..:: audio-music dot info ::..


Main Page      The Desert Island      Copyright Notice
 Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz


Tony Joe White: The Train I'm On

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Warner Bros. Records
Released: 1972
Time:
 42:05
Category: Blues, Swamp Rock
Producer(s): Jerry Wexler & Tom Dowd
Rating:
Media type: CD
Web address: www.tonyjoewhite.com
Appears with:
Purchase date: 2015
Price in €: 1,00





 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] I've Got a Thing About You Baby (Tony Joe White) - 2:42
[2] The Family (Tony Joe White) - (John Hurley, Ronnie Wilkins) 3:30
[3] If I Ever Saw a Good Thing (Tony Joe White) - 3:21
[4] Beouf River Road (Tony Joe White) - 3:20
[5] The Train I'm On (Tony Joe White) - 3:09
[6] Even Trolls Love Rock and Roll (Tony Joe White) - 4:56
[7] As the Crow Flies (Tony Joe White) - 3:50
[8] Take Time to Love (Donnie Fritts, Tony Joe White) - 3:02
[9] 300 Pounds of Hongry (Donnie Fritts, Eddie Hinton) - 2:44
[10] The Migrant (Tony Joe White) - 4:00
[11] Sidewalk Hobo (Tony Joe White) - 3:54
[12] The Gospel Singer (Tony Joe White) - 3:32

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Tony Joe White - Guitar, Harmonica

Tippy Armstrong - Guitar
John Hughey - Pedal Steel Guitar
Roger Hawkins - Cowbell, Drums, Jew's-Harp, Maracas
David Hood - Bass
Barry Beckett - Piano, Clavinet, Organ
Ronnie Barron - Organ, Electric Piano, Vibes, Congas
Charles Chalmers - Saxophone, Background Vocals
David Briggs - Keyboards
Jerry Carrigan - Drums
Sammy Creason - Drums
Tommy McClure - Bass
Norbert Putnam - Bass
Mike Utley - Organ

Jerry Masters - Background Vocals, Engineer
Donna Rhodes - Background Vocals
Sandy Rhodes - Background Vocals
Terry Woodford - Background Vocals
George Soulé - Background Vocals

Tom Dowd - Producer, Engineer, Background Vocal Arrangements
Jerry Wexler - Producer
Jimmy Johnson - Engineer
Arif Mardin - String Arrangements
Dave Bhang - Art Direction
Jimmy Hole - Reissue Design
Jim Marshall - Photography

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


Recorded in 1972 at Muscle Shoals Sound, Muscle Shoals.



Tony Joe White's second Warner Bros. album is an awesome, exquisite musical jewel and a departure from most of the attributes for which he is best known, from songs like "Polk Salad Annie." Acoustic textured for much of its length and built on a close, intimate sound overall, The Train I'm On is permeated with the dark side of White's usual swamp rock sound, filled with songs about unsettled loves and lives, and men caught amid insoluble situations. Betraying surprising vulnerability for much of its length, even on songs like "If I Ever Saw a Good Thing" and "300 Pounds of Hongry" (among the few full band numbers here, with a gorgeous sax solo by Charles Chalmers on the former), he shows off an emotional complexity that wasn't always obvious on his earlier work, only really cutting loose boldly on "Even Trolls Love Rock and Roll" and a tiny handful of other cuts. The rest is dark, pensive, soulful bluesy rock, highlighted by some bristling acoustic guitar work (check out "As the Crow Flies") and superb singing throughout ("The Migrant" is worth the price of admission by itself). [The album was reissued in 2002 by Sepia Tone with new annotation, in a beautifully remastered mid-price edition.]

Bruce Eder - All Music Guide



While Tony Joe White's Monument recordings remain his most consistently excellent group of albums, he stands out among musicians from the 1960s who dealt with the changes of the 1970s on his own terms in a mostly successful manner. Well, until that self-titled abomination for 20th Century-Fox, that is. Be that as it may, we can forgive the Swamp Fox for that lapse in judgment because most of his records from the Me Decade are very good, especially the trio of LPs he did for Warner Brothers.

The Train I'm On is White's sophomore effort for that label and considerably more subdued than its predecessor, Tony Joe White. Some people might be disappointed by the almost complete lack of whomper stomper blasts and punchy horn charts on this album, especially considering the fact that it was recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio with production by Jerry Wexler and Tom Dowd. But for those who enjoy the musician's more downhome acoustic material, this album is enthusiastically recommended. Andria Lisle's insightful booklet notes for the CD reissue state, "The Train I'm On addresses 'being at home and being a stranger.' These twelve songs explore the concept from all sides." I suppose there is a certain restless quality in several of these performances, and such a feeling predominates in many of the song's the lyrics that also feature White's distinctive cast of Southern characters. A friend of mine who has to be one of the singer's biggest fans once told me that this isn't the Tony Joe record you put on the turntable during a party, but instead is the one you play after it's over when the sun is just starting to come up.

The tender "I've Got a Thing About You Baby" might incorrectly lead you to believe that this affair is primarily going to be an exercise in swamp sensitivity. It's not, although the opening cut will definitely make a welcome addition to a playlist or old school mix tape for that special lady in your life. "The Family" is a poignant slice of life about a hard-luck Southern family like only Tony Joe can sing 'em, although writing credits go to John Hurley and Ronnie Wilkins on this one. White's world-weary vocals contrast somewhat with the upbeat arrangements of the 1950s-rock-styled "If I Ever Saw a Good Thing," and those with a hankering for his bayou country-themed pieces should enjoy the atmospheric "Beouf River Road," in which the narrator graphically describes the loss of his farm to a flood. The yearning title track - with its lonely harmonica, whining pedal steel, and uplifting string section - finds the musician comfortably occupying sophisticated country territory, as does the similarly-arranged performance "The Migrant." The appealingly ridiculous "Even Trolls Love Rock and Roll" is the only number on which White really gets down. You can hear the whomper stomper, and this piece comes close to being outright funk, even if it still has a bit of an ominous vibe to it. There's that aforementioned restless quality apparent on the exquisite acoustically-picked "As the Crow Flies," whereas "Take Time to Love" simply veers too close to the dreaded "singer-songwriter sound" for this writer's ears. As restrained as it may be, the whomper stomper makes a welcome return on the engaging "300 Pounds of Hongry," an amusing tribute to a plus-sized woman that settles into a real nice goove. On the other side of the coin, "Sidewalk Hobo" may very well be the bleakest thing that Tony Joe ever recorded. Although not normally his bag, this is an extremely affecting performance. The joyous-sounding vocal arrangements that grace "The Gospel Singer" belie the fact that this is not a song of redemption. Rather, it's one of comeuppance, in which the main character gets what he deserves for religious hypocrisy.

Record Fiend - September 26, 2010



Tony Joe White’s The Train I’m On is one of those records that are just too damn good to be kept a secret. Keeping it oh so real and raw on what may be his finest moment, the LP is a sweet and languid roots rock triumph.

Give me acoustic guitar and the bass drum, that’s all it needs. “I’ve Got A Thing About You Baby”is sparse and smooth, fitted with just enough details to keep your ears addicted to the feel—Elvis himself took this one to number 5. Like contemporaries Bobby Charles, Lonnie Mack, Dale Hawkins, and Link Wray, Tony Joe was one of those swamp-rockers digging up roots in the 70s. On Train, his second album for Warner Bros, the production is stripped though not to the bone. A full band arrangement fills up just about every track, but thankfully you can always hear the spine. Harmonica, piano, and organ assist on dynamic ballad “The Family,” and raucous percussion and hyperactive jaw harp push along “Beouf River Road” wheras tunes like “Sidewalk Hobo” need little more than a guitar and that voice…that velvet voice. Keeping it interesting, the slightly absurd “Even Trolls Love Rock And Roll” approaches some grimy alley-funk, while “As The Crow Flies” and “300 Pounds of Hongry” are as muddy as I’ll ever need in a groove.

It’s true “Polk Salad Annie,” TJW’s huge 1969 hit, kept the paychecks coming in, but this kind of record is how Tony Joe ought to be celebrated.

Brendan - November 13th, 2009
therisingstorm.net
 

 L y r i c s


Currently no Lyrics available!

 M P 3   S a m p l e s


Currently no Samples available!