Boomtown is the Los Angeles-themed debut studio album by the American rock duo David & David, released on July 7, 1986, through A&M Records.[2][3] It is the sole album from the duo.
| Boomtown | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by | |
| Released | July 7, 1986 |
| Recorded | 1985–1986 |
| Studio | Skyline, A&M, Mad Hatter and Capitol Studios. |
| Genre | Rock |
| Length | 40:56 |
| Label | A&M |
| Producer | Davitt Sigerson[1] |
Release and reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Robert Christgau | A−[5] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [1] |
Michael Ofjord of AllMusic called Boomtown an "artful record, full of poetry and convincing stories of the hard times that many silently endured." He gave the record four and a half out of five stars, concluding that "one may not want to listen to this record to lift the spirit, but it is a strong reminder of difficult situations faced during what can be perceived by many as the best of times."[4]
At the time of its release, Boomtown had some commercial success, peaking at number 39 on the chart in December.[6] Its singles, "Welcome to the Boomtown", "Swallowed by the Cracks" and "Ain't So Easy", all received airplay, especially on rock-formatted radio stations, and most of them charted on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1995, the album was certified gold in the U.S.[7]
Baerwald and Ricketts played all the instruments on the album except for drums on some tracks which were played by Ed Greene.
Although Baerwald and Ricketts would go on to co-write some of the material for Sheryl Crow's debut album, the duo pursued divergent musical paths with Baerwald developing his solo career and Ricketts working with singer Toni Childs.
Track listing
editDavid Baerwald and David Ricketts wrote all songs on the album, except for "Heroes", written by David Baerwald.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Welcome to the Boomtown" | 5:31 |
| 2. | "Swallowed by the Cracks" | 4:16 |
| 3. | "Ain't So Easy" | 4:51 |
| 4. | "Being Alone Together" | 5:31 |
| 5. | "A Rock for the Forgotten" | 4:26 |
| 6. | "River's Gonna Rise" | 4:29 |
| 7. | "Swimming in the Ocean" | 4:00 |
| 8. | "All Alone in the Big City" | 4:42 |
| 9. | "Heroes" | 3:10 |
Chart performance
editAlbum
edit| Chart | Peak | |
|---|---|---|
| United States Billboard 200 | 39 | [6] |
| Australia (Kent Music Report) | 49 | [8] |
| Swedish Album Charts | 47 | [9] |
| New Zealand RIANZ Album Chart | 33 | [10] |
Personnel
edit- Chuck Beeson – art direction
- Toni Childs – additional vocals
- Judy Clapp – assistant engineering
- Paulinho da Costa – percussion
- David & David – vocals, guitar, bass guitar, mandolin, dobro, piano, drums, keyboards, harmonica, lap steel guitar
- Ed Greene – drums
- Bernie Grundman – mastering
- Camille Henry – additional vocals
- John Beverly Jones – engineering, mixing, recording
- Melanie Nissen – photography, design, art direction
- John Philip Shenale – programming
- Davitt Sigerson – production
- Noland Void – additional vocals
References
edit- ^ a b The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 179.
- ^ People Staff (January 12, 1987). "David and David, a Couple of Musical Moralists Who Look at L.A. from Down the Up Staircase". People.
- ^ "Welcome to the Boomtown". 45cat.com.
- ^ a b Ofjord, Michael. "Boomtown". AllMusic. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
- ^ Christgau, Robert. "David and David: Boomtown". Robert Christgau.com. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
- ^ a b "Billboard.com – Album Info – Boomtown". Nielsen Company, Billboard magazine. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
- ^ "RIAA – Gold & Platinum – Searchable Database". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 82. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "DAVID + DAVID - BOOMTOWN". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
- ^ "DAVID + DAVID – BOOMTOWN". charts.nz. Retrieved 2012-08-03.