Scarecrow by John Mellencamp (CD, Aug-1985, Mercury)

Album Features
UPC:	042282486523
Artist:	John Mellencamp
Format:	CD
Release Year:	1985
Record Label:	Mercury
Genre:	Hard Rock, Rock & Pop

Track Listing
1. Rain on the Scarecrow
2. Grandma's Theme
3. Small Town
4. Minutes to Memories
5. Lonely Ol' Night
6. Face of the Nation, The
7. Justice and Independence '85
8. Between a Laugh and a Tear
9. Rumbleseat
10. You've Got to Stand for Somethin'
11. R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.
12. Kind of Fella I Am, The

Details
Playing Time:	41 min.
Contributing Artists:	Ry Cooder, Rickie Lee Jones
Producer:	Don Gehman, Little Bastard
Distributor:	Universal Distribution
Recording Type:	Studio
Recording Mode:	Stereo
SPAR Code:	AAD

Album Notes
Personnel: John Cougar Mellencamp, Rickie Lee Jones (vocals); Larry Crane, Mike Wanchic (guitar); A. Jack Wilkins (saxophone); Richard Fanning (trumpet); John Cascella (keyboards); Kenny Aronoff (vibraphone, drums, tambourine); Toby Myers (bass); Sarah Flint, Mimi Mapes (background vocals).Recorded in 1985.Recorded in 1985.Personnel: John Mellencamp (vocals, guitar); Mike Wanchic (vocals, guitar, electric guitar, background vocals); Sarah Flint, Mimi Mapes (vocals, background vocals); Rickie Lee Jones, Laura Mellencamp (vocals); Larry Crane (guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, background vocals); A. Jack Wilkins (saxophone); Richard Fanning (trumpet); John Cascella (keyboards); Kenny Aronoff (vibraphone, drums, tambourine, background vocals); Toby Myers (electric bass, bass guitar, background vocals).Audio Mixers: Don Gehman; George Tutko; Greg Edward.Recording information: Belmont Mall Studio, Belmont, IN (03/20/1985-04/29/1985); Rumbo Studio, Los Angeles, CA (03/20/1985-04/29/1985).Photographer: Marc Hauser.Unknown Contributor Role: John Mellencamp.When John Cougar Mellencamp released 1985's SCARECROW, American farmers were taking a major hit from bank foreclosures and soaring interest rates that were destroying their way of life. For Mellencamp, this issue hit close to home since his great-grandfather's family farm had been sold after his sudden death. Looking to his Midwest upbringing for inspiration, the Indiana native composed 11 rootsy songs, featuring fully realized characters that drew from his experiences growing up as a rebel then escaping from small-town life, before he re-embraced his roots.Among the many highlights of this breakthrough album were the tribute to '60s AM Top 40 radio "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. (A Salute To 60's Rock)," and the jangly funk of "Justice and Independence '85." The latter was inspired by the healthy birth of his daughter, who was in danger of deformity due to her mom's chicken pox. Elsewhere, Mellencamp mixed in commercially successful populist anthems like "Rain on the Scarecrow," and "Small Town." With SCARECROW's success, John Cougar Mellencamp became the public face of heartland rock and found himself joining forces with Willie Nelson and Neil Young to create the benefit organization Farm Aid.

Editorial Reviews
[With] Kenny Aronoff's drums booming as hard as anybody's in rock's past three decades.
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