Maps of Music

Wrecking Ball (1995)

Where the lyrics of Wrecking Ball take you, and where it was really made.

Neil Young wrote the title song, yet this album marked a departure from Emmylou Harris's traditional acoustic sound.

Key places

Recording at Kingsway, New Orleans (1995)

Recording site Mobile studio, 1305 Soniat Street — The album page lists Kingsway in New Orleans among the recording locations. The point uses the city centre position and does not fix the building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording at Woodland, Nashville (1995)

Recording site Nashville — The album page lists Woodland in Nashville among the recording locations. The point uses the city centre position and does not fix the building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording at Natoma, San Francisco (1995)

Recording site Soapbox West — The album page lists Natoma in San Francisco among the recording locations. The point uses the city centre position and does not fix the building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Wrecking Ball: eighteenth studio album by American country artist Emmylou Harris
• Released 26 September 1995 through Elektra Records
• Made with producer Daniel Lanois and engineer Mark Howard
• Moves away from Harris' traditional acoustic sound toward an atmospheric feel
• Guests: Steve Earle, Larry Mullen Jr., Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Lucinda Williams and Neil Young
• Neil Young wrote the title song, which Harris covered with harmonies by Young

Background

• Harris' song choices had always been eclectic, yet the album was regarded as a departure
• Harris was 48 and had become something of an elder stateswoman in country music
• Described as a career-redefining album, compared to Marianne Faithfull's 1979 Broken English and Johnny Cash's American Recordings
• Pointed Harris' career in a somewhat different direction, where she would incorporate a harder edge

Recording

• Harris worked with producer Daniel Lanois and engineer Mark Howard
• Discogs credits Mark Howard as engineer in San Francisco
• Sandy Jenkins credited as secondary engineer at Woodland Studios
• Malcolm Burn credited with recording, mixing, arranging and playing piano
• Trina Shoemaker credited for engineering and mastering
• Larry Mullen Jr. played drums on several tracks

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Career

• Born April 2, 1947 in Birmingham, Alabama; American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader and activist.
• Regarded as a leading artist of the country rock genre in the 1970s and of Americana in the 1990s.
• Began in the Greenwich Village folk scene in the late 1960s; first album Gliding Bird (1970) under the name "Emmy Lou Harris".
• Discovered by Gram Parsons in 1971; sang harmony on his GP (1973) and worked with him on Grievous Angel before his death in 1973.
• Breakthrough with Pieces of the Sky (1975); five US country number-one singles by 1980.
• Trio (1987) with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt became her best-selling album; At the Ryman (1992) renewed interest in the Ryman Auditorium.
• Wrecking Ball (1995), produced by Daniel Lanois, is seen as a turning point toward Americana.
• Estimated over 15 million records sold; 13 Grammy Awards; inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008.
• Founded the dog rescue Bonaparte's Retreat in Nashville; organizes the Concerts for a Landmine-Free World benefit tour since 1999.

Reception

At release

• Album received nearly universal acclaim
• Made many critics' year-end 'best of' lists
• Pointed Harris' career in a direction where she would incorporate a harder edge
• Treated as a departure from her eclectic but largely traditional-leaning song choices
• Harris was 48, already something of an elder stateswoman in country music

Reappraisal

• Described as a career-redefining album
• Compared to Marianne Faithfull's 1979 Broken English and Johnny Cash's American Recordings
• The album has been noted for its atmospheric feel
• One reviewer did not consider the title track the high point on the album
• Neil Young wrote the title song; guests include Steve Earle, Larry Mullen Jr., Kate & Anna McGarrigle and Lucinda Williams

Records

• Won the 1996 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Recording
• Released 26 September 1995 by Elektra Records

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Harris released the title song as a 2-track CD single paired with Lucinda Williams' 'Sweet Old World'
• One reviewer did not consider the title track the high point on the album
• Harris covered Neil Young's 'Wrecking Ball' with harmonies from Young

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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