Wrecking Ball (Emmylou Harris album)

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Wrecking Ball
Studio album by
Emmylou Harris
ReleasedSeptember 26, 1995
Recorded1995
Studio
  • Kingsway (New Orleans)
  • Woodland (Nashville)
  • Natoma (San Francisco)
GenreCountry rock, post-rock , alternative country, folk
Length53:05
Label
ProducerDaniel Lanois
Emmylou Harris chronology
Cowgirl's Prayer
(1993) 		Wrecking Ball
(1995) 		Spyboy
(1998)
Singles from Wrecking Ball
  1. "Where Will I Be"
    Released: September 11, 1995
  2. "Wrecking Ball"
    Released: January 1996
  3. "Goodbye"
    Released: 1996 (radio promo only)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Chicago Tribune[2]
Christgau's Consumer GuideB[3]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[4]
The Guardian[5]
The Irish Times[6]
Los Angeles Times[7]
Pitchfork8.8/10[8]
Rolling Stone[9]
Uncut9/10[10]

Wrecking Ball is the eighteenth studio album by American country artist Emmylou Harris, released on September 26, 1995, through Elektra Records. Moving away from her traditional acoustic sound, Harris collaborated with producer Daniel Lanois and engineer Mark Howard.[11] The album has been noted for its atmospheric feel, and featured guest performances by Steve Earle, Larry Mullen Jr., Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Lucinda Williams and Neil Young, who wrote the title song.

Background[edit]

Though her choice of songs had always been eclectic, the album was regarded as a departure. Harris, at the age of 48, had become something of an elder stateswoman in country music. The album received nearly universal acclaim, making many critics' year-end "best of" lists, and pointed Harris' career in a somewhat different direction where she would incorporate a harder edge. As a career-redefining album, Wrecking Ball was compared to Marianne Faithfull's 1979 Broken English album and Johnny Cash's American Recordings. Wrecking Ball won the 1996 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Recording.

Content[edit]

Harris covered Neil Young's song "Wrecking Ball", and the track includes harmonies by Young.[12] Although the song was released by Harris as a 2-track CD single with Lucinda Williams' "Sweet Old World", one reviewer did not consider the title track the high point on the album.[13]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Where Will I Be" (with Daniel Lanois)Daniel Lanois4:15
2."Goodbye"Steve Earle4:53
3."All My Tears"Julie Miller3:42
4."Wrecking Ball"Neil Young4:49
5."Goin' Back to Harlan"Anna McGarrigle4:51
6."Deeper Well"David Olney, Daniel Lanois4:19
7."Every Grain of Sand"Bob Dylan3:56
8."Sweet Old World"Lucinda Williams5:06
9."May This Be Love" (with Daniel Lanois)Jimi Hendrix4:45
10."Orphan Girl"Gillian Welch3:15
11."Blackhawk"Daniel Lanois4:28
12."Waltz Across Texas Tonight"Rodney Crowell, Emmylou Harris4:46
Total length:53:05

Personnel[edit]

  • Emmylou Harris – vocals, acoustic guitar on 3 5 7 10 11 12, harmony vocals on 10
  • Daniel Lanois – mandolin on 1 2 3 5 8 10 11 12, electric guitar on 1 2 3 4 6 8 9 11 12, acoustic guitar on 2 7 11, bass on 1 3, dulcimer on 10, duet vocals on 1 9, chant vocals on 3, percussion on 4, bass pedals on 8
  • Malcolm Burn – piano on 2 4 8 11 12, tambourine on 4 10 11, vibes on 4, organ on 5 7, synthesizer on 5, keyboards on 6, slide guitar on 8 12, bass on 11, drums on 11, harmony vocals on 11
  • Larry Mullen Jr. – drums on 2 3 4 6 7 8 9 12, cymbal on 4, hand drum on 10
  • Tony Hall – percussion, bass on 2 4 6 7 12, stick drum on 10
  • Daryl Johnson – high harmony vocals on 1, tom tom on 1, drum kit bass pedals on 5, backing vocals on 5, harmonic bass on 6, harmony vocals on 10

Additional personnel[edit]

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for Wrecking Ball
Chart (1995) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[14] 58
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[15] 29
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[16] 30
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[17] 27
UK Albums (OCC)[18] 46
UK Country Albums (OCC)[19] 1
US Billboard 200[20] 94

Release history[edit]

Release history and formats for Wrecking Ball
Region Date Format Label Ref.
North America September 26, 1995
  • CD
  • cassette
  • Asylum Records
  • Elektra Records
 [21]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Ankeny, Jason. "Wrecking Ball – Emmylou Harris". AllMusic. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  2. ^ Dretzka, Gary (November 2, 1995). "Emmylou Harris: Wrecking Ball (Elektra)". Chicago Tribune.
  3. ^ Christgau, Robert (2000). "Emmylou Harris: Wrecking Ball". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 0-312-24560-2. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  4. ^ Nash, Alanna (September 29, 1995). "Wrecking Ball". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  5. ^ Sweeting, Adam (September 29, 1995). "Emmylou Harris: Wrecking Ball (Grapevine)". The Guardian.
  6. ^ Breen, Joe (April 11, 2014). "Emmylou Harris: Wrecking Ball". The Irish Times. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  7. ^ Cromelin, Richard (September 24, 1995). "Emmylou Harris 'Wrecking Ball' Elektra/Asylum". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 11, 2011.
  8. ^ Hussey, Allison (April 17, 2022). "Emmylou Harris: Wrecking Ball Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  9. ^ Richardson, Susan (November 16, 1995). "Emmylou Harris: Wrecking Ball". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 1, 2009. Retrieved August 5, 2009.
  10. ^ Mueller, Andrew (April 24, 2014). "Emmylou Harris – Wrecking Ball". Uncut. Archived from the original on August 3, 2018. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  11. ^ Hurst, Jack (November 7, 1995). "Harris' Saving Grace May Be Her Difference". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  12. ^ The Journal of Country Music 1996 Volume 18 - Page 11 "One can hear that same sort of ache, an almost primordial loneliness, running through the whole of Wrecking Ball, her Grammy-winning current album. Having drawn on the catalogs of Earle, Neil Young, Lucinda Williams, Bob Dylan, and ..."
  13. ^ CD Review Volume 12, Issues 1-9 - Page 13 1995 "Wrecking Ball peaks not with the Neil Young-penned title cut (with its author singing harmony), but in the one-two punch of Lucinda Williams' "Sweet Old World" followed by Jimi Hendrix's "May This Be Love.".
  14. ^ "Ultratop.be – Emmylou Harris – Wrecking Ball" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  15. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Emmylou Harris – Wrecking Ball" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  16. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Emmylou Harris – Wrecking Ball". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  17. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Emmylou Harris – Wrecking Ball". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  18. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  19. ^ "Official Country Artists Albums Chart Top 20". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  20. ^ "Emmylou Harris Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  21. ^ Harris, Emmylou (September 26, 1995). "Wrecking Ball (Liner Notes)". Asylum Records/Elektra Records. 61854-2 (CD); 61854-2 (Cassette).
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