''Volcano'' is the ninth studio album by American popular music singer-songwriter

Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (born December 25, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, and businessman. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffet ...

and is his 11th overall. It was released on August 1, 1979 as his first album for MCA after its absorption of ABC Dunhill. The album and its title song are named for the then dormant

Soufrière Hills The Soufrière Hills are an active, complex stratovolcano with many lava domes forming its summit on the Caribbean island of Montserrat. After a long period of dormancy, the Soufrière Hills volcano became active in 1995 and has continued to ...

volcano A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates are ...

on the island of

Montserrat Montserrat ( ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is part of the Leeward Islands, the northern portion of the Lesser Antilles chain of the West Indies. Montserrat is about long and wide, with r ...

in the

British West Indies The British West Indies (BWI) were colonized British territories in the West Indies: Anguilla, the Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Montserrat, the British Virgin Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Grena ...

where Buffett recorded the album in May 1979 at

AIR The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing f ...

Studios. (The studio was severely damaged by

Hurricane Hugo Hurricane Hugo was a powerful Cape Verde tropical cyclone that inflicted widespread damage across the northeastern Caribbean and the Southeastern United States in September 1989. Across its track, Hugo affected approximately 2 million peop ...

in 1989 and Soufrière Hills erupted again in 1995.) Additional recording was done at Quadrafonic Studios in

Nashville Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

and Sunset Sound Studios in Los Angeles, California in the United States. The album is dedicated to Buffett's wife and his daughter,

Savannah Jane Buffett Savannah Jane Buffett (born June 1, 1979 in Aspen, Colorado) is an American radio personality. Buffett hosts the ''Savannah Daydreamin'' radio hour on the Sirius and XM satellite and online station Radio Margaritaville. Buffett began her profess ...

, who was born just before its release.

Songs

All of the songs are written or co-written by Buffett. Buffett performed "

Volcano A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates are ...

" with

Don Henley Donald Hugh Henley (born July 22, 1947) is an American musician and a founding member of the rock band Eagles. He is the drummer and one of the lead singers for the Eagles. Henley sang the lead vocals on Eagles hits such as "Witchy Woman", "Despe ...

at a 1993 Walden Woods Project benefit concert that is available on Henley's 2002 ''One of These Nights''.

Chart performance

''Volcano'' reached number 14 on the ''Billboard'' 200 album chart and number 13 on the ''Billboard'' Top Country Albums chart. Three singles from the album charted including "Fins" (number 35 on the ''Billboard Hot'' 100; number 42

Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

), "Volcano" (number 66 Hot 100; number 43 Adult Contemporary), and "Survive" (number 77 Hot 100). In the United Kingdom, "Chanson pour les petits enfants" was released as a single for Christmas 1979. It did not chart officially, but peaked at number 86 in the ''Record Business'' magazine chart in Christmas week and became an enduringly popular song on

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...

in a country where Buffett has had very little success.

Critical reception

Although the album generated two songs, "

Fins A fin is a thin component or appendage attached to a larger body or structure. Fins typically function as foils that produce lift or thrust, or provide the ability to steer or stabilize motion while traveling in water, air, or other fluids. Fin ...

" and "

," that have become Buffett concert standards, part of 'The Big 8" that he has played at almost all of his concerts, critical reception was less positive.

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

reviewer Vik Iyengar posits that "this album marks a low point for Jimmy Buffett in a decade in which he delivered one solid album after another."

Track listing

Side 1: #"

" (Jimmy Buffett, Deborah McColl, Barry Chance, Tom Corcoran) – 3:27 #"

" (Jimmy Buffett, Keith Sykes, Harry Dailey) – 3:37 #"Treat Her Like a Lady" (Jimmy Buffett,

David Loggins David Allen Loggins (born November 10, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Musical career Loggins is best known for his 1974 song composition "Please Come to Boston", which was a No. 5 popular music success (No. 1 Easy Listen ...

) – 4:18 #"Stranded on a Sandbar" (Jimmy Buffett) – 3:08 #"Chanson Pour Les Petits Enfants" (Jimmy Buffett) – 4:01 Side 2: #"Survive" (Jimmy Buffett,

Mike Utley Michael Gerard Utley (born December 20, 1965) is a former American football player. He played for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League from 1989 through 1991, when he was paralyzed during a game. Early life and college career A gr ...

) – 4:50 #"Lady I Can't Explain" (Jimmy Buffett) – 2:42 #"

Boat Drinks "Boat Drinks" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. It was released as a B-side (b/w "Survive") on MCA Records, MCA in 1979. Despite not being a single, it is one of his most popular songs, frequently pla ...

" (Jimmy Buffett) – 2:37 #"Dreamsicle" (Jimmy Buffett) – 2:18 #"Sending the Old Man Home" (Jimmy Buffett) – 3:23 Cassette pressings of the album have "Volcano" and "Dreamsicle" swapped in track order. The running times listed for "Treat Her Like a Lady" and "Survive" on LP and CD pressings are incorrect. They are listed at 3:55 and 4:29, respectively.

Personnel

The

Coral Reefer Band The Coral Reefer Band is the touring and recording band of American singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. The band's name alludes to both coral reefs (in line with Buffett's tropical-themed music) and "reefer" (slang for marijuana). Origins Current ...

: *Jimmy Buffett – vocals, acoustic guitar * Keith Sykes – guitar, background vocals *Barry Chance – lead guitar *Andy McMahon – Fender Rhodes, background vocals on "Stranded" *

– piano, organ, clavinet *Harry Dailey – bass, background vocals on "Stranded", "Chanson" and "Dreamsicle" *

Russ Kunkel Russell Kunkel (born September 27, 1948) is an American drummer who has worked as a session musician with many popular artists, including Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, Jimmy Buffett, Harry Chapin, Rita Coolidge, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Da ...

– drums, percussion, congas on "Volcano" *

Greg "Fingers" Taylor Greg "Fingers" Taylor (born June 3, 1952) is an American harmonica player, best known for his work with Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer Band. Career Greg Taylor was born in Wichita, Kansas, June 3, 1952 where he attended Wichita North High School. ...

– harmonica, organ on "Boat Drinks", shakers on "Volcano" *Johnny Montezuma – anything and everything on "Fins" *Jackie Dangler – pans on "Fins" and "Boat Drinks" *Steve Forman – percussion on "Fins" *Donald Douglas – banjo-uke on "Volcano" *Wilfred Tuitt – guitar on "Volcano" *James Elmer – bass pipe on "Volcano" *Billy Puett & Bill Jones – recorders on "Chanson Pour les Petits Enfants" *Farrell Morris – tambourine on "Chanson Pour les Petits Enfants" *Steve Forman – shakers on "Chanson Pour les Petits Enfants" *

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...

– background vocals, guitar on "Sending the Old Man Home" *

Norbert Putnam Norbert Auvin Putnam (born August 10, 1942) is an American musician, studio owner and record producer who was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2019.Robert McFarland, Jr"Norbert Putnam."'' Delta Business Journal''. November 2004. Acce ...

– bass on "Sending the Old Man Home" *Deborah McColl, Alex Taylor, Hugh Taylor,

Dave Loggins David Allen Loggins (born November 10, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Musical career Loggins is best known for his 1974 song composition "Please Come to Boston", which was a No. 5 popular music success (No. 1 Easy Listen ...

Venetta Fields Venetta Lee Fields (born 1941) is an American-born singer, musical theater actress and vocal coach. She was a backing vocalist for American and British rock and pop acts of the 1960s and 1970s, including Ike & Tina Turner, Pink Floyd, Humble Pi ...

, Brenda Bryant, Paulette Brown, Juan Cadiz – background vocals

Singles

" b/w "Dreamsicle" (Released on MCA 41109 in July 1979) *"Dreamsicle" b/w "Dreamsicle" (Released on MCA 41109 in July 1979) *"

" b/w "Stranded On A Sandbar" (Released on MCA 41161 in November 1979) *"Survive" b/w "Boat Drinks" (Released on MCA 41199 in February 1980)

Tour

Buffett set out on a '' You Had to Be There Tour'' from February through April 1979, stopping in May to record ''Volcano''. The remainder of the year Buffet toured in support of the album. One of these concerts was Buffet's first trip to Hawaii, opening for

the Eagles The Eagles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1971. With five number-one singles and six number-one albums, six Grammy Awards and five American Music Awards, the Eagles were one of the most successful musical acts of the 1970s ...

in Aloha Stadium in September.

References

{{Authority control Jimmy Buffett albums 1979 albums Albums produced by Norbert Putnam MCA Records albums Albums recorded at AIR Studios