On June 10th, Mercury/UMe will reissue five classic John Mellencamp albums on 180-gram vinyl LPs as The Vinyl Collection 1982-1989, a limited edition five-album box set. The collection will include the Top 200 chart toppers American Fool, Uh-Huh, Scarecrow, The Lonesome Jubilee and Big Daddy – seminal albums in Mellencamp’s success.
American Fool, his fifth album, was released in 1982 and became Mellencamp’s commercial breakthrough. It went on to hit #1 and became the best selling album of 1983, thanks to hits like “Jack & Diane” and the Grammy-winning #2 single “Hurts So Good.”
In 1983 he released Uh-Huh, which reached #9 and arrived with two Top 10 hits: “Crumbling Down” (#2) and “Pink Houses” (#8). Uh-Huh is certified triple-platinum in the U.S and five times platinum in Canada.
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Scarecrow followed in 1985 with a more social activist tone, with songs on the album addressing the fading of the American dream due to corporate greed. The album peaked at #2 and yielded three Top 10 singles: “R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A.” (#2), “Small Town” and “Lonely Ol’ Night” (both #6). The Lonesome Jubilee (1987) features the Billboard Top 10s “Cherry Bomb” and “Paper In Fire,” and was one of Mellencamp’s most successful worldwide, charting in 10 countries.
Mellencamp has said that 1989’s Big Daddy “was the best record I ever made. Out of my agony [at the time] came a couple of really beautiful songs. You can’t be 22 and had two dates and understand that album.” It features two Mainstream Rock chart Top 10s: “Pop Singer” and “Martha Say.”
Mellencamp has been on tour this year promoting his 22nd studio album, Plain Spoken. The show not only features new music from this latest release but also a variety of hits from the across his career such as “Hurts So Good” and “Jack and Diane,” among others. Joining him on tour is Carlene Carter, who performs solo and also joins Mellencamp for several songs. After hitting Australia for a month in June, the Plain Spoken tour heads back to finish up in several U.S. markets. Click here for tour details.
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