Devil's Road is an album by the American band the Walkabouts, released in 1996.[1][2] The first single was "The Light Will Stay On", which was a hit in many European countries; the album, by 2003, had sold around 85,000 copies on the continent.[3][4][5] Devil's Road was regarded as an attempt at a more commercial album.[6][7] The album was reissued in 2014, with a second disc of live songs and alternate takes.[8]
| Devil's Road | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1996 | |||
| Label | Virgin Schallplatten | |||
| Producer | Victor Van Vugt | |||
| The Walkabouts chronology | ||||
| ||||
Production
editProduced by Victor Van Vugt, the album was recorded in Cologne, Germany.[9][10] Mark Nichols arranged the string parts, which were performed by the Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra.[11][12] The songs were written by Chris Eckman and sung by Eckman and Carla Torgerson.[13][11]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [14] |
| Daily Record | 7/10[7] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [6] |
| NME | 5/10[15] |
| Ox-Fanzine | [12] |
Trouser Press deemed Devil's Road the band's "most ambitiously eclectic album and certainly one of its best."[13] The Irish Times praised "the countryish lament, 'The Leaving Kind', with Carla Torgerson's evocative doomed vocals carrying a refrain laden with the grim fruits of fate's calling."[16] The Daily Record noted that the Walkabouts "have become more mainstream—without losing any of their simplistic beauty and integrity."[7] NME stated that the band is "still churning out imagery-laden fables of the American heartland."[15]
AllMusic called the album "dark and soulful, the work of a band at the peak of its powers."[14] MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide concluded that "the band is firing in that kind of sublime territory that few rock bands ever reach."[17] Reviewing the reissue, the Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph determined that "the band's melancholy fusion of folk, country and Americana is captured at its most compelling on Chris Eckman creations such as 'The Light Will Stay On', 'Rebecca Wild' and 'Forgiveness Song'."[8]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Light Will Stay On" | |
| 2. | "Rebecca Wild" | |
| 3. | "The Stopping-Off Place" | |
| 4. | "Cold Eye" | |
| 5. | "Christmas Valley" | |
| 6. | "Blue Head Flame" | |
| 7. | "When Fortune Smiles" | |
| 8. | "All for This" | |
| 9. | "Fairground Blues" | |
| 10. | "The Leaving Kind" | |
| 11. | "Forgiveness Song" |
Weekly charts
edit| Chart (1996) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[18] | 41 |
References
edit- ^ "The Walkabouts Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
- ^ Brothers, Stud (Apr 6, 1996). "Albums — Devil's Road by the Walkabouts". Melody Maker. Vol. 73, no. 14. p. 40.
- ^ MacDonald, Patrick (March 21, 1996). "Hitting their stride". The Seattle Times. p. D10.
- ^ "The Walkabouts". Perfect Sound Forever. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
- ^ "Strangers in Their Own Town: The Walkabouts Come Home". The Stranger. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
- ^ a b Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. p. 477.
- ^ a b c "Reviews". Features. Daily Record. April 7, 1996. p. 10.
- ^ a b Bryan, Kevin (27 Oct 2014). "The Walkabouts: Devil's Road". Music. Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph.
- ^ The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. July 24, 2003. ISBN 9781858284576.
- ^ Spahr, Wolfgang; Weinert, Ellie (Mar 16, 1996). "German acts show promise, variety". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 11. p. 69.
- ^ a b Sinclair, David (April 12, 1996). "The Walkabouts Devil's Road". Features. The Times. p. 31.
- ^ a b "Review Walkabouts Devil's Road". Ox-Fanzine.
- ^ a b "Walkabouts". Trouser Press. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
- ^ a b "The Walkabouts Devil's Road". AllMusic.
- ^ a b "The Walkabouts Devil's Road". NME. Archived from the original on 17 August 2000. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
- ^ Breen, Joe (14 June 1996). "Roots". Sound & Vision. The Irish Times. p. 12.
- ^ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 1207.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Walkabouts – Devil's Road". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 March 2020.