Wrecking Ball (Emmylou Harris album)

Wrecking Ball is the eighteenth studio album by American country artist Emmylou Harris, released on September 26, 1995 through Elektra Records. Moving away from her traditional acoustic sound, Harris collaborated with producer Daniel Lanois (best known for his production work with U2) and engineer Mark Howard.[11] The album has been noted for atmospheric feel, and featured guest performances by Steve Earle, Larry Mullen, Jr., Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Lucinda Williams and Neil Young, who wrote the title song.

Wrecking Ball
Studio album by Emmylou Harris
Released	September 26, 1995
Recorded	New Orleans, 1995
Genre	Country rock, folk rock, alternative country, country folk
Length	53:05
Label	Elektra
Producer	Daniel Lanois
Emmylou Harris chronology
Cowgirl's Prayer (1993) Wrecking Ball (1995) Spyboy (1998)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Chicago Tribune	[2]
Christgau's Consumer Guide	B[3]
Entertainment Weekly	A−[4]
The Guardian	[5]
The Irish Times	[6]
Los Angeles Times	[7]
Rolling Stone	[8]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[9]
Uncut	9/10[10]

Background

Though her choice of songs had always been eclectic, the album was regarded as a departure. Harris, at the age of 48, had become something of an elder stateswoman in country music. The album received nearly universal acclaim, making many critics' year-end "best of" lists, and pointed Harris' career in a somewhat different direction where she would incorporate a harder edge. As a career-redefining album, Wrecking Ball was compared to Marianne Faithfull's 1979 Broken English album and Johnny Cash's American Recordings. Wrecking Ball won the 1996 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Recording.

Content

Harris covered Neil Young's song "Wrecking Ball", and the track includes harmonies by Young.[12] Although the song was released by Harris as a 2-track CD single with Lucinda Williams' "Sweet Old World", reviewers did not consider the title track the high point on the album.[13]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Where Will I Be?" (with Daniel Lanois)	Daniel Lanois	4:15
2.	"Goodbye"	Steve Earle	4:53
3.	"All My Tears"	Julie Miller	3:42
4.	"Wrecking Ball"	Neil Young	4:49
5.	"Goin' Back to Harlan"	Anna McGarrigle	4:51
6.	"Deeper Well"	David Olney, Lanois	4:19
7.	"Every Grain of Sand"	Bob Dylan	3:56
8.	"Sweet Old World"	Lucinda Williams	5:06
9.	"May This Be Love" (with Daniel Lanois)	Jimi Hendrix	4:45
10.	"Orphan Girl"	Gillian Welch	3:15
11.	"Blackhawk"	Daniel Lanois	4:28
12.	"Waltz Across Texas Tonight"	Rodney Crowell, Emmylou Harris	4:46
Total length:			53:05

Personnel

• Emmylou Harris – vocals, acoustic guitar on 3 5 7 10 11 12, harmony vocals on 10
• Daniel Lanois – mandolin on 1 2 3 5 8 10 11 12, electric guitar on 1 2 3 4 6 8 9 11 12, acoustic guitar on 2 7 11, bass on 1 3, dulcimer on 10, duet vocals on 1 9, chant vocals on 3, percussion on 4, bass pedals on 8
• Malcolm Burn – piano on 2 4 8 11 12, tambourine on 4 10 11, vibes on 4, organ on 5 7, synthesizer on 5, keyboards on 6, slide guitar on 8 12, bass on 11, drums on 11, harmony vocals on 11
• Larry Mullen, Jr. – drums on 2 4 6 7 8 9 12, cymbal on 4, hand drum on 10
• Tony Hall – percussion, bass on 2 4 6 7 12, stick drum on 10
• Daryl Johnson – high harmony vocals on 1, tom tom on 1, drum kit bass pedals on 5, backing vocals on 5, harmonic bass on 6, harmony vocals on 10

Additional personnel

• Brian Blade – drums on 1, Indian hand drum on 5
• Steve Earle – acoustic guitar on 2 7 8
• Sam O'Sullivan – roto wheel on 4
• Neil Young – harmony vocals on 4 8, harmonica on 8
• Kufaru Mouton – extra percussion on 5
• Lucinda Williams – acoustic guitar on 8
• Richard Bennett – tremolo guitar on 8
• Anna McGarrigle – harmony vocals on 12
• Kate McGarrigle – harmony vocals on 12

Charts

Album

Year	Chart	Position
1995	Billboard 200	94
1995	UK Albums Chart	46

References

1. Ankeny, Jason. "Wrecking Ball – Emmylou Harris". AllMusic. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
2. Dretzka, Gary (November 2, 1995). "Emmylou Harris: Wrecking Ball (Elektra)". Chicago Tribune.
3. Christgau, Robert (2000). "Emmylou Harris: Wrecking Ball". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 0-312-24560-2. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
4. Nash, Alanna (September 29, 1995). "Wrecking Ball". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
5. Sweeting, Adam (September 29, 1995). "Emmylou Harris: Wrecking Ball (Grapevine)". The Guardian.
6. Breen, Joe (April 11, 2014). "Emmylou Harris: Wrecking Ball". The Irish Times. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
7. Cromelin, Richard (September 24, 1995). "Emmylou Harris 'Wrecking Ball' Elektra/Asylum". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 11, 2011.
8. Richardson, Susan (November 16, 1995). "Emmylou Harris: Wrecking Ball". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 1, 2009. Retrieved August 5, 2009.
9. Coleman, Mark; Kemp, Mark (2004). "Emmylou Harris". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 365–67. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
10. Mueller, Andrew (April 24, 2014). "Emmylou Harris – Wrecking Ball". Uncut. Archived from the original on August 3, 2018. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
11. Hurst, Jack (November 7, 1995). "Harris' Saving Grace May Be Her Difference". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
12. The Journal of Country Music 1996 Volume 18 - Page 11 "One can hear that same sort of ache, an almost primordial loneliness, running through the whole of Wrecking Ball, her Grammy-winning current album. Having drawn on the catalogs of Earle, Neil Young, Lucinda Williams, Bob Dylan, and ..."
13. CD Review Volume 12, Issues 1-9 - Page 13 1995 "Wrecking Ball peaks not with the Neil Young-penned title cut (with its author singing harmony), but in the one-two punch of Lucinda Williams' "Sweet Old World" followed by Jimi Hendrix's "May This Be Love.".