Slippin' Away is a studio album by American country singer Jean Shepard. It was released by United Artists Records in September 1973 and was her twentieth studio album. The album was named for Shepard's top five US and Canadian country single of the same name. The album itself was Shepard's first for United Artists after many years with Capitol Records. It received a positive response from both Billboard and Record World magazines.
| Slippin' Away | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 1973 | |||
| Recorded | March–April 1973 | |||
| Studio | House of Cash | |||
| Genre | Country[1] | |||
| Label | United Artists | |||
| Producer | Larry Butler | |||
| Jean Shepard chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Slippin' Away | ||||
| ||||
Background
editOne of country music's first successful solo female artists, Jean Shepard rose to fame in the 1950s and had top ten and 20 singles over the next 20 years. Shepard had been with Capitol Records until the early 1970s,[2] but was getting frustrated with the lack of attention the label gave to her recent releases.[3] In February 1973, it was announced that Shepard had moved to United Artists Records.[4] In 1973, her United Artists single "Slippin' Away" made the country top ten.[2] Her first United Artists of the same name would be named for the single.[5]
Recording and content
editAt first, Larry Butler was working alongside Johnny Cash at Columbia Records until it was announced he would be working as an independent producer at United Artists. With this decision, it was then decided that Butler would serve as Shepard's producer for her next recording sessions.[6] Recording sessions for Slippin' Away were held between March and April 1973 at the House of Cash studios in Hendersonville, Tennessee. Butler was the sole producer on the album.[7][8] The album contained a total of ten tracks.[1] A majority of the recordings were cover tunes.[9] Covers included "Teddy Bear Song", "'Til I Get It Right", "Funny Face" and "It's Not Love (But It's Not Bad)".[5] The title track was one of the album's few new tracks and was penned by Bill Anderson.[9]
Release and critical reception
editCash Box magazine originally stated that Slippin' Away would be released in mid-August 1973.[10] However, the album was instead released in September 1973 by United Artists Records. The label distributed it as a vinyl LP, with five songs on each side of the disc. Slippin' Away was the twentieth studio album released in Shepard's career.[8] It was given positive reviews from critics following its release. Billboard named it among its "Country Picks" in September 1973, finding that Shepard was "singing better than any time in her life". Critics also predicted high sales, stating, "The titles in this album are very familiar, which should help with the product."[9] Record World magazine also praised the album in September 1973 calling the cover tunes "a solid collection of hits" with "fine readings".[5]
Chart performance and singles
editSlippin' Away was Shepard's first album in three years to make the US Billboard Top Country Albums chart, rising to the number 15 position in 1973. It was her third highest-peaking album on the country survey behind two records from 1966. It was one of seven albums by Shepard to make the top 20 of the same survey.[11] Slippin' Away included two singles. Its lead single was the title track, which was initially released by United Artists in May 1973.[12] It rose to the number four position on the US country songs chart and number three on Canada's RPM country chart in 1973.[13][14] "Come on Phone" was spawned as the second single in October 1973,[15] reaching number 36 on the US country chart[13] and number 28 on the Canadian country chart.[14]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Slippin' Away" | B. Anderson | 2:27 |
| 2. | "The Teddy Bear Song" |
| 3:02 |
| 3. | "The Last Thing on My Mind" | T. Paxton | 2:35 |
| 4. | "Till I Get It Right" | 2:28 | |
| 5. | "It's Not Love (But It's Not Bad)" |
| 2:41 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Come on Phone" |
| 2:12 |
| 2. | "Think I'll Go Somewhere (And Cry Myself to Sleep)" | B. Anderson | 2:45 |
| 3. | "Funny Face" | D. Fargo | 2:27 |
| 4. | "Safe in the Love of My Man" | M. Sharp | 3:24 |
| 5. | "Are You Sincere?" | W. Walker | 1:59 |
Personnel
editAll credits are adapted from the liner notes of Slippin' Away.[8]
|
Musical personnel
|
Technical personnel
|
Chart performance
edit| Chart (1973) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[16] | 15 |
Release history
edit| Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America | September 1973 | Vinyl LP (Stereo) | United Artists Records | [8] |
| Australia | [17] |
References
edit- ^ a b "Slippin' Away: Jean Shepard: Songs, reviews, credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- ^ a b Cooper, Dan. "Jean Shepard". Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
- ^ Shepard, Jean (2014). Down Through the Years. Don Wise Productions. p. 84. ISBN 978-0944391068.
- ^ Williams, Bill (February 17, 1973). "Nashville Scene" (PDF). Billboard. p. 32. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- ^ a b c "Country Picks of the Week: Album" (PDF). Record World. September 15, 1973. p. 56. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- ^ Williams, Bill (January 20, 1973). "Nashville Scene" (PDF). Billboard. p. 52. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- ^ Williams, Bill (April 14, 1973). "Nashville Scene" (PDF). Billboard. p. 34. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Shepard, Jean (September 1973). "Slippin' Away (Liner Notes)". United Artists Records. UA-LA144-F (Stereo).
- ^ a b c "Billboard's Top Album Picks: Country Picks". Billboard. September 15, 1973. p. 50. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- ^ "Cash Box Country Roundup" (PDF). Cash Box. August 4, 1973. p. 46. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Joel Whitburn Presents Hot Country Albums, 1964-2007. Record Research, Inc. ISBN 978-0898201734.
- ^ Shepard, Jean (May 1973). ""Slippin' Away"/"Think I'll Go Somewhere (And Cry Myself to Sleep)" (7" vinyl single)". United Artists Records. UA-XW248-W.
- ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research.
- ^ a b "Search results for "Jean Shepard" under RPM Country Singles". RPM. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
- ^ Shepard, Jean (October 1973). ""Come on Phone"/"Are You Sincere?" (7" vinyl single)". United Artists Records. UA-XW317-W.
- ^ "Jean Shepard Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
- ^ Shepard, Jean (September 1973). "Slippin' Away [Australia]". United Artists Records. L-35120 (Stereo).