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Bruce Hornsby: Harbor Lights

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: RCA Records
Released: 1993.04.06
Time:
 52:33
Category: Pop/Rock
Producer(s): Bruce Hornsby
Rating: *********. (9/10)
Media type: CD
Web address: www.brucehornsby.com
Appears with:
Purchase date: 2000.09.02
Price in €: 14,99



 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] Harbor Lights (B.R.Hornsby) - 7:11
[2] Talk of the town (B.R.Hornsby) - 5:11
[3] Long tall cool one (B.R.Hornsby) - 4:59
[4] China doll (B.R.Hornsby) - 5:16
[5] Fields of grey (B.R.Hornsby) - 4:52
[6] Rainbow's Cadillac (B.R.Hornsby) - 4:37
[7] Passing through (B.R.Hornsby) - 5:58
[8] The Tide will Rise (B.R.Hornsby - B.R.Hornsby/John Hornsby) - 3:55
[9] What a time (B.R.Hornsby - John Hornsby) - 4:03
[10] Pastures of plenty (B.R.Hornsby) - 6:37

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


BRUCE HORNSBY - Piano, Accordion, Organ, Vocals, Horn Charts
JIMMY HASLIP - Bass
JOHN MOLO - Drums

PAT METHENY - Guitars on [1] [2] [4] [8], Rhythm Guitar on [8]
JOHN BIGHAM - Rhythm Guitar on [1] [6], Lead Guitar on [6] [7]
WILL ROSS - Rhythm Guitar on [2]
DAVE DUNCAN - Midi Man on [1]
JEFF LORBER - Loops on [1], Programming on [2]
BRANDFORD MARSALIS - Soprano Sax on [2], Sax on [3], Horns on [6]
PHIL COLLINS - Bongos on [2], Backgrond Vocals on [3] [4] [5], Tambourine on [5]
TONY BERG - Guitar Chords on [4]
WAYNE POOLEY - Guitar Chords on [4], Engineer, Mixing [1] [3] [4] [5] [7] [8] [10]
JOHN MCLAUGHLIN WILLIAMS - Violine on [5] [10], String Quartett Charts
LAURA ROELOFS PARK - Violin on [5] [10]
BEVERLY K. BAKER - Viola on [5] [10]
WILLIAM CONITA - Cello on [5] [10]
LAMONT COWART - Percussion on [5]
BONNIE RAITT - Background Vocals on [6] [8]
JOHN D'EARTH - Horns on [6] [8]
GLENN WILSON - Horns on [6] [8] [9]
GEORGE A. GAILES III - Horns on [8]
ROY MUTH - Horns on [8]
TIM STRAGLE - Horns on [8]
GEORGE HARPLE - French Horns on [8]
PHILIP KOSLOW - French Horns on [8]
ADAM LESNIK - French Horns on [8]
ALAN B. PARSON - French Horns on [8]
JERRY GARCIA - Guitars on [7] [10]

LAURA CRAEMER-DUNVILLE - Backing Vocals on [1] [6] [7] [8]
JEAN MCCLAIN - Backing Vocals on [1] [6] [7] [8]
DEBRA N. HENRY - Background Vocals on [8 [9]]
BONA CHERI WELLS - Background Vocals on [8] [9]

SETVE STRASSMAN - Engineer
EDDIE KING - Additional Engineer
DAVID LEONARD - Mixing on [2] [6] [9]
KEITH "KC" COHEN - Mixing on [2]
BOB LUDWIG - Mastering
AMY WNZLER - Production Assistant
SHAMITA SINGH - Production Assistant
SHARONA SHABAG - Production Assistant
LEO SCHATZEL - Piano Tuning and Service
DANNY GILLEN - Tambourine Tech
CAROLYN CHRZAN - Guitar Tech for Mr. Metheny

EDWARD HOPPER - Cover - "Rooms by the sea" © Yale University Art Gallery, Request of Stephen Carlton Clark, B.A. 1903
EDWARD HOPPER - Inlay card - Study for Blackwell's Island
NORMAN MOORE - Art dirction & Design
GREG GOREMAN - Back cover photo
CAREY WILHELM - Inside photo

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


Recorded at Bruce Hornsby's Huose. Additional Recording at Acme Studios.



Bruce Hornsby dumped the Range with barely any public notice. Yet there is a difference in the music; more than any other Hornsby record, Harbor Lights is about playing. It's short on memorable songs and heavy on jazz improvisations. In short, Hornsby has taken the chops he has always had, honed them during his live shows with the Grateful Dead, and applied what he learned to adult contemporary radio.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All-Music Guide



Hornsbys bisher abwechslungsreichstes Album." Audio 5/93: "Bruce Hornsby offenbart sich als Jazz-inspirierter Pianist, der losgelöst improvisieren und dennoch melodiös auf den Punkt kommem kann. Im Kern trommelt John Molo, zupft Jimmy Haslip den Baß; dazu bläst Saxer Branford Marsalis, spielen Pat Metheny und Jerry Garcia Gitarre, klopft Phil Collins Bongos und tritt, wie Bonnie Raitt, als Co-Sänger auf.

M. Schlüter in stereoplay 5/93



Anytime a Bruce Hornsby song comes on the radio be prepared to drift away to another place. It has been my obersavation that everyone I talked to agreee with the fact that Bruce Hornsby's music takes you to another place, whether it be that summer when you had your first "steady" or back home whether home may be. "Harbor Lights" is not one of Bruce's best album but can he top "the way it is" its pretty tuff. "Harbor Lights" I believe has alittle more of a Jazz influence. At some points in the album I think it would have been better for Bruce just to play instead of sing. But none the less, another great album by Bruce Hornsby. Just too bad its not with the Range.



"Harbor Lights" was Hornsby's first CD without his band The Range - when I first heard that he was without the band, I wondered how good the album could be. I was relieved to find that it's EXCELLENT! Bruce explores his musical roots on this CD and really gets down to business in doing so. (_A Night On the Town_ is the beginning of this extraordinary journey.) I've seen this guy in concert, and he makes his work even better when he's performing it live with his incerdibly talented road band. Buy this CD--you'll be happy you did.

Rachael Williams Hisaw



While most of his other albums have been winners, and all have been solid, I count "Harbor Lights" as the pinnacle of Bruce Hornsby's career. The liner notes say that HL was recorded at his house, as basically an extended jam session, and as such it comes much closer to the energy and beauty of his live performances than any of his other albums. While all of his albums have the jazz piano which made him famous, this one's got the most soul.

The title track, "China Doll," "Fields of Gray," and "Pastures of Plenty" are the sort of songs it's dangerous to drive while listening to: you just want to close your eyes and slip away into his music. "The Tide Will Rise" is one of his most inspirational songs ever, with its quiet celebration of the passage of life as seen by Virginia fishermen. I don't think there's a song on this album I dislike, which is a rarity for me. All in all, highly recommended.



Why does Bruce still never get all the praise he deserves from critics? Is it the unflinching view on real life reflected in the lyrics? The intelligent look at life? The complexity and sheer talent that prevents his music from falling into the pile of bland generic 4/4 pop? Well, the critics didn't find anything to change their minds here. We get stories of blackouts, interracial couples, drug dealers, and fishermen struggling to make out a living in changing times. Any musicians (especially other keyboard players) will feel back in the amateur leagues after hearing this. The music is a big melting pot of pop, free-form jazz, funk and even a little folk. Perfect for a beautiful relaxing spring or summer evening. Be warned though: Bruce does make you think.



Piano Man Bruce Hornsby gelüstete nach einem Soloalbum. Dabei offenbart er sich als Jazz-inspirierter Pianist, der losgelöst improvisieren und dennoch melodiös auf den Punkt kommen kann. Im Kern-Trio trommelt John Molo von seiner Band The Range, zupft Jimmy Haslip (Yellow Jackets) den Baß; dazu bläst Saxer Branford Marsalis, spielen Pat Metheny und Jerry Garcia Gitarre, klopft Phil Collins Bongos und tritt, wie Bonnie Raitt, als Co-Sänger auf. Das poppig-jazzige und verblüffend gefällige Resultat: ein bißchen Steely Dan, ein wenig Sting, aber viel Hornsby.

© Audio



Auf dem selbstproduzierten "Harbor Lights" präsentiert Bruce Hornsby nur zwei Songs ("Fields Of Gray", "The Tide Will Rise"), die durchgegend im Stil seiner grandiosen Popballaden à la "The Way It Is" gehalten sind. In den anderen Kompositionen verläßt er immer wieder die Popsong-Struktur für ausgedehnte Instrumentalpassagen, deren Harmonik und extemporierender Charakter eindeutig dem Jazz zuzuordnen sind. Der Hausherr brilliert als virtuoser Pianist, ansonsten läßt er seinen Gästen Jerry Garcia, Pat Metheny und Branford Marsalis viel Raum für Improvisationen. Dieses risikofreudige Konzept hat Hornsbys bisher abwechslungsreichstes Album zur Folge.

** Interpret.: 08-09 ** Klang.: 08-09

© Stereoplay



...radiates taste, smarts and ambition...his most musician-ly work and perhaps his most personal....By synthesizing choice bits from diverse traditions, Bruce Hornsby delivers something new...

Rolling Stone (6/10/93, p.69)
3.5 Stars - Very Good



...his jazziest effort yet....the playing follows the spirit of the music...

Musician (5/93, p.90)



...Granted, Hornsby is no Phineas Newborn, but his chordal voicings are far more adventurous and his phrasing far more supple than your average million-seller pop star...

Down Beat (6/93, p.41)
4 Stars - Very Good



...His recent tour as part of The Grateful Dead seems to have affected his approach significantly, making this offering looser, less structured than before, and all the more acceptable for the humanity such a relaxed attitude confers on the songs...

Q Magazine (6/93, p.99)
3 Stars - Good
 

 L y r i c s


HARBOR LIGHTS

Close your eyes and slip away
To the dream of your fancy
Close your eyes and float downstream
To where the marsh grass dances
Take you down where the air is thick
Try to make you shake and shiver
Make you see there will be no tricks
There will be no tricks tonight
Ther will be some tricks tonight

We could go down to the harbor lights
Lay out on the sand on the shore
Let me take you down to the docks at night
Whatever you do I'll do more

Take some hours and waste them away
Let your mind flow freely
Take some time and forget about time
You may find a little feeling
I can see you shining with sweat
Like to make you shake and shiver
We could feel the air so wet
We could feel it all tonight
We could feel it all tonight

We could go down to the harbor lights
Lay out on the sand on the shore
Let me take you down to the docks at night
Whatever you do I'll do more

Take you down where the air is thick
Like to make you shake and shiver
What I'll show you've probably seen
Why not come on again
Why not come see it again

We could go down to the harbor lights
Lay out on the sand on the shore
Let me take you down to the docks at night
Whatever you do I'll do more


TALK OF THE TOWN

I've been riding around with the top down
Like I always do
My love at my side, but only this time
My friends say something's changed you
They said you're running with the wrong set
The girl is someone you should never have met
Let her go on her own, son
Everyon else has just come undone

The old town fathers are up in arms
The city council is very alarmed
Cousins and uncles are having fits
Predictors of doom think this is it
Everybody else is just hanging around
And me and my baby we're the talk of the town

The statue there in the town square
Seems to stare at me
Walking around with my head down
They say can't we make you see
Said son, you know we're really color blind
But everybody else seems to really mind
Lose her now, I think you'll find
Everything else will just fall in line


The old town fathers are up in arms
The city council is very alarmed
Cousins and uncles are having fits
Predictors of doom think this is it
Everyone else is just thinking out loud
And me and my baby we're the talk of the town

We're probably not the first
Surely not the last
Shouldn't throw stones out from your house of glass
Round here lots of crackers and cheese
Stay away from those my daddy said to me
You'll get in trouble if you mess with these

The old town fathers are up in arms
The city council is very alarmed
Cousins and uncles are having fits
Predictors of doom think this is it
Everybody else is just hanging around
And me and my baby we're the talk of the town


LONG TALL COOL ONE

Is he sane or insane
That's all they want to know
Is he crazy or strange then
If so I want to go
I've seen him leave at night
Followed him so far
Drove out about thirteen miles
Then he pulled in to a shothouse bar
For a...

Long Tall Tool One
Don't know just what's going down
Long Tall Cool One
Looks like a new friend I've found
Walking in the shadows
Now I want back in the light
As I make the drop I've got some
Second thoughts tonight
You see I walked right in, sat right down
Offered him a light
Big talk for about thirteen hours
He said can you help me with a job tonight,
For a...

Long Tall Tool One
Don't know just what's going down
Long Tall Cool One
He said something's in it for me right now
I've reached out into the darkness
Jumped up from my bed
Woke up in the middle of the night
Got myself in way over my head
For the...

Long Tall Tool One
Don't know just what's going down
Long Tall Cool One
Looks like a new friend I've found
Long Tall Tool One
But it better never bite me well
Long tall cool one
Oh, customer's always right...


CHINA DOLL

You lie over there in a bed with iron rails
Like a frightened child in the cold light, so frail
Things were going so well,just rolling along
Now, just when you think you got it all made,
You think it's all gone

China Doll, I've got something for you
A few good words, a hand to help you get through
May not be much, but now it's all that I can do
Lay down your weary head
Do whatever you gotta do

Put on your strong face when they're in the room
Can't show signs of weakness; an unspoken rule
Put on your strong face, act like nothing's wrong
We can be so helpless, helpless and so strong

China Doll, I've got something for you
A few good words, a hand to help you get through
May not be much, but now it's all that I can do
To ease your worried mind
Do something to get through

We bend and break, so fragile, it's true
I say everything'll be alright but I don't have a clue
They say faith is a crutch, well whatever works for you
In a world where you never know
I'll be there for you,
I'll be there for you...

China Doll, I've got something for you
A few good words, a hand to help you get through
May not be much, but now it's all that I can do
Lay down your weary head
Do whatever you gotta do


FIELDS OF GRAY

When the night lies so still
Before I go to sleep
I come by, I come by
Just to look at you
In the dim light I say
That in my own small way
I will try, I will try
To help you through

There'll be blue skies falling
There'll be sad scenes and bad dreams
In a world so uncertain
Through the clouds it's hard to see
I will grab you and lift you
As you hold on tight and sway
We'll go walking
Across the fields of gray

There's a place I can go
When the world gets me down
When nothing, when nothing
Goes quite right it seems
As I look there I know
Fortune smiles on me so
But who knows, no one knows
About tomorrow

There'll be blue skies falling
There'll be sad scenes and bad dreams
In a world so uncertain
Through the clouds it's hard to see
I will grab you and lift you
As you hold on tight and sway
We'll go walking
Across the fields of gray

When I was younger I saw things in black and white
Now all I see is a sad, hazy gray
Sometimes I see a narrow flash of light
Sometimes I look and you show me the way

No matter what else happens
What the future will be
In a world so uncertain
Through the clouds it's hard to see
I will grab you and carry you
Calm your fears if you're afraid
We'll go walking
Across the fields of gray


RAINBOW'S CADILLAC

Well he came to town with a strong pull
Would flash his moves for the worshipful
Shoulder moves from side to side
Go over your head and dot your eyes

Every night about a quarter to ten
>From the middle of June to the summer's end
People would gather from miles around
To see the mighty Rainbow knock 'em down

He'd pull up from around the back
Folk's say, "There's Rainbow's Cadillac"
Fancy shirts and shorts of plaid
Coat of more colors than Joseph had

Every night about a quarter to ten
>From the middle of June to the summer's end
People would gather from miles around
To see the mighty Rainbow knock 'em down

Take a quarter from the collection plate
Every night he would dominate
Jump to the top and pick off a dime
Throw it down at the proper time

Every night about a quarter to ten
>From the middle of June to the summer's end
People would gather from miles around
To see the mighty Rainbow knock 'em down


PASSING THROUGH

Train rolls by about 3 a.m.
Wakes me from a fitful sleep
Got the urge to jump on board
I believe I'm in a little too deep
Walk the train station
Walking through the park
Looking out for something
Still in the dark
One day you'll see something
Oh, with a familiar ring
It'll be just me moving through
On the way to something

It's your life, it's your world
It's your world, and I'm just passing through
It's your life, it's your world
Your life, and I'm just passing through

Tired and confused, yes I am
Don't see much in the future for me
I'm a vagabond and a drifter
Not so hard to be
Walking down the highway
Walking through the park
Looking out for something
Still in the dark
Don't know what to say when I see you smile
So I guess I'll turn my head and go
On the way to another mile

It's your life, it's your world
It's your world, and I'm just passing through
It's your life, it's your world
Your life, and I'm just passing through

Walking down the highway
Walking through the park
Looking out for something
Still in the dark
Want faith in something
So hard to believe
Maybe one night soon
Maybe you could make me see

It's your life, it's your world
It's your world, and I'm just passing through
It's your life, it's your world
Your life, and I'm just passing through


THE TIDE WILL RISE

Sometimes I get lucky
Most times I come up short
Got to pull up the lines
Got to move around the bend
They say it's a dying breed
They say it's going to disappear
Nothing I can do, oh but pull up the load again

The tide will rise
And the tide will fall
We'll be out on the water
Before the break of dawn
The tide will rise
And the tide will fall
Oh, we'll be working on the water
When the long, long day is gone

Full moon it was always best
Keep a little and you sell the rest
Living on hope that the seed is sown again
Red sky in the evening
Better times are coming up they say
Well, why do I feel like it's all coming to an end

The tide will rise
And the tide will fall
We'll be out on the water
Before the break of dawn
The tide will rise
And the tide will fall
Oh, we'll be working on the water
When the long, long day is gone

When the seed is broken
Nothing left to grow on
When you lose the seed
It's hard to bring it on back
Never bowed to no one
Always went my own way
Broke down, run around, but I won't run away
And the tide will rise

The tide will rise
And the tide will fall
We'll be out on the water
Before the break of dawn
The tide will rise
And the tide will fall
Oh, we'll be working on the water
When the long, long day is gone


WHAT A TIME

It came on fast when I heard the blast
And the main generator gave a giant gasp
It was round about midnight, about half past
And the city went black as coal so fast

Oh, what a time
Everybody was fazing, hazing
Oh, what a time
It was time to be amazing
Time to lose all reason or rhyme
What a time

It was bad to worse, as the landlord cursed
And the water tank in the backyard burst
We were slipping and sliding and killing thirst
And we couldn't see a soul doing it in the dirt

Oh, what a time
Everybody was praising, raising
Oh, what a time
It was time to be amazing
Time to lose all reason or rhyme
What a time

A thousand people singing in the dark
Couldn't see a thing
A thousand people singing in the dark

Oh, what a time
Everybody was razing, grazing
Oh, what a time
It was time to be amazing
Time to lose all reason or rhyme
What a time


PASTURES OF PLENTY

Hey Now, where are you going
Where are you going to my friend
Said I'm going out to find
The pastures of plenty
I believe they're out there somewhere

Did you hear about the girl
Alone in the world
Thought she was losing her mind
She found it in the discarded refuse pile
Down near the railroad line
A book of sonnets torn and tattered
A few remained intact
One held the key, she said to me
To getting some feeling back

Sometimes my head turns round and round
Sometimes you talk but I can't hear a sound
Sometimes I look down, find my feet off the ground
I feel that I'm somewhere else bound

Hey Now, where are you going
Where are you going to my friend
Said I'm going out to find
The pastures of plenty
I believe they're out there somewhere

She looked down the railroad trackLined with trees on each side
She prayed for the strength to run to the boxcar
To pull herself up for the ride

You invite me to your house - you're so sincere
We sit so close for a while
You reach out for me in the low light so clear
But you look like you're frowning when you smile

Hanging around just to see what could happen
Hanging on by oh, the thinnest thread
Sometimes I see the faintest glimpse
Sometimes I feel I'd be better off in bed

Hey Now, where are you going
Where are you going to my friend
Said I'm going out to find
The pastures of plenty
I believe they're out there somewhere

 M P 3   S a m p l e s


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