John Mellencamp
John Mellencamp SAD CLOWNS & HILLBIL | Vinyl
John Mellencamp SAD CLOWNS & HILLBIL | Vinyl
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Sad Clowns & Hillbillies marks the first time in a decade that a John Mellencamp studio record finds him in the producer's chair. It's the first time ever that he's shared billing on an album cover. Carlene Carter is a singer/songwriter and music biz veteran; the daughter of country music royalty -- Carl Smith and June Carter Cash -- making her the stepdaughter of Johnny. She and Mellencamp worked together on 2012's Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, the musical theater project he scored for Stephen King; they collaborated further on the soundtrack for Ithaca -- the "Sugar Hill Mountain" reprised here is one of a handful of excellent duets between them. Things don't begin well, however. Mellencamp's attempt at Mickey Newbury's "Mobile Blue" (from his classic 'Frisco Mabel Joy album) is utterly dull despite using a full band driven by Miriam Sturm's excellent fiddling. "Battle of Angels" hearkens back to the songwriter's Lonesome Jubilee/Big Daddy period, and works like a charm. It's got everything: A killer hook, a poetic lyric, and a gritty vocal. Martina McBride appears as his duet partner on first single "Grandview," a rocking paean to trailer parks -- -- though guest guitarist Izzy Stradlin almost steals the show with a greasy blues-rock shuffle and break. "Indigo Sunset," the first duet between the headliners -- is kicked off by Carter's soulful country contralto. She frames the lyric's haunted loneliness while Mellencamp's grainy rasp -- framed by B-3, mandolin, fiddle, and guitars -- balances perfectly to bring it home. "All Night Talk Radio" is classic Mellencamp: Its dark vision is painted in compelling, ironic, and dark imagery packaged as in a taut, acoustic rocker. Morally, he should share the royalties for "You Are Blind" with Leonard Cohen's estate: A careful listen reveals that the strategic manner of stacking images and metaphors to draw out the last syllables bears the unmistakable imprint of the late songwriter's classic "Suzanne." Carter's soaring lead opening the duet of the rocking blues-gospel of "Damascus Road" is another set highlight. That theme also guides "My Soul's Got Wings," with Mellencamp's melody and chart accompanying a Woody Guthrie lyric -- Carter's command of the country church vernacular (after all, she sang with her mom in the Carter Family) lights the fuse for Mellencamp -- no stranger himself to rural Sunday services -- and he brings it home. While the words in closer "An Easy Target" rank among Mellencamp's most politically charged and socially arresting, his faux Tom Waits' delivery blunts the tune's impact a bit, but it's too powerful to be completely buried under a stylistic mistake. While Sad Clowns & Hillbillies is a bit of a mixed bag, it's better than all of his other records that bear that mark (Dance Naked, Whenever We Wanted, Rough Harvest, et. al). It puts all his strengths -- excellent original songs, unforced arrangements, and (mostly) inspired performances -- on full display. Well, almost. Because Carter's dynamic presence here, and the pair's unmistakable chemistry, lift this album above the ordinary. ~ Thom Jurek
- Genre: Rock
- Format: Vinyl
- Released: 4/28/2017
Shipping & Returns
Shipping & Returns
We will gladly return any item that has been damaged during shipping or if there is damage to the item itself.
Please take photos of the damaged packaging/items and email them with a brief explanation of the damaged item to: returns@daredevilecords.com
Daredevil Records use The Planet app powered by Shopify to neutralize your shipping emissions and removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Daredevil Records has committed to donating the most amount of money possible from your order to offset C02 emissions.
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This includes funding innovative solutions such as direct air capture and mineralization, and a small portion of nature-based carbon removal. These funds companies such as 44.01, Carbofex, CarbonBuilt, CarbonCure, Charm Industrial, Climeworks, DroneSeed, Grassroots Carbon, Heirloom Carbon, Loam, Noya, Pachama, Planetary, Remora, Running Tide, and Sustaera. |
Carbon Removal Process
Carbon removal is the process of capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and then storing it.
For example, if a truck or a plane that delivers your shipment releases 1 kg of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere, and you are subscribed to the Planet app, then Shopify ensures that 1kg of CO2 is also sucked from the atmosphere and stored away using solutions and technologies in Shopify Sustainability Fund.
There is a fast-growing and evolving sector with many carbon removal technologies in different stages of development. These technologies include nature-based solutions, such as reforestation and soil carbon sequestration and more high-tech solutions, such as direct air capture and mineralization.
How Shipping Emissions Are Calculated
The Planet app combines data from our store with industry data and peer-reviewed models to estimate how much CO2 your shipments release into the environment. Because the Planet app makes sure that CO2 shipping emissions are removed entirely, all values that are used in the data models are rounded up.
Review the following table to learn more about the which data is used to determine shipping emissions:
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Factor |
Primary value |
If primary value isn't available |
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Weight |
Weight of the shipment |
An average shipment weight |
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Distance |
Distance traveled according to the tracking data |
Straight-line distance between the origin and destination address, multiplied by an uncertainty factor of 1.5 |
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Type of transportation |
Truck or plane carbon emissions, determined by speed and distance |
Truck emissions |
To estimate your emissions, the Planet app uses order tracking data associated with the tracking number assigned to the shipment. If the tracking number isn’t available or the shipping carrier isn’t supported, then the Planet app multiplies the estimated emissions by an uncertainty factor of 1.5. The uncertainty factor helps make sure that all your emissions are removed. If any data is inconsistent or missing, then the Planet app uses a reasonable maximum value instead.
For example, suppose that you ship a package from Boston to New York. The straight-line distance is 305.94 km, but the shortest road route is around 350 km. If tracking data is available, then the Planet app uses the exact distance traveled.
However, if no tracking data is provided, then 305.94 km is used in the base calculation, and the resulting emissions would be multiplied by 1.5. This calculation accounts for variations in the route, such as distances traveled from post offices and distribution centers, and the route taken by the courier to deliver the package to your customer's door.
Considerations for using the Planet app
Review the following considerations for the Carbon Neutral Shipping Planet app:
- The models and estimates aren’t exact, but the Planet app overestimates your emissions to make sure that they’re entirely removed.
- The Planet app removes only carbon (CO2) emissions that account for 95% of the climate impact from burning fossil fuels for transportation. Other emissions such as CH4, N2O, and GHG aren’t removed.
- Orders that are shipped by sea transportation (we do not ship any orders by sea) don't generate the data required to accurately calculate emissions. Instead, industry-accepted alternative methods are used to calculate emissions.
- The Planet app currently focuses on addressing emissions from shipping-related transportation.
