| Aereo-Plain | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by John Hartford | ||||
| Released | September,1971 | |||
| Recorded | 1971 | |||
| Genre | Bluegrass | |||
| Length | 40:04 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | David Bromberg | |||
| John Hartford chronology | ||||
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Aereo-Plain is American musician John Hartford's groundbreaking bluegrass album released in 1971. It reached number 193 on the The Billboard 200 chart.[1]
Contents |
The music on Aereo-plain is a blend of traditional bluegrass musicianship, and the hippie spirit of the '70s. Though Aereo-Plain sold poorly and Warner Bros. decided not to promote Hartford's next release Morning Bugle at all, the album has been called the forerunner of the genre now known as "Newgrass". Hartford subsequently asked to be released from his contract and later signed with Flying Fish Records.[2]
The other members of the Aereo-Plain Band were Norman Blake, Vassar Clements, Tut Taylor, and Randy Scruggs. Hartford instructed producer David Bromberg to "let the tapes roll, we don't want to hear playbacks until you've put the master together."[2]
Aereo-plain was reissued on CD in 1997 by Rounder Records but has since gone out of print causing CD as well as LP copies to command high prices. In 2002 Steam Powered Aereo-Takes was released, which was a collection of outtakes and demos from the recording sessions for this album.[3]
The cover features a bearded, long-haired Hartford wearing old style, aviator goggles, a distinct contrast from his previous appearance as a regular on The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour. On the original LP, the title is spelled "Aereo-plain" but the title of the song is labeled "Steam Powered Aereo-plane".[4]
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [1] |
| Robert Christgau | (B+) [5] |
| Stylus | (favorable) [6] |
Aereo-plain has received high praise in retrospective reviews. Writing for Allmusic, critic Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr. wrote "The cult following of Aereo-plain... has less to do with the music than with Hartford's quirky songs and even quirkier approach... One of the attractions to this material is that Hartford seems to be in his element, just doing what comes natural to him... Aereo-Plain signaled the full blooming of his eccentric talent. This is an essential album for any fan, revealing both his genius and the glory days of early '70s progressive bluegrass."[1]
Music critic Robert Christgau gave the album a B+ rating, writing "I must admit that Norman Blake's guitar, Tut Taylor's dobro, and Vassar Clements's fiddle complement Hartford with tact, wit, and sly razzmatazz. But I insist that it's Hartford's funny, quirkish songs, rather than his banjo, that save me from continued boorishness."[5]
Stylus magazine's 2006 review praised Hartford and the album: "It would be easy to call Aereo-Plain an 'Old Weird America' classic, but Hartford’s loves were never so static, and he seemed in on the joke besides. Shame, then, that the augurs of American music never smiled on Hartford the way he beamed on them.[6]
All tracks composed by John Hartford; except where indicated
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