The Way It Is (Bruce Hornsby album)
The Way It Is is Bruce Hornsby and the Range's debut album, released in 1986. Led by its hit title track, the album went on to achieve multi-platinum status and helped the group to win the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. Other hits from the album include "Mandolin Rain" and "Every Little Kiss". Huey Lewis features on harmonica and vocals on "Down the Road Tonight" . Lewis also co-produced the song, along with the tracks "The Long Race" and "The River Runs Low".
Releases
The original release of the album featured an impressionistic photograph on the cover of Bruce Hornsby playing an accordion.[3] It was originally targeted at the New Age music market and featured slightly different versions of the songs "Down the Road Tonight" and "The River Runs Low."
Once the album's tracks started to receive regular airplay on Pop Music stations in late 1986, the album was remixed and was re-released with a new sepia-toned cover featuring a photo of the band superimposed over a photo of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.
Track listing
|
| 1. | "On the Western Skyline" | 4:42 |
| 2. | "Every Little Kiss" | 5:47 |
| 3. | "Mandolin Rain" | 5:18 |
| 4. | "The Long Race" | 4:22 |
| 5. | "The Way It Is" | 4:56 |
| 6. | "Down the Road Tonight" | 4:25 |
| 7. | "The Wild Frontier" | 4:02 |
| 8. | "The River Runs Low" | 4:26 |
| 9. | "The Red Plains" | 5:00 |
Tracks 2 and 5 written by Bruce Hornsby; all other songs written by Bruce Hornsby and John Hornsby. Track times are for the current release of the album. Note: the opening of "Every Little Kiss" features an extended quotation of Charles Ives's Piano Sonata No. 2.
Live: The Way It Is Tour 1986-87 track listing
|
| 1. | "Every Little Kiss" | 6:27 |
| 2. | "The Long Race" | 6:02 |
| 3. | "The Way It Is (Solo Piano Intro)" | 7:07 |
| 4. | "The Way It Is" | 6:25 |
| 5. | "Mandolin Rain" | 6:31 |
| 6. | "The Red Plains" | 6:44 |
| 7. | "On the Western Skyline" | 6:19 |
Produced by DIR Broadcasting for the King Biscuit Flower Hour. Recorded live at The Ritz, New York City, February 2, 1987 by Effanel Music.
Personnel
Bruce Hornsby & The Range
- Bruce Hornsby – vocals, piano, synthesizer, hammered dulcimer, accordion
- David Mansfield – guitar, mandolin, violin
- George Marinelli – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, backing vocals
- Joe Puerta – bass, backing vocals
- John Molo – drums, percussion
Additional personnel
- Huey Lewis – harmonica, backing vocals on "Down the Road Tonight"
- John Gilutin & Sean Hopper – synthesizer consultants
Production
- Executive Producer: Paul Atkinson
- Tracks #1-3, 5, 7 & 9 produced by Bruce Hornsby & Elliot Scheiner (for Trackman, Inc.); Tracks #4, 6 & 8 produced by Huey Lewis.
- Recorded & Engineered by Elliot Scheiner (Tracks #1-3, 5, 7 & 9) & Jim Gaines (Tracks #4, 6 & 8).
- Additional Engineers: Eddie King & Jeff "Nik" Norman
- Assistant Engineers: Jim "Watts" Vereecke & Lenette Viegas
- Mixed by David Luke, Don Smith, Eddie King & Elliot Scheiner.
- Mixed at Fantasy Studios (Berkley, CA); Conway Studios (Hollywood, CA); The Village Recorder & The Complex (Los Angeles, CA); Rumbo Recorders (Canoga Park, CA).
- Mastered by Stephen Marcussen at Precision Mastering (Hollywood, CA).
- Digital Editing by Bob Harlan
- Production Assistant: Ivy Skoff
- A&R Coordination: Marge Meoli
- Art Direction & Design: Ted Raess
- Art Consultant: Kathy Hornsby
- Photography: Aaron Rapoport
- Inner Sleeve Photo: Robert Llewellyn
- Management: Tim Neece
- Enforcement: Jeff Gerson
Charts and certifications
Albums
Singles
| Year |
Single |
Chart |
Position |
|---|
| 1986 |
"The Way It Is" |
The Billboard Hot 100 |
1 |
| Billboard Album Rock Tracks |
3 |
| Billboard Adult Contemporary |
1 |
| "On the Western Skyline" |
Billboard Album Rock Tracks |
6 |
| "Every Little Kiss" |
The Billboard Hot 100 |
14 |
| Billboard Album Rock Tracks |
18 |
| 1987 |
Billboard Adult Contemporary |
3 |
| "Mandolin Rain" |
The Billboard Hot 100 |
4 |
| Billboard Adult Contemporary |
1 |
| Billboard Album Rock Tracks |
2 |
| Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks |
38 |
|
Certifications
|
Notes
[1]