Country Fever

1967 studio album by Rick Nelson

Country Fever

Studio album by

Rick Nelson

Released| April 17, 1967
Genre| Country
Length| 28:53
Label| Decca
Producer| Charles "Bud" Dant
Rick Nelson chronology
| On the Flip Side
(1966)  | Country Fever
(1967)  | Another Side of Rick
(1967)

|
|

Singles from  Country Fever

1. "Alone"
Released: October 1966
2. "Take a City Bride"
Released: April 1967

Country Fever is the fifteenth studio album by American singer Rick Nelson, and his ninth for Decca Records,[1] released on April 17, 1967. The album features Nelson's composition of "Alone" and a cover of Bob Dylan's "Walkin' Down The Line", Nelson's earliest Dylan cover.

The Single from the album, "Take a City Bride", debuted on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts, in the issue dated June 10, 1967, peaking at number 58 during its five-week stay.[2]

The sessions also produced a couple of numbers taken from old Sun Records by Elvis Presley; "Mystery Train", which was included on the album.[3] He sampled the classic country catalog, including "You Win Again," "Funny How Time Slips Away," and "(I Heard That) Lonesome Whistle Blow." "Alone" was a self-penned tune while "Walkin' Down the Line" was the first Bob Dylan song that he recorded.[4] These songs formed a kind of semi-autobiographical trilogy, as he sketched himself as a desolate but determined loner.[3] Jimmie Haskell arranged the album and Charles "Bud" Dant produced it, this was the last of fifteen consecutive Nelson studio LPs, produced by Charles "Bud" Dant.

The album was released on compact disc by Ace Records on June 23, 1998 as tracks 12 through 24 on a pairing of two albums on one CD with tracks 1 through 12 consisting of Nelson's 1966 album, Bright Lights and Country Music.[5] Bear Family included the album in the 2008 For You: The Decca Years box set.[6]

## Reception

[edit]

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [1]
Record Mirror| [7]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music| [8]
Billboard| [9]

Richie Unterberger of AllMusic said that "Country Fever continued the country direction of Nelson's previous album, Bright Lights & Country Music, and the approach of each record was similarly weighted toward interpretations of country classics".[1]

Cash Box in its Pop Best Bet Album review, stated "Nelson faithfully translates the lyrics in a voice that is both mellow and sincere.[10]

Record Mirror described the album as "one of his consistent performances" and stated that "His own compostition is more than honky-tonk can rare with treatments by long-time country greats.[7]

## Track listing

[edit]

### Side one

[edit]

No.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

|
|
|

1.| "Take a City Bride"| Gib Guilbeau| 1:57
2.| "Funny How Time Slips Away"| Willie Nelson| 2:56
3.| "The Bridge Washed Out"| Mel Melshee, Jimmy Louis, Sandra Smith, Slim Williamson| 1:47
4.| "Alone"| Rick Nelson| 2:38
5.| "Big Chief Buffalo Nickel (Desert Blues)"| Jimmie Rodgers| 2:01
6.| "Mystery Train"| Junior Parker| 2:26

### Side two

[edit]

No.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

|
|
|

1.| "Things You Gave Me"| Glen Hardin| 1:52
2.| "Take These Chains from My Heart"| Hy Heath, Fred Rose| 2:36
3.| "(I Heard That) Lonesome Whistle"| Hank Williams, Jimmie Davis| 2:38
4.| "Walkin' Down the Line"| Bob Dylan| 2:23
5.| "You Win Again"| Hank Williams| 2:50
6.| "Salty Dog"| Zeke Morris, Wiley Morris| 2:35

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c Unterberger, Richie. "Rick Nelson - "Country Fever" - Album Ratings & Reviews". Allmusic. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
2. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1994). Joel Whitburn's top country singles, 1944-1993. Menomonee Falls, Wisc.: Record Research. p. 254\. ISBN 0898201004.
3. ^ a b Selvin, Joel (1990). Ricky Nelson: Idol for a Generation. Chicago: Contemporary Books. p. 170\. ISBN 978-0-8092-4187-3.
4. ^ Homer, Sheree (2012). Rick Nelson, Rock 'n' Roll Pioneer. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. p. 86\. ISBN 978-0-7864-6060-1.
5. ^ "Bright Lights & Country Music/Country Fever". allmusic.com. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
6. ^ "For You: The Decca Years". AllMusic. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
7. ^ a b Jones, Peter; Jopling, Norman (September 23, 1967). "Peter Jones new albums reviewed by Norman Jopling: Bumper Month for L.P.'s' Albums issued by Sinatra, Geno, John Mayall, Johnny Cash, Rick Nelson, Gene Vincent,Tony Hatch, King Curtis, Ventures, 5th Dimension, Proby, Ben E. King, Slim Whitman, Jefferson Airplane, Julie Andrews, Francoise Hardy & David Garrick" (PDF). New Record Mirror. No. 341\. p. 8. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
8. ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 1020\. ISBN 9781846098567. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
9. ^ "Pop Spotlight & Special Merit Picks: Country Fever". Billboard. Vol. 79, no. 17\. April 29, 1967. p. 48.
10. ^ "Cashbox Album Pop Best Bets Reviews: Country Fever". Cash Box. Vol. 28, no. 39\. April 29, 1967. p. 31.

* v
* t
* e

Ricky Nelson

* James Burton
* Richie Frost
* Gene Garf
* James Kirkland
* The Jordanaires

Studio albums|

* Ricky
* Ricky Nelson
* Ricky Sings Again
* Songs by Ricky
* More Songs by Ricky
* Rick Is 21
* Album Seven by Rick
* For Your Sweet Love
* Rick Nelson Sings "For You"
* The Very Thought of You
* Spotlight on Rick
* Best Always
* Love and Kisses
* Bright Lights and Country Music
* Country Fever
* Another Side of Rick
* Perspective
* Rick Sings Nelson
* Rudy the Fifth
* Garden Party
* Windfall
* Intakes
* Playing to Win
* All My Best
* The Memphis Sessions

Compilations|

* Best Sellers by Rick Nelson

Live albums|

* In Concert at the Troubadour, 1969

Soundtrack albums|

* On the Flip Side

EPs|

* Ricky Sings Spirituals

Singles|

* "I'm Walkin'"
* "A Teenager's Romance"
* "You're My One and Only Love"
* "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?"
* "Be-Bop Baby"
* "Stood Up"
* "Waitin' in School"
* "My Bucket's Got a Hole in It"
* "Believe What You Say"
* "Poor Little Fool"
* "Lonesome Town"
* "I Got a Feeling"
* "It's Late"
* "Never Be Anyone Else But You"
* "Just a Little Too Much"
* "Sweeter Than You"
* "I Wanna Be Loved"
* "Young Emotions"
* "Travelin' Man"
* "Hello Mary Lou"
* "A Wonder Like You"
* "Everlovin'"
* "Young World"
* "Summertime"
* "Teen Age Idol"
* "It's Up to You"
* "Fools Rush In"
* "For You"
* "The Very Thought of You"
* "There's Nothing I Can Say"
* "She Belongs to Me"
* "Life"
* "Garden Party"
* "Dream Lover"

Related articles|

* Discography
* Kristin Nelson
* Nelson

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