Welcome Back (John Sebastian album)
Encyclopedia
Welcome Back is an album by American
singer/songwriter John Sebastian
, released in 1976 (see 1976 in music
). It reached number 79 on The Billboard 200 chart. Two singles were released from the album with the title song "Welcome Back" reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100
and Adult Contemporary charts. It also reached number 93 on the Country Singles
chart. The second single, "Hideaway" peaked at number 95 on the Billboard Hot 100.
. When his theme song for the television series Welcome Back, Kotter
became a hit, Reprise wanted an LP to capitalize on the song's success. With his contract fulfilled, Reprise dropped him from the label. It would be seventeen years before Sebatian's next studio album was released.
and in 2008 by Rhino Entertainment
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer/songwriter John Sebastian
John Sebastian
John Benson Sebastian Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and autoharpist. He is best known as a founder of The Lovin' Spoonful, a band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000...
, released in 1976 (see 1976 in music
1976 in music
-January–February:*January 5 – Former Beatles road manager Mal Evans is shot dead by Los Angeles police after refusing to drop what police only later determine is an air rifle....
). It reached number 79 on The Billboard 200 chart. Two singles were released from the album with the title song "Welcome Back" reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and Adult Contemporary charts. It also reached number 93 on the Country Singles
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart. The second single, "Hideaway" peaked at number 95 on the Billboard Hot 100.
History
Following the commercial failure of his 1974 album Tarzana Kid, Sebastian owed one more record on his contract with Reprise RecordsReprise Records
Reprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:...
. When his theme song for the television series Welcome Back, Kotter
Welcome Back, Kotter
Welcome Back, Kotter was an American television sitcom starring Gabe Kaplan and featuring a young John Travolta.It originally aired on the ABC network from September 9, 1975 to June 8, 1979.-Premise:...
became a hit, Reprise wanted an LP to capitalize on the song's success. With his contract fulfilled, Reprise dropped him from the label. It would be seventeen years before Sebatian's next studio album was released.
Reception
In his Allmusic review, critic William Ruhlmann called Welcome Back "…an uneven collection filled out with a near-instrumental, a folk-blues song he'd written in the early '60s, and a remake of one of his old Lovin' Spoonful songs. The new material tended to be craftsman-like pop songs, the melodies simple and catchy, the lyrics light verse."Reissues
Welcome Back was reissued on CD in 2004 by Vivid Sound, in 2007 by Collectors' Choice MusicCollectors' Choice Music
Collectors' Choice Music is a company primarily in two businesses. They are best known for re-issuing albums originally recorded in LP record form as compact discs...
and in 2008 by Rhino Entertainment
Rhino Entertainment
Rhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty record label and production company. It is owned by Warner Music Group.-History:Rhino was originally a novelty song and reissue company during the 1970s and 1980s, releasing compilation albums of pop, rock & roll, and rhythm & blues successes...
.
Track listing
All songs written by John Sebastian unless otherwise noted.- "Hideaway" – 2:55
- "She's Funny" – 3:34
- "You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine" – 2:57
- "Didn't Wanna Have to Do It" – 3:22
- "One Step Forward, Two Steps Back" (Sebastian, Tom Springfield) – 4:36
- "Welcome Back" – 2:51
- "I Needed Her Most When I Told Her to Go" – 2:56
- "A Song a Day in Nashville" – 4:00
- "Warm Baby" – 2:34
- "Let This Be Our Time to Get Along" – 3:10
Personnel
- John SebastianJohn SebastianJohn Benson Sebastian Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and autoharpist. He is best known as a founder of The Lovin' Spoonful, a band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000...
– vocals, guitar, harmonica, autoharp, piano - David HungateDavid HungateDavid Hungate is a bass player noted as a member of Los Angeles pop-rock band Toto from 1977-1982. Boz Scaggs's Silk Degrees album of 1976 included Hungate and several other future members of Toto...
– bass - Richard Bell – piano, clavinet
- Jeff PorcaroJeff PorcaroJeffrey Thomas "Jeff" Porcaro was an American session drummer and a founding member of the Grammy Award winning band Toto. Porcaro was one of the most recorded drummers in history, working on hundreds of albums and thousands of sessions...
– drums - Jeff "Skunk" Baxter – pedal steel guitar