Customer Reviews

Diamonds & Dirt

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's a pity that Rodney Crowell hasn't had more commercial success than he has acquired. The man just knows how to write songs. This disc, his top one commercially, shows how a REAL country musician can take elements of rockabilly, pop and country and meld them together to form something that doesn't come off as kitschy or ignorant sounding. You won't find any Tim McGraw whining or Garth Brooks attempting to sing with soul on this album, this one is all heart. Crowell's progressive country stood out from the pack of pop country stars in the late 80's who almost killed the genre. Their music was easy to digest, but it held no weight. It was music for the moment and thank heavens that moment is gone. The songs on this album, however, will be remembered long after Mr. Crowell has left us. "She's Crazy for Leaving" was an instant classic. It's an "I'm sorry baby, but I'm still right" kind of song where Rodney just plays off the girl as being insane for not staying with him. He did nothing wrong, right? "Above and Beyond," sounds perfect in this batch of tunes, and does nothing to take away from the others who recorded it. "After All This Time" is another song destined for greatness. As a whole, the songs on this album are superb. Give Rodney Crowell his due. He is a great songwriter, and the intelligent man's country singer. And if you sware you've never heard him before, just take a look at "Ashes by Now" on Lee Ann Womack's album and see who wrote it. That goes for Tim McGraw's "Please Remember Me" as well.

Rodney Crowell's new release, `The Houston Kid', will presently be to the forefront for Crowell fans old and new, and rightly so. But the many new admirers that record will doubtless make will want to hear more, and `Diamonds and Dirt' is one good place to send them. The two complement each other nicely-the most `commercial' and the most `independent' products of a distinguished musical career, side by side. Old Crowell fans will be glad of the re-issue of a classic, and with the added attraction of the three bonus tracks. Indeed, `I've Got My Pride But I Got to Feed the Kids' shows Crowell in pure, classic-country form (early Buck-and-Merle style), while `Lies Don't Lie' is as clean, crisp, and clever a lyric as you could ask for (`It's Lonely Out' is a nice addition as well, though more in the mood of some of the material from Crowell's second and fourth LPs than `Diamonds and Dirt'). (Come to think of it, when a guy can pull demos like these out of a hat, you have to wonder what other such treats Crowell might still have in store. How about an album of demos?) Anyway, whether as a new discovery, or a re-discovery, `Diamonds and Dirt' is a treasure.

What a great album by such a great songwriter and performer. Thank God Rodney Crowell has enough integrity to not fall into the Nashville trap of mediocrity and manufactured hits that lack any sort of genuine emotion. Crowell definitely deserves more success than what he has achieved. I love this cd. To pick favorites is almost impossible for me, as they are all great songs, but I guess After All This Time is mine, followed closely by It's Such a Small World, followed by well, everything else.

This is an album from 1988 that was just remastered with three bonus tracks. If I was a C&W fan I would know this album because it was huge (5 hits). But not being a big C&W fan I still enjoyed this album which crosses over to rockabilly and honky tonk quite often. Also includes a duet with his ex, Roseanne Cash.

Diamonds and dirt was a major record for Rodney crowell with 5 no. 1 singles. Including I" coulnd't leave you if I tried", "She's crazy for leaving", "Above and Beyond", "Its such a small world" and the beautiful "After all this time".

I have heard most of this guys records and Diamonds and Dirt is the best one and is a country classic. This is the remastered version and this is really better because the audio for one thing has improved greatly and the addition of 3 tracks are outstanding everyone of them sounds great. Put this cd on you will have good time with it. It has most upbeat songs like I couldn't leave you if I tried, It such a small world, Crazy Baby, Brand new Rag and many more. Diamonds and Dirt accounted for 5 # 1 singles and has got to be one the best country releases of the 80's. If you like loud country this is for you because Rodney Crowell mixes Rock and Roll with Country music and you get a record like this. No bad songs found of this record. It flows great and probably his best record still to date.

Having labored in the industry for over a decade, and with several critically lauded but commercially unsuccessful albums under his belt, the enormous popular breakthrough of this 1988 LP, including five #1 country hits and a Grammy, was probably a surprise, even in the face of its easier-to-digest, straight-ahead Country sounds. Rather than compromising his artistic vision to achieve popular acclaim, Crowell managed to find a more popular expression of the songwriting craft he'd already demonstrated.

Combining classic country ballads, rockabilly inflections, honky-tonk swing and Bakersfield sting, Crowell set his writerly lyrics among sounds that propelled him from cult status to chart-topping star. Though his artistry would remain intact on subsequent releases, the mammoth commercial success only lasted for this one album.

And a fine album it is - certainly the place to start in appreciating Crowell's back catalog. Columbia/Legacy's reissue sweetens the original ten tracks (which include nine originals and a sweet cover of Harlan Howard's "Above and Beyond (The Call of Love)") with three titles recorded as demos. Also added are photos, accolades from Emmylous Harris, Guy Clark, Roseanne Cash, and Harlan Howard (who ruminates on his song's third recording, having previously been waxed by Wynn Stewart and Buck Owens). A short introduction from Crowell himself provides a bit of context for the record's recording.

A classic album returned to print in grand style!

Rodney has achieved considerable success as a musician, songwriter and record producer but his determination to do things his way has resulted in a patchy career as a performer - not because any of his albums are anything but brilliant, but because they rarely appeal to mainstream fans. Nevertheless, Rodney showed via this album that he could appeal to the masses. It was by far his most commercially successful album, yielding five number one hits on the American country charts.

The big hits were Above and beyond (a cover of an old Harlan Howard song that originally provided Buck Owens with a major country hit), It's such a small world (a duet with then-wife Rosanne Cash), I couldn't leave you if I tried, She's crazy for leaving and the Grammy-winning song, After all this time. The opening track, Crazy baby, is an upbeat rocking song featuring nifty piano playing by Barry Beckett but I wonder what the track might have sounded like with Jerry Lee Lewis or Marcia Ball on piano. Barry is good but not in their class. Of the other tracks, I particularly like I know you're married and I never knew I could lose you. Brand new rag and Last waltz, also excellent original songs, completed the original album. This re-mastered edition features three bonus demo tracks recorded at around the same time.

This is undoubtedly a classic album. Whether it is Rodney's best work depends on your perspective. Nevertheless, this remains by far Rodney's most popular album and serves as a great introduction to Rodney's music.

After years of modest solo chart success and as a member of Emmylou Harris' Hot Band, Rodney Crowell struck gold with the 1988 release "Diamonds And Dirt". Five country number one singles were released from the album, a first in the history of the music. The album was critically acclaimed, rightly so, and fourteen years later remains an essential album for any country/Americana fan, or any fan of excellent singer/songwriters. The album contains Crowell's "career song", the Grammy winning "After All This Time", a beautiful, yearning ballad. More upbeat, almost rockabilly material including "Brand New Rag", "She's Crazy For Leavin'", "I Couln't Leave You If I Tried" and "I Know You're Married" allowed this album to remain firmly in the repeat play mode on anyone's CD player. This period in country music produced some classic albums - Randy Travis' "Storms Of Life", Clint Black's "Killin' Time" to name two - but neither achieved the lasting impression of "Diamonds And Dirt". If you enjoy this album, don't miss Crowell's 2001 release "The Houston Kid", which is an outstanding work and confirms Crowell's longevity is not undeserved.

Well, being a country-girl by roots and raised on country music, over the years I have taken a hiatus every once awhile from the genre. During one of those lapses I must have missed the work of this awesome performer.

I obtained a copy of the original release of 'Diamonds and Dirt'. These songs are so easy on the ear. They evoke that emotion that is the mark of good country music. Rodney's voice has that perfect sound and it makes singing sound as easy as talking for most of us.

My personal favorites are 'I Didn't Know I Could Lose You', which rolls over you like a heart ache, and 'I Know You're Married', which obvious evokes the heart ache accompanied by that real-life situation, and of course the rhythmical 'The Last Waltz'. However, there are no tracks on this CD that you feel the need the skip.

This is my first Rodney Crowell CD (oh, how I hate to admit that), but I am on a crusade to get more, especially 'The Houston Kid'. For now 'Diamonds & Dirt' will have to fill-the-bill, and there is no doubt is can do the job very well!