All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes
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| All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes | |||||
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| Studio album by Pete Townshend | |||||
| Released | June 1, 1982 | ||||
| Recorded | Unknown | ||||
| Genre | Rock | ||||
| Length | 41:14 | ||||
| Label | Atco | ||||
| Producer | Chris Thomas | ||||
| Professional reviews | |||||
| Pete Townshend chronology | |||||
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All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes is the third official solo album by English rock musician and songwriter Pete Townshend. It was produced by Chris Thomas and recorded by Bill Price at Eel Pie, A.I.R. and Wessex studios in London. It contains compositions salvaged from later albums by The Who, although being clearly similar to all Townshend solo efforts (just like the late Who albums).
The album was widely criticized at the time for blending poetry with synthesizers and a more New Wave sound that was atypical of Townshend. Some of the more traditional songs - "The Sea Refuses No River", "Somebody Saved Me", and "Slit Skirts" - were received better than the experimentations - notably, "Stop Hurting People", "Uniforms", and "Communication" - but the album has become a fan favorite, with most holding it in higher regard than his previous album, Empty Glass.
A companion video was also released, featuring concept videos set to the musical backings of "Prelude", "Face Dances, Pt. 2", "Communication", "Uniforms", "Stardom In Acton", "Exquisitely Bored", and a re-recorded version of "Slit Skirts", with a harmonica performance on the last song that wasn't used on the studio cut. This video has been out of print for years, though Pete Townshend put the videos up on his website in 2000, which were then subsequently uploaded to other video websites on the Internet.
Along with the eleven songs on the album, further songs were also recorded, including "Body Language" (subsequently released in 1983 on Scoop), a track called "Man Watching" (released as the B-side of "Face Dances, Pt. 2"), and "Dance It Away", recorded with Kenney Jones and John Entwistle (thus making it a quasi-Who recording; the song was also performed live in concert by the band between 1979 and 1981, usually as a coda to "Dancing in the Street"), released as the B-side of "Uniforms". One further song was listed on the initial LP release; called "Vivienne", this, along with "Man Watching" and "Dance It Away", were released as bonus tracks on the 2006 reissue.
[edit] Track listing
All songs written by Pete Townshend, except where noted.
- "Stop Hurting People" - 3:55
- The song was performed live by the Deep End with Pete Townshend and released on the 1986 live album, Deep End Live!.
- "The Sea Refuses No River" (Pete Townshend, Alan Rogan) - 5:53
- With its distinctive harmonica riff, played by Peter Hope-Evans, and poetic lyrics, the song was inspired by the teachings of Townshend's mentor, Meher Baba. The theme of water crops up periodically in the Meher's prayers, and Townshend had written several Who songs based around this theme. The brass arrangement on this song was by Ann Odell.
- "Prelude" (Pete Townshend, Andy Newman) - 1:31
- The song was written with Andy Newman, formerly of Thunderclap Newman (whose 1970 No. 1 single, "Something in the Air," Townshend produced), who also arranged the orchestration. Overall, "Prelude" serves as a brief orchestral link into the next song.
- "Face Dances, Pt. 2" - 3:24
- Contrary to popular belief, it was not written or submitted for The Who's 1981 album, Face Dances, but was actually written after the sessions for that album had been completed. Townshend's inspiration for the first verse came after seeing a woman at a party who was flicking a matchstick between her teeth with her tongue, prompting him to say, "Face dances."
- "Exquisitely Bored" - 3:41
- The song was written by Townshend during his stay in California for drug rehabilitation and was recently revealed that it may have been submitted for The Who's 1982 album, It's Hard.
- "Communication" - 3:19
- Seemingly written about the deterioration of communication between people (the inarticulate lines "Comma, commi, commu, communi" reinforce this, and are similar to Roger Daltrey's stuttered lines from The Who's 1965 single, "My Generation") while also marrying poetry with rock, the song is propelled by the explosive drumming of Simon Phillips. Also of interest is the fact that it shares the same structural rhythmic hook as "Cry If You Want" from The Who's It's Hard LP.
- "Stardom in Acton" - 3:42
- Sometimes mistakenly called "Stardom in Action", the song title actually refers to Acton, London, where Townshend (along with John Entwistle and Roger Daltrey) were born in the 1940s, as well as to Acton, California: "I'll go where the senescent soldier retires and shiver in south California." This coincidence of place names prompts reflection on his ambition both as an English youth and as a thirty-something rock star, with lines such as "Stardom, I'm Hollywood's son; All alone, don't admire anonymity."
- "Uniforms (Corp d'Esprit)" - 3:42
- The song was released as the first single from the album and continues Townshend's explorations in synthesizer experiments, while its lyrics are somewhat conventional and are about the act of conforming to the latest fashions and trends of the day.
- "North Country Girl" (Traditional) - 2:27
- This is the only song derived from a previous work -- Girl from the North Country which originally appeared on Bob Dylan's 1963 album, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. (Dylan based "Girl from the North Country" on a traditional English folk ballad, Scarborough Fair.) Townshend's version stays close to Girl from the North Country, repeating much of the same lyrics, but adds a somber nuclear twist in the song's final lyrics. The song is the only track on this album to feature a prominent acoustic guitar (instead of a synthesizer or electric guitar as the main instrument).
- "Somebody Saved Me" - 4:51
- The song was originally submitted for The Who's Face Dances, but was ultimately left unreleased. The original version was taken at a slower pace and is far more personal-sounding than on this album; this was released on the 1997 CD reissue of Face Dances. "Somebody Saved Me" seems to be about Townshend's well-publicized descent into self-destructive behavior following the death of Keith Moon in 1978, and makes several allusions to his fallen friend ("And when I finally woke up clean, my friend was dead / Stone dead").
- "Slit Skirts" - 4:54
- Often confused by listeners as a song about fashion and/or sex, the tune is actually about the concept of never giving up. The track was first performed live in July of 1982 at the first Prince's Trust concert in London featuring Phil Collins on drums.
Bonus Tracks (2006 Reissue)
- "Vivienne" - 3:37
- "Man Watching" - 2:32
- "Dance It Away" - 3:38
[edit] Personnel
- Pete Townshend: Vocals, guitars and keyboards
- Virginia Astley: Piano
- Tony Butler: Bass
- Peter Hope-Evans: Harmonica
- Mark Brzezicki, Simon Phillips: Drums
- Jody Linscott: Percussion
- Chris Stainton: Additional keyboards
- Poli Palmer: Tuned percussion
- John Lewis: Fairlight CMI synthesizer programmes
[edit] Charts
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
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| 1982 | Billboard Pop Albums | 26 |
| Year | Song | Chart | Position |
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| 1982 | "Face Dances Part Two" | Billboard Pop Singles | 105 |
| 1982 | "Face Dances Part Two" | AOR Rock Tracks | 15 |
| 1982 | "Slit Skirts" | AOR Rock Tracks | 41 |
| 1982 | "Stardom in Acton" | AOR Rock Tracks | 30 |
| 1982 | "Uniforms (Corp d'Esprit)" | UK Singles | 48 |
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