Mountain Music (album)
Encyclopedia
Mountain Music, released in 1982, is the award-winning third studio album by country music
group Alabama
. A crossover
success, it ranked well as an album on both country and pop charts and launched singles that were successful in several markets. This is Alabama's most successful album.
Note: The BMGSP reissue of this album replaces the full versions of "Mountain Music" and "Take Me Down" with their single edits.
Owen, Cook and Gentry share lead vocals on "Gonna Have a Party" and one verse of "Mountain Music"
String arrangements by Kristin Wilkinson
Country Albums chart in 1982 and reached No. 14 on the all-genre Billboard 200
chart the same year. It won 1982's Grammy Award
for "Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals".
" reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles
chart. The other two singles were successful in several markets: "Take Me Down
", a No. 1 country hit, reached No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100
and No. 5 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Singles
chart. "Close Enough to Perfect
" charted No. 1 on the Hot Country Singles and No. 65 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
group Alabama
Alabama (band)
Alabama is a country music and southern rock band from Fort Payne, Alabama, United States. The band was founded in 1969 by Randy Owen and his cousin Teddy Gentry , soon joined by Jeff Cook...
. A crossover
Crossover (music)
Crossover is a term applied to musical works or performers appearing on two or more of the record charts which track differing musical tastes, or genres...
success, it ranked well as an album on both country and pop charts and launched singles that were successful in several markets. This is Alabama's most successful album.
A Side
- "Mountain MusicMountain Music (song)"Mountain Music" is the title of a song written by Randy Owen and recorded by his band, Alabama. It was released in January 1982 as the lead-off single and title track to Alabama's third album, Mountain Music.-About the song:...
" (Randy OwenRandy OwenRandy Owen is an American country music artist. He is known primarily for his role as the lead singer of Alabama, a country rock band which saw considerable mainstream success throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Although Alabama only records new albums on occasion, Owen himself has maintained a career...
) – 4:12 - "Close Enough to PerfectClose Enough to Perfect"Close Enough to Perfect" is a song made famous by the country music band Alabama. Originally released in 1982, the song was the third single from Alabama's third album, Mountain Music....
" (Carl Chambers) – 3:34 - "Words at Twenty Paces" (Hugh MoffattHugh MoffattHugh Moffatt is an American country singer and songwriter. In the 1970s and 1980s several artists made hits out of his songs. He has also released critically acclaimed albums of his own.-Beginnings:...
) – 3:54 - "Changes Comin' On" (Buddy CannonBuddy CannonBuddy Cannon is an American country music songwriter and record producer. Active since the late 1970s, he is known primarily for his work as Kenny Chesney's record producer, for which he won the Academy of Country Music's Producer of the Year award in 2006.Along with Bill Anderson and Jamey...
, Jimmy Darrell, Dean DillonDean DillonDean Dillon is an American country music artist. Between 1982 and 1993, Dillon recorded six studio albums on various labels, and charted several singles on the Billboard country charts. Although he has not charted since 1993, Dillon has continued to write several hit songs for other artists, most...
) – 6:51 - "Green RiverGreen River (song)"Green River" is a song by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival. The song was written by John Fogerty and was released as a single in July 1969, one month before the album of the same name was released .- Background :...
" (John FogertyJohn FogertyJohn Cameron Fogerty is an American rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist, best known for his time with the swamp rock/roots rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival and as a #1 solo recording artist. Fogerty has a rare distinction of being named on Rolling Stone magazine's list of 100 Greatest...
) – 2:51
B Side
- "Take Me Down" (Mark Gray, J.P. PenningtonJ.P. PenningtonJames Preston "J.P." Pennington is an American musician, known primarily as a founding member of the country pop band Exile. Pennington was the founding member and lead singer of the group until departing in 1990. After his leaving Exile, he signed to MCA Records as a solo artist. There, he...
) – 4:53 - "You Turn Me On" (Teddy Gentry, Owen) – 3:11
- "Never Be One" (Gentry) – 2:46
- "Lovin' You Is Killin' Me" (Jeff Cook) – 3:00
- "Gonna Have a Party" (Bruce ChannelBruce ChannelBruce Channel is an American singer, known for his 1962 million selling number one hit, "Hey! Baby".-Career:...
, Cliff Cochran, Kieran KaneKieran KaneKieran Kane is an American country music artist, as well as the owner of Dead Reckoning Records, an independent record label. Between 1986 and 1990, he and Jamie O'Hara comprised The O'Kanes, a duo which charted seven singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles charts, including the Number...
) – 4:09
Note: The BMGSP reissue of this album replaces the full versions of "Mountain Music" and "Take Me Down" with their single edits.
Alabama
- Jeff Cook - vocals and lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, lead vocals on "Green River" and "Lovin' You Is Killin' Me" - Teddy Gentry - vocals and bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, lead vocals on "Never Be One" - Mark Herndon - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
and percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... - Randy OwenRandy OwenRandy Owen is an American country music artist. He is known primarily for his role as the lead singer of Alabama, a country rock band which saw considerable mainstream success throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Although Alabama only records new albums on occasion, Owen himself has maintained a career...
- lead vocals and rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
Owen, Cook and Gentry share lead vocals on "Gonna Have a Party" and one verse of "Mountain Music"
Additional musicians
- Hayword Bishop - drums
- Mark Casstevens - background vocals, guitar
- Michael Douchette - harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
- David Hanner - guitar
- David Humphreys - drums
- George Leo Jackson - guitar
- Jerry Kroon - drums
- Rodger Morris - keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
- Roger Morris - keyboards, Synclavier II, Emulator, Prophet 5
- Fred Newell - guitar
- Larry Paxton - bass guitar
- William Rainsford - keyboards
- Dale Sellers - guitar
- Walter Smith - bass guitar
- Bruce Watkins - banjoBanjoIn the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
String arrangements by Kristin Wilkinson
Production
- Paul Goldberg - engineer
- Randy Kling - masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
- David Lebon - photography
- Gene Rice - engineer
- Norman Seeff - photography
- Harold SheddHarold SheddHarold Shedd is a music industry executive and producer, best known for his role as producer of the country group Alabama as well as Reba McEntire, Shania Twain and Toby Keith...
- producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, engineer
Album
Mountain Music charted No. 1 on Billboard'sBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Country Albums chart in 1982 and reached No. 14 on the all-genre Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart the same year. It won 1982's Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for "Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals".
| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 14 |
| Canadian RPM Top Albums | 38 |
Singles
The album produced three hit singles, with the title song "Mountain MusicMountain Music (song)
"Mountain Music" is the title of a song written by Randy Owen and recorded by his band, Alabama. It was released in January 1982 as the lead-off single and title track to Alabama's third album, Mountain Music.-About the song:...
" reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart. The other two singles were successful in several markets: "Take Me Down
Take Me Down (Alabama song)
"Take Me Down" is a song made famous by the country music band Alabama. Originally released in 1982, the song was the second single from Alabama's third album, Mountain Music....
", a No. 1 country hit, reached No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and No. 5 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Singles
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
chart. "Close Enough to Perfect
Close Enough to Perfect
"Close Enough to Perfect" is a song made famous by the country music band Alabama. Originally released in 1982, the song was the third single from Alabama's third album, Mountain Music....
" charted No. 1 on the Hot Country Singles and No. 65 on the Billboard Hot 100.
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US AC | CAN Country RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... |
CAN AC RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... |
||
| 1982 | "Mountain Music" | 1 | 101 | — | 1 | 1 |
| "Take Me Down" | 1 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 1 | |
| "Close Enough to Perfect" | 1 | 65 | — | 1 | — |