Tracy Chapman (album)
| Tracy Chapman | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Tracy Chapman | ||||
| Released | April 5, 1988 | |||
| Recorded | at Powertrax, Hollywood, CA | |||
| Genre | Folk | |||
| Length | 36:11 | |||
| Label | Elektra | |||
| Producer | David Kershenbaum | |||
| Tracy Chapman chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |  [1] |
| Robert Christgau | B+[2] |
| Rolling Stone |  [3] |
Tracy Chapman is the self-titled debut album by singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman, released in 1988.
Contents |
[edit] History
Tracy Chapman hit #1 on both the US and UK album charts. The album was critically acclaimed and helped to launch the 1990s female singer-songwriter movement, which included artists like Tori Amos and Sarah McLachlan. The first single "Fast Car" was very popular, peaking at #5 in the UK and #6 in the US. The second single "Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution" was less successful, reaching only #75 in the US, but received much airplay and also charted in the Adult Contemporary and Modern Rock charts amongst others. "Baby Can I Hold You", the third single, only reached #48 - however, the song was a #2 UK hit for Boyzone in 1997.
Tracy Chapman received a groundbreaking seven nominations at the 31st Grammy Awards, Album of the Year, Record of the Year, ("Fast Car"), Song of the Year ("Fast Car"), Producer of the Year for David Kershenbaum, Best New Artist, Best Contemporary Folk Album, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance ("Fast Car"). The latter three were won.
In 1989, the album was rated number 10 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Albums of the 80s". In 2003, the album was ranked number 261 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
[edit] Track listing
All songs were written by Tracy Chapman.
- "Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution" – 2:39
- "Fast Car" – 4:56
- "Across the Lines" – 3:24
- "Behind the Wall" – 1:49
- "Baby Can I Hold You" – 3:14
- "Mountains o' Things" – 4:39
- "She's Got Her Ticket" – 3:56
- "Why?" – 2:06
- "For My Lover" – 3:12
- "If Not Now..." – 3:01
- "For You" – 3:09
[edit] Personnel
- Tracy Chapman – acoustic guitar, percussion, rhythm guitar, vocals
- Ed Black – steel guitar
- Paulinho Da Costa – percussion
- Denny Fongheiser – percussion, drums
- Jack Holder – organ, dulcimer, dobro, piano, electric guitar, Hammond organ, sitar
- Steve Kaplan – harmonica, keyboard
- Larry Klein – bass
- David LaFlamme – electric violin
- Bob Marlette – keyboard
[edit] Production
- David Kershenbaum – production
- Brian Koppelman, Don Rubin – executive production
- Kevin Smith – engineering
- Kevin Smith – mixing
- Carol Bobolts – art direction
- Matt Mahurin – photography
[edit] Charts
[edit] Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Billboard 200 | 1 (1 week) |
| UK Albums Chart | 1 (3 weeks) | |
| Canadian Albums Chart | 1 (9 weeks) | |
| Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums | 29 | |
| Swedish Albums Chart | 2 |
[edit] Certifications
| Country | Certifications (sales thresholds) |
|---|---|
| Germany | 9× Gold[4] |
| UK | 7× Platinum[5] |
| USA | 6× Platinum[6] |
[edit] Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | "Fast Car" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 19 |
| Billboard Hot 100 | 6 | ||
| "Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution" | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | 78 | |
| Mainstream Rock Tracks | 22 | ||
| Modern Rock Tracks | 24 | ||
| Billboard Hot 100 | 75 | ||
| "Baby Can I Hold You" | Adult Contemporary | 19 | |
| Billboard Hot 100 | 48 |
[edit] Grammy Awards
| Year | Winner | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | "Fast Car" | Best Female Pop Vocal Performance |
| Tracy Chapman | Best Contemporary Folk Album |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Thomas, Stephen. "Allmusic review". Allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r3633/review. Retrieved 2012-02-03.
- ^ "Robert Christgau review". Robertchristgau.com. http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?id=1617&name=Tracy+Chapman. Retrieved 2012-02-03.
- ^ Rolling Stone review[dead link]
- ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Tracy Chapman; 'Tracy Chapman')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. http://www.musikindustrie.de/gold_platin_datenbank/?action=suche&strTitel=Tracy+Chapman&strInterpret=Tracy+Chapman&strTtArt=alle&strAwards=checked.
- ^ "Certified Awards". Bpi.co.uk. http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx. Retrieved 2012-02-03.
- ^ "Recording Industry Association of America". RIAA. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS. Retrieved 2012-01-12.
| Preceded by Roll with It by Steve Winwood |
Billboard 200 number-one album August 27, 1988 – September 2, 1988 |
Succeeded by Hysteria by Def Leppard |
| Preceded by Nite Flite by Various Artists |
UK number one album July 2, 1988 – July 22, 1988 |
Succeeded by Now That's What I Call Music 12 by Various Artists |
