Lord of the Highway

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Lord of the Highway
Studio album by
Joe Ely
Released1987
Genre
LabelHighTone[1]
ProducerJoe Ely
Joe Ely chronology
Hi-Res
(1984) 		Lord of the Highway
(1987) 		Dig All Night
(1988)

Lord of the Highway is an album by the American musician Joe Ely, released in 1987.[2][3] It had been three and a half years since his previous album, during which time he recorded an unreleased album for MCA Records, assembled a new band, and toured.[4] Ely supported the album with a North American tour.[5][6]

Production[edit]

Ely considered the album to be merely recorded (on an 8-track, at Ely's home), not produced.[7][8][9] The title track and "Row of Dominoes" were written by Butch Hancock.[10] Bobby Keys played saxophone on the album; David Grissom played guitar.[11][12] The CD version of Lord of the Highway includes "Screaming Blue Jillions" as the 11th track.[13]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[13]
Chicago Sun-Times[7]
Robert ChristgauB+[14]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[15]
The Gazette7.9/10[10]
New Musical Express5/10[16]
Los Angeles Times[17]
The Philadelphia Inquirer[18]
Richmond Times-DispatchA[4]

Robert Christgau lamented that "a decade of being told what a hot shit he is has Ely oversinging to signify his intensity."[14] The Los Angeles Times wrote that "Ely's cooked up a tasty rock 'n' roll chili with country flavoring based on much the same recipe as Let it Bleed/Sticky Fingers Stones."[17] The New York Times stated that Ely "hasn't simplified what he sings to fit the rock format; he still prefers lyrics with wry, unheroic twists."[19]

The Chicago Tribune opined that Ely's "tales of hard living and even harder loving work both as true life tales and striking, image-rich fragments of a new American mythology."[5] The Philadelphia Inquirer opined that "Me and Billy the Kid" "is as supple a narrative as Ely has ever constructed."[18] The Philadelphia Daily News listed the album as the ninth best of 1987.[20]

AllMusic noted that "the roots rock sound of Lord of the Highway is much closer to 1981's Musta Notta Gotta Lotta than to Hi-Res.[13] Record Collector determined that Ely's setting is "a cut above standard bar room chugs thanks mainly to the wit of the lyrics."[21]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleLength
1."Lord of the Highway" 
2."(Don't Put a) Lock on My Heart" 
3."Me and Billy the Kid" 
4."Letter to L.A." 
5."No Rope, Daisy-O" 
6."My Baby Thinks She's French" 
7."Everybody Got Hammered" 
8."Are You Listenin' Lucky?" 
9."Row of Dominoes" 
10."Silver City" 

References[edit]

  1. ^ Oglesby, Christopher J. (June 11, 2013). "Fire in the Water, Earth in the Air: Legends of West Texas Music". University of Texas Press – via Google Books.
  2. ^ "Joe Ely Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  3. ^ Cullman, Brian (Nov–Dec 1987). "Spins". Spin. 3 (7): 31.
  4. ^ a b Perry, Claudia (August 16, 1987). "ROCKING AND WAILING". Richmond Times-Dispatch. p. J5.
  5. ^ a b Heim, Chris (24 Aug 1987). "JOE ELY TEARS UP PARK WEST JUST LIKE A TEXAS TORNADO". CHICAGOLAND. Chicago Tribune. p. 5.
  6. ^ Emerson, Bo (January 15, 1988). "Ely's a 'Lord of the Highway' and the king of his own road". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. P6.
  7. ^ a b McLeese, Don (July 20, 1987). "Joe Ely has right mix: muscle and soul". Features. Chicago Sun-Times. p. 33.
  8. ^ Forte, Dan (September 6, 1987). "Joe Ely – Blue Enough to Front The 15th S.F. Fest". SUNDAY DATEBOOK. San Francisco Chronicle. p. 29.
  9. ^ Bermant, Charles (29 Sep 1987). "Career heats up for Joe Ely". The Globe and Mail. p. D7.
  10. ^ a b Griffin, John (30 July 1987). "Joe Ely - LORD OF THE HIGHWAY". The Gazette. p. C9.
  11. ^ Mackie, John (3 Sep 1987). "First up is Texas fireball Joe Ely...". Vancouver Sun. p. D8.
  12. ^ Strauss, Duncan (13 Sep 1987). "JOE ELY: NO FRILLS AND LOTS OF SPARKS". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 73.
  13. ^ a b c "Joe Ely - Lord of the Highway Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  14. ^ a b "Robert Christgau: CG: Joe Ely". www.robertchristgau.com.
  15. ^ Larkin, Colin (1998). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. III (3rd ed.). MUZE. p. 1750.
  16. ^ Romney, Jonathan (31 October 1987). "Joe Ely: Lord Of The Highway". New Musical Express. p. 34.
  17. ^ a b Hochman, Steve (23 Aug 1987). "'LORD OF THE HIGHWAY'. Joe Ely". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 71.
  18. ^ a b Tucker, Ken (30 Aug 1987). "JOE ELY Lord of the Highway". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. F3.
  19. ^ Pareles, Jon (1 Feb 1988). "Joe Ely and Band, at the Ritz". The New York Times. p. C29.
  20. ^ Takiff, Jonathan (30 Dec 1987). "SILVER TRACKS AMONG THE OLD". FEATURES TONIGHT. Philadelphia Daily News. p. 45.
  21. ^ "Lord Of The Highway/ Dig All Night - Record Collector Magazine". recordcollectormag.com.
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