John Hiatt Hangin' Around The Observatory/Overcoats CD - Import

Digitally remastered two-fer featuring the first two albums from 1974-75 by this acclaimed American singer/songwriter. 20 tracks total including 'Hangin' Around', 'One More Time', 'Sure As I'm Sittin' Here', 'Smiling In The Rain' and more. Standard jewel box in a slip-case with extensive new liner notes by John Tobler. BGO. 2006.

Personnel: John Hiatt (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, acoustic 12-string guitar, piano, percussion); Josh Graves (dobro); Allan Harshman, Samuel Boghossian (viola); Jesse Ehrlich (cello); Billy Puitt (flute, clarinet, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Norman Ray (baritone saxophone); George Tidwell (trumpet); Irving Kane (trombone); Bobby Emmons (organ); Gene Estes (marimba); Larrie Londin (drums, congas, percussion); Tracy Lee Nelson, Anita Baugh, Dianne Davidson (background vocals).
Audio Mixers: Gene Eichelberger; Harold Lee; Richard Heenan.
Audio Remasterer: Andrew Thompson .
Audio Remixers: Stan Hutto; Glen Spreen; Lou Bradley.
Liner Note Authors: John Tobler; Bruce Harris.
Recording information: American Studios, Nashville, TN (07/1973); Colombia Studio A, Nashville, TN (07/1973); Village Recorders, Los Angeles, CA (07/1973).
Author: John Hiatt.
Photographer: Slick Lawson.
Arranger: John Hiatt.
England's Beat Goes On repackages John Hiatt's first two offerings from 1974 and 1975 respectively. There are clues in these albums as to what Hiatt would become at his peak with A&M: the excess in his verbiage and exaggeration of his singing dynamic that would make him a caricature of himself on later records (as on the truly awful Randy Newman rip-off album Living a Little, Laughing a Little in 1996, where it seemed like he was caricaturing Newman but he only really made fun of himself. These records waiver between trying a Van Morrison workout on the former and a James Taylor saccharine on the latter. Only Hiatt diehards will even contemplate this, the rest of his more casual fans should be forewarned. ~ Thom Jurek