Can You Fly

Can You Fly
Studio album by
Freedy Johnston
ReleasedApril 14, 1992
RecordedJanuary–December 1991
Genre
Length49:42
LabelBar/None
ProducerGraham Maby, Knut Bohn
Freedy Johnston chronology
The Trouble Tree
(1990) 		Can You Fly
(1992) 		This Perfect World
(1994)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Chicago Tribune[3]
Christgau's Consumer GuideA+[4]
Q[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[6]
Spin Alternative Record Guide10/10[7]

Can You Fly is the second album by singer-songwriter Freedy Johnston. It was released in 1992 on Bar/None Records. Can You Fly appeared on Fast Folk's year-end list of the ten best albums of 1992,[8] and The Village Voice's Robert Christgau later dubbed it "a perfect album".[9]

In order to finance the recording of the album, Johnston sold some farmland that he inherited from his grandfather. This decision is mentioned in the opening lines of the first track, "Trying to Tell You I Don't Know".[10]

The song "California Thing" appeared on the soundtrack of the film Heavy, starring Liv Tyler and Deborah Harry.

"The Lucky One" was covered by Mary Lou Lord on her 1998 album Got No Shadow.

Track listing

All songs written by Freedy Johnston.

  1. "Trying to Tell You I Don't Know" – 4:24
  2. "In the New Sunshine" – 2:45
  3. "Tearing Down This Place" – 4:10
  4. "Remember Me" – 2:54
  5. "Wheels" – 3:18
  6. "The Lucky One" – 3:09
  7. "Can You Fly" – 4:34
  8. "Responsible" – 5:28
  9. "The Mortician's Daughter" – 3:56
  10. "Sincere" – 4:18
  11. "Down in Love" – 3:04
  12. "California Thing" – 3:03
  13. "We Will Shine" – 4:39

Personnel

  • Freedy Johnston – vocals, guitar, bass
  • Graham Maby – bass, electric guitar, background vocals
  • Brian Doherty – drums, percussion
  • Alan Bezozi – drums, tambourine, wind chimes, percussion, keyboard
  • Knut Bohn – guitar, organ, percussion, background vocals
  • Kevin Salem – guitar, background vocals
  • Jared Michael Nickerson – bass
  • Bob Rupe – guitar
  • Jimmy Lee – guitar
  • Marshall Crenshaw – guitar, bass
  • Chris Stamey – electric guitar
  • Dave Schramm – lap steel
  • James MacMillan – bass
  • Jane Scarpantoni – cello
  • Kenny Margolis – accordion
  • Syd Straw - vocals

References

  1. ^ Blender Staff (May 2003). "500 CDs You Must Own Before You Die!". Blender. New York: Dennis Publishing Ltd. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  2. ^ Coulter, Kristi. "Can You Fly – Freedy Johnston". AllMusic. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  3. ^ Kot, Greg (April 30, 1992). "Freedy Johnston: Can You Fly (Bar/None)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  4. ^ Christgau, Robert (2000). "Freedy Johnston: Can You Fly". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-24560-2. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  5. ^ "Freedy Johnston: Can You Fly". Q (85): 120. October 1993.
  6. ^ Randall, Mac (2004). "Freedy Johnston". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 437. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  7. ^ Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  8. ^ Allen, Jim, "The Ten Best Albums of 1992" Archived 2012-02-16 at the Wayback Machine, Fast Folk Musical Magazine, 6:9-10, (February 1993) p.12-13
  9. ^ Christgau, Robert (1998). "Selling Dirt to Pay the Band: Freedy Johnston". Grown Up All Wrong: 75 Great Rock and Pop Artists from Vaudeville to Techno. Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-44318-7.
  10. ^ O'Dair, Barbara (July 14, 1994). "Freedy Johnston: This Perfect World". Rolling Stone: 102. Archived from the original on October 7, 2008. Retrieved May 19, 2017.