Released June 15, 2010 | Recorded 1976–2009 Release date 15 June 2010 Label Mercury Records | |
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Similar John Mellencamp albums, Rock music albums | ||
Ghost towns along the highway john mellencamp on the rural route 7609 collection
On the Rural Route 7609 is a box set by rock singer/songwriter John Mellencamp that was released on June 15, 2010. The first part of the title refers to the song "Rural Route" (which is included in two versions) from his 2007 album Freedom's Road and the fact that Mellencamp's music and lifestyle have always been very rural in nature, and 7609 references that the set spans Mellencamp's entire recording career from 1976 to 2009. Said Mellencamp in the set's liner notes: “I started making records in ’76, and the most recent track on the collection was done in ‘09. So Rural Route 7609; it’s like an address. I thought it sounded cool.”
Contents
- Ghost towns along the highway john mellencamp on the rural route 7609 collection
- John mellencamp inside on the rural route 7609
- Summary
- Reviews
- Disc One
- Disc Two
- Disc Three
- Disc Four
- Songs
- References
The liner notes for "On the Rural Route 7609" were penned by veteran rock journalist Anthony DeCurtis, who also wrote the liner notes for Eric Clapton's Crossroads and Billy Joel's My Lives. DeCurtis wrote a 4,500-word essay on Mellencamp, and Mellencamp provides track-by-track commentary.
John mellencamp inside on the rural route 7609
Summary
This box set contains four discs and 54 tracks and each disc is set up as an individual album with common themes rather than being presented in chronological order. The purpose behind this set is to highlight Mellencamp's songwriting.
While there are many standard album tracks included on the set, there is also quite a bit of previously unreleased material, although no new unreleased songs. Highlights include Mellencamp's newly recorded version of "Colored Lights" – a song he wrote for The Blasters in 1985 – "Jenny at 16," a demo which ultimately became "Jack and Diane," and recently recorded solo acoustic versions of "Sugar Marie" and "To M.G. (Wherever She May Be)."
Reviews
Rolling Stone magazine senior editor David Fricke gave "On the Rural Route 7609" four stars in the July 8, 2010 issue. Fricke wrote:
Disc One
- Longest Days
- Grandma's Theme
- Rural Route
- Jackie Brown
- Rain On The Scarecrow (Rough Harvest version)
- Jim Crow with Cornel West **
- Jim Crow
- Big Daddy Of Them All
- Deep Blue Heart
- Forgiveness
- Don't Need This Body
- Jenny At 16 *
- Jack And Diane (writing demo)*
- Jack And Diane
Disc Two
- The Real Life with Joanne Woodward **
- Ghost Towns Along The Highway
- The Full Catastrophe
- Authority Song (writing demo)*
- Troubled Land
- To Washington
- Our Country (alternate version)*
- Country Gentlemen
- Freedom's Road
- Mr. Bellows*
- Rodeo Clown
- Love And Happiness (Rough Harvest version)
- Pink Houses
Disc Three
- If I Die Sudden (live)
- Someday
- Between A Laugh And A Tear (Rough Harvest version)
- Void In My Heart * (Recorded live at Chess Studios in May 1989)
- Death Letter
- Sugar Marie *
- Theo And Weird Henry
- When Jesus Left Birmingham
- L.U.V.
- Thank You
- Women Seem
- The World Don't Bother Me None*
- Cherry Bomb (writing demo)*
- Someday The Rains Will Fall
- A Ride Back Home
Disc Four
- My Aeroplane
- Colored Lights *
- Just Like You
- Young Without Lovers
- To M.G. (Wherever She May Be)*
- Sweet Evening Breeze
- What If I Came Knocking
- County Fair
- Peaceful World (writing demo)*
- Your Life Is Now
- For The Children
- Rural Route *
* = Previously unreleased
** = Spoken word reading of lyrics
Songs
Longest Days3:10
Grandma's Theme0:58
Rural Route3:08