John Mellencamp - Scarecrow

Uh-Huh found John Mellencamp coming into his own, but he perfected his heartland rock with Scarecrow. A loose concept album about lost innocence and the crumbling of small-town America, Scarecrow says as much with its tough rock and gentle folk-rock as it does with its lyrics, which remain a weak point for Mellencamp. Nevertheless, his writing has never been more powerful: "Rain on the Scarecrow" and "Small Town" capture the hopes and fears of Middle America, while "Lonely Ol' Night" and "Rumbleseat" effortlessly convey the desperate loneliness of being stuck in a dead-end life. Those four songs form the core of the album, and while the rest of the album isn't quite as strong, that's only a relative term, since it's filled with lean hooks and powerful, economical playing that make Scarecrow one of the definitive blue-collar rock albums of the mid-'80s. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Name Credits A. Jack Wilkins Saxophone Bob Cato Design, Cover Design, Artwork, Art Direction Bob Ludwig Mastering Don Gehman Engineer, Producer, Mixing George Tutko Mixing Greg Edward Engineer, Mixing John Cascella Keyboards John Mellencamp Guitar, Vocals, ? Kenny Aronoff Vibraphone, Tambourine, Vocals (Background), Drums Larry Crane Vocals (Background), Guitar, Guitar (Electric), Guitar (Acoustic) Laura Mellencamp Vocals Little Bastard Producer Marc Hauser Photography Mike Wanchic Guitar (Electric), Vocals, Guitar, Vocals (Background) Mimi Mapes Vocals, Vocals (Background) Richard Fanning Trumpet Rick Fettig Assistant Engineer Rickie Lee Jones Vocals Ross Alexander Engineer Sarah Flint Vocals, Vocals (Background) Toby Myers Bass, Bass (Electric), Guitar (Bass), Vocals (Background)