Fly Me Courageous

Fly Me Courageous
Studio album by Drivin' N' Cryin'
Released January 8, 1991
Recorded 1990 in Kiva Recording Studio, Memphis, Tennessee
Genre Southern Rock, Hard Rock
Length 39:23
Label Island
Producer Geoff Workman
Drivin' N' Cryin' chronology
Mystery Road
(1989)		 Fly Me Courageous
(1991)		 Smoke
(1993)

Fly Me Courageous is the fourth studio album by the Hard Rock/Southern Rock band Drivin' N' Cryin', released on January 8, 1991 by Island Records.[1] The album is the band's most commercially successful release, in part due to the title track striking a patriotic chord with the United States during the start of the Persian Gulf War.[2] In 1995, Fly Me Courageous was certified gold.[3]

Contents

Overview

Originally, Andy Johns was going to be the producer of the album. Drivin' N Cryin' was impressed by Johns' work with Rod Stewart and Cinderella and wanted him to produce Fly Me Courageous. However, Johns fell ill, so they chose Geoff Workman to be the producer.[4]

Fly Me Courageous was released during the outbreak of the Persian Gulf War. In turn, the album's title track was interpreted as a pro-war song.[5] "Fly Me Courageous" reached #15 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.[6] Drivin' N Cryin's guitarist Kevin Kinney said of the song's success:

“ We were getting invitations to play Naval and Air Force bases and getting tours of airplanes and pilots telling us they were listening to it before takeoff,[2] ”

In addition to the title track, the song "Build a Fire" was also a commercial success for the band, reaching #15 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and receiving regular rotation on MTV.[4][6]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [7]
Entertainment Weekly (B-) [8]
Kerrang! [9]

Tom Demalon of Allmusic called Fly Me Courageous Drivin' N Cryin's "finest moment, both commercially and artistically."[7] Entertainment Weekly's Bob Mack wrote of the album: "Stabs at pop ('Together') and last-ditch efforts to dazzle ('Rush Hour') are too little, too late, but even so, their impulse to integrate influences rather than pick a niche is refreshing".[8] Both reviewers also noted the influence of R.E.M. on the album's sound (Drivin' N Cryin' had toured with R.E.M. during R.E.M.'s Green tour).[7][8][10] On the contrary, Kerrang! reviewer Paul Henderson considered Fly Me Courageous "a confused LP by a confused band", giving it a very low rating.[9]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Drivin' N' Cryin'. 

No. Title Length
1. "Around the Block Again"   3:31
2. "Chain Reaction"   3:47
3. "Fly Me Courageous"   3:23
4. "Look What You've Done to Your Brother"   2:58
5. "For You"   4:35
6. "Let's Go Dancing"   3:18
7. "The Innocent"   4:16
8. "Together"   3:51
9. "Lost in the Shuffle"   3:04
10. "Build a Fire"   3:15
11. "Rush Hour"   3:25

Personnel

The following people contributed to Fly Me Courageous:[11]

Drivin' N Cryin'

Additional personnel

Charts

Album

Chart (1991) Peak
position
US Billboard 200 90[12]

Singles

Year Song Chart positions
US Modern Rock
[6]		 US Mainstream Rock
[6]
1991 "Fly Me Courageous" 15 19
1991 "Build a Fire" - 15
1991 "The Innocent" - 31
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

References

  1. ^ Drivin' N Cryin' >> Fly Me Courageous. Drivin' N Cryin' official website. Retrieved 30 June 2011.
  2. ^ a b Miller, Chris. DRIVIN’ N’ CRYIN’: Band releases first album in a dozen years. The Red and Black. 15 October 2009. Retrieved 30 June 2011
  3. ^ Gold & Platinum Program searchable database. RIAA. Retrieved 30 June 2011. Search "Fly Me Courageous," with quotation marks.
  4. ^ a b Drivin' N Cryin' >> History. Drivin' N Cryin' official website. Retrieved 30 June 2011.
  5. ^ Moon, Tom. Protest: Songs Are Silent. The Philadelphia Inquirer. 22 January 1991. Retrieved 30 June 2011
  6. ^ a b c d Fly Me Courageous - Charts & Awards - Singles. Allmusic. Retrieved 30 June 2011.
  7. ^ a b c Demalon, Tom. Fly Me Courageous. Allmusic. Retrieved 30 June 2011
  8. ^ a b c Mack, Bob. Fly Me Courageous Review. Entertainment Weekly 25 January 1991. Retrieved 30 June 2011
  9. ^ a b Henderson, Paul (2 May 1992). "Drivin' N' Cryin' 'Fly Me Courageous'". Kerrang!. 390. London, UK: EMAP. 
  10. ^ Blowin’ Wind With Kevn Kinney of Drivin’ N’ Cryin’. The Great Southern Brainfart. 17 December 2010. Retrieved 30 June 2011
  11. ^ Fly Me Courageous - Credits. Allmusic. Retrieved 30 June 2011
  12. ^ Fly Me Courageous - Charts & Awards - Album. Allmusic. Retrieved 30 June 2011.

External links