Washington County (album)

Washington County
Studio album by
Arlo Guthrie
ReleasedOctober 1970
RecordedAugust 1970
GenreFolk, folk rock
Length36:23
LabelReprise
ProducerLenny Waronker, John Pilla[1]
Arlo Guthrie chronology
Running Down the Road
(1969) 		Washington County
(1970) 		Hobo's Lullaby
(1972)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Christgau's Record GuideB−[3]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[4]
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide[5]

Washington County is a 1970 album by the American folk singer Arlo Guthrie.[6] It peaked at #33 on the Billboard charts on December 4, 1970,[7] and number 28 in Australia.[8]

Critical reception

Contributing to Magnet, Bar/None owner Glenn Morrow called the album "remarkably eclectic". He praised "Gabriel's Mother's Highway Ballad #16 Blues", writing that it "wraps around the listener like a sonic temple—a place of peace and well-being, bracing out the cold winds of a hostile world".[9]

Compilations and covers

"Gabriel's Mother's Hiway Ballad #16 Blues" was later included on the 1977 compilation The Best of Arlo Guthrie. A cover version of it became the title track of the 1972 Franciscus Henri album Gabriel's Mother's Highway.

Track listing

All tracks composed by Arlo Guthrie, except where indicated.

Side One

  1. "Introduction" – 3:22
  2. "Fencepost Blues" (sometimes rendered as "Fence Post Blues") – 3:11
  3. "Gabriel's Mother's Hiway Ballad #16 Blues" – 6:23
  4. "Washington County" – 1:59
  5. "Valley to Pray" – 2:46 (Doc Coutson, John Pilla, Arlo Guthrie)

Side Two

  1. "Lay Down Little Doggies" (Woody Guthrie) – 3:18
  2. "I Could Be Singing" – 3:19
  3. "If You Would Just Drop By" – 4:23
  4. "Percy's Song" (Bob Dylan) – 4:57
  5. "I Want to Be Around" – 2:45

Personnel

Technical
  • Barry Feldman – executive producer
  • Van Dyke Parks – co-producer on "Valley to Pray"

References

  1. ^ Reineke, Hank (June 10, 2012). Arlo Guthrie: The Warner/Reprise Years. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810883314 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ "Washington County: Arlo Guthrie". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  3. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: G". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 24, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  4. ^ Larkin, Colin (May 27, 2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857125958 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (July 10, 2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9780743201698 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ Thompson, Dave. "Arlo Guthrie's M.O." Goldmine Magazine: Record Collector & Music Memorabilia.
  7. ^ "Arlo Guthrie". Billboard.
  8. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 131. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  9. ^ "From The Desk Of Glenn Morrow: Arlo Guthrie's 'Gabriel's Mothers Highway Ballad #16 Blues'". Magnet. June 20, 2017.