Catholic Boy
Catholic Boy (1980) is the debut album by The Jim Carroll Band, led by Jim Carroll, who is notable for publishing the 1978 memoir The Basketball Diaries, and poetry collections including Living at the Movies. The album spawned two FM hits, "It's Too Late" and "People Who Died" (about friends of the singer who died before their time). The front cover photograph was taken by Annie Leibovitz.
Catholic Boy | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 3, 1980 | |||
Recorded | June - August 1979 | |||
Genre | New wave, punk rock | |||
Length | 38:26 | |||
Label | Atco | |||
Producer | Earl McGrath, Bob Clearmountain | |||
The Jim Carroll Band chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Billboard | (unrated)[2] |
Christgau's Record Guide | B+[3] |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Songs
"Crow" was written about Patti Smith's falling offstage and breaking vertebrae in her neck, resulting in the need for 22 stitches, at a show in Tampa, Florida, in 1976. She later claimed that God had pushed her.[6]
Cover versions
"People Who Died" has been covered multiple times: John Cale on the album Antártida (1995), Drive-By Truckers on the live album Alabama Ass Whuppin' (2000), Lordz of Brooklyn on the album The Brooklyn Way (2006), Paradime on his Spill At Will album (2007), The Wildhearts on the album ¡Chutzpah! Jnr. (2009), Fang on the album Here Come The Cops (2012), and Willie Nile on the album American Ride (2013). In 2014, Gwar appended a version of "People Who Died" onto their cover of the Pet Shop Boys song "West End Girls" for A.V. Club's Undercover series, with lyrics paying tribute to their recently deceased singer, Oderus Urungus (a.k.a. Dave Brockie). A cover of the song by the band Against Me! was included on the 2018 compilation album Songs That Saved My Life. In 2019, Hollywood Vampires recorded a version on their second album, Rise.
"Catholic Boy" was played by Jim Carroll with Pearl Jam as backing band on the soundtrack of the 1995 film The Basketball Diaries.
Track listing
- "Wicked Gravity" (Jim Carroll) – 4:56
- "Three Sisters" (Carroll, Terrell Winn) – 3:19
- "Day and Night" (Carroll, Allen Lanier) – 2:22
- "Nothing Is True" (Carroll, Brian Linsley) – 3:29
- "People Who Died" (Carroll, Brian Linsley, Stephen Linsley, Terrell Winn, Wayne Woods) – 4:59
- "City Drops into the Night" (Carroll, Stephen Linsley, Brian Linsley) – 7:23
- "Crow" (Carroll, Terrell Winn) – 3:02
- "It's Too Late" (Carroll, Wayne Woods) – 3:04
- "I Want the Angel" (Carroll, Brian Linsley) – 2:49
- "Catholic Boy" (Carroll) – 3:03
Personnel[7]
- Jim Carroll Band
- Jim Carroll – vocals
- Brian Linsley – guitar
- Stephen Linsley – bass
- Terrell Winn – guitar
- Wayne Woods – drums
- Additional personnel
- Allen Lanier – keyboards on "Day and Night" & "I Want the Angel"
- Bobby Keys – saxophone on "City Drops into the Night"
- Amy Kanter – vocal on "Day and Night"
- Sally, Hilary, Neon, Janet, The Jim Carroll Band – backing vocals on "People Who Died"
- Technical
- Bob Clearmountain - engineer, co-production
- Jason Corsaro, Jeffrey Norman - assistant engineers
- Annie Leibovitz, Earl McGrath, Sandi Young - art direction
"Special thanks to Allen Lanier, Suzanne del Regno, Art Collins, The Zen Center (San Francisco), Terry Bromberg and Earl McGrath"
Charts
Album
Chart (1981) | Peak position |
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Billboard Hot 100 | 73 |
References
- Deming, Mark. "Catholic Boy – Jim Carroll / Jim Carroll Band". AllMusic. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
- "Review: The Jim Carroll Band – Catholic Boy" (PDF). Billboard. 85 (44). Los Angeles, California: Eldridge Industries. 1 November 1980. p. 88. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 30 May 2020 – via American Radio History.
- Christgau, Robert (1990). "The Jim Carroll Band: Catholic Boy". Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s. New York City: Pantheon Books. ISBN 0-679-73015-X. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
- Tucker, Ken (February 5, 1981). "Jim Carroll: Catholic Boy". Rolling Stone. New York City: Wenner Media. Archived from the original on October 1, 2009. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
- DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James; George-Warren, Holly, eds. (1992). "The Jim Carroll Band". The Rolling Stone Album Guide (3rd ed.). New York City: Random House. ISBN 0-679-73729-4.
- Poseur: A Memoir of Downtown New York City in the '90s (Marc Spitz)
- http://www.catholicboy.com/cboy.php