Awake

by John Wesley Harding

Overview

Billed as John Wesley Harding and the Gangsta Folk, Dare seems to be an attempt to recast the singer/songwriter in a different light, incorporating elements of electronica to earn more street cred. The Gangsta Folk are in truth not a band, but rather Harding handling multiple instruments (often of the more exotic variety like e-bow, moogs, and mellotron), along with a few guests like Scott McCaughey, Robert Lloyd, Kelly Hogan, and pop purist Chris von Schneidern. And while the experimentation is implemented quite well -- especially in the lighter-and-match-strike percussion loop of "Burn" -- Harding's craft remains untouched. His acid-tongued, always-clever phrasing, folky leanings, and strong sense of melody show him to be one of the finest (and unfairly overlooked) songwriters of the '90s. ~ Chris Woodstra

Product Details

Release Date:	01/23/2001
Label:	APPLESEED RECORDS
UPC:	0611587104021

Tracks

1. Good Morning (I Just Woke Up)
2. Your Ghost (Don't Scare Me No More)
3. Window Seat
4. Burn
5. It's All My Fault
6. Sweat Tears Blood and Come
7. Poor Heart
8. Miss Fortune
9. Song I Wrote Myself in the Future
10. Something to Write Home About
11. You're Looking at Me
12. You So & So
13. I'm Staying Here (And I'm Not Buying a Gun)
14. Good Bye (Late O'Clock)
15. Wooden Overcoat
16. Jackson Cage
17. Punch 'n' Judy
18. I Just Woke Up
19. Wreck on the Highway

Album Credits

Performance Credits

John Wesley Harding   Primary Artist,Sampling,Triangle,Mellotron,Ebo,Bass,Bells,Organ,Piano,Guitar,Rhythm,Vocals,Cymbals,Strings,Moog Bass,Percussion,Sleigh Bells,Tubular Bells,Telephone Voice,Moog Synthesizer,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Guitar (12 String),12-String Bass Guitar
Bruce Springsteen   Primary Artist,Guest Artist
Chris Von Sneidern   Guest Artist
Chuck Prophet   Guest Artist,Guitar,Percussion,Guitar (Electric)
Robert Lloyd   Guest Artist,Organ,Piano,Mandolin,Accordion,Organ (Hammond)
Kelly Hogan   Guest Artist,Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Scott McCaughey   Guest Artist,Piano,Vocals (Background)
CVS   Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background),Bass,E-Bow,Shaker,Percussion
Peter Straus   Bass
Steve Bowman   Drums
Carrie Bradley   Violin
Kurt Bloch   Guitar,12-String Bass Guitar
Mike Musburger   Drums
Alison Faith Levy   Vocals (Background)
Jim Sangster   Bass

Technical Credits

Sheila Sachs   Design,Redesign,Photography
Trudy Fisher   Photography
John Wesley Harding   Composer,Producer,Orchestration
Paul Stubblebine   Mastering
Chris Von Sneidern   Mixing,Arranger,Engineer,Producer
Joe Lambert   Mastering
Bruce Springsteen   Composer
Scott McCaughey   Producer
Bobby Whitfield   Engineer,Tape Archivist
Jim Newberry   Photography
Shelley Jackson   Composer