John Mellencamp Human Wheels CD

On his previous albums, John Mellencamp always infused his heartland rock with a hopefulness and party spirit that kept his paeans to the trials of the working man from becoming bleak. Not so here--if those discs were gritty rock & roll efforts, then HUMAN WHEELS is the artist's dark, confessional singer/songwriter record. Here swaggering, power-chord-driven bombast and anthemic choruses are often replaced by gently strummed mandolin, organ swells, and whispered, elegant verse. There are also hints of things to come--"Junior" and "French Shoes" are driven by dance rhythms that foreshadow the electronic beats of MR. HAPPY GO LUCKY. "What If I Came Knocking," on the other hand, is all thrashing Crazy Horse-style guitars and scary imagery. An album that is by turns disconcerting and deeply moving, HUMAN WHEELS finds John Mellencamp still rocking, but in a subdued and intensely personal manner.

Following the stripped-down rock & roll of Whenever We Wanted, the somber Human Wheels comes as a bit of shock. Throughout his mid-'80s peak, John Mellencamp infused his best work with despair, but he never has sounded as beaten and broken as he does on Human Wheels. It's not just that the record sounds murky and bleak, but his singing is weary and the lyrics are filled with resignation. Consequently, Human Wheels isn't a particularly easy listen, even though it doesn't depart from his signature sound, but it is a rewarding one, and the record is arguably his most affecting. [The 2005 remastered reissue adds one bonus track: a version of "When Jesus Left Birmingham" featuring vocals from Sounds of Blackness.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Additional Tracks

Recorded at Bellmont Mall, Belmont, Indiana.

Personnel: John Mellencamp (vocals); John Cascella (vocals, pennywhistle, accordion, melodica, organ, Farfisa, Hammond b-3 organ); David Grissom (guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, baritone guitar, mandolin); Mike Wanchic (guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, dobro, dulcimer, background vocals); Toby Myers (guitar, keyboards, bass guitar, background vocals); Pat Peterson (accordion, maracas, background vocals); Kenny Aronoff (vibraphone, drums, congas, bongos, claves, djembe, guiro, maracas, rainsticks, shaker, tambourine); Malcolm Burn (guitar, harmonica, organ, synthesizer); Lisa Germano (mandolin, zither, violin, pennywhistle, background vocals).

Audio Mixers: John Mellencamp; David Leonard; Mike Wanchic; Malcolm Burn.

Recording information: Belmont Mall Studio, Belmont, IN.

Photographers: Joshua Nefsky; Larry Fink.

Arranger: John Mellencamp.

Personnel: John Mellencamp (vocals, guitar); David Grissom (guitar, mandolin, bass); Mike Wanchic (guitar, dobro, dulcimer, background vocals); Malcolm Burn (guitar, harmonica, organ, synthesizer); Toby Myers (guitar, keyboards, bass, background vocals); John Cascella (penny whistle, accordion, organ, melodica, background vocals); Pat Peterson (accordion, maracas, background vocals); Kenny Aronoff (drums, percussion).

Producers: John Mellencamp, Malcolm Burn, David Leonard, Michael Wanchic.

Rolling Stone (9/30/93, p.101) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...Mellencamp's richest and most fully realized album since SCARECROW (1985)....Within these songs of middle-aged malaise, Mellencamp may not know what it means, but he knows exactly how it feels..."
Spin (11/93, p.133) - Highly Recommended - "...HUMAN WHEELS is just another John Mellencamp record, and it's a rewarding one...it's fortifying stuff..."
Entertainment Weekly (9/16/93, p.69) - "...there's something dark and unshaven about [HUMAN WHEELS]...the world may be in a sorry state, but by working together with such obvious joy, these musicians demonstrate how things ought to be..." - Rating: A
Q (10/93, p.106) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...[Mellencamp] presents himself in a more lyric, mythic mode on HUMAN WHEELS...full of fairly memorable songs...done with a hint of acceptable strangeness..."
Stereo Review (12/93, p.116) - Performance: Familiar / Recording: Good - "...[Mellencamp's] returned to strolling down Main Street, USA, squinting warily at life as most people live it...a splendid return to form. John Mellencamp is back home again...."