the King is singer-songwriter John Hiatt's sixth album, released in 1983. It was the second of three albums with Geffen Records. Ron Nagle and Scott Mathews produced side one of the album at The Pen in San Francisco, with Mathews himself playing all instruments and providing all the background vocals. The second side of the album was produced by Nick Lowe at Eden Studios in London with the musicians known as the Cowboy Outfit that Lowe recorded two albums with in the mid-1980s.

<i>Stolen Moments</i> (John Hiatt album) 1990 studio album by John Hiatt

Stolen Moments is singer-songwriter John Hiatt's tenth album, released in 1990. It was his highest charting solo album upon its release, peaking at No. 61. Joan Baez later covered "Through Your Hands" on her 1992 album Play Me Backwards, and David Crosby covered it on his 1993 record Thousand Roads. Don Henley's version reached No. 33 on the US Billboard charts and appeared in the film Michael. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band covered "The Rest of the Dream" on a 1990 album of the same title. Ilse DeLange recorded "Child of the Wild Blue Yonder" on her live album Dear John.

<i>Walk On</i> (John Hiatt album) 1995 studio album by John Hiatt

Walk On is an album by singer-songwriter John Hiatt, released in 1995. It was his first album with Capitol Records.

<i>Yall Caught? The Ones That Got Away 1979–1985</i> 1989 compilation album by John Hiatt

Y'all Caught? The Ones That Got Away 1979–1985 was singer-songwriter John Hiatt's first greatest hits album, released in 1989. It features music from the albums Slug Line, Two Bit Monsters, All of a Sudden, Riding with the King, and Warming Up to the Ice Age.

<i>Rockabilly Blues</i> 1980 studio album by Johnny Cash

Rockabilly Blues is an album by American country singer Johnny Cash, released on Columbia Records in 1980. Highlights include "Cold Lonesome Morning," which had some minor chart success, "Without Love," by his son-in-law, Nick Lowe, and a cover of the witty "The Twentieth Century Is Almost Over." The first two of the aforementioned songs were the only singles from the album, though "Without Love" hardly enjoyed any chart success, peaking at No. 78. "The Twentieth Century is Almost Over" was re-recorded five years later by Cash and Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson, collectively known as The Highwaymen, on their first album entitled Highwayman, though it was, in essence, a duet with Nelson.

<i>Retrospective</i> (Rosanne Cash album) 1995 compilation album by Rosanne Cash

Retrospective is a 1995 compilation album, encapsulating Rosanne Cash's 16 years with Columbia, released as she was leaving the label. Rather than relying on radio hits, Retrospective focused on lesser known album tracks, unreleased material and live recordings. In the years since, as Columbia has let the majority of Cash's albums go out of print, it has become, along with her Greatest Hits collection, the primary source for listeners to obtain most of her material.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Hiatt discography</span>

The John Hiatt discography covers material that he recorded from 1974 to the present day. He has recorded 24 studio albums, and two live albums.

<i>Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Volume Two</i> 1989 studio album by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Volume Two is the nineteenth studio album by American country folk group Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, released on May 1, 1989. The album follows the same concept as the band's 1972 album, Will the Circle Be Unbroken, which featured guest performances from many notable country music stars.

<i>Storm Windows</i> 1980 studio album by John Prine

Storm Windows is the seventh album by American folk singer and songwriter John Prine, released in 1980. It was his last release on a major label; he joined Al Bunetta and Dan Einstein to form Oh Boy Records, on which all his subsequent recordings were released.

<i>The Rest of the Dream</i> 1990 studio album by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

The Rest of the Dream is an album by American country music band Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. It was released in 1990 through MCA Nashville Records. The album contains the singles "From Small Things " and "You Make Life Good Again".

<i>September Morn</i> (album) 1979 studio album by Neil Diamond

September Morn is the thirteenth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Neil Diamond. Released in 1979, the album includes a disco version of the Motown song "Dancing in the Street" and a remake of "I'm a Believer".

<i>Where Country Grows</i> 2011 studio album by Ashton Shepherd

Where Country Grows is the second studio album by American country music artist Ashton Shepherd. It was released on July 12, 2011 via MCA Nashville. The album's first single, "Look It Up" reached the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The title track was released as the album's second single in July 2011.

"It Hasn't Happened Yet" is a song written by John Hiatt, and originally recorded and released by Hiatt on his 1980 album Two Bit Monsters. American country music artist Rosanne Cash subsequently covered the song, releasing it in March 1983 as the third single from her album Somewhere in the Stars. Cash's version of "It Hasn't Happened Yet" reached #14 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doug Lancio</span> Musical artist

Doug Lancio is an American guitarist and record producer, based in Nashville, Tennessee. He has worked with a wide range of artists including John Hiatt, Nanci Griffith, Patty Griffin and Bob Dylan.

References

  1. Ruhlmann, William. Two Bit Monsters at AllMusic. Retrieved August 12, 2011.
  2. "Consumer Guide, John Hiatt reviews". Robert Christgau . Retrieved August 12, 2011.
  3. Carson, Tom (October 2, 1980). "John Hiatt: Two Bit Monsters: Music review". Rolling Stone (RS 327). Archived from the original on March 10, 2009. Retrieved August 12, 2011.
  4. Allan, Marc (July 24, 1980). "Records/Reviews". Calendar. The Boston Globe. p. 1.