Smoking in the Fields is an album by the American band the Del Fuegos, released in 1989.[2][3] It was the band's final studio album.[4][5]
| Smoking in the Fields | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1989 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Label | RCA[1] | |||
| Producer | Dave Thoener | |||
| The Del Fuegos chronology | ||||
| ||||
The album peaked at No. 139 on the Billboard 200.[6] Its first single was "Move with Me Sister".[7] The Del Fuegos supported the album by touring with James McMurtry.[8]
Production
editSmoking in the Fields was produced by Dave Thoener.[9] It was made without original members Woody Giessmann and Warren Zanes, who had left the band.[10] Magic Dick and Rick Danko made guest appearances.[11] The album was recorded in Woodstock, New York, from a pool of around 30 songs.[7]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [12] |
| Robert Christgau | C+[13] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [9] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | [10] |
Trouser Press wrote: "Secret weapon harp demon Magic Dick ... sends out waves of soulful moaning on some of the songs as horns and tasteful strings gussy up others; the lively variety show of smoking R&B, Stonesy guitar rock, rugged pop and whiskey-scarred soul ... scores on all four fronts."[14] Robert Christgau deemed the album "clubland nostalgia."[13] The Los Angeles Times determined that "the raw rock attack of the band's early days is back," and labeled the album "their richest and most varied."[15]
The Washington Post called "I'm Inside You" a "dire carnal-love ballad."[16] The Boston Globe considered Smoking in the Fields to be "a hard-rock triumph."[17] The Toronto Star concluded that, "at their worst ('Down in Allen's Mills'), Del Fuegos sound like earnest Mellencamp imitators."[18] The Times lamented that "Dan Zanes has forsaken the slobbish, neo-Tom Waits drawl that used to make his singing so wondrously heroic."[19]
AllMusic wrote that "Zanes is in fine form with ragged voice throughout, yet this album remains a blueprint for how these generally well-written tunes probably sounded live in a smoky club, the band's natural habitat."[12]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Move with Me Sister" | |
| 2. | "Down in Allen's Mills" | |
| 3. | "I'm Inside You" | |
| 4. | "Headlights" | |
| 5. | "Breakaway" | |
| 6. | "Dreams of You" | |
| 7. | "The Offer" | |
| 8. | "Part of This Earth" | |
| 9. | "Stand by You" | |
| 10. | "Lost Weekend" | |
| 11. | "No No Never" | |
| 12. | "Friends Again" |
References
edit- ^ Racine, Marty (November 16, 1989). "Burning with honest sweat". Houston. Houston Chronicle. p. 1.
- ^ "The Del Fuegos Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
- ^ "Del Fuegos Love to Rock 'n' Roll". The Oklahoman. November 19, 1989.
- ^ "The Del Fuegos Rekindle the Flame for Reunion Tour". Spin. December 16, 2011.
- ^ Mehr, Bob (March 1, 2016). Trouble Boys: The True Story of the Replacements. Hachette Books.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2010). Top Pop Albums (7th ed.). Record Research Inc. p. 214.
- ^ a b Kot, Greg. "Glad to be back: Revived Del Fuegos come out smokin'". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 3.
- ^ Darling, Cary (November 8, 1989). "Split in the band lights a fire under Del Fuegos". Orange County Register. p. I3.
- ^ a b Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 2. MUZE. p. 834.
- ^ a b MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 326.
- ^ "Disc Drive". Calgary Herald. 31 Aug 1989. p. F3.
- ^ a b "Smoking in the Fields". AllMusic.
- ^ a b "The Del Fuegos". Robert Christgau.
- ^ "Del Fuegos". Trouser Press. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
- ^ Boehm, Mike (8 Nov 1989). "Revitalized Del Fuegos on Comeback Trail". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 2.
- ^ "Fuegos Didn't Start the Fire, Either". The Washington Post. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
- ^ Morse, Steve (20 Oct 1989). "'Smoking' Puts Del Fuegos Back on Boston Streets". Arts and Film. The Boston Globe. p. 83.
- ^ MacInnis, Craig (10 Nov 1989). "The Del Fuegos". Toronto Star. p. D26.
- ^ Sinclair, David (May 25, 1990). "The Del Fuegos: Smoking in the Fields". Features. The Times.