It's Alright is an album by the American musician Chris Stamey, released in 1987.[2][3] Stamey supported it with a North American tour that included Alex Chilton on keyboards.[4][5] It's Alright was expected to be somewhat of a mainstream success; it did not perform as well as envisioned, and Stamey was dropped from A&M Records two years after its release.[6]
| It's Alright | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1987 | |||
| Label | Coyote/A&M[1] | |||
| Producer | Chris Stamey, Scott Litt, Bill Scheniman | |||
| Chris Stamey chronology | ||||
| ||||
Production
edit"The Seduction" was inspired by Georges Seurat's A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.[7] Stamey played lead guitar on the album; Richard Lloyd and Mitch Easter played rhythm guitar.[8][9] Chilton and Marshall Crenshaw sang on It's Alright.[10] Jane Scarpantoni played cello.[11]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [12] |
| Chicago Sun-Times | [10] |
| Robert Christgau | B[13] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [14] |
| Los Angeles Daily News | A[15] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | [16] |
| The Record | [11] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [17] |
Trouser Press called It's Alright "an emotionally lucid pop-rock album."[18] The Philadelphia Inquirer labeled it "an impressive and graceful solo pop-rock album that presents his gifts for songwriting and guitar-playing in full flower."[19] The Los Angeles Daily News considered it "a near masterpiece," writing that "Stamey makes his way through the lost terrain covered by mid-'70s Memphis-based popsters Big Star."[15]
Robert Christgau wrote that "Stamey's new wave supersession is excessively conventional, subsuming his mad pop perfectionism and repressed inner turmoil in mere well-madeness."[13] The Washington Post opined that "tracks such as 'It's Alright' and 'If You Hear My Voice' are elaborate studio chamber pieces in the spirit of the best of the late-'60s Beatles and Beach Boys."[9] The Charlotte Observer determined that, "with a wispy voice, shimmering pop-rock melodies and lyrics full of irony and disillusionment, Stamey looks suspiciously at modern love."[20]
AllMusic deemed It's Alright "the most uncomplicated and genuinely poppy album of his career."[12]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Cara Lee" | |
| 2. | "From the Word Go" | |
| 3. | "When We're Alone" | |
| 4. | "The Seduction" (Full Length Version) | |
| 5. | "It's Alright" | |
| 6. | "Big Time" | |
| 7. | "Of Time and All She Brings to Mind" | |
| 8. | "In the Dark" | |
| 9. | "If You Hear My Voice" | |
| 10. | "27 Years in a Single Day" (Full Length Version) | |
| 11. | "Incredible Happiness" |
References
edit- ^ "Spins". Spin. Vol. 3, no. 8. Jan 1988. p. 24.
- ^ "Chris Stamey Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
- ^ Thompson, Dave (September 7, 2000). Alternative Rock. Hal Leonard Corporation.
- ^ Oberg, Mel (November 6, 1987). "Stamey to Swagger into Town". Richmond Times-Dispatch. p. D4.
- ^ DeVault, Russ (November 13, 1987). "Chris Stamey says he's 'really proud' of the five-man band...". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. P4.
- ^ Schoemer, Karen (19 Apr 1991). "Music Without One Eye on the Charts". The New York Times. p. C6.
- ^ Klein, David (June 17, 2015). "Chris Stamey's new Euphoria balances details and delight". Indy Week.
- ^ Willman, Chris (11 Dec 1987). "Chris Stamey's New LP Is Quite 'Alright' to Former dB's Partner". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 4.
- ^ a b Jenkins, Mark (18 Nov 1987). "Southern Latitudes". The Washington Post. p. B7.
- ^ a b McLeese, Don (October 29, 1987). "Now Playing". Features. Chicago Sun-Times. p. 69.
- ^ a b Jaeger, Barbara (February 18, 1988). "Chris Stamey Is Doing More Than 'Alright' in His Solo Career". The Record. Hackensack. p. E10.
- ^ a b "Chris Stamey It's Alright". AllMusic.
- ^ a b "Chris Stamey". Robert Christgau.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 7. MUZE. p. 697.
- ^ a b Rosen, Craig (December 4, 1987). "'Alright' is much better than all right". Los Angeles Daily News. p. L34.
- ^ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 315.
- ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 667.
- ^ "Christ Stamey". Trouser Press. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
- ^ Hiltbrand, David (5 Nov 1987). "A Rocker on His Home State and the State of His Music". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. D3.
- ^ Haight, Kathy (January 10, 1988). "From Punk to Polka, N.C. Bands Play It All". The Charlotte Observer. p. 5F.