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After taking an album off as a songwriter with the all-covers collection Playin' Favourites in 1973, Don McLean returned to providing most of the compositions on his fifth LP Homeless Brother in 1974. It was an ambitious work, which he signaled by a sleeve note on the back cover in which he described "the vision of this album...growing within...." That vision, or concept, seemed to be embodied in the title and corresponding album cover, a painting of a hobo inside a boxcar. And, indeed, in song after song, notably the title track, which found McLean being accompanied by his mentor, Pete Seeger, on background vocals, there were references to hoboes and hoboing. (The record was dedicated to Lee Hays, Seeger's partner in the Weavers.) But there was also an entirely different concept at work on Homeless Brother, one that to some extent contradicted the hobo theme. That concept was also suggested in the original packaging, which was a glossy gatefold LP cover, the actual album sleeve containing both the lyrics and lengthy lists of high-priced studio musicians including horn and string sections working at the behest of producer Joel Dorn. All this suggested a major recording effort and a big release with the big sales such a release was intended to garner. And, indeed, many of the tracks were creamy pop productions that seemed to have little in common with the hobo theme. Certainly, much of the music would have confused a buyer who picked up the album based on the title and cover painting and expected a modern version of a topical folk album. On the other hand, the audience that might have been interested in the smooth soft-rock pop music inside probably would have been put off by the title and cover. That may help explain the album's curious commercial fate. United Artists Records released the attractive love song "La La Love You" as a single, but failed to break it, and the LP foundered on the charts. Then, months later, a second single, the infectious 1930s-styled "Wonderful Baby" (a song written for Fred Astaire, who recorded it, with some deceptively childlike lyrics that turned out to be somewhat caustic upon close examination) was put out on 45 and proceeded to top the Billboard easy listening chart, much too late to do any good to the album on which it originated.
© William Ruhlmann /TiVo
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Ralph MacDonald, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - DON MCLEAN, Guitar, Vocals, Background Vocalist, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Yusef Lateef, Flute, AssociatedPerformer - Kenny Vance, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer
(C) 1974 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1974 Capitol Records, LLC
Ralph MacDonald, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Garnett Brown, Trombone, AssociatedPerformer - David Spinozza, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Willie Weeks, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Hugh McCracken, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Richard Tee, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Seldon Powell, Tenor Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Joel Dorn, Producer - Cissy Houston, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Arthur Jenkins, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - DON MCLEAN, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Andrew Smith, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Charles Williams, Alto Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Danny Moore, Trumpet, AssociatedPerformer - George Barrow, Tenor Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Charles Fowlkes, Baritone Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Rennelle Stafford, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Deirdre Tuck, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Joseph Wilder, Trumpet, AssociatedPerformer - Norma Holmes, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer
(C) 1974 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1974 Capitol Records, LLC
Ralph MacDonald, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Garnett Brown, Trombone, AssociatedPerformer - David Spinozza, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Willie Weeks, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Hugh McCracken, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Richard Tee, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Seldon Powell, Tenor Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Joel Dorn, Producer - Cissy Houston, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Arthur Jenkins, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - DON MCLEAN, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Andrew Smith, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Charles Williams, Alto Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Danny Moore, Trumpet, AssociatedPerformer - George Barrow, Tenor Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Charles Fowlkes, Baritone Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Rennelle Stafford, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Deirdre Tuck, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Joseph Wilder, Trumpet, AssociatedPerformer - Norma Holmes, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer
(C) 1974 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1974 Capitol Records, LLC
Ralph MacDonald, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - GEORGE HARRISON, Composer - Joel Dorn, Producer - DON MCLEAN, Guitar, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer
(C) 1974 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1974 Capitol Records, LLC
Ralph MacDonald, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - David Nadien, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Gene Orloff, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Max Pollikoff, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Max Ellen, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - David Spinozza, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Willie Weeks, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Hugh McCracken, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Richard Tee, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Harry Lookofsky, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Arthur Jenkins, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - DON MCLEAN, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Andrew Smith, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Emanuel Green, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Guy Lumia, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Kathryn Kienke, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Julius Held, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Harold Kohon, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Joseph Malignaggi, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Julius Shachter, Violin, AssociatedPerformer
(C) 1974 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1974 Capitol Records, LLC
David Nadien, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Gene Orloff, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - George Ricci, Cello, AssociatedPerformer - Garnett Brown, Trombone, AssociatedPerformer - Joel Dorn, Producer, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Dave Carey, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - DON MCLEAN, Guitar, Vocals, Background Vocalist, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - William Slapin, Clarinet, Flute, AssociatedPerformer - Joe Wilder, Trumpet, AssociatedPerformer - Jonathan Dorn, Tuba, AssociatedPerformer - Al Brown, Viola, AssociatedPerformer - James Buffington, French Horn, AssociatedPerformer - Linda November, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Marlene VerPlanck, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Arlene Martell, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - helene miles, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Wally King, Bassoon, AssociatedPerformer
(C) 1974 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1974 Capitol Records, LLC
DON MCLEAN, Composer, MainArtist
(C) 1974 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1974 Capitol Records, LLC
Ralph MacDonald, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Garnett Brown, Trombone, AssociatedPerformer - David Spinozza, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Willie Weeks, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Hugh McCracken, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Richard Tee, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Seldon Powell, Tenor Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Joel Dorn, Producer - Cissy Houston, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Arthur Jenkins, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - DON MCLEAN, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Andrew Smith, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Charles Williams, Alto Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Danny Moore, Trumpet, AssociatedPerformer - George Barrow, Tenor Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Charles Fowlkes, Baritone Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Rennelle Stafford, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Deirdre Tuck, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Joseph Wilder, Trumpet, AssociatedPerformer - Norma Holmes, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer
(C) 1974 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1974 Capitol Records, LLC
Ralph MacDonald, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Joel Dorn, Producer - DON MCLEAN, Composer, Guitar, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer
(C) 1974 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1974 Capitol Records, LLC
William Eaton, Conductor - The Persuasions, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Joel Dorn, Producer - DON MCLEAN, MainArtist - Artie Glenn, ComposerLyricist
(C) 1974 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1974 Capitol Records, LLC
Joel Dorn, Producer - DON MCLEAN, Composer, Guitar, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Willis Jackson, Tenor Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer
(C) 1974 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1974 Capitol Records, LLC
Album review
After taking an album off as a songwriter with the all-covers collection Playin' Favourites in 1973, Don McLean returned to providing most of the compositions on his fifth LP Homeless Brother in 1974. It was an ambitious work, which he signaled by a sleeve note on the back cover in which he described "the vision of this album...growing within...." That vision, or concept, seemed to be embodied in the title and corresponding album cover, a painting of a hobo inside a boxcar. And, indeed, in song after song, notably the title track, which found McLean being accompanied by his mentor, Pete Seeger, on background vocals, there were references to hoboes and hoboing. (The record was dedicated to Lee Hays, Seeger's partner in the Weavers.) But there was also an entirely different concept at work on Homeless Brother, one that to some extent contradicted the hobo theme. That concept was also suggested in the original packaging, which was a glossy gatefold LP cover, the actual album sleeve containing both the lyrics and lengthy lists of high-priced studio musicians including horn and string sections working at the behest of producer Joel Dorn. All this suggested a major recording effort and a big release with the big sales such a release was intended to garner. And, indeed, many of the tracks were creamy pop productions that seemed to have little in common with the hobo theme. Certainly, much of the music would have confused a buyer who picked up the album based on the title and cover painting and expected a modern version of a topical folk album. On the other hand, the audience that might have been interested in the smooth soft-rock pop music inside probably would have been put off by the title and cover. That may help explain the album's curious commercial fate. United Artists Records released the attractive love song "La La Love You" as a single, but failed to break it, and the LP foundered on the charts. Then, months later, a second single, the infectious 1930s-styled "Wonderful Baby" (a song written for Fred Astaire, who recorded it, with some deceptively childlike lyrics that turned out to be somewhat caustic upon close examination) was put out on 45 and proceeded to top the Billboard easy listening chart, much too late to do any good to the album on which it originated.
© William Ruhlmann /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 11 track(s)
- Total length: 00:38:22
- Main artists: Don McLean
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Capitol Records
- Genre: Folk/Americana
© 1974 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1974 Capitol Records, LLC
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