In Search of a Song is the fifth studio album by country singer and songwriter, Tom T. Hall, released in 1971. The album includes eleven songs based on Hall's observations of rural life. It became a number eight top country album and the opening track, "The Year That Clayton Delaney Died", became a number one country single.
| In Search of a Song | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1971 | |||
| Recorded | Tracks 1 & 9: March 26, 1971 Other tracks: May 1971 | |||
| Studio | Mercury Custom Recording Studio, Nashville, Tennessee | |||
| Genre | Country music, Progressive country | |||
| Length | 30:50 | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Producer | Jerry Kennedy | |||
| Tom T. Hall chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |  [1] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | A[2] |
| Rolling Stone | (favorable)[3] |
History edit
In Search of a Song was released amid Hall's years with Mercury Records (1969–1977) during which he released one or more albums each year (see Tom T. Hall discography). It is the first full album to result from one of Hall's "song-hunting" trips to Kentucky. Hall was known to make periodic visits to rural Kentucky. He didn't actually write songs on these trips so much as take notes and gather raw material that he would later write about. He typically traveled backroads by car, sometimes with a photographer, to find inspiration by observing and visiting with the common people of his home state. On this particular trip, Hall traveled with music journalist William "Bill" Neuel Littleton of Nashville, TN. Littleton took the photographs that appear on the album's front and back cover, subsequently writing the album's liner notes.[4]
Track listing edit
All songs by Hall
- "The Year That Clayton Delaney Died" – 2:42
- "Who's Gonna Feed Them Hogs" – 2:35
- "Trip to Hyden" – 2:52
- "Tulsa Telephone Book" – 2:21
- "It Sure Can Get Cold in Des Moines" – 2:53
- "The Little Lady Preacher" – 2:53
- "L.A. Blues" – 2:40
- "Kentucky, February 27, 1971" – 3:16
- "A Million Miles to the City" – 2:51
- "Second Handed Flowers" – 2:55
- "Ramona's Revenge" – 2:53
Personnel edit
Musicians edit
- Tom T. Hall – guitar, vocals
- Jerry Kennedy – guitar, dobro, sitar
- Ray Edenton – guitar
- Chip Young – guitar
- Harold Bradley – six-string bass guitar, banjo
- Pete Drake – pedal steel guitar, dobro
- Bob Moore – bass
- Buddy Harman – drums
- Hargus "Pig" Robbins – piano
- George Tidwell – trumpet
- Charlie McCoy – harmonica, vibes
Production edit
- Jerry Kennedy – Producer
- Tracks 1 & 9 recorded March 26, 1971
- Other tracks recorded May 1971, Mercury Custom Recording Studio, Nashville, Tennessee
Charts edit
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | U.S. Top Country | 8 |
| 1971 | U.S. 200 | 137 |
Releases edit
| Year | Format | Label | Catalog # |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | LP | Mercury | 822500-1 |
| 1971 | Audio cassette | Mercury | 822500-4 |
| 2005 | Re-issue CD | Mercury | — |
| 2005 | Compilation disc | Hux | 71 |
| 2006 | Remastered CD | Hip-O Select | 000424002 |
References edit
- ^ McCall, Michael, "Review: In Search of a Song, AllMusic
- ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: H". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 24, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Cromelin, Richard "Review: Tom T. Hall, In Search of a Song", Rolling Stone, January 6, 1972 (link via rocksbackpages.com)
- ^ Wolfe, Charles, K., Kentucky Country, University of Kentucky Press, 1982, p.146