''A Biography'' is

John Mellencamp John J. Mellencamp (born October 7, 1951), previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his catchy brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrument ...

's second released album (third recorded), and last credited to his then- stage name "Johnny Cougar." Recorded in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, it was released in the UK and Australia by

Riva Records Riva Records was a British record label founded the UK in 1975 by Billy Gaff, manager of Rod Stewart. Rod Stewart signed to the label in the UK, but stayed with Warner Bros. Records in the US and the rest of the world. Another well-known art ...

on March 6, 1978. Due to poor sales of Mellencamp's debut album, '' Chestnut Street Incident'', ''A Biography'' did not receive a U.S. release upon its 1978 debut. Two of its tracks, "Taxi Dancer" and the single " I Need a Lover," were also included on his 1979 album '' John Cougar'', which was released in the U.S. In Australia, however, " I Need a Lover" became a Top 10 hit, giving Mellencamp his first taste of success. The song would eventually crack the Top 40 in the U.S. in late 1979 when released as a single from his '' John Cougar'' album.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine described "I Need a Lover" as Mellencamp's "first good song." ''A Biography'', along with all Mellencamp's other Riva Records/Mercury Records albums, were remastered and re-released in 2005, marking the first time ''A Biography'' was released in the United States. Mellencamp has often spoken negatively about his early albums, and ''A Biography'' is no exception. He stated in Tim Holmes’ 1986 biography: “''A Biography'' is so bitter. I mean I don’t even like to listen to it. I can’t believe it’s me. The songs were written in ’76 or ’77. The lyrics were real awful. They were real ‘I hate you. I hate this.’ And that’s the way I felt at that time."

Track listing

Personnel

* Johnny Cougar – lead vocals, acoustic guitar,

background vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...

* Brian BecVar – keyboards, background vocals * Larry Crane –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

s, background vocals * Robert "Ferd" Frank – bass, background vocals * Tom Knowles – drums, background vocals * Andy Mackay –

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

s * Ann Odell – string arrangement on "Taxi Dancer" * David Steen – photography

References

John Mellencamp
{{DEFAULTSORT:Biography, A 1978 albums John Mellencamp albums Albums produced by John Punter Riva Records albums