Car Wheels on a Gravel Road
Encyclopedia
Car Wheels on a Gravel Road is the 1998 album by singer-songwriter
and guitarist
Lucinda Williams
, her fifth professional release. Issued by Mercury
/Polygram Records, it was recorded in Nashville
and Canoga Park, California. Williams co-produced the album, which includes guest appearances by Steve Earle
and Emmylou Harris
.
Car Wheels on a Gravel Road won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album, and was Willams' first album to go gold. According to Billboard
in February 2008, the album has sold 811,000 copies in the U.S. It was voted as the best album of the year in The Village Voice
Pazz & Jop
critics poll. In 2003, the album was ranked number 304 on Rolling Stone
magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time
.
The original CD release was HDCD encoded, although the logo was not printed on the packaging. A remastered deluxe version of the album was released on October 4, 2006, featuring three bonus tracks – "Down the Big Road Blues", "Out of Touch" and "Still I Long For Your Kiss", the latter from The Horse Whisperer
soundtrack – and a 13-song live set recorded for WXPN-FM in mid-1998.
Lucinda Williams worked with Bob Hemberger on the track "2 Kool 2 Be 4-gotten."
. According to Morlix, the recordings (in Austin, Texas
) were "90% done," but Williams shelved them and redid them in Nashville. In the middle of the re-recordings, they "butted heads in the studio" and ended their partnership. She also worked with Steve Earle
who said of the experience that it was "the least amount of fun I’ve had working on a record" The final version of the album was produced by Roy Bittan
.
Deluxe Edition Bonus Tracks
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Lucinda Williams
Lucinda Williams
Lucinda Williams is an American rock, folk, blues and country music singer and songwriter. She recorded her first albums in 1978 and 1980 in a traditional country and blues style and received very little attention from radio, the media, or the public. In 1988, she released her self-titled album,...
, her fifth professional release. Issued by Mercury
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
/Polygram Records, it was recorded in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
and Canoga Park, California. Williams co-produced the album, which includes guest appearances by Steve Earle
Steve Earle
Stephen Fain "Steve" Earle is an American singer-songwriter known for his rock and Texas Country as well as his political views. He is also a producer, author, a political activist, and an actor, and has written and directed a play....
and Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris is an American singer-songwriter and musician. In addition to her work as a solo artist and bandleader, both as an interpreter of other composers' works and as a singer-songwriter, she is a sought-after backing vocalist and duet partner, working with numerous other artists including...
.
Car Wheels on a Gravel Road won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album, and was Willams' first album to go gold. According to Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
in February 2008, the album has sold 811,000 copies in the U.S. It was voted as the best album of the year in The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
Pazz & Jop
Pazz & Jop
The Pazz & Jop critics' poll is a poll of music critics run by The Village Voice newspaper. It is compiled every year from the top ten lists of hundreds of music critics...
critics poll. In 2003, the album was ranked number 304 on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
"The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is the title of a 2003 special issue of American magazine Rolling Stone, and a related book published in 2005.Related news articles:...
.
The original CD release was HDCD encoded, although the logo was not printed on the packaging. A remastered deluxe version of the album was released on October 4, 2006, featuring three bonus tracks – "Down the Big Road Blues", "Out of Touch" and "Still I Long For Your Kiss", the latter from The Horse Whisperer
The Horse Whisperer
The Horse Whisperer is a 1998 American drama film directed by and starring Robert Redford, based on the 1995 novel of the same name by Nicholas Evans...
soundtrack – and a 13-song live set recorded for WXPN-FM in mid-1998.
Lucinda Williams worked with Bob Hemberger on the track "2 Kool 2 Be 4-gotten."
Recording history
Initially, the album was made in collaboration with Williams's long-time producer and guitar player Gurf MorlixGurf Morlix
Gurf Morlix is an American multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, songwriter and record producer residing for many years in Austin, Texas. He has worked with many of the best known performers of Americana and alternative country music. His most notable works include albums by Lucinda Williams, Robert...
. According to Morlix, the recordings (in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
) were "90% done," but Williams shelved them and redid them in Nashville. In the middle of the re-recordings, they "butted heads in the studio" and ended their partnership. She also worked with Steve Earle
Steve Earle
Stephen Fain "Steve" Earle is an American singer-songwriter known for his rock and Texas Country as well as his political views. He is also a producer, author, a political activist, and an actor, and has written and directed a play....
who said of the experience that it was "the least amount of fun I’ve had working on a record" The final version of the album was produced by Roy Bittan
Roy Bittan
Roy Bittan is an American keyboardist, best known as a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, which he joined on August 23, 1974...
.
Track listing
All tracks by Lucinda Williams except where noted.- "Right in Time" – 4:35
- "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road" – 4:44
- "2 Kool 2 Be 4-gotten" – 4:42
- "Drunken Angel" – 3:20
- "Concrete and Barbed Wire" – 3:08
- "Lake Charles" – 5:27
- "Can’t Let Go" (Randy Weeks) – 3:28
- "I Lost It" – 3:31
- "Metal Firecracker" – 3:30
- "Greenville" – 3:23
- Emmylou Harris on harmony vocals
- "Still I Long For Your Kiss" (Williams, Duane JarvisDuane JarvisDuane Jarvis was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter who recorded songs with many rock and roll and country music performers, including Frank Black, Peter Case, Rosie Flores, John Prine, Amy Rigby, Lucinda Williams and Dwight Yoakam.In addition to his collaborations, which included...
) – 4:09 - "Joy" – 4:01
- "Jackson" – 3:42
Deluxe Edition Bonus Tracks
- "Down the Big Road Blues" (Mattie DelaneyMattie DelaneyMattie Delaney was an American delta blues singer and guitarist. She was active in the 1930s with only two known recordings: "Down the Big Road Blues," and "Tallahatchie River Blues."-Career:...
) – 4:07 - "Out of Touch" – 3:50
- "Still I Long For Your Kiss" (Alternate version) (Williams, Jarvis) – 5:00
Deluxe Edition Disc Two
Recorded live Jul 11, 1998, at Penn's Landing, Philadelphia, PA.- "Pineola" – 4:18
- "Something About What Happens When We Talk" – 3:44
- "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road" – 4:42
- "Metal Firecracker" – 3:39
- "Right in Time" – 4:32
- "Drunken Angel" – 3:27
- "Greenville" – 3:46
- "Still I Long For Your Kiss" (Williams, Jarvis) – 4:39
- "2 Kool 2 Be 4-gotten" – 4:53
- "Can’t Let Go" (Weeks) – 3:51
- "Hot Blood" – 7:38
- "Changed The Locks" – 4:19
- "Joy" – 6:08
Personnel
- Lucinda Williams: VocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, acoustic guitarClassical guitarThe classical guitar is a 6-stringed plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones...
, DobroDobroDobro is a registered trademark, now owned by Gibson Guitar Corporation and used for a particular design of resonator guitar.The name has a long and involved history, interwoven with that of the resonator guitar...
guitar - Gurf MorlixGurf MorlixGurf Morlix is an American multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, songwriter and record producer residing for many years in Austin, Texas. He has worked with many of the best known performers of Americana and alternative country music. His most notable works include albums by Lucinda Williams, Robert...
: electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, 12 string electric guitar, electric slide guitarSlide guitarSlide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles...
, harmonyHarmonyIn music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
vocal, acoustic slide guitar - John Ciambotti: bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, upright bass - Donald Lindley: drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... - Buddy MillerBuddy MillerBuddy Miller is a country singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist and producer, currently living in Nashville, Tennessee...
: acoustic guitar, mando guitar, harmony vocal, electric guitar - Ray KennedyRay Kennedy (country singer)Ray Kennedy is an American country music artist. He has recorded three studio albums: one on Columbia Records and two on Atlantic Records...
: 12 string electric guitar - Greg LeiszGreg LeiszGreg Leisz is an American multi-instrumentalist, playing lap and pedal steel guitars, guitar, mandolin, and bass.- Biography :Leisz was influenced early on by the Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers, especially pedal steel player "Sneaky" Pete Kleinow...
: 12 string electric guitar, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single... - Roy BittanRoy BittanRoy Bittan is an American keyboardist, best known as a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, which he joined on August 23, 1974...
: Hammond B3 organ, accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
, organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with... - Jim LauderdaleJim LauderdaleJim Lauderdale is a musician & singer-songwriter who performs bluegrass and country music. He has recorded since 1986 and has released nineteen studio albums. Artists who have recorded his material include George Strait and Patty Loveless.-Biography:...
: harmony vocal - Charlie SextonCharlie SextonCharles Wayne Sexton is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter best known for the 1985 hit Beat's So Lonely and as the guitarist for Bob Dylan's backing band from 1999 to 2002 and since 2009...
: electric guitar, Dobro guitar - Steve EarleSteve EarleStephen Fain "Steve" Earle is an American singer-songwriter known for his rock and Texas Country as well as his political views. He is also a producer, author, a political activist, and an actor, and has written and directed a play....
: acoustic guitar, harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
, harmony vocal, resonator guitarResonator guitarA resonator guitar or resophonic guitar is an acoustic guitar whose sound is produced by one or more spun metal cones instead of the wooden sound board . Resonator guitars were originally designed to be louder than conventional acoustic guitars which were overwhelmed by horns and percussion... - Johnny Lee SchellJohnny Lee SchellJohnny Lee Schell is an American guitarist and songwriter. In the 1970s, he premiered as a prominent member of a Texas-based southern rock band, Baby. Since his professional debut, he has played with dozens of well known recording artists...
: electric guitar, electric slide guitar, Dobro guitar - Bo Ramsey: electric guitar, slide guitar
- Micheal Smotherman: B-3 organ
- Richard “Hombre” Price: Dobro guitar
- Emmylou HarrisEmmylou HarrisEmmylou Harris is an American singer-songwriter and musician. In addition to her work as a solo artist and bandleader, both as an interpreter of other composers' works and as a singer-songwriter, she is a sought-after backing vocalist and duet partner, working with numerous other artists including...
: harmony vocal
Chart performance
| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM Country Albums | 14 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 65 |