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Against the Grain is the fifth album by singer-songwriter Phoebe Snow, released in 1978.

Against the Grain
Studio album by Phoebe Snow
Released	October 1978
Recorded	A&R Recording, New York City
Genre	Soft rock
Label	Columbia
Producer	Phil Ramone, Barry Beckett
Phoebe Snow chronology
Never Letting Go (1977) Against the Grain (1978) Rock Away (1981)

Overview

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Christgau's Record Guide	C+[2]
Smash Hits	6/10[3]

At the time of the release of Against the Grain, Phoebe Snow called it her "rockiest" album, "a deliberate turning away from the jazz influences" of her earlier recordings.[4] Peter Reilly of Stereo Review recognized the album's intent to "mark [Snow's] entrance into Outright Rock-&-Roll", dismissing it as "merely a paraphrase of real rock" and lamenting that "a singer who...has shown a real flair for projecting a lyric with poignancy and feeling has made such an awkward and clumsy turnabout."[5]

Rising no higher than #100 on the Billboard 200, Against the Grain became Snow's second album to seriously under-perform, ending her association with Columbia Records. Snow would have one album release in the next ten years, which was Rock Away, touted as her move into "rock-&-roll".[6][7][8] In interviews concurrent with the 1981 release of Rock Away, Snow would label Against the Grain a "disaster":[9] "[it] tried to be a rock album but had too many opinions. Everybody who played, sang or cleaned up the studio produced that album...Putting [Paul McCartney's "Every Night"]" - which afforded Snow a hit in the UK and Australia - "was the one idea of mine that filtered through."[10]

In a retrospective review for Allmusic, critic William Ruhlmann wrote of the album "The decision to add Barry Beckett as co-producer with Phil Ramone helped add an R&B depth and fervor, but 'Against the Grain' was just a more impassioned effort than its predecessor."[1] Robert Christgau wrote of the album; "this time she dies on the non-originals...Paul McCartney's Every Night' shows up the hooklessness of almost everything else."[2]

Track listing

Songs written by Phoebe Snow, except where noted.

Side One

1. "Every Night" (Paul McCartney) – 3:31
2. "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" (Chips Moman, Dan Penn) – 4:08
3. "He's Not Just Another Man" (Clyde Wilson, Brian Holland) – 2:59
4. "Random Time" – 3:39
5. "In My Life" (Patti Austin) – 5:02

Side Two

1. "You Have Not Won" – 4:22
2. "Mama Don't Break Down" – 3:06
3. "Oh L.A." – 3:17
4. "The Married Men" (Maggie Roche) – 3:44
5. "Keep a Watch on the Shoreline" – 4:39

Charts

Chart (1979)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[11]	9

Personnel

• Phoebe Snow – acoustic guitar, lead vocals, backing vocals
• Barry Beckett – keyboards, acoustic piano, synthesizers
• Dave Grusin – keyboards
• Richard Tee – electric piano
• Steve Burgh – electric guitar, slide guitar
• Steve Khan – 12-string guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, guitar solo
• Hugh McCracken – 12-string guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
• Jeff Mironov – electric guitar, guitar solo
• Warren Nichols – pedal steel guitar
• Will Lee – bass
• Hugh MacDonald – bass
• Doug Stegmeyer – bass
• Liberty DeVitto – drums
• Rick Marotta – drums
• Ralph MacDonald – percussion
• Michael Brecker – saxophone, sax solo
• Jon Faddis – flugelhorn, flugelhorn solo
• Corky Hale – harp
• Margo Chapman – backing vocals
• Michael Gray – backing vocals
• Lani Groves – backing vocals
• Gwen Guthrie – backing vocals
• Linda LaPresti – backing vocals

Production

• Barry Beckett – producer, mixing
• Phil Ramone – producer
• Burt Szerlip – engineer
• Steve Melton – remixing
• Ted Jenson – mastering
• Paula Scher – design
• Benno Friedman – photography

References

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