Scenic Views
| Scenic Views | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 15, 1984 | |||
| Genre | New wave, alternative country, cowboy pop | |||
| Length | 40:50 | |||
| Label | Mercury Records/Polygram | |||
| Producer | Hugh Jones | |||
| Rubber Rodeo chronology | ||||
| ||||
Scenic Views is the debut studio album by Rhode Island new wave band Rubber Rodeo. It was released on November 15, 1984 by Mercury Records.
Background
[edit]After releasing several singles and EPs on Eat Records, Rubber Rodeo released their debut studio album in November 1984. Working with British new wave producer Hugh Jones, the album featured a range of musical instruments including mandolin, violin, synthesizer, organ, dobro, and pedal steel guitar.[1]
The popularity of Scenic Views partially benefited from the marketing efforts of Polygram. In a 1984 interview published in Billboard, PolyGram Music Video vice president Len Epand stated that the company was "shifting its gears" and beginning to "emphasize marketing over production."[2] Later in the interview, Epand cited Scenic Views as an example of an album that "reaped huge benefits from a seemingly small-scale video release... which produced a Grammy nomination for an almost unknown group".[2] The Grammy that Rubber Rodeo received a nomination for was the long-form video they made for Scenic Views.[3] The video was directed by David Greenberg and produced by Second Story Television.[4]
Reception
[edit]In Rolling Stone, Kurt Loder wrote that "Scenic Views isn't a bad record, but given Rubber Rodeo's multifaceted resources, the next album ought to be a lot better." J. D. Considine wrote that "Rubber Rodeo may play mutant, post-wave C&W-pop, but it's still rooted in the country's plainspoken bedrock of yearning and heartache."[5] Considine coined the term cowboy pop in the same review, which was published in Musician Magazine.[5]
Track listing
[edit]- "Need You, Need Me" (4:39)
- "Slow Me Down" (3:31)
- "Anywhere With You" (4:40)
- "Walking After Midnight" (3:56)
- "City of God" (5:13)
- "The Hardest Thing" (3:15)
- "House of Pain" (4:45)
- "Mess o' Me" (5:03)
- "Before I Go Away (5:57)
- "Woman of Straw" (4:20)*
Personnel
[edit]Per the liner notes.[1]
- John Doelp – bass
- Barc Holmes – drums
- Bob Holmes – guitar, mandolin, violin, vocals
- Gary Leib – synthesizer,
- Trish Milliken – organ, piano, vocals
- Mark Tomeo – dobro, pedal steel guitar
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Scenic Views – Rubber Rodeo | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-03-17.
- ^ a b Seideman, Tony (1985-02-16). "PolyGram Maps Major Music Efforts". Billboard Magazine. pp. 26–31.
- ^ "Rubber Rodeo". GRAMMY.com. 2019-02-15. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
- ^ "Video Music Index". Billboard. No. Talent Almanac. 1984-12-22. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
- ^ a b Considine, J.D. (1984). "Rubber Rodeo — Scenic Views". Musician. 70: 100.