| Old Wives' Tales | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | ||||
| Studio album by Exene Cervenka | ||||
| Released | 1989 | |||
| Genre | Folk, folk rock | |||
| Label | Rhino | |||
| Producer | Tony Gilkyson | |||
| Exene Cervenka chronology | ||||
| ||||
Old Wives' Tales is an album by the American musician Exene Cervenka, released in 1989. Cervenka told the Los Angeles Times that she considered the album to be "for and about women."
"He's Got a She" peaked at No. 17 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart. Cervenka promoted the album by touring with the Oyster Band.
Production
The album was produced by the former X guitarist Tony Gilkyson. Unlike in X, Cervenka contributed to both the album's music and lyrics; Cervenka had to reacquaint herself with playing the guitar. The songs were written in northern Idaho.
"Gravel" and "Famous Barmaid" include poetry recitations. Gilkyson's sister, Eliza, provided backing vocals on the album.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Chicago Tribune |  |
| Robert Christgau | B |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | |
| Orlando Sentinel | |
| Ottawa Citizen | |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
The Chicago Reader called the album "a surpassingly melodic manifesto on what can only be called post-postpunk feminism and romanticism." The New York Times thought that, "as in X, Ms. Cervenka's lyrics conjure an American panorama of prosaic hopes and romantic friction." The Globe and Mail wrote that it is the "casual musical eclecticism, along with Exene's ability to toss off lines like 'She believes in a God who's all thumbs,' that make Old Wives' Tales interesting."
Robert Christgau stated: "Always a notebook-toter, she goes for the roots and poetry you'd expect—in other words, folk-rock." Trouser Press determined that "the tasteful and varied mixture of folk, country, recitation and sturdy rock isn’t that great a stylistic leap from the essence of X." The Orlando Sentinel concluded that if Cervenka "didn't have a punk-rock past, her solo debut might win her a place among country-Western New Traditionalists such as Lyle Lovett and K.D. Lang." The Toronto Star opined that, while Cervenka "doggedly wrestles with the empty romance of poverty-stricken America," the album "comes replete with suspect vocals and arrangements."
AllMusic called Old Wives' Tales "a charming, timeless album of mostly quiet, quirky folk music." The Rolling Stone Album Guide deemed the songs "wordy and pretentious."
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "She Wanted" | |
| 2. | "Biggest Memory" | |
| 3. | "Here Come the Crucifiers" | |
| 4. | "Cocktail Trees" | |
| 5. | "Famous Barmaid" | |
| 6. | "Leave Heaven Alone" | |
| 7. | "Good Luck" | |
| 8. | "White Trash Wife" | |
| 9. | "He's Got a She" | |
| 10. | "Gravel" | |
| 11. | "Coyote on the Town" |
References
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 2. MUZE. pp. 272–273.
- "Exene Cervenka Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
- "Ex-Punk Star Finds Country Music More to Her Liking". Deseret News. November 10, 1989.
- ^ McKenna, Kristine (7 Oct 1989). "Cervenka's New Life as an Old Wife". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 1.
- Whitburn, Joel (December 19, 2008). Joel Whitburn Presents Rock Tracks 1981-2008. Hal Leonard Corporation.
- Brodeur, Scott (19 Oct 1989). "Former Punk Offers Tunes with Twang". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. D7.
- ^ Erskine, Evelyn (15 Dec 1989). "Punk still lurking in move to poetry in rock". Ottawa Citizen. p. D6.
- Sullivan, Jim (7 Dec 1990). "X Still Marks a Spot in Her Heart". Arts and Film. The Boston Globe. p. 66.
- Righi, Len (14 Oct 1989). "Exene Marks Solo Spot with Album, Tour". The Morning Call. p. A63.
- ^ Kot, Greg (5 Oct 1989). "Recordings". Chicago Tribune. p. 15F.
- Brown, Joe (15 Oct 1989). "Singer-Songwriters with Studio'd Grace". The Washington Post. p. G6.
- ^ "Old Wives' Tales". AllMusic.
- ^ "Exene Cervenka". Robert Christgau.
- MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 1252.
- ^ Gettelman, Parry (1 Dec 1989). "Exene Cervenka, Old Wives' Tales". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 20.
- ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 120.
- Wyman, Bill (November 2, 1989). "Exene Cervenka". Chicago Reader.
- Pareles, Jon (October 29, 1989). "Half of X Equals Cervenka". The New York Times.
- Dafoe, Chris (23 Nov 1989). "Old Wives Tales Exene Cervenka". The Globe and Mail. p. C12.
- "X". Trouser Press. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
- "Exene Cervenka Old Wives' Tales". Toronto Star. 20 Oct 1989. p. D18.