Compass Point (David Allan Coe album)
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''Compass Point'' is an album released by
country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...
musician
David Allan Coe David Allan Coe (born September 6, 1939) is an American singer and songwriter. Coe took up music after spending much of his early life in reform schools and prisons, and first became notable for busking in Nashville. He initially played mostly i ...
. It was released in 1979 on Columbia.


Recording

Coe closed out the decade with his ninth album for Columbia. The songs, all Coe originals, sequence into the next, which was becoming a hallmark on his records. It was produced again by the team of Ron Bledsoe and
Billy Sherrill Billy Norris Sherrill (November 5, 1936 – August 4, 2015) was an American record producer, songwriter, and arranger best known for his association with country artists, notably Tammy Wynette and George Jones. Sherrill and business partner Gl ...
. Thom Jurek of AllMusic contends, “With Bledsoe's gritty, in-your-face, performance-based approach and Sherrill's polish and sense of space and texture, they were able to balance all of the inherent contradictions in Coe's music, from the gorgeous balladry of ‘Gone,’ ‘Heads or Tails,’ and the elaborately arranged dark honky tonk of ‘Merle and Me’ (not Haggard) to the rocking bluegrass stomp of ‘Honey Don't’ and the boozy Tex-Mex swagger of ‘Lost.’” Musically, several of the songs on ''Compass Point'' look to the Caribbean, with shuffling back-beats and breezy rhythms, such as on “Loving Her (Will Make You Lose Your Mind)” and the tongue-twisting closing track. Lyrically, Coe covers some of his favourite themes, such as crime and prison on “Three Time Loser” and “Merle and Me,” tunes that echo Coe’s own youth spent in jail and youth reformatories. “Honey Don’t” sounds like Coe striking back at anyone who would dare question his musical credentials (“I’ve been a roadie for Satan, honey/I was the sound man for the Devil…”) and includes the repeated line “Honey don’t you pull that shit on me,” a rare expletive on a major label country record at the time. Opener “Heads or Tails” ruminates on the chance nature of romance, with Coe singing the title in a Johnny Cash drawl.


Reception

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 databa ...
: "As a coda to a decade that went by in a blur of fame, success, madness, tragedy, and disappointment, Coe left it on a very high note with an album that looked brightly to the future."


Track listing

All Songs written by
David Allan Coe David Allan Coe (born September 6, 1939) is an American singer and songwriter. Coe took up music after spending much of his early life in reform schools and prisons, and first became notable for busking in Nashville. He initially played mostly i ...
. #"Heads or Tails" – 2:04 #"3 Time Loser" – 2:05 #"Gone (Like)" – 6:26 #"Honey Don't" – 2:54 #"Lost" – 3:33 #"Merle and Me" – 3:39 #"Loving Her (Will Make You Lose Your Mind)" – 1:54 #"The Fish Aren't Bitin' Today" – 3:08 #"X's and O's (Kisses and Hugs)" – 3:46


Personnel

*
David Allan Coe David Allan Coe (born September 6, 1939) is an American singer and songwriter. Coe took up music after spending much of his early life in reform schools and prisons, and first became notable for busking in Nashville. He initially played mostly i ...
vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...
* Wesley Taylor, Mike Barton –
guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...
* Dale Seigfreid – steel guitar * Alan Hicks – bass * Skeet Petty – drums * George Heard – harmonica *
Billy Sherrill Billy Norris Sherrill (November 5, 1936 – August 4, 2015) was an American record producer, songwriter, and arranger best known for his association with country artists, notably Tammy Wynette and George Jones. Sherrill and business partner Gl ...
, Ron Bledsoe – producer


References

{{Authority control David Allan Coe albums 1979 albums Albums produced by Billy Sherrill Columbia Records albums