Aimless Love is John Prine's 8th record. Released in 1984, it was the first record to be released on his independent record label, Oh Boy Records, which was formed in an attempt to take control of his own music. "There ain't no middleman," he said, in an interview with the Nashville Network. "There is no swarthy little character in Cleveland that gets the money from the people that want the music, and then he takes most of it, twirls his moustache, and then sends me twelve cents."
It was Prine's first album of original material since 1980's Storm Windows, and in the intervening years he relocated to Nashville and started writing and co-writing songs for other artists. Probably the most notable song he wrote during this time was Love Is On A Roll, which Don Williams recorded.
According to the 1993 release Great Days: The John Prine Anthology, "Aimless Love was finally released in 1984, the recording complicated by tight finances, the launch of Prine's own independent label, Oh Boy, and Prine's habitual low-speed approach to making records."
Prine co-wrote six of the ten songs on this album, about which he later commented that, "in Nashville it’s hard to avoid co-writing a song. If you have a beer with someone, the next thing you know they’re calling you up to co-write.” Some of the record's songs had been around for years. Prine is known to have performed the song Aimless Love on an episode of the TV show Austin City Limits in the 1970s, and The Bottomless Lake, on Saturday Night Live in 1976.
Aimless Love was the first John Prine album not to ride up the charts, although it did garner positive reviews and remains critically respected. Biographer Eddie Huffman called Prine's vocals on Aimless Love "the best of his career to date" and added that the song Unwed Fathers is "the best since his debut, a character song that held its own with Sam Stone."
I was lucky enough to meet John Prine outside Massey Hall in Toronto, in 2016. He signed my copy of Aimless Love (pictured above) and we chatted for a couple of minutes. His show that night was an incredible performance, although it didn't include any songs from this record. But that's because by then there were so many albums and songs to choose from, and the truth is that when Prine and his band strode onto the stage in matching suits and ties it didn't matter what they played. It was all good, although I was glad they played Angel From Montgomery and Sam Stone.
Cancer surgery in 1998 left his head hanging a bit to one side and his physical appearance seemed to completely change, but the way he saw things it was just another something life had tossed in his path that had to be endured and Prine endured it with dignity.
If you're in the mood for some off-the-beaten-path John Prine this is the album you want to listen to. It's familiar, yet somehow new.
Aimless Love is John Prine's 8th record. Released in 1984, it was the first record to be released on his independent record label, Oh Boy Records, which was formed in an attempt to take control of his own music. "There ain't no middleman," he said, in an interview with the Nashville Network. "There is no swarthy little character in Cleveland that gets the money from the people that want the music, and then he takes most of it, twirls his moustache, and then sends me twelve cents."
It was Prine's first album of original material since 1980's Storm Windows, and in the intervening years he relocated to Nashville and started writing and co-writing songs for other artists. Probably the most notable song he wrote during this time was Love Is On A Roll, which Don Williams recorded.
According to the 1993 release Great Days: The John Prine Anthology, "Aimless Love was finally released in 1984, the recording complicated by tight finances, the launch of Prine's own independent label, Oh Boy, and Prine's habitual low-speed approach to making records."
Prine co-wrote six of the ten songs on this album, about which he later commented that, "in Nashville it’s hard to avoid co-writing a song. If you have a beer with someone, the next thing you know they’re calling you up to co-write.” Some of the record's songs had been around for years. Prine is known to have performed the song Aimless Love on an episode of the TV show Austin City Limits in the 1970s, and The Bottomless Lake, on Saturday Night Live in 1976.
Aimless Love was the first John Prine album not to ride up the charts, although it did garner positive reviews and remains critically respected. Biographer Eddie Huffman called Prine's vocals on Aimless Love "the best of his career to date" and added that the song Unwed Fathers is "the best since his debut, a character song that held its own with Sam Stone."
I was lucky enough to meet John Prine outside Massey Hall in Toronto, in 2016. He signed my copy of Aimless Love (pictured above) and we chatted for a couple of minutes. His show that night was an incredible performance, although it didn't include any songs from this record. But that's because by then there were so many albums and songs to choose from, and the truth is that when Prine and his band strode onto the stage in matching suits and ties it didn't matter what they played. It was all good, although I was glad they played Angel From Montgomery and Sam Stone.
Cancer surgery in 1998 left his head hanging a bit to one side and his physical appearance seemed to completely change, but the way he saw things it was just another something life had tossed in his path that had to be endured and Prine endured it with dignity.
If you're in the mood for some off-the-beaten-path John Prine this is the album you want to listen to. It's familiar, yet somehow new.
BONUS TRACK
John Prine was born on October 10, 1946, in Maywood, Illinois and grew up in a music-loving home.
Although he didn’t plan on a life in showbiz, he liked to write songs and did so just for something to do. But during an open-mic night at a local bar Prine got up and played three of those songs: Hello In There, Sam Stone and Paradise. He was immediately offered a gig by the club's owner and was soon performing around town, which garnered a local following.
As word spread he begin performing at clubs in New York and Los Angeles and landed a contract with Atlantic Records. His first LP, John Prine, consisted of songs Prine had written during his days as a mailman while he was out on his route.
Prine made four more albums with Atlantic and toured continually, eventually ending up at Asylum Records where he released Bruised Orange in 1978. His next record, Pink Cadillac, had a more rock-influenced feel.
In 1997 a diagnosis of stage four neck cancer, possibly brought on by years of heavy smoking, resulted in surgery and then weeks of radiation therapy.
Prine beat the disease and eventually resumed touring and recording. But he looked older and a bit frailer.
Prine died on April 7th, 2020, due to complications brought on by coronavirus. It is likely his preexistiong health issues made it harder for him to fight the virus.
John Prine was born on October 10, 1946, in Maywood, Illinois and grew up in a music-loving home.
Although he didn’t plan on a life in showbiz, he liked to write songs and did so just for something to do. But during an open-mic night at a local bar Prine got up and played three of those songs: Hello In There, Sam Stone and Paradise. He was immediately offered a gig by the club's owner and was soon performing around town, which garnered a local following.
As word spread he begin performing at clubs in New York and Los Angeles and landed a contract with Atlantic Records. His first LP, John Prine, consisted of songs Prine had written during his days as a mailman while he was out on his route.
Prine made four more albums with Atlantic and toured continually, eventually ending up at Asylum Records where he released Bruised Orange in 1978. His next record, Pink Cadillac, had a more rock-influenced feel.
In 1997 a diagnosis of stage four neck cancer, possibly brought on by years of heavy smoking, resulted in surgery and then weeks of radiation therapy.
Prine beat the disease and eventually resumed touring and recording. But he looked older and a bit frailer.
Prine died on April 7th, 2020, due to complications brought on by coronavirus. It is likely his preexistiong health issues made it harder for him to fight the virus.
