Spirit Trail

Release date

October 13 1998

Highest chart position

#148 US

Track listing

Disc 1

1. King of the Hill
2. Resting Place
3. Preacher in the Ring, Part I
4. Preacher in the Ring, Part II
5. Song C
6. Sad Moon
7. Pete and Manny
8. Fortunate Son
9. Sneaking up on Boo Radley
10. Great Divide

Disc 2

1. Line in the Dust
2. See the Same Way
3. Shadow Hand
4. Sunlight Moon
5. Listen to the Silence
6. Funhouse
7. Sunflower Cat (Some Dour Cat) (Down With That)
8. Song D
9. Swan Song
10. Variations on Swan Song and Song D

Personnel

Bruce Hornsby (piano, vocals, organ, Wurlitzer, Korg wavestation, Casio, dulcimer, mini-moog), J.T. Thomas (organ), J.V. Collier (bass), John Molo (drums), John Leventhal (guitar, bouzouki), John Pierce (bass), Debbie Henry (vocals), John Molo (drums, percussion), Matt Chamberlain (drums, percussion), Shawn Pelton (drums, percussion), Bobby Read (saxophone, clarinet, flute), John Dearth (trumpet), Tim Streagle (trombone), Adam Larrabee (guitar), David Bendeth (guitar), Joe Lee (vocals), Ashley MacIsaac (violin), Kyle Davis (vocals), Ernesto Laboy (vocals), Mike Mangini (guitar), Wayne Pooley (guitar), Matt Scannell (guitar), Matt Scannell (mandolin.), Skoti Alain Elliott (bass), Bobby Read (flute, clarinet, baritone sax), Colette Coward (vocals), David Mansfield (violin), Bobby Hornsby (shaker)

Audio clips

Fan reaction

The scores here were really interesting. Of Bruce’s five records to date, you scored this the highest for longevity, lyrics and musicality, yet the lowest by some margin for musical collaborations.

The five highest rated songs beat out anything on the previous release Hot House, and Fortunate Son is the highest ranked song since the original album, bar Harbor Lights’ title track.

We even have a couple of non-ballads in your top five, where Great Divide and Resting Place score very well.

The high score for longevity is reflected in today’s setlists, where almost all are played today. Curiously, we have only one record of Listen to the Silence ever having being played live in 25 years. The lower end of the scale saw Listen to the Silence and Pete and Manny push the total Spirit Trail score to just below Hot House, by 1%.

A double-album covering 90 minutes, this time with Bruce carrying the ball, rather than utilising a number of guests.

Spirit Trail reviews

CD Shakedown: Spirit Trail has inspired strong feelings, with some critics calling it the Album of the Year. Nobody seems to like the silly cover (a 1966 photo of Hornsby’s late Uncle Charlie), except Hornsby, who explains “It’s ironic to use an inane cover, because it’s a fairly serious record.” Fans of challenging pop, with a languorous streak, will enjoy Spirit Trail.

Boston Globe, August 14 1998: “Elemental. It’s not a word always associated with Bruce Hornsby, whose sometimes ornate, classical-jazz influenced piano style has earned him sessions with Ornette Coleman and Wayne Shorter. But Hornsby can also cut back to a funkier, stripped-down approach, as he does with the post-Grateful Dead band the Other Ones and on an upcoming double CD, “Spirit Trail,” which sports his most accessible music in years.”

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Amazon Spirit Trail purchase page (commission goes to Bruuuce.com)