''Spun Gold'' is the thirteenth solo studio album by American
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, o ...
artist
Barbara Mandrell
Barbara Ann Mandrell (born December 25, 1948) is an American country music singer and musician. She is also credited as an actress and author. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, she was considered among country's most successful music artist ...
. The album was released in July 1983 on
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group.
Pre-history
MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wi ...
and was produced by
Tom Collins
The Tom Collins is a Collins cocktail made from gin, lemon juice, sugar, and carbonated water. First memorialized in writing in 1876 by Jerry Thomas, "the father of American mixology", this "gin and sparkling lemonade" drink is typically serv ...
. ''Spun Gold'' produced two major hit singles on the ''Billboard'' Country Singles chart in 1983.
Background and content
''Spun Gold'' was recorded in February 1983 in
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...
and contained ten tracks of new recordings. The album mainly consisted of
country pop
Country pop (also known as pop country or urban cowboy) is a fusion genre of country music and pop music that was developed by members of the country genre out of a desire to reach a larger, mainstream audience. Country pop music blends genres ...
-influenced material mixed with song themes that discuss the hardships of working-class people. It included a duet with country artist
Steve Wariner
Steven Noel Wariner (born December 25, 1954) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Initially a backing musician for Dottie West, he also worked with Bob Luman and Chet Atkins before beginning a solo career in the late 1 ...
entitled "Overnight Sensation". ''
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 dat ...
'' reviewer Greg Adams compared background guitar on the track "In Times Like These" to the guitar "riff" on
Ike & Tina Turner
Ike & Tina Turner were an American musical duo consisting of husband and wife Ike Turner and Tina Turner. From 1960 to 1976, they performed live as the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, supported by Ike Turner's band the Kings of Rhythm and backing voc ...
's single, "
Proud Mary
"Proud Mary" is a song written by John Fogerty and first recorded by his band Creedence Clearwater Revival. It was released by Fantasy Records as a single from the band's second studio album, '' Bayou Country'', which was issued by the same ...
". He also considered the single, "
One of a Kind Pair of Fools
"One of a Kind Pair of Fools" is a song written by R.C. Bannon and John Bettis, and recorded by American country music artist Barbara Mandrell
Barbara Ann Mandrell (born December 25, 1948) is an American country music singer and musician. She i ...
" to have a "strong hook and pure pop production". Overall, Adams only gave the release two out five stars, calling the material "disco-era glitz". Adams also found the album's cover to be displeasing saying, "Meanwhile, Mandrell is decked out on the album cover like a high-fashion model in gold lame'.
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...
has always been able to negotiate these kinds of apparent contradictions, but Mandrell does not have the same gift."
''Spun Gold'' was issued on an
LP album in its original release, with five songs on each side of the record.
Release
''Spun Gold'' spawned two singles in 1983. The lead single from the album was the opening track "In Times Like These". The song was released to radio in March 1983 and reached a peak of number 4 on the ''
Billboard Magazine
''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music ...
''
Hot Country Songs chart and number 6 on the ''RPM'' Canadian Country chart. The second single "One of a Kind (A Pair of Fools)" was released in July 1983 and became Mandrell's final number 1 single on the ''Billboard'' Country Singles Chart
and also reached the same position on the Canadian ''
RPM
Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines.
Standards
ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimension ...
'' Country Tracks chart. ''Spun Gold'' was also released in 1983 and peaked at number 5 on the ''Billboard''
Top Country Albums
Top Country Albums is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The 50-position chart lists the most popular country music albums in the country, calculated weekly by Broadcast Data Systems based on physical sales ...
chart and number 140 on the
''Billboard'' 200 albums chart.
Track listing
Side one
#"
In Times Like These" (
Kye Fleming
Rhonda Kye Fleming (born October 9, 1951) is an American singer/songwriter and music publisher working in Nashville, Tennessee. She was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2009 and has won more than 42 BMI Awards, including ...
,
Dennis Morgan
Dennis Morgan (born Earl Stanley Morner, December 20, 1908 – September 7, 1994) was an American actor-singer. He used the acting pseudonym Richard Stanley before adopting the name under which he gained his greatest fame.
According to one ob ...
) – 2:58
#"As Well As Can Be Expected" (Fleming, Morgan) – 3:23
#"
One of a Kind Pair of Fools
"One of a Kind Pair of Fools" is a song written by R.C. Bannon and John Bettis, and recorded by American country music artist Barbara Mandrell
Barbara Ann Mandrell (born December 25, 1948) is an American country music singer and musician. She i ...
" (
R. C. Bannon
R. C. Bannon (born Daniel Shipley; May 2, 1945) is an American country music singer. Active since 1977, Bannon has recorded for the Columbia Records, Columbia and RCA Records, RCA labels. He was also married to singer Louise Mandrell from 1979 to ...
,
John Bettis
John Gregory Bettis (born October 24, 1946) is an American lyricist. He was originally part of the band Spectrum, which also featured Richard and Karen Carpenter. He wrote the lyrics for " Top of the World", a hit for both Lynn Anderson and T ...
) – 2:48
#"Only Now and Then" (Don Pfrimmer,
Mike Reid) – 3:22
#"You Are No Angel" (
Roberto Danova
Roberto Danova (born Giacinto Bettoni; 27 August 1937) is best known as a music composer, arranger and producer, achieving record chart success - particularly in Ireland, the UK, Europe, South Africa and Australasia.
Producing, arranging and ...
, Grant Blair) – 2:57
Side two
#"A Man's Not a Man ('Til He's Loved by a Woman)" (Steve Dean,
Frank J. Myers
Frank Joseph Myers (born July 3, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has received multiple awards including a Grammy for " Best Country Song" which he and frequent songwriting partner Gary Baker (form ...
) – 3:15
#"
Overnight Sensation
''Overnight Sensation'' is the thirteenth studio album by British rock band Motörhead. It was released on 15 October 1996 via Steamhammer, their second on the label. It is their first studio album to not feature guitarist Würzel, and retu ...
" (
Jerry Fuller
Jerry Fuller (born November 19, 1938) is an American songwriter, singer and record producer.
Biography
Jerry Fuller was born in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, to a musical family. He and his brother Bill performed as a duo in their home state ...
) – 3:16
#*with
Steve Wariner
Steven Noel Wariner (born December 25, 1954) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Initially a backing musician for Dottie West, he also worked with Bob Luman and Chet Atkins before beginning a solo career in the late 1 ...
#"Loveless" (Fleming, Morgan) – 3:07
#"Bad Boys" (
Diane Warren
Diane Eve Warren (born September 7, 1956) is an American songwriter. She has received several awards including a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, three ''Billboard'' Music Awards and an Honorary Academy Award.
War ...
) – 2:54
#"Cryin' All the Way to the Bank" (Fleming, Morgan) – 3:35
Personnel
From ''Spun Gold'' album jacket.
Musicians
*Pete Bordonali – electric guitar, mandolin, sitar
*
David Briggs – piano,
Rhodes piano
The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, th ...
*
Larry Byrom
Steppenwolf was an American-Canadian rock band that was prominent from 1968 to 1972. The group was formed in late 1967 in Los Angeles by lead singer John Kay, keyboardist Goldy McJohn, and drummer Jerry Edmonton, all formerly of the Canadian ...
– electric guitar
*Jimmy Capps – rhythm guitar
*Tom Collins – organ
*Sonny Garrish – steel guitar
*
David Hungate
William David Hungate (born August 5, 1948) is an American bass guitarist noted as a member of the Los Angeles pop-rock band Toto from 1976 to 1982 and again from 2014 to 2015, and the son of judge William L. Hungate. Along with most of his T ...
– bass guitar
*Michael Jones – steel guitar
*
Shane Keister
Shane Keister is an American musician. He is known for his work as a studio musician, writer, arranger and producer. He plays synthesizer, piano, Hammond B3, Synclavier, Fairlight CMI, Fender Rhodes, and others.
History
Keister was born in ...
– synthesizer
*Mike Leech – bass guitar
*Randy McCormick – organ
*Dennis Morgan – rhythm guitar
*
Nashville String Machine
Nashville String Machine is a musical collective comprising session musicians, based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Members of the group have been credited on records dating from 1972 to the present, although the group was formally formed ...
– strings
*
Bobby Ogdin
Robert Ford Ogdin (born September, 1945) is a Nashville-based recording session pianist. He is best known as a member of Elvis Presley's TCB band. He performed on 20 of Presley's recordings and accompanied him on 45 live shows until Presleys' dea ...
– piano, Rhodes piano, synthesizer
*Larry Paxton – bass guitar
*
James Stroud
James Stroud is an American musician and record producer who works in pop, rock, R&B, soul, disco, and country music. He played with the Malaco Rhythm Section for Malaco Records. In the 1990s, he was the president of Giant Records (a subsidi ...
– drums
*
Reggie Young
Reggie Grimes Young Jr. (December 12, 1936 – January 17, 2019) was an American musician who was lead guitarist in the American Sound Studio house band, The Memphis Boys, and was a leading session musician. He played on various recordings with ...
– electric guitar
Background vocals
*Steve Brantley
*
Robert Byrne
*The Cherry Sisters (Sherry Huffman, Lisa Silver, and Diane Tidwell)
*Pat Childs
*Bruce Dees
*Jim Ferguson
*Greg Gordin
*Larry Keith
*Mary Ann Lomax
Technical
*
Tom Collins
The Tom Collins is a Collins cocktail made from gin, lemon juice, sugar, and carbonated water. First memorialized in writing in 1876 by Jerry Thomas, "the father of American mixology", this "gin and sparkling lemonade" drink is typically serv ...
– producer
*Tim Farmer – engineer
*Archie Jordan – string arrangement
*Les Ladd – engineer
*Barbara Mandrell – producer
*Denny Purcell – mastering
*D. Bergen White – string arrangement
Charts
Weekly charts
Singles
References
{{Authority control
1983 albums
Barbara Mandrell albums
MCA Records albums
Albums produced by Tom Collins (record producer)