Lord of the Highway

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]

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

Production

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

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

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

  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. Perry, Claudia (August 16, 1987). "ROCKING AND WAILING". Richmond Times-Dispatch. p. J5.
  5. 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. 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. 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. "Joe Ely - Lord of the Highway Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic" via www.allmusic.com.
  14. "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. Hochman, Steve (23 Aug 1987). "'LORD OF THE HIGHWAY'. Joe Ely". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 71.
  18. 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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