The Train I'm On

by Tony Joe White

Overview

Tony Joe White's second Warner Bros. album is an awesome, exquisite musical jewel and a departure from most of the attributes for which he is best known, from songs like "Polk Salad Annie." Acoustic textured for much of its length and built on a close, intimate sound overall, The Train I'm On is permeated with the dark side of White's usual swamp rock sound, filled with songs about unsettled loves and lives, and men caught amid insoluble situations. Betraying surprising vulnerability for much of its length, even on songs like "If I Ever Saw a Good Thing" and "300 Pounds of Hongry" (among the few full band numbers here, with a gorgeous sax solo by Charles Chalmers on the former), he shows off an emotional complexity that wasn't always obvious on his earlier work, only really cutting loose boldly on "Even Trolls Love Rock and Roll" and a tiny handful of other cuts. The rest is dark, pensive, soulful bluesy rock, highlighted by some bristling acoustic guitar work (check out "As the Crow Flies") and superb singing throughout ("The Migrant" is worth the price of admission by itself). [The album was reissued in 2002 by Sepia Tone with new annotation, in a beautifully remastered mid-price edition.] ~ Bruce Eder

Product Details

Release Date:	03/29/2024
Label:	Music On Vinyl
UPC:	8719262033733
Rank:	49448

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Tony Joe White   Primary Artist,Harmonica,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Guitar,Vocals
Tom Dowd   Vocals (Background)
Barry Beckett   Organ,Piano,Clavinet
Jerry Carrigan   Drums
Charles Chalmers   Saxophone,Vocals (Background)
Donna Rhodes   Vocals (Background)
Sandy Rhoads   Vocals (Background)
David Briggs   Keyboards
Ronnie Baron   Organ,Congas,Vibraphone,Piano (Electric)
Terry Woodford   Vocals (Background)
Tommy McClure   Bass
John Hughey   Pedal Steel
David Hood   Bass
Roger Hawkins   Drums,Cowbell,Maracas,Jew's-Harp
Jerry Masters   Vocals (Background)
Norbert Putnam   Bass
Mike Utley   Organ
George Soule   Vocals (Background)
Sammy Creason   Drums
Tippy Armstrong   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)

Technical Credits

Eddie Hinton   Composer
Tom Dowd   Engineer,Producer
Donnie Fritts   Composer
Jimmy Johnson   Engineer
Dave Bhang   Art Direction
Jim Marshall   Photography
Terence Blanchard   Composer
Jimmy Hole   Reissue Design
John Hurley   Composer
Jerry Masters   Engineer
Ronnie Wilkins   Composer
Jerry Wexler   Producer
Arif Mardin   String Arrangements
Tony Joe White   Composer