Perspective (Rick Nelson album)

Perspective
Studio album by
Rick Nelson
ReleasedFebruary 2, 1969
Genre
Length30:56
LabelDecca
ProducerJohn Boylan
Rick Nelson chronology
Another Side of Rick
(1967) 		Perspective
(1969) 		In Concert at the Troubadour, 1969
(1970)

Perspective is the eighteenth studio album by American singer Rick Nelson, and his eleventh for Decca Records.[1]

The album was a departure from Nelson's previous rockabilly records and an experiment in a more contemporary orchestral style.[2] Like Nelson's prior album Another Side of Rick, it was produced by John Boylan.[3] Boylan selected a number of contemporary songs for the album, including four by Randy Newman, who was not yet a well known songwriter.[4] He also contributed two of his own songs, while Nelson's wife Kris performed vocals on "Hello to the Wind" (a joint Boylan/Nelson composition) and supplied album artwork.[4] The album was recorded in California in 1968, Nelson's only recording that year. It was not released until nearly a year later.[4]

Neither of the two Boylan-produced albums were a commercial success.[4] Although Nelson grew to dislike Perspective's overproduced style, he credits the album with clarifying his future musical direction. "Perspective with those songs was a complete experiment and those Steve Miller type sound effects between tracks were my idea.... I'm not sorry I did those things because, if anything, it made up my mind as to the way I wanted to go... I just simplified the whole thing and went back to the formula of drums, bass, and guitar. That's where I'd always been most effective."[3]

The album was released on compact disc by Ace Records on September 29, 1998, as tracks 13 through 23 on a pairing of two albums on one CD with tracks 1 through 12 consisting of Nelson's 1967 studio album, Another Side of Rick.[5] Bear Family included the album in the 2008 For You: The Decca Years box set.[6]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[7]

Richie Unterberger of AllMusic said that "Nelson did have good taste in selecting material, covering songs by Paul Simon, Richie Havens, Harry Nilsson, and Randy Newman, all of whom (except Simon) were little known by most of the public in 1967; indeed, Nelson covers five Newman songs in a row to end the album, creating the effect of an aborted "Nelson Sings Newman" concept record.[1]

Billboard selected the album for a "Pop Special Merit" review, and described as "an appealing, left - field type of tune"[8]

Historian John Einarson stated that Nelson's albums "Perspective and Another Side of Rick embraced both folk and pop, with covers of Eric Andersen, Nilsson, Paul Simon, and Randy Newman. The eclectic choices reveal an artist still searching for a style that would reconcile his past and give him a future."[9]

Track listing

Side one

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."When the Sun Shined Its Face on Me"Reid Whitelaw2:19
2."Without Her"Harry Nilsson2:32
3."The Lady Stayed with Me"John Boylan2:19
4."Three Day Eternity"Richie Havens2:22
5."For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her"Paul Simon2:43
6."Stop by My Window"John Boylan2:52

Side two

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Hello to the Wind"John Boylan, Ricky Nelson3:05
2."Wait 'til Next Year"Randy Newman2:29
3."Love Story"Randy Newman2:59
4."So Long Dad/Love Story (Reprise) [Medley]"Randy Newman3:57
5."I Think It's Going to Rain Today"Randy Newman3:19

References

  1. ^ a b c ""Perspective" - Album Review". Allmusic. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
  2. ^ Courrier, Kevin (2005). Randy Newman's American Dreams. ECW Press. p. 117. ISBN 978-1-55022-690-4.
  3. ^ a b Homer, Sheree (2012). Rick Nelson, Rock 'n' Roll Pioneer. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. p. 88. ISBN 978-0-7864-6060-1.
  4. ^ a b c d Selvin, Joel (1990). Ricky Nelson: Idol for a Generation. Chicago: Contemporary Books. p. 175. ISBN 978-0-8092-4187-3.
  5. ^ "Another Side of Rick/Perspective". allmusic.com. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
  6. ^ "For You: The Decca Years". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  7. ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 1020. ISBN 9781846098567. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  8. ^ "Special Merit Pop Picks: Perspective" (PDF). Billboard. September 7, 1968. p. 46.
  9. ^ Einarson, p. 66

Bibliography