Used Guitars is an album by the American musician Marti Jones, released in 1988.[1][2] Jones supported the album by playing shows that included many of the album's guest musicians.[3] The album was a commercial disappointment, and A&M Records dropped Jones shortly after its release.[4][5]
| Used Guitars | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1988 | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Producer | Don Dixon | |||
| Marti Jones chronology | ||||
| ||||
Production edit
Recorded over five weeks in Charlotte, North Carolina, the album was produced by Don Dixon.[6][7] Jones described Used Guitars as a concept album about women discussing the nature of love.[8] Marshall Crenshaw, the Uptown Horns, and Mitch Easter contributed to the album.[9][10]
Jones and Dixon cowrote three of the album's songs.[11] Janis Ian wrote two songs.[12] "Each Time" is a cover of the Jackie DeShannon song.[13] Sonny Landreth played dobro on "If I Can Love Somebody".[14] "Tourist Town" is about a squabble with a boyfriend.[15]
Critical reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [16] |
| Chicago Sun-Times | [11] |
| Robert Christgau | C+[17] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide |  [18] |
| The Philadelphia Inquirer | [19] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [20] |
The Washington Post wrote that Jones "still isn't really an interpretive, emotive singer, [but] has a distinctive sound and has never appeared so confident and risk-taking."[13] The Philadelphia Inquirer praised Jones's "crystalline vocal testimony."[19]The New York Times opined that Jones "has one of those flexible, innately emotional voices that, with only the most minor adjustments in inflection, can accommodate rock, country, pop-soul and sophisticated torch music with equal facility."[21]
The Ottawa Citizen concluded that "Jones twists folk music into the new shapes necessary to make it a pertinent music form again."[22] The Houston Chronicle deemed Jones "a spooky cross between Dusty Springfield and Joni Mitchell."[23] Robert Christgau regarded the Graham Parker cover to be the album's best song.[17] The Kingston Whig-Standard considered the album to be among the best of 1988.[14]
Track listing edit
Side one
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Tourist Town" | Don Dixon, Marti Jones | 2:43 |
| 2. | "Wind in the Trees" | Bland Simpson | 3:03 |
| 3. | "The Real One" | John Hiatt | 4:00 |
| 4. | "Ruby" | Janis Ian, Kye Fleming | 4:26 |
| 5. | "Back of the Line" | Dixon, Jones | 4:29 |
Side two
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Twisted Vines" | Dixon, Jones | 3:30 |
| 7. | "Keep Me in the Dark" | Ian, Fleming | 3:17 |
| 8. | "You Can’t Take Love for Granted" | Graham Parker | 3:43 |
| 9. | "I Don’t Want Him (Anymore)" | David Enloe | 3:22 |
| 10. | "Each Time" | Jackie DeShannon | 2:30 |
| 11. | "If I Can Love Somebody" | Hiatt | 3:16 |
References edit
- ^ Milward, John (6 July 1988). "Popular". USA Today. p. 4D.
- ^ Duffy, Thom (24 July 1988). "Music". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 6.
- ^ Snider, Eric (27 July 1988). "Live music lights up N.Y. nights". St. Petersburg Times. p. 1D.
- ^ Minkin, Jay. "Marti Jones & Don Dixon are Northeast Ohio's Royal Couple". No Depression. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ^ "Marti Jones Biography by Jason Ankeny". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ^ Emerson, Bo (August 21, 1988). "Don Dixon's Track Record". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. M1.
- ^ Goldstein, Patrick (17 July 1988). "Pop Eye". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 77.
- ^ Williams, Stephen (17 July 1988). "An All-Star Cast, Starring Marti Jones". Part II. Newsday. p. 15.
- ^ Heim, Chris (2 Sep 1988). "Marti Jones, Used Guitars". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. 56.
- ^ "Marti Jones". Trouser Press. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ^ a b McLeese, Don (July 4, 1988). "Marti Jones uses subtlety in new 'Used Guitars' LP". Features. Chicago Sun-Times. p. 15.
- ^ Pick, Steve (22 July 1988). "Some Hot New Music for Summer". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. G4.
- ^ a b Brown, Joe (8 July 1988). "Women without Musical Hats". The Washington Post. p. N20.
- ^ a b Burliuk, Greg (24 Sep 1988). "The Old New Wave". Magazine. The Kingston Whig-Standard. p. 1.
- ^ Smith, Andy (October 10, 1988). "Marti Jones at the Living Room". The Providence Journal. p. B1.
- ^ "Used Guitars Review by Jason Ankeny". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ^ a b "Marti Jones". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ^ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 613.
- ^ a b Moon, Tom (17 July 1988). "Marti Jones Used Guitars". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. I10.
- ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 379.
- ^ Holden, Stephen (25 July 1988). "Old Friends, New Songs and Drama". The New York Times. p. C14.
- ^ Erskine, Evelyn (12 Aug 1988). "Marti Jones Used Guitars". Ottawa Citizen. p. B6.
- ^ Shefchik, Rick (August 7, 1988). "Records". Zest. Houston Chronicle. p. 11.