American Fool by John Mellencamp (CD, Aug-1986, Mercury)

Album Features
UPC:	042281499326
Artist:	John Mellencamp
Format:	CD
Release Year:	1986
Record Label:	Mercury
Genre:	Hard Rock, Rock & Pop

Track Listing
1. Hurts So Good
2. Jack & Diane
3. Hand to Hold on To
4. Danger List
5. Can You Take It
6. Thundering Hearts
7. China Girl
8. Close Enough
9. Weakest Moments

Details
Playing Time:	34 min.
Producer:	John Mellencamp, Don Gehman, John C. Mellencamp, John Cougar Mellencamp
Distributor:	Universal Distribution
Recording Type:	Studio
Recording Mode:	Stereo
SPAR Code:	AAD

Album Notes
Personnel: John Cougar (vocals, guitar); Larry Crane, Mike Wanchic (guitar); George "Chocolate" Perry (bass); Ken Aronoff (drums).Personnel: Larry Crane , Mike Wanchic (guitar); Kenny Aronoff (drums, percussion).Recording information: Cherokee-Criteria Studios (1981-1982).Photographer: Jurgen Vollmer.Unknown Contributor Role: John Mellencamp.John Cougar and the American listening public became inseparable after this landmark album arrived in 1982. While AMERICAN FOOL wasn't John Cougar's first full-length recording, it was the one wherein he gained commercial and artistic footing, and established a formula that would become his trademark style--simple roots-rock melodies with stirring choruses, unguardedly emotional vocals, and lyrics that reflect the experiences of the common man.Album opener "Hurts So Good" is a playful rocker (with a dangerously catchy refrain) that has become part of the pop canon, and "Jack & Diane" is one of the great slice-of-life songs of the '80s. While both songs loom large, other overlooked treasures include "China Girl," with its cheeky faux-Chinese guitar riff, and the ballad "Weakest Moments," which blends transcendent acoustic-guitar changes with a gorgeous, careworn melody. Here and elsewhere on this well-written record, Cougar proves he's nobody's fool.

Editorial Reviews
Ranked #19 in CMJ's Top 20 Most-Played Albums of 1982.
CMJ (20040105)