The Closer You Get... is the seventh studio album by American country music band Alabama, released in March 1983. All three singles from this album — "The Closer You Get", "Lady Down on Love" and "Dixieland Delight" — reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 1983. The album itself reached number ten on the Billboard 200, becoming the band's highest-charting album. Considered a stylistic move towards a more pop-friendly sound, the album was described as a mix of "easy listening" country pop and neotraditional country by AllMusic's Vik Iyengar.[1]

The Closer You Get...
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 1983 (1983-03)
Recorded1981 (1981)–1982 (1982)
StudioThe Music Mill (Nashville, Tennessee)
Genre
Length40:53
LabelRCA Nashville
ProducerAlabama
Harold Shedd
Alabama chronology
Mountain Music
(1982)
The Closer You Get...
(1983)
Roll On
(1984)
Singles from The Closer You Get...
  1. "Dixieland Delight"
    Released: January 28, 1983
  2. "The Closer You Get"
    Released: April 29, 1983
  3. "Lady Down on Love"
    Released: August 5, 1983
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

The album was certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.[2]

Track listing

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The Closer You Get... track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Closer You Get"J.P. Pennington, Mark Gray4:33
2."Lady Down on Love"Randy Owen4:00
3."She Put the Sad in All His Songs"Robert Byrne, Mac McAnally4:03
4."Red River"Bud McGuire, George Pearce4:20
5."What in the Name of Love"Bill Boling, Chris Deal, Rick Wayne3:54
6."Dixieland Delight"Ronnie Rogers5:25
7."Very Special Love"Teddy Gentry, Owen4:50
8."Dixie Boy"Jim McBride4:20
9."Alabama Sky"Larry Shell3:21
10."Lovin' Man"Jeff Cook2:33

Personnel

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Alabama

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Additional musicians

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  • Shane Keister – keyboards
  • Willie Rainsford – keyboards
  • Jack Eubanks – acoustic guitar
  • George "Leo" Jackson – acoustic guitar
  • Dave Kirby – electric guitar
  • Fred Newell – electric guitar
  • William Adair – bass guitar
  • Larry Paxton – bass guitar
  • Steve Schaffer – bass guitar
  • Hayward Bishop – drums
  • Farrell Morris – percussion
  • Bruce Watkins – fiddle
  • Kristin Wilkinson – string arrangements
  • Nashville String Machine – strings

Production

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  • Alabama – producers
  • Harold Shedd – producer
  • Paul Goldberg – engineer
  • Gene Rice – engineer
  • Randy Kling – mastering at Randy's Roost (Nashville, Tennessee)
  • Hogan Entertainment – art direction
  • Gabrielle Raumberger – art direction, design
  • Moshe Brakha – photography

Chart performance

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Singles

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Year Single Peak chart positions
US Country US US AC CAN Country CAN AC
1983 "Dixieland Delight" 1 1
"The Closer You Get" 1 38 9 1 1
"Lady Down on Love" 1 76 18 1 10

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[8] 4× Platinum 4,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b https://www.allmusic.com/album/r105289
  2. ^ "Alabama – Gold & Platinum Certifications". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. Retrieved July 6, 2014.
  3. ^ "Alabama Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  4. ^ "Alabama Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  5. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1983". Billboard. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  6. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1983". Billboard. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  7. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1984". Billboard. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  8. ^ "American album certifications – Alabama – The Closer You Get". Recording Industry Association of America.