Maps of Music

Homeless Brother (1974)

Where the lyrics of Homeless Brother take you, and where it was really made.

Among the eleven tracks on this 1974 Don McLean album is a song written by George Harrison.

Key places

Recorded at Regent Sound Studios (1974)

Recording site Record Plant Studios — The album was recorded at Regent Sound Studios in New York City. The point is set at city-center level, not at the studio building itself. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Homeless Brother: fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Don McLean
• Released in 1974
• Reissued by BGO Records in 1996
• Described as a folk album structured as a collection of songs on themes such as poverty and destitution
• Eleven tracks: five on Side One, six on Side Two
• Side One: 'Winter Has Me in Its Grip', 'La La Love You', 'Homeless Brother', 'Sunshine Life for Me (Sail Away Raymond)', 'The Legend of Andrew McCrew'
• Side Two: 'Wonderful Baby', 'You Have Lived', 'Great Big Man', 'Tangled (Like a Spider in Her Hair)', 'Crying in the Chapel', 'Did You Know'

Background

• Fifth studio album in Don McLean's career
• Two tracks are covers: George Harrison wrote 'Sunshine Life for Me (Sail Away Raymond)' and Artie Glenn wrote 'Crying in the Chapel'
• All other tracks are credited to McLean alone
• The album's theme of poverty and destitution is the core of its song selection

Recording

• Recording and remixing engineer: Bob Liftin
• Additional recording by Joe Ferla
• Recorded at Regent Sound Studios in New York City
• Session credits include strings, horns, a percussion section and several backing vocalists

Cover

• Cover painting by Marcote

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · it.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Donald McLean III, born October 2, 1945, American singer-songwriter and guitarist.
• Known as the "American Troubadour" or "King of the Trail".
• Grew up in New Rochelle, New York; became interested in folk music as a teenager.
• By age 16 had bought his first guitar and made contacts in the music business, becoming friends with Erik Darling and Fred Hellerman of the Weavers.
• Graduated from Iona Preparatory School in 1963; briefly attended Villanova University.
• Performed for six years at venues including The Bitter End, the Gaslight Cafe, the Newport Folk Festival, and the Troubadour in Los Angeles.

Career

• Recorded the album Tapestry in 1969 in Berkeley, California; rejected 72 times by labels before Mediarts released it.
• Breakthrough came with the album American Pie, released after Mediarts was taken over by United Artists Records.
• The title song "American Pie" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in January–February 1972 and is his most successful single, certified six-times Platinum by the RIAA.
• "Vincent", a tribute to Vincent van Gogh, reached number 1 on the UK Singles Chart and number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.
• Roy Orbison's "Crying" by McLean reached number 1 in the Netherlands, UK and Australia, and number 5 on the US pop chart in 1981.
• Other hits include "Castles in the Air", "Wonderful Baby" and "Dreidel".
• Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2004; "American Pie" entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Fifth studio album by Don McLean, released in 1974
• Eleven tracks: five on Side One and six on Side Two
• McLean wrote every track except the two credited covers
• George Harrison is credited with 'Sunshine Life for Me (Sail Away Raymond)'
• Artie Glenn is credited with 'Crying in the Chapel'
• Keyboards by Richard Tee and Arthur Jenkins, Jr.
• Guitar by Hugh McCracken and David Spinozza
• Bass by Willie Weeks and George Duvivier, drums by Andrew Smith
• Yusef Lateef plays flute, Willis Jackson plays tenor saxophone, Charlie Fowlkes plays baritone saxophone
• Gerry Teifer credited for whistling
• Large string, horn and backing vocal sections, with arrangements and conducting by William Eaton

Records

• Reissued by BGO Records in 1996

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Harrison's 'Sunshine Life for Me (Sail Away Raymond)' is the shortest track on the album at 1:50.
• Yusef Lateef, a jazz musician, plays flute on the record.
• Artie Glenn's 'Crying in the Chapel' closes Side Two's cover material and runs 2:20.
• Gerry Teifer is credited for whistling, one of the less common instrument credits here.
• The reissue by BGO Records came 22 years after the original 1974 release.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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