Flying Cowboys
Encyclopedia
Flying Cowboys is an album by Rickie Lee Jones
, released in September 1989 and produced by Walter Becker
of Steely Dan
.
in 1984, Jones retreated from the limelight. She married a French musician, Pascal Nabet-Meyer, and gave birth to a daughter, Charlotte, in 1988 while working on her fourth full-length studio album.
Jones had been writing and working on new material for several years before the recording work commenced in 1988, with Becker as producer. Jones had expressed admiration for the work of Steely Dan, particularly their album The Royal Scam
(1976).
Time, Oct.23, 1989 - "In Flying Cowboys...she sets down a kind of mystical confessional, full of allusive autobiography and reflective nonchalance. It has the breadth of an important book and the emotional impact of great rock 'n' roll."
Rolling Stone, Nov.2, 1989 (4/5)- "While it explores a wealth of themes and musical styles, the album unfolds with the ongoing grace of one long song. What provides unity to the album's varied elements is its seductive rhythmic flow, the down-home surrealism of Jones's lyrics, the clarity and intelligence of Walter Becker's production and, of course, the sensual elasticity of Jones's extraordinary singing."
New York Times, Dec.24, 1989 - Best of 1989 - "Ms. Jones's newest suite of enigmatic dream songs drenched in personal mythology is an eccentric tour de force, as rich in imagery as it is self-dramatizing."
Singles - Billboard
Rickie Lee Jones
Rickie Lee Jones is an American vocalist, musician, songwriter, and producer. Over the course of a three-decade career, Jones has recorded in various musical styles including rock, R&B, blues, pop, soul, and jazz standards.-Childhood:...
, released in September 1989 and produced by Walter Becker
Walter Becker
Walter Carl Becker is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the co-founder, guitarist, bassist and a co-writer of Steely Dan.-Career:...
of Steely Dan
Steely Dan
Steely Dan is an American rock band; its core members are Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. The band's popularity peaked in the late 1970s, with the release of seven albums blending elements of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, and pop...
.
Genesis
After the release of The MagazineThe Magazine (album)
The Magazine is an album by Rickie Lee Jones, released in September 1984. It is her third full-length studio album, and was released as the follow-up to Pirates...
in 1984, Jones retreated from the limelight. She married a French musician, Pascal Nabet-Meyer, and gave birth to a daughter, Charlotte, in 1988 while working on her fourth full-length studio album.
Jones had been writing and working on new material for several years before the recording work commenced in 1988, with Becker as producer. Jones had expressed admiration for the work of Steely Dan, particularly their album The Royal Scam
The Royal Scam
The Royal Scam is the fifth album by Steely Dan, originally released by ABC Records in 1976. The album went gold and peaked at #15 on the charts. The Royal Scam features more prominent guitar work than other Steely Dan albums...
(1976).
Reviews
St Petersburg Times, Oct.13, 1989 (4/5) - "[She] embraces adulthood and real life without sacrificing her cool, bohemian edge."Time, Oct.23, 1989 - "In Flying Cowboys...she sets down a kind of mystical confessional, full of allusive autobiography and reflective nonchalance. It has the breadth of an important book and the emotional impact of great rock 'n' roll."
Rolling Stone, Nov.2, 1989 (4/5)- "While it explores a wealth of themes and musical styles, the album unfolds with the ongoing grace of one long song. What provides unity to the album's varied elements is its seductive rhythmic flow, the down-home surrealism of Jones's lyrics, the clarity and intelligence of Walter Becker's production and, of course, the sensual elasticity of Jones's extraordinary singing."
New York Times, Dec.24, 1989 - Best of 1989 - "Ms. Jones's newest suite of enigmatic dream songs drenched in personal mythology is an eccentric tour de force, as rich in imagery as it is self-dramatizing."
Track listing
All tracks composed by Rickie Lee Jones; except where indicated- "The HorsesThe Horses"The Horses" is a song written by Rickie Lee Jones and Walter Becker. It originally appeared on Jones' 1989 album Flying Cowboys. Whilst not released as a single, the original version did appear in the 1996 film Jerry Maguire, also featuring on the film's soundtrack.The song was covered by Daryl...
" (Walter BeckerWalter BeckerWalter Carl Becker is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the co-founder, guitarist, bassist and a co-writer of Steely Dan.-Career:...
, Jones) – 4:47 - "Just My Baby" (Jones, Pascal Nabet-Meyer) – 4:44
- "Ghetto of My Mind" (Jones, Nabet-Meyer) – 6:12
- "Rodeo Girl" – 4:50
- "Satellites" – 4:54
- "Ghost Train" – 4:16
- "Flying Cowboys" (Sal Bernardi, Jones, Nabet-Meyer) – 5:02
- "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying" (Les ChadwickLes ChadwickLes Chadwick is an English bassist.His bass guitar work can be heard on all of the recordings made by the 1960s pop group, Gerry & The Pacemakers....
, Leo Maguire, Gerry MarsdenGerry MarsdenGerard "Gerry" Marsden is an English musician and television personality, best known for being leader of the British band Gerry & the Pacemakers.-Biography:...
, Freddie Marsden) – 4:13 - "Love Is Gonna Bring Us Back Alive" (Jones, Nabet-Meyer) – 4:51
- "Away from the Sky" – 5:30
- "Atlas' Marker" – 5:58
Charts
Album - Billboard| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | The Billboard 200 | 39 |
Singles - Billboard
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | "Satellites" | Modern Rock Tracks | 23 |
Technical
- Producer: Walter BeckerWalter BeckerWalter Carl Becker is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the co-founder, guitarist, bassist and a co-writer of Steely Dan.-Career:...
Associate Producer: Carol Carmichael Parks - Engineers: Greg Penny, Roger Nicols, Mark Linett, Lavant Coppock, Roger Hart
Musicians
- Rickie Lee Jones - synthesizer, guitar, vocals; all instruments on ""Rodeo Girl"
- John Robinson - drums on tracks: 1, 3, 5, 9
- Peter ErskinePeter ErskinePeter Erskine is an American jazz drummer and composer. He has enjoyed a long and successful career as a session drummer, recording and touring with many famous jazz and rock artists, including Steely Dan and Weather Report...
- drums on tracks: 7, 11 - Buzz FeitenBuzz FeitenHoward "Buzz" Feiten is a North American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and session musician.He is best known as a lead and rhythm electric guitarist, and for having patented a unique, scientifically designed tuning system which re-configures its stringboard / neck for more accurate tonality...
- guitar on tracks: 1, 3, 5, 9 - Dean ParksDean ParksDean Parks is an American session guitarist and record producer from Ft. Worth, TX.-Albums:Dean was member of The North Texas State One O'clock Lab Band before moving to Los Angeles to work with Sonny and Cher in 1970. Dean is best-known through his many contributions to albums by Steely Dan...
- guitar on tracks: 1 to 3, 5, 7, 10, 11 - Greg PhillinganesGreg PhillinganesGreg Phillinganes is an active session keyboardist in Los Angeles, California. He is a graduate of Cass Technical High School, Detroit Michigan....
- keyboards on tracks 1, 3, 5 - Neil StubenhausNeil StubenhausNeil Stubenhaus is an American bass guitarist.-Career:He started his musical training playing drums and switched to bass guitar at the age of 12. He studied at the Berklee College of Music where he graduated in 1975...
- bass on tracks: 1, 3, 5, 9, 11 - Sal Bernardi - guitar, bg on track 7
- Jim KeltnerJim KeltnerJames Lee "Jim" Keltner is an American drummer known primarily for his session work. He has contributed to the work of many well-known artists...
- drum machine effects on track 6 - Bob SheppardBob SheppardRobert Leo "Bob" Sheppard was the long-time public address announcer for numerous New York area college and professional sports teams, in particular the MLB New York Yankees , and the NFL New York Giants .Sheppard announced more than 4,500 Yankees baseball games over a period of 56 years,...
- sax on tracks 5, 8 - Rob WassermanRob WassermanRob Wasserman is an American bass player, who has played with a wide variety of musicians including David Grisman, Lou Reed, Bob Weir, Jerry Garcia, Bruce Cockburn, Van Morrison, Rickie Lee Jones, Brian Wilson, Elvis Costello, Mark Morris, Aaron Neville, Chris Whitley, Studs Terkel, Pete Seeger,...
- bass on track 8 - Paulinho Da CostaPaulinho Da CostaPaulinho da Costa is a Brazilian percussionist born in Rio de Janeiro, considered one of the most recorded musicians of modern times. Playing over two hundred percussion instruments, he has participated in thousands of recording sessions, Grammy Award-winning albums, hit songs, soundtracks, radio...
- percussion on track 8 - William "Smitty" SmithWilliam "Smitty" SmithWilliam "Smitty" Smith was a keyboardist and session musician.He had been playing together with Steve Kennedy, Eric Mercury and Diane Brooks in a Toronto band called the Soul Searchers that was fronted by Mercury and Brooks. After the Soul Searchers broke up, first Kennedy and then Smith joined a...
- organ on track 1 - Michael OmartianMichael OmartianMichael Omartian is an Armenian-American singer-songwriter, keyboardist, and music producer. He has been a participant in over 350,000,000 albums and CD’s sold worldwide, as a producer, arranger, artist or musician, during a career that has spanned over 38 years...
- piano on track 1 - Ed Alton - bass on track 2
- Michael Fisher - percussion on track 2
- Gary B.B. ColemanGary B.B. ColemanGary B.B. Coleman was an American soul blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and record producer.Originally a local-musician turned-blues promoter and session musician, Coleman recorded his debut album in 1986, which was re-released on Ichiban Records...
- vibraphone on track 2 - Bob Zimmitti - percussion on tracks 3, 5
- Chris Dickie - drum programming on track 4
- Walter BeckerWalter BeckerWalter Carl Becker is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the co-founder, guitarist, bassist and a co-writer of Steely Dan.-Career:...
- bass on track 7 - Marty Krystall - English horn, clarinet on track 7; tenor saxophone on track 9
- Vince MendozaVince MendozaVince Mendoza is a music arranger and composer.Mendoza was born in Connecticut and studied guitar as a child, influenced by classical music, soul and jazz. He then took up the trumpet, which he continued to play throughout his time at Ohio State University, where he played in the Jazz Ensemble and...
- trumpet on track 7 - Greg Mathieson - Hammond B3 organ on track 9
- Michael BoddickerMichael BoddickerMichael J. Boddicker , is an American film composer and session musician, specializing in electronic music. Three times N.A.R.A.S. Most Valuable Player "Synthesizer" and MVP Emeritus, he was awarded a Grammy as a songwriter for Imagination from Flashdance in 1984...
- synthesizer on track 10 - Pascal Nabet-Meyer - percussion programming on track 11
- Randy BreckerRandy BreckerRandal "Randy" Brecker is an American trumpeter and flugelhornist. He is a highly sought after performer in the genres of jazz, rock, and R&B, and has performed or recorded with Stanley Turrentine, Billy Cobham, Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed, Sandip Burman, Charles Mingus, Blood, Sweat & Tears,...
- trumpet on track 11 - Vonda ShepardVonda ShepardVonda Shepard is an American pop/rock singer. She appeared as a regular in the television show Ally McBeal from seasons 1-5 in which she played a resident performer at the bar where the show's characters drank after work. She plays piano, guitar, and bass.-Biography:Vonda Shepard was born in New...
- backing vocals