After the Rain (Nelson album)

Last updated
After the Rain
AftertheRainNelson.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 26, 1990
RecordedFebruary–May 1990
Studio
Genre
Length45:29
Label DGC
Producer Marc Tanner, David Thoener
Nelson chronology
After the Rain
(1990)
Because They Can
(1995)
Singles from After the Rain
  1. "(Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection"
    Released: May 19, 1990
  2. "After the Rain"
    Released: 3 November 1990
  3. "More Than Ever"
    Released: March 1991
  4. "Only Time Will Tell"
    Released: June 1991
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [1]
Robert Christgau D+ [2]

After the Rain is the debut album of the American rock group Nelson, released by DGC Records in 1990. The album was a commercial success, peaking at number 17 on the Billboard 200 and spending 64 weeks on the charts. [3] It contained the #1 hit, "(Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection" which was also a gold single. [4] The follow-up single, "After the Rain", also reached the Hot 100's top 10, peaking at #6 in February 1991. The album was eventually certified double platinum by RIAA. [5]

Contents

Writing and composition

Matthew and Gunnar Nelson decided to approach Geffen Records for a record deal. They began talks with A&R executive John Kalodner. According to Gunnar, they met with Kalodner "every month for a year", during which he filtered the songs they brought him until they had enough for an album. [6] Most of the songs of the album were co-written with Marc Tanner, who was introduced to the band by Tom Vickers. Gunnar Nelson described the collaborating process in an interview as "magical" and praised Tanner for being "very supportive of our own instincts and our melodic sense". [7] Tanner also produced the album. [8]

After a year of meeting with Kalodner without being signed, Matthew and Gunnar met with him alone, against the wishes of their managers, and played an acoustic version of "(Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection". Kalodner was so impressed that the band was signed the next day. [6] As they prepared to record, Matthew and Gunnar started assembling a band. They settled on drummer Bobby Rock, Joey Cathcart, Brett Garsed, and Paul Mirkovich. [6] [9] Mirkovich also contributed an "Interlude" to the album. [8]

In the making of the album, there were several issues in creating the album. [10] One was that Gunnar could not play guitar. [10] Gunnar stated "But what if I took a year off and all I did for that year was play guitar for 10 hours a day, every day? [10] " Gunnar ended up studying and learning how to play. Another issue was their songwriting. [10] Then another issue was the producers for the album: they had to fight the label [10] to get Tanner behind production, and they were initially supposed to work with Duane Baron and John Purdell, which both never worked out. Eventually, they worked with Tanner and co-producer David Thoener, who helped shape Nelson's influences into a modern, radio-friendly sound. [10]

Recording

After the Rain was recorded at Cherokee Studios in Los Angeles, and Studio B in Hollywood. [8] According to Gunnar Nelson, they weren't "intimidated" by the process, despite being relatively new to the industry. He also credits co-writer and producer Marc Tanner for keeping them focused. [6]

According to the Nelsons, Geffen producer John Kalodner "basically let us do our own thing". Gunnar has said that Kalodner's process of filtering songs before signing them helped them sort out their material and made it easy for them to come up with the songs for the album. [6]

Reception

After the Rain was released on June 26, 1990, and became an instant success, peaking at #17 on the Billboard 200. It also demonstrated staying power, remaining in the charts for 64 weeks. [3] The album was eventually certified double platinum by RIAA after selling more than 2,000,000 copies.

As a result of the success of the album, the band began a World Tour with over 300 concerts.

Aftermath

After finishing the touring cycle for After the Rain, the band found themselves in massive debt despite the album's success. Nelson returned to the studio and recorded their second album, Imaginator , but it was rejected by their producer and the label for being too dark and heavy. Shelving that album, the band recorded a new collection of songs which became their second release Because They Can 5 years after their debut in 1995. By this time fans had moved on, and the record failed to chart, bringing to Nelson's relationship with the label to an end. [10]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."(Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection"
3:55
2."I Can Hardly Wait"
  • M. Nelson
  • G. Nelson
  • Tanner
4:20
3."After the Rain"
  • M. Nelson
  • G. Nelson
  • Tanner
  • Rick Wilson
4:05
4."Tracy's Song/Only Time Will Tell"
5:15
5."More Than Ever"
  • M. Nelson
  • G. Nelson
  • Tanner
3:23
6."(It's Just) Desire"
  • M. Nelson
  • G. Nelson
  • Tanner
  • Craig Stull
4:24
7."Fill You Up"
  • M. Nelson
  • G. Nelson
  • Tanner
4:38
8."Interlude/Everywhere I Go" Paul Mirkovich 6:32
9."Bits and Pieces"
  • M. Nelson
  • G. Nelson
  • Tanner
  • Wilson
4:02
10."Will You Love Me?"
  • M. Nelson
  • G. Nelson
  • Brad Bailey
4:20
Total length:45:29
Japanese special edition bonus MVCG-53
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Too Many Dreams"
  • M. Nelson
  • G. Nelson
  • Tanner
  • Wilson
4:15
14."Keep One Heart"
  • M. Nelson
  • G. Nelson
4:54

Personnel

Nelson

Additional musicians

Production

Art

Charts

Certifications

CountryOrganizationYearSales
United States RIAA [5] 19982x Platinum

Notes

  1. Henderson, Alex. "Allmusic review". AllMusic . Retrieved 2012-09-08.
  2. CG: Nelson
  3. 1 2 After the Rain on Billboard
  4. "G&P Love and Affection". RIAA. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  5. 1 2 "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Gunnar Nelson: The Nelson Interview". Melodic Rock. 2001. Archived from the original on 2016-06-28. Retrieved 2012-07-04.
  7. "The Popdose Interview: Gunnar Nelson". Popdose. February 11, 2011.
  8. 1 2 3 [After the Rain booklet]
  9. "Bobby Rock Interview". Full in Bloom. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Giles, Jeff (June 26, 2015). "We played Kalodner 'Love and Affection' and a big smile came over his face when we were done". Ultimate Classic Rock . Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  11. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 200.
  12. "Swedishcharts.com – Nelson – After the Rain". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
  13. "Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  14. 1 2 3 "Mainstream Rock". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  15. 1 2 3 4 "Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  16. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 389. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.

Citations

Sources

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