The Many Moods of Wanda Jackson

The Many Moods of Wanda Jackson is a studio album by American recording artist Wanda Jackson. It was released in December 1968 via Capitol Records and contained 11 tracks. The project was Jackson's thirteenth studio album in her career and spawned two singles. Both "I Wish I Was Your Friend" and "If I Had a Hammer" reached charting positions on the American country chart. The album itself also reached charting positions in the United States.

The Many Moods of Wanda Jackson
Studio album by
ReleasedDecember 1968 (1968-12)
Recorded1967 – 1968
StudioColumbia Studio
Genre
LabelCapitol
Producer
Wanda Jackson chronology
Cream of the Crop
(1968)
The Many Moods of Wanda Jackson
(1968)
The Happy Side of Wanda
(1969)
Singles from The Many Moods of Wanda Jackson
  1. "I Wish I Was Your Friend"
    Released: October 1968
  2. "If I Had a Hammer"
    Released: January 1969

Background and content

edit

In the 1950s, Wanda Jackson made a series of Rockabilly recordings, several of which became successful like "Fujiyama Mama" and "Let's Have a Party". She transitioned back to her country music roots after the success of the songs "Right or Wrong" and "In the Middle of a Heartache". Jackson recorded more country selections during the decade and became more identified with the genre.[2] The Many Moods of Wanda Jackson was one of the albums Jackson recorded exclusively for the country audience. The album was recorded in sessions held at the Columbia Recording Studio in Nashville, Tennessee between 1967 and 1968. The tracks were co-produced by Kelso Herston and Ken Nelson. It was Jackson's second album to include co-production credits from Herston.[3]

The Many Moods of Wanda Jackson consisted of 11 tracks, all of which were composed by other songwriters.[1] According to the album's liner notes, the project was intended to showcase Jackson's "personality most clearly", through different selections that showcased her various musical interests. Included were covers of pop songs such as Peggy Lee's "Fever", The Weavers' "If I Had a Hammer" and Neil Diamond's "I'm a Believer". Also featured were covers of country songs, such as Merle Haggard's "Today I Started Loving You Again".[3]

Release and reception

edit

The Many Moods of Wanda Jackson was released in December 1968, making it Jackson's thirteenth studio album. It was originally issued as a vinyl LP, containing six songs on "side one" and five songs on "side two".[3] It was later re-released via Capitol Records Nashville to digital and streaming markets, including Apple Music.[4] The LP spent six weeks on the Billboard Top Country Albums survey, peaking at number 28 in March 1969.[5] It was her seventh album to reach a peak position on the chart.[6] Although a full review was not given, AllMusic did name "I Wish I Was Your Friend", "I'd Do It All Over Again" and "Walk Right Out on My Mind" as "album picks".[1] Two singles were spawned from the album. In October 1968, "I Wish I Was Your Friend" was released as the album's first single.[7] In January 1969, the single peaked at number 51 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.[8] Jackson's cover of "If I Had a Hammer" was spawned as the project's second single in January 1969.[9] The song peaked outside of the country top 40, climbing to number 41 on the Billboard country songs chart in April 1969.[10]

Track listings

edit

Vinyl version

edit
Side one[3]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I Wish I Was Your Friend"Harlan Howard2:30
2."Walk Right In"
2:26
3."Memphis, Tennessee"Chuck Berry2:10
4."I'd Do It All Over Again"Ron Mason2:27
5."If I Had a Hammer"2:37
6."I'm a Believer"Neil Diamond2:43
Side two[3]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I Started Loving You Again"Merle Haggard2:15
2."Fever"3:10
3."Poor Ole Me"Jerry Venable2:30
4."Walk Right Out of My Mind"Red Lane2:30
5."Big Daddy"John D. Loudermilk1:59

Digital version

edit
The Many Moods of Wanda Jackson (Capitol Nashville)[4]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I Wish I Was Your Friend"Howard2:33
2."Walk Right In"
  • Powell
  • Smith
2:28
3."Memphis, Tennessee"Berry2:13
4."I'd Do It All Over Again"Mason2:29
5."If I Had a Hammer (The Hammer Song)"
  • Hays
  • Seeger
2:40
6."I'm a Believer"Diamond2:44
7."I Started Loving You Again"Haggard2:19
8."Fever"
  • Cooley
  • Davenport
3:10
9."Poor Ole Me"Vanable2:33
10."Walk Right Out of My Mind"Lane2:28
11."Big Daddy"Loudermilk2:00

Chart performance

edit
Chart (1968 – 1969) Peak
position
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[11] 28

Release history

edit
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Canada December 1968 Vinyl Capitol Records [12]
  • Australia
  • United States
[3]
Germany [13]
United States 2010s
  • Digital
  • Streaming
Capitol Records Nashville [4]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c "The Many Moods of Wanda Jackson: Wanda Jackson: Songs, reviews, credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  2. ^ Wolff, Kurt. "Wanda Jackson: Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Jackson, Wanda (December 1968). "The Many Moods of Wanda Jackson (LP Liner Notes and Album Information)". Capitol Records. ST-129.
  4. ^ a b c "The Many Moods of Wanda Jackson by Wanda Jackson". Apple Music. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  5. ^ "The Many Moods of Wanda Jackson chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  6. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1997). Joel Whitburn's Top Country Albums: 1967-1997. Record Research Inc. ISBN 0898201241.
  7. ^ Jackson, Wanda (October 1968). ""I Wish I Was Your Friend"/"Poor Ole Me" (7" vinyl single)". Capitol Records. 2315.
  8. ^ "The Many Moods of Wanda Jackson chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  9. ^ Jackson, Wanda (January 1969). ""If I Had a Hammer"/"The Pain of It All" (7" vinyl single)". Capitol Records. 2379.
  10. ^ ""If I Had a Hammer" chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  11. ^ "Wanda Jackson Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  12. ^ Jackson, Wanda (December 1968). "The Many Moods of Wanda Jackson (LP Liner Notes and Album Information)". Capitol Records. ST-8-0129.
  13. ^ Jackson, Wanda (December 1968). "The Many Moods of Wanda Jackson (LP Liner Notes and Album Information)". Capitol Records. 1-C-062-80-000.