Non Fiction is the third album by the American band the Blasters, released in 1983.[4][5]
| Non Fiction | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1983 | |||
| Recorded | January 1983 | |||
| Studio | Ocean Way Recording | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 31:45 | |||
| Label | Slash[3] | |||
| Producer | The Blasters | |||
| The Blasters chronology | ||||
| ||||
The album peaked at No. 95 on the Billboard 200.[6]
Production and release
editThe album was produced by the Blasters; the band intended for it to be a concept album about "lost dreams," and a refutation of their revivalist music party image.[7][8] "Long White Cadillac" is dedicated to Hank Williams.[9]
"Tag Along" is a cover of the Rocket Morgan song.[10] The other cover song, "Barefoot Rock", was released as a single; much to the band's chagrin, their record label kept choosing the Blasters' covers as singles, rather than their originals.[11]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau | A[2] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [12] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide |  [13] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [14] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 9/10[15] |
The Village Voice critic Robert Christgau thought that "this is r&b Jerry Lee could be proud of ... Dave Alvin writes with an objective colloquial intensity that fits the straight-ahead dedication of his cross-racial and -generational band."[2] Trouser Press opined that the album "presents a series of well-crafted vignettes reminiscent of Robbie Robertson’s work with the Band."[7] The Philadelphia Inquirer determined: "Choosing the simplest words to tell clear, vivid stories, lyricist Dave Alvin is one of the best writers in popular music."[16]
The Washington Post wrote that "Phil Alvin's anguished voice is a treat... This singer, who can inflict a sense of torment on the silliest syllable, is one of rock's most underrated vocalists."[10] The New York Times concluded that the Blasters "are able to conjure a vision of America that is uniquely their own with the help of Dave Alvin's snapshot-sharp images and deftly idiomatic music."[17]
AllMusic wrote: "Like Television's Adventure and the New York Dolls' Too Much Too Soon, the Blasters' Non-Fiction followed an instant classic, and seemed like a disappointment on first glance, but give it a listen on its own terms, and it plays like the work of a great band working with heart, soul, and plenty of skill, and it's one of the finest roots rock discs of the '80s."[1] The Spin Alternative Record Guide stated that "Alvin's tales of men leaving and sometimes returning, lost in boomtowns and bus stations, resemble the drugstore paperbacks of '50s writers like Jim Thompson."[15] The San Diego Union-Tribune deemed Non Fiction the eighth best album of the 1980s.[18]
Track listing
editAll tracks written by Dave Alvin, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Red Rose" | 2:31 |
| 2. | "Barefoot Rock" (LaCharles Harper, Joseph Scott) | 2:29 |
| 3. | "Bus Station" | 2:31 |
| 4. | "One More Dance" | 2:26 |
| 5. | "It Must Be Love" | 2:54 |
| 6. | "Jubilee Train" | 3:00 |
| 7. | "Long White Cadillac" | 2:54 |
| 8. | "Fool's Paradise" | 2:44 |
| 9. | "Boomtown" | 3:34 |
| 10. | "Leaving" | 3:26 |
| 11. | "Tag Along" (Rodney Morgan) | 2:53 |
| Total length: | 31:45 | |
Personnel
edit- Lee Allen – tenor saxophone
- Dave Alvin – composer, guitar, lyrics
- Phil Alvin – guitar, harmonica, vocals
- Bill Bateman – drums
- John Bazz – bass
- Steve Berlin – baritone saxophone
- The Blasters – producer
- Steve Crimmel – engineer
- Frank Gargani – photography
- Jim Hill – associate producer, engineer
- Laura Livingston – engineer
- Hudson Marquez – art direction, illustrations
- Gene Taylor – piano, vocals
Charts
edit| Chart (1983) | Peak
position |
|---|---|
| United States (Billboard 200)[6] | 95 |
References
edit- ^ a b c "Non Fiction". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2021-10-28. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ^ a b c "The Blasters". Robert Christgau. Archived from the original on 2015-12-10. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ^ Popoff, Martin (September 8, 2009). Goldmine Record Album Price Guide. Penguin. Archived from the original on November 3, 2021. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
- ^ "The Blasters Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2018-06-24. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ^ "A Testament to the Blasters". Perfect Sound Forever. Archived from the original on 2021-02-10. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ^ a b "The Blasters". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2021-10-30. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ^ a b "Blasters". Trouser Press. Archived from the original on 28 September 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- ^ Morse, Steve (27 Apr 1983). "Blasters Explode". Arts. The Boston Globe. p. 1.
- ^ Smith, David Hugh (July 7, 1983). "Record Guide". Arts/Entertainment. The Christian Science Monitor. p. 16.
- ^ a b "Rollicking 'Blasters'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- ^ McLeese, Don (July 11, 1986). "Defection of Blaster doesn't spell disaster". Weekend Plus. Chicago Sun-Times. p. 3.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 1. MUZE. pp. 668–669.
- ^ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1996. p. 71.
- ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. pp. 65–66.
- ^ a b Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. p. 48.
- ^ Tucker, Ken (28 Apr 1983). "The Blasters' Sound Is the Hippest Around". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. E5.
- ^ Palmer, Robert (27 Apr 1983). "The Pop Life". The New York Times. p. C19.
- ^ Seigal, Buddy (December 22, 1989). "'80s shifts add to difficulty of picking top albums". The San Diego Union-Tribune. p. C4.