Bring the Family

Bring the Family
Studio album by
John Hiatt
ReleasedJune 1987
RecordedFebruary 17–20, 1987
StudioOcean Way (Hollywood)
GenreRock and roll,[1] Roots rock
Length45:26
LabelA&M
ProducerJohn Chelew
John Hiatt chronology
Warming Up to the Ice Age
(1985) 		Bring the Family
(1987) 		Slow Turning
(1988)
Singles from Bring The Family
  1. "Thank You Girl"
    Released: 1987
  2. "Have a Little Faith in Me"
    Released: 1987

Bring the Family is singer-songwriter John Hiatt's eight album, released in 1987. It was his first album to chart on the Billboard 200, and featured his first single entry on the mainstream rock chart with "Thank You Girl". It features Ry Cooder on guitar, Nick Lowe on bass guitar and Jim Keltner on drums. The four would later reform as Little Village and release an album in 1992. "Thing Called Love" later became a hit for Bonnie Raitt, and "Have a Little Faith In Me" is among Hiatt's most popular songs, although it wasn't released as a single in America. "Alone In The Dark" was featured in the 1994 James Cameron film True Lies, in a memorable scene where Jamie Lee Curtis dances to the song.

Background and recording

The album was recorded in four days after McCabe's Guitar Shop booker John Chelew convinced Hiatt that these were some of his best songs. Hiatt was recently sober but had burned so many bridges in the music industry he did not think he had a chance of continuing. He had been dropped by his label and "wondered if I was worth a damn". Hiatt had played some solo acoustic shows at McCabe's in January 1987 just prior to recording where he debuted songs such as "Lipstick Sunset", "Your Dad Did" and "Memphis in the Meantime".

Demon Records in England still loved his work and had pledged about $30,000 if he wanted to record ("Demon Records said I sing in the shower and they'd put it out," Hiatt says. He later told the Rocky Mountain News that Demon would release an album "if I farted in a bathtub").[2] A&M Records in the U.S. eventually picked up the finished disc. Chelew asked Hiatt to name his dream band and Hiatt replied that he'd want to cut a record with Ry Cooder on guitar, Nick Lowe on bass, and Jim Keltner on drums. To Hiatt's surprise, he discovered all three were willing to work with him on his next album. They went into Studio 2 of Ocean Way Studios, Los Angeles and recorded the album in four days, using direct metal mastering. These songs were all that were recorded – there were no leftovers or outtakes and Hiatt had to complete a couple of songs in the studio. "I remember Ry walking out the door on the fourth day and me coming after him and going: 'Ry, I've got one more song. Could you stay?' Literally, we'd done nine and I needed one more," Hiatt has said. Budgets were so tight that Hiatt and Lowe shared a Holiday Inn room in the San Fernando Valley during the recording sessions. Lowe, an old friend of Hiatt's, took no payment for his contribution. Chelew's prediction turned out to be correct. Bring the Family is one of the cornerstones of Hiatt's career, a critical and financial success, and not a Hiatt performance goes by without a generous helping of its songs.[3][4]

Release

Bring The Family was released by A&M Records in June 1987.[5][6][7] The album debuted at No. 197,[8] and peaked at No. 107 on the Billboard 200 chart.[9] "Thank You Girl" was the first single from the album,[10][11] it debuted at No. 41,[12] and peaked at No. 27 on the Mainstream Rock chart.[13] "Have a Little Faith in Me" was also released as a single.[14][15] Music videos were made for both singles.[16][17] Hiatt toured to support the album, but couldn't bring Cooder, Keltner or Lowe. Instead he hired a group of musicians known as the Goners, with which he recorded his next album, Slow Turning.[18]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Chicago Sun-Times[19]
Chicago Tribune[20]
Los Angeles Times[21]
The Philadelphia Inquirer[22]
Q[23]
Record Collector[24]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[25]
Uncut9/10[26]
The Village VoiceB−[27]

Billboard calls the album a "superb collection."[28] The Gavin Report describes the album as "blues-based rockin' folk with wonderfully clever lyrical twists."[29] Cash Box says that "Hiatt’s strong songwriting fills each cut with earthy honesty."[30] Mark Deming of AllMusic called Bring The Family "the best album of Hiatt's career" and wrote "Bring the Family isn't an album about tragedy, it's about responsibility and belatedly growing up, and it's appropriate that it was a band of seasoned veterans with their own stories to tell about life who helped Hiatt bring it across; it's a rich and satisfying slice of grown-up rock & roll."[3]

Track listing

All tracks are written by John Hiatt.

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Memphis in the Meantime"4:00
2."Alone in the Dark"4:46
3."Thing Called Love"4:13
4."Lipstick Sunset"4:14
5."Have a Little Faith in Me"4:05
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."Thank You Girl"4:11
2."Tip of My Tongue"5:54
3."Your Dad Did"4:03
4."Stood Up"6:01
5."Learning How to Love You"4:06
Total length:45:26

Charts

Chart (1987) Peak
position
Australian (Kent Music Report) 74[31]

Personnel

References

  1. ^ a b Deming, Mark. "Bring the Family – John Hiatt". AllMusic. Retrieved August 12, 2011.
  2. ^ 2001 Liner Notes from John Hiatt: Anthology, Hip-O Select
  3. ^ a b Deming, Mark. "Bring the Family Review by Mark Deming". AllMusic.
  4. ^ Thompson, Art (February 23, 2023). ""I Had Been About a Year Sober and I Was on Shaky Ground": John Hiatt Recalls When Lightning Struck Twice for Him With 'Bring the Family' and 'Slow Turning'". Guitar Player.
  5. ^ "Points West" (PDF). Cash Box. April 25, 1987. p. 10 – via World Radio History.
  6. ^ "Release Schedules Heat Up With Wide Array Of Hot Summer Product" (PDF). Billboard. June 6, 1987. p. 108 – via World Radio History.
  7. ^ "My 2 Cents" (PDF). The Gavin Report. May 15, 1987. p. 37 – via World Radio History.
  8. ^ "Billboard 200 - Week of July 4, 1987". Billboard.
  9. ^ "Billboard 200 - Week of August 22, 1987". Billboard.
  10. ^ "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. July 18, 1987. p. 8 – via World Radio History.
  11. ^ "On The Circuit" (PDF). Cash Box. August 1, 1987. p. 22 – via World Radio History.
  12. ^ "Billboard Album Rock Tracks" (PDF). Billboard. June 20, 1987. p. 15 – via World Radio History.
  13. ^ "Billboard Album Rock Tracks" (PDF). Billboard. August 1, 1987. p. 15 – via World Radio History.
  14. ^ "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. August 29, 1987. p. 8 – via World Radio History.
  15. ^ "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. September 12, 1987. p. 81 – via World Radio History.
  16. ^ "New Videoclips" (PDF). Billboard. June 27, 1987. p. 63 – via World Radio History.
  17. ^ "New Videoclips" (PDF). Billboard. September 5, 1987. p. 60 – via World Radio History.
  18. ^ Ingalls, Chris (January 26, 2018). "Yesterday's Jukebox: John Hiatt – 'Bring the Family' / 'Slow Turning'". PopMatters.
  19. ^ McLeese, Don (June 1, 1987). "Wit, backup band put bite into John Hiatt's 'Family'". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on February 13, 2018. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
  20. ^ Kot, Greg (February 13, 1994). "Hiatt on disc: Grit and polish". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  21. ^ Cromelin, Richard (June 28, 1987). "A Hiatt Coming On". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
  22. ^ Tucker, Ken (June 14, 1987). "John Hiatt records with a dream band". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  23. ^ Hepworth, David (November 1988). "Ballad of a Thin Man". Q. No. 26.
  24. ^ Staunton, Terry (May 2018). "John Hiatt: Bring the Family / Slow Turning". Record Collector. No. 479. p. 100.
  25. ^ Coleman, Mark; Harris, Keith (2004). "John Hiatt". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 378. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  26. ^ Mueller, Andrew (November 2012). "How to Buy... John Hiatt". Uncut. No. 186. p. 75.
  27. ^ Christgau, Robert (July 28, 1987). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved August 12, 2011.
  28. ^ "Album Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. June 13, 1987. p. 76 – via World Radio History.
  29. ^ Fell, Ron (June 19, 1987). "Ron Fell's Personal Picks - Albums" (PDF). The Gavin Report. p. 65 – via World Radio History.
  30. ^ "Album Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. June 13, 1987. p. 8 – via World Radio History.
  31. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 138. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
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