Album
The Ghost Of Tom Joad
1995 · Folk, World, & Country
16 collectors on Gatefold own this
The Ghost Of Tom Joad is a Folk album by Bruce Springsteen, originally released in 1995. On Gatefold: 72 pressings tracked, owned by 16 collectors.
About
One of the things Bruce Springsteen loved about living in California was riding his motorcycle through the mountains above Los Angeles and out into the Southwestern desert. These trips off of the main highways and through the small towns in the Sierras and Central California inspired his songwriting for 1995’s <i>The Ghost of Tom Joad</i>, a collection of quiet, mostly acoustic songs. The album tells stories set primarily in the American Southwest, though Springsteen also finds time for tales set everywhere from Ohio to Louisiana to Texas. Springsteen had heard stories about the brutal circumstances that many migrant workers faced. He spent time doing research, to ensure the details and the emotional heart of each song on <i>The Ghost of Tom Joad</i> would ring true. On “Sinaloa Cowboys,” he tells the story of two brothers from Mexico who make the choice to leave agricultural work in favor of working in a meth lab, while “Balboa Park” is the saga of a group of teenagers working as child sex workers. Springsteen also created connections between the songs on the record; in his mind, the steelworker from “Youngstown” leaves Ohio and become the hobo moving from city to city in search of work in “The New Timer.” The title track, meanwhile, was directly inspired by John Steinbeck’s Great Depression epic <i>The Grapes of Wrath</i>, and also reflected the economic downturn in the US manufacturing industries. These songs were even more stripped down in their arrangements than the ones on <i>Nebraska</i>. Springsteen began by recording himself on acoustic guitar, and later assembled a small ensemble, including the E Street Band’s Danny Federici on keyboard and accordion, and Garry Tallent on bass. The sparseness of the arrangements focus the listener’s attention on the storytelling.
via Apple Music
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The Clerk knows this whole record — the pressing quirks, the credits, the take.
Tracklist
- 1The Ghost Of Tom Joad4:23
- 2Straight Time3:25
- 3Highway 293:39
- 4Youngstown3:52
- 5Sinaloa Cowboys3:51
- 6The Line5:14
- 7Balboa Park3:19
- 8Dry Lightning3:30
- 9The New Timer5:45
- 10Across The Border5:24
- 11Galveston Bay5:04
- 12My Best Was Never Good Enough2:00
Sound DNA
- Folk
- Singer-Songwriter
- sparse
- mournful
- pastoral
Springsteen's eleventh studio album, released on November 21, 1995, through Columbia Records.The album was recorded and mixed at Thrill Hill West, Springsteen's home studio in Los Angeles, California.
It debuted at #11 on the US Billboard 200 chart, with 107,000 copies sold in its first week. The album won the 1997 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album.
Recording Notes
"The Ghost Of Tom Joad":
Recorded May 23, 1995. Springsteen (vocals, guitar, harmonica); his four-man backing band consisted of Danny Federici (keyboards), Garry Tallent (bass), Marty Rifkin (pedal steel guitar, dobro) and Gary Mallaber (drums).
"Straight Time":
Recorded sometime April–June 1995. Springsteen (vocals, guitar); his five-man backing band consisted of Danny Federici (keyboards), Jim Hanson (bass), Gary Mallaber (drums), Marty Rifkin (pedal steel guitar) and Soozie Tyrell (violin).
"Highway 29", "Sinaloa Cowboys", "The Line", "Balboa Park", "The New Timer", "Galveston Bay" & "My Best Was Never Good Enough":
Recorded sometime March–August 1995. Springsteen solo.
"Youngstown":
Recorded sometime April–June 1995. Springsteen (vocals, guitar); his five-man backing band consisted of Chuck Plotkin (keyboards), Jim Hanson (bass), Marty Rifkin (pedal steel guitar), Gary Mallaber (drums) and Soozie Tyrell (violin).
"Dry Lightning":
Recorded sometime April–June 1995. Springsteen (vocals, guitar); his four-man backing band consisted of Danny Federici (keyboards), Garry Tallent (bass), Gary Mallaber (drums) and Soozie Tyrell (violin).
"Across The Border":
Recorded sometime April–June 1995. Springsteen (vocals, guitar, harmonica); his five-man backing band consisted of Danny Federici (keyboards, accordion), Jennifer Condos (bass), Marty Rifkin (pedal steel guitar), Gary Mallaber (drums) and Soozie Tyrell (violin, backing vocals), along with Lisa Lowell and Patti Scialfa providing backing vocals.
Credits
The people behind it.
Performers
- Bruce SpringsteenGUITAR GUITAR, VOCALS, WRITTEN BY VOCALS
- Chuck PlotkinKEYBOARDS
- Danny FedericiACCORDION KEYBOARDS KEYBOARDS , ACCORDION
- Garry TallentBASS
- Gary MallaberDRUMS DRUMS, PERCUSSION PERCUSSION
- Jennifer CondosBASS
- Jim HansonBASS
- Lisa LowellBACKING VOCALS
- Marty RifkinPEDAL STEEL GUITAR STEEL GUITAR
- Patti ScialfaBACKING VOCALS
- Soozie TyrellBACKING VOCALS VIOLIN VIOLIN, BACKING VOCALS
16 collectors on Gatefold own this · 72 pressings tracked on Gatefold
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