Crooked Line
1992 studio album by Nils Lofgren
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Crooked Line is an album by the American musician Nils Lofgren, released in 1992.[1][2] It was his second album for Rykodisc.[3] The cover art is by Ralph Steadman.[4]
- Big Mo and Omega (Kensington, Maryland)
- Redwood Digital (Redwood City, California)
| Crooked Line | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1992 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 55:05 | |||
| Label | Rykodisc | |||
| Producer | Eric Ambel | |||
| Nils Lofgren chronology | ||||
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Production
For the most part recorded live in the studio, the album was produced by Eric Ambel.[5][6] Johnny "Bee" Badanjek played drums on Crooked Line.[7] Neil Young contributed to three of the tracks.[8] Jason & the Scorchers' Andy York played bass.[9] "Just a Little" is a cover of the Beau Brummels song, which Lofgren had performed as part of Ringo Starr's All-Starr tour; the song was the album's first single.[10][11][12] The lyrics to many songs engage with social issues.[13]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [14] |
| Boston Herald | B+[13] |
| Calgary Herald | C+[15] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [16] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide |  [17] |
| The State | [18] |
| Toronto Sun | [19] |
The Boston Globe deemed the album "a touchingly personal, commerce-be-damned, low-key masterpiece," writing that "many songs also have a loose, easy feel."[11] The Calgary Herald labeled it "competent enough, if a tad predictable ... Lofgren's been the bridesmaid of rock since 1971, and that's not going to change."[15] Stereo Review determined that Crooked Line is "another album full of guitar doodling and good intentions [that] never quite hitting the mark with the sort of sharp, power-pop material Lofgren turned out with such accomplished ease way back when."[20]
The Austin American-Statesman noted that it boasted "some of his hardest rock and his best band to date."[21] The Kitchener-Waterloo Record opined that "most of this collection is solid rock hopefulness."[22] The Toronto Sun labeled "Drunken Driver" "as scary and disturbing a song as you're likely to hear all year."[19] The State concluded that "the real strengths lie in the meaty material and the bare-bones production and chunky rhythm guitar work of Eric Ambel."[18] The San Antonio Express-News listed the album as the 10th best of 1992.[23]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Nils Lofgren, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A Child Could Tell" | 4:20 | |
| 2. | "Blue Skies" | 3:58 | |
| 3. | "Misery" | 6:45 | |
| 4. | "You" | 3:30 | |
| 5. | "Shot at You" | 5:47 | |
| 6. | "Crooked Line" | 4:54 | |
| 7. | "Walk on Me" | 4:05 | |
| 8. | "Someday" | 5:30 | |
| 9. | "New Kind of Freedom" | 3:40 | |
| 10. | "Just a Little" | Robert Durand, Ron Elliott | 3:22 |
| 11. | "Drunken Driver" | 6:27 | |
| 12. | "I'll Fight for You" | 2:47 | |
| Total length: | 55:05 | ||
Personnel
The band
- Nils Lofgren – lead vocals, keyboards, accordion, guitars, harmonica, vibraphone
- Andy York – keyboards, bass guitar, percussion, harmony vocals
- Eric Ambel – guitars, timpani, harmony vocals
- Johnny "Bee" Badanjek – drums (1, 2, 4, 5, 7–9, 11, 12)
Guest musicians
- Neil Young – harmonica, harmony vocals (4, 8), guitars (11)
- Frank Funaro – drums (3, 6, 10)
- Rob White – percussion (7)
Production
- Eric Ambel – producer, mixing
- Ron Freeland – recording, mixing, additional recording
- Billy Brady – mixing, additional recording
- Tim Mulligan – additional recording
- John Nowland – additional recording
- Bob Ludwig – mastering at Masterdisk (New York City, New York)
- Michael Matousek – production coordinator
- Steven Jurgensmeyer – package design
- Ralph Steadman – illustration
- Brad Chesivoir – photography