Country Fever
1967 studio album by Rick Nelson
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Country Fever is the fifteenth studio album by American singer Rick Nelson, and his ninth for Decca Records,[1] released on April 17, 1967. The album features Nelson's composition of "Alone" and a cover of Bob Dylan's "Walkin' Down The Line", Nelson's earliest Dylan cover.
| Country Fever | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 17, 1967 | |||
| Genre | Country, country rock, bluegrass | |||
| Length | 28:53 | |||
| Label | Decca | |||
| Producer | Charles "Bud" Dant | |||
| Rick Nelson chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Country Fever | ||||
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The Single from the album, "Take a City Bride", debuted on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts, in the issue dated June 10, 1967, peaking at number 58 during its five-week stay.[2]
The sessions also produced a couple of numbers taken from old Sun Records by Elvis Presley; "Mystery Train", which was included on the album.[3] He sampled the classic country catalog, including "You Win Again," "Funny How Time Slips Away," and "(I Heard That) Lonesome Whistle Blow." "Alone" was a self-penned tune while "Walkin' Down the Line" was the first Bob Dylan song that he recorded.[4] These songs formed a kind of semi-autobiographical trilogy, as he sketched himself as a desolate but determined loner.[3] Jimmie Haskell arranged the album and Charles "Bud" Dant produced it, this was the last of fifteen consecutive Nelson studio LPs, produced by Charles "Bud" Dant.
The album was released on compact disc by Ace Records on June 23, 1998 as tracks 12 through 24 on a pairing of two albums on one CD with tracks 1 through 12 consisting of Nelson's 1966 album, Bright Lights and Country Music.[5] Bear Family included the album in the 2008 For You: The Decca Years box set.[6]
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Billboard | [7] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [8] |
| Record Mirror | [9] |
Cash Box, in its Pop Best Bet Album review, stated, "Nelson faithfully translates the lyrics in a voice that is both mellow and sincere.[10]
Richie Unterberger of AllMusic said that "Country Fever continued the country direction of Nelson's previous album, Bright Lights & Country Music, and the approach of each record was similarly weighted toward interpretations of country classics", giving it three-star rating[1]
Record Mirror described the album as "one of his consistent performances" and stated that "His own composition is more than honky-tonk can rare with treatments by long-time country greats, giving it four-star ratings.[9] The Encyclopedia of Popular Music and Billboard also gave the album four-star ratings as well.[8][7]
Track listing
Side one
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Take a City Bride" | Gib Guilbeau | 1:57 |
| 2. | "Funny How Time Slips Away" | Willie Nelson | 2:56 |
| 3. | "The Bridge Washed Out" | Mel Melshee, Jimmy Louis, Sandra Smith, Slim Williamson | 1:47 |
| 4. | "Alone" | Rick Nelson | 2:38 |
| 5. | "Big Chief Buffalo Nickel (Desert Blues)" | Jimmie Rodgers | 2:01 |
| 6. | "Mystery Train" | Junior Parker | 2:26 |
Side two
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Things You Gave Me" | Glen Hardin | 1:52 |
| 2. | "Take These Chains from My Heart" | Hy Heath, Fred Rose | 2:36 |
| 3. | "(I Heard That) Lonesome Whistle" | Hank Williams, Jimmie Davis | 2:38 |
| 4. | "Walkin' Down the Line" | Bob Dylan | 2:23 |
| 5. | "You Win Again" | Hank Williams | 2:50 |
| 6. | "Salty Dog" | Zeke Morris, Wiley Morris | 2:35 |