The Flatlanders
| The Flatlanders | |
|---|---|
 The Flatlanders in Lubbock, Texas in June 2009 |
|
| General information | |
| origin | Lubbock , Texas |
| Genre (s) | Alternative country |
| founding | 1970, 1997 |
| resolution | 1973 |
| Website | www.theflatlanders.com |
| Founding members | |
Vocals, guitar |
Jimmie Dale Gilmore |
Vocals, guitar |
Joe Ely |
Vocals, guitar |
Butch Hancock |
The Flatlanders are an American alternative country band formed in 1970 in Lubbock, Texas by Jimmie Dale Gilmore , Butch Hancock and Joe Ely .
Band history
They are considered to be the pioneers of the alternative country movement, as their music deliberately set itself apart from the Nashville Sound . In contrast to the usual practice in Nashville , The Flatlanders played their instruments themselves, wrote their own songs and dispensed with elaborate production technology.
In March 1972, The Flatlanders recorded seventeen songs for a first in the Plantation Records studio in Nashville, along with Steve Wesson ( singing saw ), Tony Pearson ( mandolin ), Sylvester Rice ( double bass ) and the unrelated Tommy Hancock ( fiddle ) in the studio of Plantation Records in Nashville Album up. The previously published promo single Dallas turned out to be a flop and the record company decided not to sell the long-playing record. Only a few dozen 8-track cassettes found their way to the public. The band broke up after only a few gigs.
Gilmore, Hancock and Ely each started their own successful solo careers. First of all, it was Ely who recorded much acclaimed albums from 1977 and made a name for himself as a live attraction. Because he also played and recorded songs by Hancock and Gilmore, these too grew in popularity.
In the early 1980s, the band's old recordings were briefly released in England under the title One Road More on vinyl and cassette . It wasn't until 1990, when The Flatlanders had cult status, that the Plantation recordings appeared under the title More A Legend Than A Band on Rounder Records in the USA. The album largely corresponded to the planned 1972 album. Two of the original songs were missing, but four other unreleased tracks were added. The album sold hundreds of thousands of times in a short period of time. The original musicians did not receive any royalties for this.
In 1997 the three now highly respected musicians met again in the studio and produced the song South Wind Of Summer for the film Der Pferdeflüsterer ( The Horse Whisperer ) . Some live performances followed. Gilmore, Hancock, and Ely began to enjoy their work together. In 2000 they went on their first tour together and in 2002, exactly thirty years after their first album, a new studio album, Now Again , was created . The third album, Wheels Of Fortune , was released two years later, followed by a live recording from 1972. The band owned another fourteen recordings from a studio in Odessa , which was recorded in January 1972, and had resurfaced after thirty years has been. This tape has now been restored and released on August 28, 2012 under the title The Odessa Tapes on the New West label.
Discography
Albums
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 US
|
Country
|
|||
| 2002 | Now again |
US168 (4 weeks) US |
Country19 (22 weeks) Country |
First published: May 21, 2002; New West
|
| 2004 | Wheels of Fortune | - |
Country35 (11 weeks) Country |
First published: January 27, 2004; New West
|
| 2009 | Hills and Valleys | - |
Country38 (8 weeks) Country |
First published: March 31, 2009; New West
|
| 2012 | The Odessa Tapes | - |
Country48 (2 weeks) Country |
First published: August 28, 2012; New West
|
More albums
- 1976: All American Music
- 1980: One Road More (Charly Records / CR30189)
- 1990: More A Legend Than A Band (Rounder)
- 1995: Unplugged ( Sun Records , Jimmie Dale Gilmore And The Flatlanders, incl. Joe Ely and Butch Hancock)
- 2004: Live At The One Knite 1972 (New West)
Web links
- Official website (English)