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Washington County (album)

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Washington County
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 1970
RecordedAugust 1970
GenreFolk, folk rock
Length36:23
LabelReprise
ProducerLenny Waronker, John Pilla[1]
Arlo Guthrie chronology
Running Down the Road
(1969)
Washington County
(1970)
Hobo's Lullaby
(1972)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Christgau's Record GuideB−[3]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[4]
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide[5]

Washington County is a 1970 album by the American folk singer Arlo Guthrie.[6] It peaked at #33 on the Billboard charts on December 4, 1970,[7] and number 28 in Australia.[8]

Critical reception

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Contributing to Magnet, Bar/None owner Glenn Morrow called the album "remarkably eclectic". He praised "Gabriel's Mother's Highway Ballad #16 Blues", writing that it "wraps around the listener like a sonic temple—a place of peace and well-being, bracing out the cold winds of a hostile world".[9]

Compilations and covers

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"Gabriel's Mother's Hiway Ballad #16 Blues" was later included on the 1977 compilation The Best of Arlo Guthrie. A cover version of it became the title track of the 1972 Franciscus Henri album Gabriel's Mother's Highway.

Track listing

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All tracks composed by Arlo Guthrie, except where indicated.

Side One

  1. "Introduction" – 3:22
  2. "Fencepost Blues" (sometimes rendered as "Fence Post Blues") – 3:11
  3. "Gabriel's Mother's Hiway Ballad #16 Blues" – 6:23
  4. "Washington County" – 1:59
  5. "Valley to Pray" – 2:46 (Doc Coutson, John Pilla, Arlo Guthrie)

Side Two

  1. "Lay Down Little Doggies" (Woody Guthrie) – 3:18
  2. "I Could Be Singing" – 3:19
  3. "If You Would Just Drop By" – 4:23
  4. "Percy's Song" (Bob Dylan) – 4:57
  5. "I Want to Be Around" – 2:45

Personnel

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Technical
  • Barry Feldman – executive producer
  • Van Dyke Parks – co-producer on "Valley to Pray"

References

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  1. ^ Reineke, Hank (June 10, 2012). Arlo Guthrie: The Warner/Reprise Years. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810883314 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ "Washington County: Arlo Guthrie". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  3. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: G". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 24, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  4. ^ Larkin, Colin (May 27, 2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857125958 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (July 10, 2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9780743201698 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ Thompson, Dave. "Arlo Guthrie's M.O." Goldmine Magazine: Record Collector & Music Memorabilia.
  7. ^ "Arlo Guthrie". Billboard.
  8. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 131. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  9. ^ "From The Desk Of Glenn Morrow: Arlo Guthrie's 'Gabriel's Mothers Highway Ballad #16 Blues'". Magnet. June 20, 2017.