Out Among the Stars
Out Among the Stars | ||||
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Studio album by Johnny Cash | ||||
Released | March 25, 2014 | |||
Recorded | 1981 and 1984 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | Country | |||
Length | 36:37 | |||
Label | Columbia/Legacy | |||
Producer |
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Compiler | John Carter Cash | |||
Johnny Cash chronology | ||||
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Singles from Out Among the Stars | ||||
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Out Among the Stars is a posthumously released studio album by Johnny Cash, published through Legacy Recordings on March 25, 2014. The recordings come from lost 1980s sessions with famed countrypolitan producer Billy Sherrill which were shelved by Cash's record company, Columbia Records, and discovered by Cash's son John Carter Cash in 2012.[2] Cash also recorded the 1981 album The Baron with Sherrill in an attempt to turn around his dismal album sales but the strategy did not work, leaving his record executives eager to end his affiliation with the label.[3] The album also doubles as a posthumous release for singer June Carter Cash, Johnny Cash's wife, who is featured on vocals on two tracks, and for Minnie Pearl and Waylon Jennings, who provide vocals on two other songs.
Two of the tracks would later be rerecorded by Cash at American Recordings and would be released posthumously prior to earlier versions being included here; "I Came to Believe" on American V: A Hundred Highways and a non-duet version of "I'm Movin' On" appears in the box set Unearthed.
Release and promotion
The album was preceded by the single "She Used to Love Me a Lot" with a b-side remix of the song from Elvis Costello.[1]
Reception
Critical reception
Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
Mojo | |
Rolling Stone |
Prior to its release, Stereogum named it one of the most anticipated albums of 2014.[7]
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote that Billy Sherrill "winds up simply sweetening Johnny without changing his core sound". He added that the album "is generally chipper and bright" and "one of Cash's stronger '80s albums".[4]
Rob Tannembaum's review in Rolling Stone mentions Cash's fading star power in the early 1980s amidst the "Urban Cowboy fad". Tannembaum continued: "You might expect Out Among the Stars—a set of unreleased songs he cut with Sherrill in 1981 and 1984—to be a contract-fulfilling sleepwalk. (Cash put out several mostly mediocre LPs in those years, but left this material unfinished; it was discovered after his death.) Instead, it proves that even at his most uninterested, Cash couldn't help but make a record with weight, moral complexity and grim humor."[6]
Commercial performance
Released on March 25, 2014, Out Among the Stars debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums charts, selling 54,000 copies its first week.[8][9] As of June 29, 2014, the album has sold 149,000 copies in the United States.[10]
In the UK, the album debuted at No. 4 in the album chart. The album has sold 63,700 copies in the UK as of July 2014.[11]
Chart performance
Weekly charts
Chart (2014) | Peak position | |
---|---|---|
scope="row" | Australian Albums (ARIA)[12] | 4 |
scope="row" | Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[13] | 2 |
scope="row" | Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[14] | 5 |
scope="row" | Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[15] | 22 |
scope="row" | Canadian Albums (Billboard)[16] | 2 |
scope="row" | Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[17] | 7 |
scope="row" | Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[18] | 2 |
scope="row" | Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[19] | 16 |
scope="row" | French Albums (SNEP)[20] | 32 |
scope="row" | German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[21] | 4 |
Italian Albums (FIMI)[22] | 11 | |
scope="row" | New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[23] | 10 |
scope="row" | Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[24] | 6 |
scope="row" | Polish Albums (ZPAV)[25] | 13 |
South African Albums (RISA)[26] | 9 | |
scope="row" | Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[27] | 68 |
scope="row" | Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[28] | 3 |
scope="row" | Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[29] | 1 |
UK Albums (OCC)[30] | 4 | |
UK Country Albums (OCC)[31] | 1 | |
scope="row" | US Billboard 200[32] | 3 |
scope="row" | US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[33] | 1 |
Year-end charts
Chart (2014) | Position |
---|---|
US Billboard 200[34] | 132 |
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[35] | 25 |
Sales certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/Sales |
---|---|---|
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[36] | Gold | 15,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[37] | Silver | 60,000^ |
^shipments figures based on certification alone |
Further release of additional material
In a March 2014 interview promoting the release of Out Among the Stars, John Carter Cash indicated that there may be as many as "four or five" albums worth of previously unreleased material from Cash's 1990s–2000s American label recording sessions, with Cash's last producer, Rick Rubin indicating at least one more such release is planned for the future.[38]
Track listing
- "Out Among the Stars" (Adam Mitchell) – 3:02
- "Baby Ride Easy" (Richard Dobson) – 2:43
- "She Used to Love Me a Lot" (Kye Fleming, Dennis Morgan, Charles Quillen) – 3:11
- "After All" (Charles Cochran, Sandy Mason) – 2:47
- "I'm Movin' On" (Hank Snow) – 3:09
- "If I Told You Who It Was" (Bobby Braddock, Curly Putman) – 3:05
- "Call Your Mother" (Cash) – 3:17
- "I Drove Her Out of My Mind" (Gary Gentry, Hillman Hall) – 3:01
- "Tennessee" (Rick Scott) – 3:27
- "Rock and Roll Shoes" (Paul Kennerley, Graham Lyle) – 2:41
- "Don't You Think It's Come Our Time" (Tommy Collins) – 2:17
- "I Came to Believe" (Cash) – 3:29
- "She Used to Love Me a Lot" (JC/EC Version) (Kye Fleming, Dennis Morgan, Charles Quillen) – 3:23
- Tracks 1–8, 10, 12, recorded in 1984
- Tracks 9, 11, recorded in 1981
- Track 13 originally recorded in 1984, remixed in 2013
Personnel
Compiled from liner notes.[39]
- Original session musicians
- Johnny Cash – vocals, guitar
- Pete Bordonali – guitar
- Jerry Carrigan – guitar
- June Carter Cash – duet on "Baby Ride Easy" and "Don't You Think It's Come Our Time"
- Pete Drake – steel guitar
- Jerry Kennedy – guitar
- Waylon Jennings – duet on "I'm Movin' On"
- Kenny Malone – drums
- Terry McMillan – harmonica
- Weldon Myrick – steel guitar
- Minnie Pearl – vocals on "If I Told You Who It Was"
- Hargus "Pig" Robbins – piano
- Billy Sanford – guitar
- Dale Sellers – guitar
- Henry Strzelecki – bass guitar
- Marty Stuart – guitar, mandolin
- John C. Williams – bass guitar
- Bobby Wood – piano
- Robert Wray – guitar
- Additional musicians on 2013 sessions
- Niko Bolas – percussion
- Sam Bush – mandolin on "Don't You Think It's Come Our Time"
- Carlene Carter – background vocals on "Baby, Ride Easy"
- Laura Cash – fiddle
- Jerry Douglas – Dobro
- Mark Fain – upright bass on "Don't You Think It's Come Our Time"
- Tony Harrell – keyboards
- Rick Lonow – percussion
- Buddy Miller – guitar
- Pat McLaughlin – guitar
- Marty Stuart – guitar, mandolin
- Bryan Sutton – acoustic guitar and banjo on "Don't You Think It's Come Our Time"
- T. Blade – percussion
Additional backing vocals by the "Cash Cabin Vocal Group" and the full student body of Sumner Academy of Gallatin, Tennessee.
- Technical
- Steve Berkowitz – production (additional recording)
- Niko Bolas – mixing
- John Carter Cash – production (additional recording)
- Lou Robin – executive production
- Joseph M. Palmaccio – mastering
- Billy Sherrill – production (original sessions)
- Chuck Turner – engineering
- Nathan Yarborough – additional mixing
See also
- 1981 in country music
- 1983 in country music
- 1984 in country music
- The New Basement Tapes, a supergroup also featuring Costello who completed songs with Bob Dylan lyrics and released them as Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes in 2014
References
- 1 2 "Elvis Costello Remixes Johnny Cash's Lost Song 'She Used to Love Me a Lot'". Spin. Spin Media. March 2, 2014.
- ↑ Talbott, Chris (December 10, 2013). "New Johnny Cash Album to Be Released Next Spring". Associated Press.
- ↑ Cash, Johnny (October 1997). "Cash: The Autobiography". Harper San Francisco: 250. ISBN 0062515004.
- 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Out Among the Stars review". Allmusic. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
- ↑ Simmons, Sylvie (April 2014). "Back to black: Johnny Cash Out Among the Stars". Mojo. p. 105. Missing or empty
|url=
(help) - 1 2 "Johnny Cash Out Among the Stars Album Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
- ↑ DeVille, Chris (December 23, 2013). "The 100 Most Anticipated Albums of 2014". Stereogum.
- ↑ Matt Bjorke (April 2, 2014). "Country Album Chart News: The Week of April 2, 2014: Johnny Cash Is Out Among The Stars While It's High Noon time for Jerrod Niemann". Roughstock.
- ↑ Wade Jessen (April 3, 2014). "Johnny Cash Debuts at No. 1 On Top Country Albums". Billboard.
- ↑ Roland, Tom (July 2, 2014). "Florida Georgia Line, Luke Bryan, Eric Church Lead SoundScan Mid-Year Country Charts". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
- ↑ "Country Bites News snippets June 23 – June 29, 2014". Country Routes News. July 12, 2014.
- ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Johnny Cash – Out Among The Stars". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 6, 2014.
- ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Johnny Cash – Out Among The Stars" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
- ↑ "Ultratop.be – Johnny Cash – Out Among The Stars" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
- ↑ "Ultratop.be – Johnny Cash – Out Among The Stars" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
- ↑ "Johnny Cash Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard.
- ↑ "Danishcharts.com – Johnny Cash – Out Among The Stars". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
- ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Johnny Cash – Out Among The Stars" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
- ↑ "Johnny Cash: Out Among The Stars" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
- ↑ "Lescharts.com – Johnny Cash – Out Among The Stars". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
- ↑ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
- ↑ "Artisti – Classifica settimanale WK 13 (dal 24-03-2014 al 30-03-2014)" (in Italian). FIMI. April 3, 2014.
- ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Johnny Cash – Out Among The Stars". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
- ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Johnny Cash – Out Among The Stars". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
- ↑ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
- ↑ "South African Top 20 Albums Chart". RSG (Recording Industry of South Africa). Archived from the original on June 3, 2014.
- ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Johnny Cash – Out Among The Stars". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
- ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Johnny Cash – Out Among The Stars". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
- ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Johnny Cash – Out Among The Stars". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
- ↑ "Johnny Cash | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
- ↑ 17, 2014/21/ "Official Country Artists Albums Chart Top 20". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
- ↑ "Johnny Cash Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
- ↑ "Johnny Cash Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard.
- ↑ "Billboard 200 Albums: Year-End top-selling albums across all genres". Billboard.
- ↑ "Top Country Albums: 2014 Year-End Charts". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
- ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Johnny Cash; 'Out amongst the stars')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
- ↑ "British album certifications – Johnny Cash – Out amongst the stars". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Out amongst the stars in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- ↑ "Johnny Cash: 'four or five more albums in the works', says his son". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. March 26, 2014. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
- ↑ Out Among the Stars (CD booklet). Johnny Cash. Columbia Records/Legacy Recordings. 2013. 88883709732.