Local Gentry

Local Gentry
Studio album by Bobbie Gentry
Released August 26, 1968
Studio Capitol Recording Studio
(Hollywood, CA)
Genre Female vocal
Length 33:23
Label Capitol
Producer Kelly Gordon
Bobbie Gentry chronology
The Delta Sweete
(1968)The Delta Sweete1968		 Local Gentry
(1968)		 Bobbie Gentry and Glen Campbell
(1968)Bobbie Gentry and Glen Campbell1968
Singles from Local Gentry
  1. "Sweete Peony"
    Released: September 30, 1968[1]
  2. "The Fool on the Hill"
    Released: October 25, 1968[2]

Local Gentry is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Bobbie Gentry. It was released on August 26, 1968, by Capitol Records.

In 2006, Australian label Raven Records released the album on CD for the first time, paired with 1968’s The Delta Sweete.

In 2007, the album was made available for digital download.

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[3]

Critical reception

Billboard’s review of the album, published in the issue dated September 7, 1968, said, "Bobbie (Billie Joe) Gentry deserts the Delta for Beatle land, including a stunning "Eleanor Rigby" as well as her own dusty Delta dramas. Mississippi melodies includes the self-penned "Sweete Peony" and "Ace Insurance Man", both sensitively set against the Beatles' "Here, There and Everywhere” and Kenny Rankin’s "Peaceful" – all with lush arrangements tuned in on the charts."[4]

Cashbox published a review on September 7 also, which said, "Bobbie Gentry bids fair to reestablish herself on the best-seller charts with this sensitive album of song and story. The artist has written four of the eleven tunes on the set, including "Sweete Peony", "Casket Vignette", "Ace Insurance Man" and "Recollection". Miss Gentry's singing is particularly beautiful here, creating moods of haunting fragility."[5]

A review from Record World said, "With a voice as soft as fur, Bobbie sings about the people who people her life. About half of the material is her own rich work. Other songs are "Come Away, Melinda", "Eleanor Rigby" and "Here, There and Everywhere"."[6]

Jason Ankeny of All Music gave a positive review of the album, concluding that the album "is an exquisitely wrought collection of character studies steeped in the myth and lore of Southern culture -- from the funeral parlor director portrayed in "Casket Vignette" to the titular "Ace Insurance Man," Bobbie Gentry etches a series of revealing, well-observed narratives populated by folks both larger-than-life and small-time, adding up to something not unlike a country-pop Spoon River Anthology."[7]

Commercial performance

The album did not appear on any major music charts. The album's two singles, "Sweete Peony" and "The Fool on the Hill" also failed to chart.

Track listing

Original release (1968)

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Sweete Peony"Bobbie Gentry2:26
2."Casket Vignette"Gentry2:34
3."Come Away Melinda"Fran Minkoff, Fred Hellerman3:21
4."The Fool on the Hill"John Lennon, Paul McCartney3:44
5."Papa's Medicine Show"Jamie Horton3:50
6."Ace Insurance Man"Gentry3:33
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Recollection"Gentry2:20
2."Sittin' Pretty"Gentry, Kelly Gordon3:19
3."Eleanor Rigby"Lennon, McCartney2:27
4."Peaceful"Kenny Rankin2:51
5."Here, There and Everywhere"Lennon, McCartney2:28

Sittin' Pretty (1971)

Cover art of the 1971 Sittin' Pretty release.
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Sweete Peony"Bobbie Gentry2:26
2."Casket Vignette"Gentry2:34
3."The Fool on the Hill"John Lennon, Paul McCartney3:44
4."Papa's Medicine Show"Jamie Horton3:50
5."Ace Insurance Man"Gentry3:33
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Recollection"Gentry2:20
2."Sittin' Pretty"Gentry, Kelly Gordon3:19
3."Eleanor Rigby"Lennon, McCartney2:27
4."Peaceful"Kenny Rankin2:51
5."Here, There and Everywhere"Lennon, McCartney2:28

Personnel

Adapted from the album liner notes.

  • Perry Botkin - arrangements, conductor
  • Dan Davis - liner notes
  • Bobbie Gentry - vocals
  • Kelly Gordon - producer
  • Shorty Rogers - arrangements, conductor

References

  1. ↑ "Bobbie Gentry - Sweete Peony". Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  2. ↑ "Bobbie Gentry - The Fool On The Hill". Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  3. ↑ "Local Gentry - Bobbie Gentry | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  4. ↑ "Billboard Magazine - September 7, 1968" (PDF). American Radio History. Billboard Magazine. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  5. ↑ "Cashbox Magzine - September 7, 1968" (PDF). American Radio History. Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  6. ↑ "Record World - September 7, 1968" (PDF). American Radio History. Record World. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
  7. ↑ "Local Gentry - Bobbie Gentry | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
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