Aimless Love
Encyclopedia
Aimless Love is the eighth album by American
folk
singer and songwriter John Prine
, released in 1984. It is his first release on his independent record label
, Oh Boy Records
. It is also his first to not chart.
wrote "The songs suggest that he's not reading True Love on the back cover for solace or satire. Only "The Bottomless Lake," copyrighted in 1977, falls into his wild-ass whimsy mode, and only the musically retiring "Maureen, Maureen" gets any more acerbic than that."
Production notes:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
singer and songwriter John Prine
John Prine
John Prine is an American country/folk singer-songwriter. He has been active as a recording artist and live performer since the early 1970s.-Biography:...
, released in 1984. It is his first release on his independent record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, Oh Boy Records
Oh Boy Records
Oh Boy Records is an independent American record label founded in 1984 by singer John Prine, his manager Al Bunetta and their friend Dan Einstein. The label has released more than 40 audio and video recordings by singer-songwriters Prine, Kris Kristofferson, Slick Ballinger, Shawn Camp, Dan Reeder...
. It is also his first to not chart.
Reception
Writing for Allmusic, critic William Ruhlman wrote of the album "On this label debut, he is under no commercial pressures, but that seems to make him more low-key, less striking... his new sweetness, which is as winning as, if less impressive than, his witty older songs." Music critic Robert ChristgauRobert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
wrote "The songs suggest that he's not reading True Love on the back cover for solace or satire. Only "The Bottomless Lake," copyrighted in 1977, falls into his wild-ass whimsy mode, and only the musically retiring "Maureen, Maureen" gets any more acerbic than that."
Track listing
- "Be My Friend Tonight" (Prine, Roger Cook, Shel SilversteinShel SilversteinSheldon Allan "Shel" Silverstein , was an American poet, singer-songwriter, musician, composer, cartoonist, screenwriter and author of children's books. He styled himself as Uncle Shelby in his children's books...
) – 3:15 - "Aimless Love" (Prine) – 3:07
- "Me, Myself and I" (Prine, Spooner OldhamSpooner OldhamDewey Lindon "Spooner" Oldham is an American songwriter and session musician. An organist, he recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama and at FAME Studios on such hit R&B songs as "When a Man Loves a Woman" by Percy Sledge, "Mustang Sally" by Wilson Pickett and "I Never Loved a Man" by Aretha...
, Dan PennDan PennDan Penn is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and sometime guitar player who co-wrote many soul hits of the 1960s including "Dark End of the Street" and "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" and "Out of Left Field" & "Cry Like A Baby"...
) – 2:42 - "The Oldest Baby in the World" (Prine, Donnie Fritts) – 3:05
- "Slow Boat to China" (Prine, Bobby WhitlockBobby WhitlockRobert Stanley 'Bobby' Whitlock is a songwriter and performer, best known as a member of Derek and the Dominos.- Biography :...
, Linda Whitlock) – 3:46 - "The Bottomless Lake" (Prine) – 3:42
- "Maureen, Maureen" (Prine) – 3:16
- "Somewhere Someone's Falling in Love" (Prine, Fritts) – 3:04
- "People Puttin' People Down" (Prine) – 2:48
- "Unwed Fathers" (Prine, Bobby Braddock) – 3:30
- "Only Love" (Prine, Cook, Sandy Mason) – 3:29
Personnel
- John PrineJohn PrineJohn Prine is an American country/folk singer-songwriter. He has been active as a recording artist and live performer since the early 1970s.-Biography:...
– vocals, guitar - Charles Cochran – organ, upright bass
- Roger Cook – ukulele, background vocals
- Philip Donnelly – guitar, background vocals
- Stuart DuncanStuart DuncanStuart Duncan is a bluegrass musician who plays the fiddle, mandolin, guitar and banjo. Born in Quantico, Virginia and raised in Santa Paula, California, where he played in the school band, he has been a member of the Nashville Bluegrass Band since 1985, and is a much-in-demand session musician...
– mandolin - Chuck Fiore – bass
- Steve Fishell – pedal steel, background vocals
- Donnie FrittsDonnie FrittsDonnie Fritts is an American session musician and songwriter. A recording artist in his own right, he has been Kris Kristofferson's keyboard player for over twenty years...
– piano - Jack Grochmal – guitar, tambourine
- Glen D. HardinGlen HardinGlen D. Hardin is an American piano player, songwriter and arranger. He has performed and recorded with such notable artists as Elvis Presley, Emmylou Harris, John Denver, Ricky Nelson and many others.-Career:...
– piano - James Harrah – guitar (Electric)
- Leo LeBlancLeo LeBlancLeo LeBlanc was an American musician. He played the pedal steel guitar and dobro, primarily playing Country music.LeBlanc performed on albums by Jerry Jeff Walker, John Prine, Mac Davis, Carole King, Liza Minnelli, Melissa Manchester, the Osmond Brothers, Bill Medley, Red Simpson, Aretha Franklin,...
– guitar, pedal steel, bass - Kenny MaloneKenny MaloneKenny Malone is an American drummer/percussionist from Nashville, Tennessee. He has been, since the 1970s, and continues to be a prominent session musician in folk, country and many other acoustic-based genres.-References:...
– drums - Dee MurrayDee MurrayDee Murray was an English bassist, best known as a member of Elton John's original rock band.-Biography:Murray was born David Murray Oates in Southgate, London in 1946...
– bass - Tony NewmanTony Newman (drummer)Richard Anthony 'Tony' Newman is an English rock drummer. He was at various times a member of the bands Sounds Incorporated, May Blitz, Three Man Army and T...
– drums - Kevin Wells – drums
- Bobby WhitlockBobby WhitlockRobert Stanley 'Bobby' Whitlock is a songwriter and performer, best known as a member of Derek and the Dominos.- Biography :...
– piano, organ, background vocals - Bobby Woods – piano
- Spooner OldhamSpooner OldhamDewey Lindon "Spooner" Oldham is an American songwriter and session musician. An organist, he recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama and at FAME Studios on such hit R&B songs as "When a Man Loves a Woman" by Percy Sledge, "Mustang Sally" by Wilson Pickett and "I Never Loved a Man" by Aretha...
– piano - Rachel Peer-Prine – bass, harmony and background vocals, guitar
- Dave Prine – fiddle
- Jim RooneyJim Rooney (music)Jim Rooney is an American music producer whose credits include Nanci Griffith's Other Voices, Other Rooms , Hal Ketchum's Past the Point of Rescue, Iris DeMent's Infamous Angel, John Prine's Aimless Love and many other widely hailed albums...
– guitar - John SebastianJohn SebastianJohn Benson Sebastian Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and autoharpist. He is best known as a founder of The Lovin' Spoonful, a band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000...
– harmonica, autoharp - Sandy Mason – background vocals
- Jennifer WarnesJennifer WarnesJennifer Jean Warnes is an American singer, songwriter, arranger and record producer. She is known for her interpretations of compositions written by herself and many others, as well as an extensive playlist as a vocalist on movie soundtracks.Between 1979 and 1987 Warnes surpassed Frank Sinatra as...
– background vocals - Greg Prestopino – background vocals
- Matthew Wilder – background vocals
Production notes:
- Steve GoodmanSteve GoodmanSteve Goodman was an American folk music singer-songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. The writer of "City of New Orleans", made popular by Arlo Guthrie, Goodman won two Grammy Awards.-Personal life:...
– producer - Jim RooneyJim Rooney (music)Jim Rooney is an American music producer whose credits include Nanci Griffith's Other Voices, Other Rooms , Hal Ketchum's Past the Point of Rescue, Iris DeMent's Infamous Angel, John Prine's Aimless Love and many other widely hailed albums...
– producer - John Prine – producer
- Allen Reynolds – engineer
- Hank Neuberger – engineer
- Curtis Allen – engineer
- Gary Brandt – engineer