Bright Lights and Country Music (Rick Nelson album)
| Brights Lights and Country Music | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 30, 1966 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 29:37 | |||
| Label | Decca | |||
| Producer | Charles "Bud" Dant | |||
| Rick Nelson chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Brights Lights and Country Music | ||||
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Bright Lights and Country Music was a studio album by American singer Rick Nelson. Released on May 30, 1966, it was his seventh for Decca Records and fourteenth overall.[1] It was considered a significant change in direction for Nelson from the rock and roll of previous albums.
The song "You Just Can't Quit" was the first song he wrote himself and released since "Don't Leave Me This Way" on his second album.[2] He covered country classics such as "Hello Walls", "Night Train to Memphis" and "Welcome to My Word", "Doug Kershaw Louisiana Man"[3]
"You Just Can't Quit" "bubbled under" Billboard's Hot 100, reaching number 108,[4] number 76 on the Cashbox singles chart,[5] and number 24 in Canada.[citation needed]
Jimmie Haskell arranged the album and Charles "Bud" Dant produced it.
The album was released on compact disc by Ace Records on June 23, 1998 as tracks 1 through 12 on a pairing of two albums on one CD with tracks 13 through 24 consisting of Nelson's 1967 album, Country Fever.[6]
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [7] |
| Billboard | [8] |
Suggesting that Nelson "cannily captured the idiomatic feel of contemporary country," biographer and music critic Joel Selvin wrote, "Artistically, Bright Lights served as a stunning reversal of field. It did not come out of a vacuum for Rick [...] But the idea of Rick Nelson as a country singer certainly came a surprise to the general public."[2]
Richie Unterberger of AllMusic said that "Although Nelson's move into straight country music didn't result in notable commercial gains, it made sense given that his prior few rock albums hadn't done much, and that most rockabilly performers had long since gone into the country market.[1]
Cashbox gave a postive reviews, saying Nelson "spans the C&W canyon from Rick’s own “You Just Can’t Quit” to “Kentucky Means Paradise” by Merle Travis"[9]
Track listing
[edit]Side one
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Truck Drivin' Man" | Terry Fell | 2:08 |
| 2. | "You Just Can't Quit" | Ricky Nelson | 2:23 |
| 3. | "Louisiana Man" | Doug Kershaw | 3:07 |
| 4. | "Welcome to My World" | Ray Winkler. John Hathcock | 2:13 |
| 5. | "Kentucky Means Paradise" | Merle Travis | 2:14 |
| 6. | "Here Am I" | Glen Campbell, Marc Douglas | 2:26 |
Side two
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bright Lights and Country Music" | Bill Anderson Jimmy Gateley | 2:30 |
| 2. | "Hello Walls" | Willie Nelson | 2:23 |
| 3. | "No Vacancy" | Merle Travis | 2:23 |
| 4. | "I'm a Fool to Care" | Ted Daffan | 2:32 |
| 5. | "Congratulations" | Willie Nelson | 3:02 |
| 6. | "Night Train to Memphis" | Owen Bradley, Marvin Hughes, Beasley Smith | 2:16 |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Rick Nelson – Bright Lights & Country Music: Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
- ^ a b Selvin, Joel (1990). Ricky Nelson: Idol for a Generation. Chicago: Contemporary Books. pp. 164–165. ISBN 978-0-8092-4187-3.
- ^ Homer, Sheree (2012). Rick Nelson, Rock 'n' Roll Pioneer. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. p. 83. ISBN 978-0-7864-6060-1.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1982). Joel Whitburn's Bubbling under the hot 100, 1959-1981. Menomonee Falls, Wis: Record Research. p. 120. ISBN 978-0-8982-0047-8.
- ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, July 16, 1966".
- ^ "Bright Lights & Country Music/Country Fever". allmusic.com. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 1020. ISBN 9781846098567. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
- ^ "Pop Spotlight & Special Merit Picks: Bright Lights and Country Music". Billboard. June 11, 1966. p. 54.
- ^ "Cashbox Album Pop Best Bets Reviews: Bright Lights and Country Music". Cash Box. Vol. 27, no. 45. June 11, 1966. p. 32.