Outrider (album)
1988 studio album by Jimmy Page
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Outrider is the debut solo studio album by the English musician Jimmy Page, released on 20 June 1988 by Geffen Records. It is his first time since 1969 he recorded with a record label other than Atlantic Records/Swan Song Records. Page recorded the music at his personal studio The Sol. Robert Plant guests on one track, "The Only One", while John Bonham's son Jason plays drums.
| Outrider | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Cover photography by Peter Ashworth | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 20 June 1988[1] | |||
| Recorded | Early 1987 | |||
| Studio | The Sol, Cookham, Berkshire, England | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 39:50 | |||
| Label | Geffen | |||
| Producer | Jimmy Page | |||
| Jimmy Page chronology | ||||
| ||||
This was originally intended to be a two-album release. However, during the early recording stages of this album, Page's house was broken into and amongst the items stolen were the demo tapes which had been recorded up to that point.[2] Page did not record any demos prior to recording the album itself.[3]
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Chicago Tribune | Unfavorable[5] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 4/10[6] |
| Kerrang! | [7] |
| Rolling Stone | [8] |
| Spin | Favorable[9] |
The album reached No. 26 on the Billboard 200 chart,[10] also peaking at No. 27 on the UK Album Chart.[11] The Globe and Mail determined that "Outrider is a mixed bag, ripe with snakelike blues riffs and Page's impeccable use of textures, but hampered by mediocre songwriting."[12]
Years later, Jimmy Page reflected on the album in rather positive terms:
Outrider's all right. It's demo-like compared with those overproduced albums that came out at the time. It didn't do very well—doesn't matter—but I did tour. I was playing music on that tour going right back to The Yardbirds. Jason [Bonham] was the drummer on that tour.[13]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Wasting My Time" | Page, John Miles | John Miles | 4:28 |
| 2. | "Wanna Make Love" | Page, Miles | John Miles | 5:20 |
| 3. | "Writes of Winter" | Page | Instrumental | 3:27 |
| 4. | "The Only One" | Page, Robert Plant | Robert Plant | 4:27 |
| 5. | "Liquid Mercury" | Page | Instrumental | 3:04 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Hummingbird" | Leon Russell | Chris Farlowe | 5:22 |
| 7. | "Emerald Eyes" | Page | Instrumental | 3:20 |
| 8. | "Prison Blues" | Page, Chris Farlowe | Chris Farlowe | 7:10 |
| 9. | "Blues Anthem (If I Cannot Have Your Love...)" | Page, Farlowe | Chris Farlowe | 3:24 |
Personnel
Musicians
- Jimmy Page – guitars, synthesizer, backing vocals, production
- Tony Franklin – bass guitar on track 1
- Felix Krish – bass guitar on tracks 4, 5 and 7–9
- Durban Laverde – bass guitar on tracks 2, 3 and 6
- Chris Farlowe – lead vocals on tracks 6, 8 and 9
- John Miles – lead vocals on tracks 1 and 2
- Robert Plant – lead vocals on track 4
- Barriemore Barlow – drums, percussion on tracks 5 and 7
- Jason Bonham – drums, percussion on tracks 1–4, 6 and 8–9
Technical
- Peter Ashworth – photography
- Dick Beetham – assistant engineering
- Steve Hoyland – assistant engineering
- JL – artwork and cover co-ordination
- George Marino – mastering at Sterling Sound, New York
- Leif Mases – engineering, mixing
Charts
| Chart (1988) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[14] | 25 |
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[15] | 25 |
| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)[16] | 12 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[17] | 50 |
| Italian Albums (Musica e Dischi)[18] | 22 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[19] | 22 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[20] | 28 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[21] | 27 |
| US Billboard 200[22] | 26 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[23] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Accolades
Tour
| Date | City | Country | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 September 1988 | Miami | United States | Miami Arena |
| 6 September 1988 | Atlanta | The Omni | |
| 8 September 1988 | Miami | James L. Knight Center | |
| 9 September 1988 | Tampa | USF Sun Dome | |
| 11 September 1988 | Houston | The Summit | |
| 14 September 1988 | Austin | Frank Erwin Center | |
| 16 September 1988 | El Paso | UTEP Special Events Center | |
| 17 September 1988 | Mesa | Mesa Amphitheatre | |
| 23 September 1988 | Dallas | Coca-Cola Starplex | |
| 24 September 1988 | New Orleans | Municipal Auditorium | |
| 7 October 1988 | Los Angeles | LA Forum | |
| 8 October 1988 | San Diego | SDSU State Theatre | |
| 11 October 1988 | Oakland | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena | |
| 14 October 1988 | Kansas City | Memorial Hall | |
| 16 October 1988 | Bloomington | Met Center | |
| 17 October 1988 | Chicago | UIC Pavilion | |
| 19 October 1988 | Cleveland | Public Auditorium | |
| 21 October 1988 | Dayton | Hara Arena | |
| 22 October 1988 | Detroit | Joe-Louis Arena | |
| 25 October 1988 | Rochester | Rochester Arena War Memorial | |
| 26 October 1988 | East Rutherford | Brendan Byrne Arena | |
| 28 October 1988 | Uniondale | Nassau Colisuem | |
| 29 October 1988 | Worcester | Worcester Centrum | |
| 30 October 1988 | Philadelphia | The Spectrum | |
| 3 November 1988 | New Haven | Veterans Memorial Coliseum | |
| 4 November 1988 | Syracuse | Onondaga War Memorial Auditorium | |
| 5 November 1988 | Troy | RPI Fieldhouse | |
| 8 November 1988 | Landover | Capital Center | |
| 9 November 1988 | Pittsburgh | Syria Mosque | |
| 11 November 1988 | Portland | Cumberland County Civic Center | |
| 12 November 1988 | New York | The Ritz | |
| 13 November 1988 | |||
| UK | |||
| 21 November 1988 | Birmingham | United Kingdom | The Hummingbird |
| 23 November 1988 | Newcastle | Newcastle City Hall | |
| 24 November 1988 | London | Hammersmith Odeon | |
| 25 November 1988 | |||
| 26 November 1988 | Manchester | Manchester Apollo | |