Clint Black's "Killin' Time"-A nice slice of '80s Country, Anyone else like this?

They made a video for that song?

 

The sole country CD that I owned in college (save for the inevitable Patsy Cline's Greatest Hits) -- I picked it up on the basis of a critical rave in The Boston Phoenix (the writer compared his lyrics to Springsteen). Good songs, catchy hooks, but I don't think I kept it once I moved to the West Coast a couple of years later. Have to check.

 

This reminds me, I can't remember which is listed as the A-side, but I know the 45 of this has "A Better Man" on the other side, which of course was also a big hit. I wonder if that one was always intended to be a sort of "double-A-side" release or if it was just a happy accident that both became a hit?

 

Real Country is a syndicated radio network mixing new country and country classics.

 

I recommend getting all of his records up to 1999 D'Lectrifed (recorded solely on acoustic instruments). You can find them dirt cheap for a few bucks or start with the CD below. Amazon has it brand new for 7 bucks.
http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/6056418/a/ultimate+clint+black.htm

 

The first single from the album was "A Better Man," on RCA 8781-7-R. I've never seen a stock copy of this single with this number, though I do have a promo copy with the same song on both sides, mislabeled as "Better Man" without the "A" in the title. According to a source I trust, "Winding Down" was the flip of "A Better Man," but again, I've never seen a stock copy.

The second single from Killin' Time was "Killin' Time," on RCA 8945-7-R with "A Better Man" on the flip. This is common.

 

I love Clint's first six albums. He lost me a little with D'lectrified! Have a soft spot for Put Yourself In My Shoes, which was always seen as inferior to Killin' Time, but actually features some really strong songs. The Hard Way is a blast too and No Time To Kill and One Emotion are first class efforts.

Nothin' But The Taillights and Spend My Time are well worth a listen as well.

 

One Emotion is a great one. Untangling My Mind ( which he cowrote with Merle Haggard) is a gem.

 

Country in the late 80's and early 90's had clearly made a commercial comeback. Killin Time is a classic honky tonk, sawdust on the floor, beer drinking album. You're Gonna Leave Me Again, Track 5, is a hellava sad song and an excellently constructed composition with a beautiful outro.

Clint has not been able to match the overall strength of his first album and as his career progressed his songs contained less and less of the elements that brought him his initial success.

Country radio pretty much quit playing his music in the early 2000's.

 

Drinkin' Songs & Other Logic is a kind of return to that early sound, but by then Clint's time at radio was largely over. I do think Spend My Time is a good album. It's wore well, that one.

 

Yes, the first Doug Stone album was great. That was what, 1990?

 

Agreed, a couple artistic gems on Spend My Time that I like are We All Fall Down and Lover's Clown. His Equity Records Label just didn't have the muscle to promote the album correctly.

 

Yes, it was a shame the album didn't fare better. Even though Clint was only in his early 40's when it came out, he was probably seen as old hat in country music..
Someone like Tim McGraw still has hits on the singles charts, but it doesn't translate into album sales anymore. His last couple of albums fell off the charts pretty quickly.

 

I remember being hopeful when Rainbow in the Rain, Clint's first track off Drinking Songs & Other Logic was released. Of Clint's previous songs it was most similar to "I"ll Be Gone" from Killin Time. It was dead on arrival at country radio though along with the rest of his album. It was TOO traditional apparently for the airwaves.


In the the early 2000's country music was undergoing a transition, by the end of the decade I didn't recognize much in the way of country music being played on the radio anymore.
Nashville has sold out. Country music should have its fair share of steel guitar, fiddles, harmonicas, and an occasional fiddle. It has become heavy drum and electric guitar dominated. Repulsive to these ears...

I"ll listen to Red Dirt Country stations (Texas and Oklahoma artists) on Tune-In. At least they haven't abandoned the traditional elements of country music.

 

Great album.

You'll hate this analogy, but Clint is the Paula Abdul of 80s country. Great first album with huge hits and popularity, then moving to the background.

 

My Dad is a huge Clint Black fan, has seen him several times in concert. I always like what I hear from him.

 

No way Clint wrote or co wrote all of his hits plus he was relevant at radio for over 10 years. Not a valid comparison, IMO.

 

You are correct! I did not realize how long Clint had major success. I always thought it was a shame that he and Randy Travis were placed behind Garth, after both initially being as popular.

The only (poor) comparison I can make to Abdul is the incredible success of the singles off of their first albums.