Details : King's Record Shop (Remastered + Expanded)\n2005 Columbia/Legacy\n\nOriginally Released August 3, 1987\nRemastered + Expanded CD Edition Released November 1, 2005\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: Rosanne Cash's catalog on Columbia is nothing if not formidable. Her pioneering meld of country, rock & roll (with an emphasis on "rock"), folk, and even blues, her topical concerns (which went deeper than most songwriters who came before her in taking on the tough topics of life), and her insistence on working outside the Nashville box scored her a number of hits and blazed the trail for many women who came later. King's Record Shop followed by two years her flirtation with the kind of pop coming out of England in droves, the radically underappreciated Rhythm & Romance. King's Record Shop -- produced by her then-husband and longtime collaborator Rodney Crowell -- is a granite-solid collection of covers and originals that delve deeply into the traditions that informed her life and created her as an artist, while revealing the trouble in her marriage to Crowell. The opening track, Eliza Gilkyson's "Rosie Strike Back," is a real feminist country anthem, and contain killer backing vocals from Patty Smyth (of Scandal) and Steve Winwood. Her read of John Hiatt's "The Way We Make a Broken Heart" is the kind of torch and tang ballad that will stand the test of time simply for its gender-bending take on relationships. Her collaboration with Hank DeVito, "If You Change Your Mind," is a jangly folk-rock ballad that expresses romantic longing in the face of a wayward lover; in its choruses one hears need as well as generosity. "The Real Me," a song that offers the vulnerability, truth, and flaws of a life in the process of transformation, is a preview of the type of material that would appear on the nakedly revealing Interiors. And it just goes deeper, from her rollicking and rebellious rocker "Somewhere Sometime" to the stellar cover of John Stewart's heart-wrenching "Runaway Train" to the straight-ahead country of her father Johnny's "Tennessee Flat Top Box." With its faux soul R&B chorus, Crowell's "I Don't Have to Crawl" is as full of want, cracked-heart honesty, and determination to keep standing as anything in country music. Ultimately, King's Record Shop is Rosanne Cash's classic, a work that transcends production and songwriting styles and the pop and country music of the time. This is a must. [The 2005 remastered edition on CD includes three bonus cuts, "707," which was issued on her 1995 retrospective, and live versions of "Runaway Train" and "Green, Yellow and Red." It also contains great liner notes by Geoffrey Himes that include interviews with Cash and Crowell along with rare photos.] -- Thom Jurek\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: After writing most of 1985's Rhythm & Romance, Cash returned to largely interpretive work on this powerful collection highlighted by Eliza Gilkyson's feminist anthem "Rosie Strike Back" and her father Johnny Cash's "Tennessee Flat Top Box." -- William Ruhlmann\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: King's Record Shop takes Rosanne Cash closer to rock and pop than any of her past albums, but she still manages to infuse enough of her country charm in a few of the tracks to keep it from evolving into a complete crossover. Both her and Rodney Crowell fall precisely into place as a team even though their relationship was suffering. Cash's proficiency can be heard best on the exuberant "Rosie Strikes Back" and to a bit of lesser extent on "The Real Me." The album itself reached the number six spot, and once again the hits just kept on coming. Four number one singles emerged from the album, with the two best being a cover of John Hiatt's "The Way We Make a Broken Heart" and a jangly rendition of her father's "Tennessee Flat Top Box." John Stewart's "Runaway Train" is yet another standout, as is the earnest "If You Change Your Mind." Cash's sound is at its fullest, and even on the slower tracks she has more focus and appetence than ever before. She's also a bit more revealing and personal, especially on "I Don't Have to Crawl," where the lyrics she sings are deep-cutting and foretelling. Not only do the songs sound strong on their own, but the entire album exudes a pinpointed direction and a "complete package" feel which enabled fans to feel closer to Cash and her work than ever before. In 1990, Cash released Interiors, an album in which she exposed all of her feelings and pains about her relationship (which had just deteriorated ) with Rodney Crowell. King's Record Shop isn't exactly a full-fledged precursor to their breakup, but there are enough hints between the lines to indicate their marital troubles. -- Mike DeGagne\n\nCMJ New Music Report Exclusive Review\nHaving stretched the limits of country music into a decidedly pop context on her last album, it now seems like success has caused Rosanne Cash to rethink entirely her approach to the music in her blood. King's Record Shop is destined to repeat and expand her commercial inroads, but with an entirely different vision and purpose. She and husband/producer Rodney Crowell have opted for an uncluttered country-rock purity without synthesizers or multi-layered tracks, enlisting some fine but untraditional songwriting talent, including John Hiatt and Benmont Tench. Supported throughout by superb musicianship, Cash's voice has never sounded better, whether she's rocking out on "Green, Yellow And Red" or crooning on "The Way We Make A Broken Heart." Especially jukebox-worthy is the Tench composition, "Why Don't You Quit Leaving Me Alone," ready for "instant classic" recognition in Nashville and beyond. The anti-cliche lyrics and sheer quality of the arrangements make King's Record Shop Rosanne Cash's most confident and consistent album. Check out the aforementioned cuts, as well as "Rosie Strikes Back" and "Tennessee Flat Top Box." Great cover, too!!!!! \n© 1978-1999 College Media, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nNon-Trad Country, April 22, 2006\nReviewer: R. M. Ettinger "rme1963" (Cleveland Heights, OH USA)\n...even for 1987. \n\nA return to Nashville for Cash after 1985's 'Rhythm & Romance', 'King's Record Shop' finds her in good form. And Nashville rewards her w/four #1 singles from this disk (the first for any female country artist). \n\nThough her own tunes are sorely lacking here (or mostly), Cash makes up for w/superb song selection from other writers/artists. \nJohn Haitt's "The Way We Make a Broken Heart" in lesser hands could have come off as one of the cheesiest country songs ever. She pulls it off flawlessly. \n\nAlmost all the cuts are stand-out (though I love "I Don't Have to Crawl" "Real Me" and "Runaway Train). Though everyone seems to love the cover of her father's "Tennesse Flat Top Box" it's never resonated with me, but that's a small thing on this disk. \n\nCash went on to make better disks, but this is still a solid purchase. \n\nThe remaster is clear and leaves the songs in better shape than they were in 1987. The copy protection on the disk allowed me to play in various players and rip and upload to iTunes/iPod. Unlike some other players, except for their momentary lapse in judgement, Sony hasn't screwed around too much w/that as of yet. \n\nSince it is a reissue, there are the obligatory extra cuts. "707" is ok, but a rehash from the 'Retrospective' disk. \n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nGreat album then, great album now!, January 21, 2006\nReviewer: Allen Chapman (STAFFORD SPRINGS, CT USA)\nThis album has been a favorite of mine since it was first released in 1987. The #1 hit "The Way We Make A Broken Heart" is one of those songs that I just never get tired of hearing. As with Rosanne's other albums, there is no filler on the disc. Each song is a standout. The album was a return to a more country sound after her more pop sounding "Rhythm & Romance" album from 1985 (another favorite of mine). \nAs for the remastering on the disc, the sound quality is pristine. In the booklet is an essay about the album in which, among other things, the album's cover shot is discussed. The shot was actually two seperate photos, an existing shot of the actual record shop with Rosanne (and the "Seven Year Ache" album) superimposed into the shot. This was way before computers made such a task so easy! \nAs for the bonus tracks, "707" was recorded for the album but left off the original release, it did appear on the "Retrospective" disc. There are two live tracks recorded in the 1990's These tracks sound muddy compared to the rest of the album, but are welcomed additions nonetheless. \nThe album is a must!\n
