Wanted Man (Paul Kelly album)

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Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use Australian English {{safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst-infobox||$params=italic_title,name,type,longtype,artist,cover,border,alt,caption,released,recorded,venue,studio,genre,length,language,label,director,producer,compiler,chronology,prev_title,prev_year,year,next_title,next_year,misc|$extra=italic_title,longtype,border,caption,language,director,compiler,chronology,year,misc|$aliases=italic title>italic_title,Italic title>italic_title,Name>name,Type>type,image>cover,Cover>cover,Border>border,Alt>alt,Caption>caption,Longtype>longtype,Artist>artist,Released>released,Recorded>recorded,Venue>venue,Studio>studio,Genre>genre,Length>length,Language>language,Label>label,Director>director,Producer>producer,Compiler>compiler,Chronology>chronology,Misc>misc|$flags=override|$B={{#ifeq:{{#invoke:Is infobox in lead|main|[Ii]nfobox [Aa]lbum}}|true|{{#if:Template:Has short description | |{{#if: Template:Start date | Template:Short description}}}}}}{{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Category handlerTemplate:Main other{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox album with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y|italic_title |type |name |image |cover |border |alt |caption |longtype |artist |released |recorded |venue |studio |genre |length |language |label |director |producer |compiler |prev_title|prev_year|next_title|next_year|chronology|year|misc}}{{#if:{{#invoke:String|match|error_category=Music infoboxes with Module:String errors|A|1=Seven Deadly Sins1993Deeper Water1995studioWanted ManPK_Wanted_Man.jpgPaul KellyTemplate:Start date1993
Stagg St, Clearlake, O'Henry, Los Angeles; Metropolis, MelbourneFolk rockTemplate:DurationMushroom/White, Vanguard, DemonPaul Kelly, Randy Jacobs, David Bridiex|2=</?t[drh][ >]|nomatch=}}|Template:Main other}}Template:Main other}} Wanted Man is a folk rock album by Paul Kelly and was originally released in July 1994. It was issued on Mushroom Records in Australia and was Kelly's first solo studio album after disbanding his previous group, The Messengers. Tracks 1–10 were recorded at three Los Angeles studios while tracks 11–13 were recorded in Melbourne. It was produced by Kelly, Randy Jacobs and David Bridie. The cover art for Wanted Man is a colophon rendering of Australia's legendary outlaw Ned Kelly (no relation) as a guitarist and was painted by David Band.

The album peaked at No. 11 on the ARIA Albums Chart and resulted in Kelly being nominated for 'Best Male Artist' at the ARIA Music Awards of 1995. Three singles were issued from the album, "Song from the Sixteenth Floor", "Love Never Runs on Time" and "God's Hotel" (co-written with Nick Cave) – but none reached the ARIA Singles Chart.

Background

Paul Kelly's first solo studio album after disbanding Paul Kelly & The Messengers was Wanted Man. The group had given their last performance in August 1991, and Kelly resumed his solo career.<ref name="McF"/> He justified his decision: "We forged a style together. But I felt if we had kept going it would have got formulaic and that's why I broke it up. I wanted to try and start moving into other areas, start mixing things up".<ref name="tribute"/> Kelly's first post-Messengers solo release was the live double CD Live, May 1992, released in November 1992.<ref name="McF"/> Kelly had already relocated to Los Angeles and signed with Vanguard Records to tour the US as a solo artist.<ref name="McF"/> While in Los Angeles he produced fellow Australian Renée Geyer's album Difficult Woman (1994).<ref name="ARDb"/>

Recording and composition

In late 1992, when living in Los Angeles, Kelly recorded ten tracks for his next album, Wanted Man, at three studios: Stagg St, Clearlake and O'Henry. Kelly returned to Australia in 1993 and had a book collection of lyrics published, aptly titled Lyrics.<ref name="DontStart"/>Template:Rp<ref name="HowToGravy"/>Template:Rp In Melbourne he recorded three more tracks at the Metropolis Studio. The album was produced by Kelly, Randy Jacobs (member of Was (Not Was)) and David Bridie (produced My Friend the Chocolate Cake's 1991 self-titled album).<ref name="ARDb"/> Jacobs and Kelly co-wrote "Ball and Chain".<ref name="APRABallChain"/> The first track, "Summer Rain", deals with a man's yearning for his girlfriend, Kelly thought the sentiment would translate well but found a curious Belgian interviewer asked, "But why would anybody long for rain in summer? ... We get enough rain in winter. We don't want the summer rain. We want the sunshine".<ref name="HowToGravy"/>Template:Rp The lead single, "Songs from the Sixteenth Floor" was written by Kelly with John Clifforth of Deckchairs Overboard.<ref name="APRASongFloor"/> The next single, "Love Never Runs on Time" was written by Kelly.<ref name="APRALoveNever"/> The lyrics describe a truck driver struggling to meet his commitments to work and family.<ref name="HowToGravy"/>Template:Rp Kelly uses the same protagonist from "To Her Door" on 1987's Under the Sun and then again in 1996's "How to Make Gravy" from the extended play How to Make Gravy.<ref name="DK"/> In the first song, the man moves from being newly married to having children and problems with a drug addiction and undergoing rehab to returning to the family home.<ref name="HowToGravy"/>Template:Rp By the time of "How to Make Gravy", the man is in prison for assault and is writing a letter to his brother for Christmas.<ref name="HowToGravy"/>Template:Rp In 2002 Debbie Kruger of Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) interviewed Kelly and found, "Kelly’s attraction to the theatrical, however unconscious, has meant occasionally a song’s character will pop up again, sometimes unintentionally".<ref name="DK"/> Kelly conceded the three songs were linked, Template:"'I’ve got a feeling it’s the same guy. He keeps coming back'. Maybe he’ll be in a happier place next time? 'Yeah, he’s a bit of a fuck-up, that guy', Kelly laughs".<ref name="DK"/>

The final single, "God's Hotel" was co-written with Nick Cave.<ref name="APRAGodHotel"/> Kelly had read Cave's book of lyrics, King Ink (1988), and found "God's Hotel".<ref name="Cave"/> When interviewing Cave for a newspaper article in The Age, Kelly asked about the lyrics, Cave said "It's just a blues ... You can use the words if you want".<ref name="HowToGravy"/>Template:Rp Kelly only used five of twelve verses and adapted the tune from the chords of "Bittersweet" by Hoodoo Gurus.<ref name="HowToGravy"/>Template:Rp "Everybody Wants to Touch Me" describes how a pregnant woman becomes the object of curiosity, wonder or revulsion,<ref name="HowToGravy"/>Template:Rp although some believe the song relates to a celebrity being the centre of attention (see Paul Kapsis' cover version).<ref name="HowToGravy"/>Template:Rp In 2000 Kelly's friend Deborah Conway recorded her version for The Women at the Well tribute album.<ref name="HowToGravy"/>Template:Rp Kelly noted "I don't like all covers of my songs but I have to say this one's awesome. Absolutely".<ref name="HowToGravy"/>Template:Rp "Lately" was co-written with Geyer and followed their work on the soundtrack for the ABC-TV mini series The Seven Deadly Sins, Geyer and Kelly sang alongside Vika Bull and Conway for the 13 tracks. The cover art for Wanted Man is a colophon rendering of Australia's legendary outlaw Ned Kelly (no relation) as a guitarist and was painted by David Band.

Reception and charting

Template:Album ratings Wanted Man peaked at No. 11 on the ARIA Albums Chart and resulted in Kelly being nominated for 'Best Male Artist' at the ARIA Music Awards of 1995.<ref name="Kent"/><ref name="ARIAAwards1995"/> Three singles were issued from the album, "Song from the Sixteenth Floor" (January 1994), "Love Never Runs on Time" (May) and "God's Hotel" (September) – but none reached the ARIA Singles Chart.<ref name="Kent"/>

Rolling StoneTemplate:'s Paul Corio observed that having Ned Kelly on the cover "makes perfect sense. Keeping a low profile Down Under, Paul Kelly periodically emerges with albums that raid the storehouse of critical praise, then he retreats to mine poetic gold".<ref name="Corio"/> Corio felt the music was "folk, reggae, midtempo rock, jazz-inflected pop and hard-edged ballads – Kelly swings them all deftly".<ref name="Corio"/> Allmusic's William Ruhlmann was less favourable and said "[it] was familiar folk-rock, with Kelly singing romantic lyrics over acoustic and electric guitars and a rhythm section. Wanted Man was less ambitious lyrically than some of Kelly's earlier albums".

Track listing

Template:Track listing

Personnel

Paul Kelly's backing band members
Musicians (Tracks 1-11)
Recording details
  • Producer – Paul Kelly, Randy Jacobs, David Bridie
  • Engineer – Terry Becker, Richard Bosworth, Tony Cohen, Warren Croyle, Mark Linett, Simon Polinski
    • Assistant engineer – Bruce Curnow, Tim Johnston, Jeff Shannon
  • Mastering – Alan Yoshida
  • Mixer – Terry Becker, Tony Cohen, Simon Polinski
Artwork
  • David Band – artwork (paintings, direction)
  • Christopher Holt – typography

Charts

Template:Album chartTemplate:Album chart
Chart (1994) Peak
position

References

Template:Reflist

Template:Paul Kelly

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