Boomtown (David & David album)
| Boomtown | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by David + David | |
| Released | July 7, 1986 |
| Recorded | 1986 at Skyline, A&M, Mad Hatter and Capitol Studios. |
| Genre | Pop rock |
| Length | 40:56 |
| Label | A&M |
| Producer | Davitt Sigerson |
Boomtown is the Los Angeles themed and only studio album by the American rock duo David + David, released on July 7, 1986 through A&M Records.[1]
Release and reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
| Robert Christgau | A-[3] |
Michael Ofjord of AllMusic called Boomtown an "artful record, full of poetry and convincing stories of the hard times that many silently endured." He gave the record four and a half out of five stars, concluding that "one may not want to listen to this record to lift the spirit, but it is a strong reminder of difficult situations faced during what can be perceived by many as the best of times."[2]
At the time of its release Boomtown received some commercial success, peaking at number thirty-nine on the chart in December.[4] Its singles, Welcome to the Boomtown, Swallowed by the Cracks and Ain't So Easy, all received airplay and charted on Billboard Hot 100. In 1995, the album was certified gold in the U.S.[5]
Baerwald and Ricketts played all the instruments on the album except for drums on some tracks which were played by Ed Greene.
Although Baerwald and Ricketts would go on to co-write some of the material for Sheryl Crow's debut album, the duo pursed divergent musical paths with Baerwald developing his solo career and Ricketts working with singer/musician Toni Childs.
Track listing
All songs written by David Baerwald and David Ricketts. "Heroes" Written by David Baerwald
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Welcome to the Boomtown" | 5:31 |
| 2. | "Swallowed by the Cracks" | 4:16 |
| 3. | "Ain't So Easy" | 4:51 |
| 4. | "Being Alone Together" | 5:31 |
| 5. | "A Rock for the Forgotten" | 4:26 |
| 6. | "River's Gonna Rise" | 4:29 |
| 7. | "Swimming in the Ocean" | 4:00 |
| 8. | "All Alone in the Big City" | 4:42 |
| 9. | "Heroes" | 3:10 |
Chart performance
Album
| Chart | Peak | |
|---|---|---|
| United States Billboard 200 | 39 | [4] |
| Swedish Album Charts | 47 | [6] |
| New Zealand RIANZ Album Chart | 33 | [7] |
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US [8] |
US Main[8] | ||
| 1986 | "Welcome to the Boomtown" | 37 | 8 |
| "Swallowed by the Cracks" | — | 14 | |
| 1987 | "Ain't So Easy" | 51 | 17 |
| "Welcome to the Boomtown" | — | 79 | |
| "—" denotes singles that were released but did not chart. | |||
Personnel
- Chuck Beeson – art direction
- Toni Childs – additional vocals
- Judy Clapp – assistant engineering
- Paulinho da Costa – percussion
- David + David – vocals, guitar, bass guitar, mandolin, dobro, piano, drums, keyboards, harmonica, lap steel guitar
- Ed Greene – drums
- Bernie Grundman – mastering
- Camille Henry – additional vocals
- John Beverly Jones – engineering, mixing, recording
- Melanie Nissen – photography, design, art direction
- John Philip Shenale – programming
- Davitt Sigerson – production
- Noland Void – additional vocals
References
- ↑ "David and David, a Couple of Musical Moralists Who Look at L.A. from Down the Up Staircase". People. January 12, 1987.
- 1 2 Ofjord, Michael. "Boomtown". Allmusic. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
- ↑ Christgau, Robert. "David and David: Boomtown". Robert Christgau.com. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
- 1 2 "Billboard.com - Album Info - Boomtown". Nielsen Company, Billboard magazine. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
- ↑ "RIAA - Gold & Platinum - Searchable Database". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
- ↑ "DAVID + DAVID - BOOMTOWN". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
- ↑ "DAVID + DAVID - BOOMTOWN". charts.org.nz. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
- 1 2 "Boomtown - Awards". Nielsen Company, Billboard magazine. Retrieved 2012-08-03.