Five Days in July
| Five Days in July | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 US CD cover art | ||||
| Studio album by Blue Rodeo | ||||
| Released |
October 26, 1993 (Canada) September 27, 1994 (US) | |||
| Recorded | July 1993 | |||
| Genre | Country rock | |||
| Length | 59:09 | |||
| Label |
WEA (Canada) Discovery (US) | |||
| Producer | Blue Rodeo | |||
| Blue Rodeo chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   link |
Five Days in July is the fifth studio album by Blue Rodeo. It was keyboardist James Gray's first album with the band. The band's most commercially successful album, it has been certified six times platinum as of 2008.
The album was recorded on singer/guitarist Greg Keelor's farm in Southern Ontario in July 1993. While the band originally intended for the recordings to serve only as demos, they found that the songs had a warmth and spontaneity that warranted releasing the collection as an album. Guest musicians on the album include Sarah McLachlan, Colin Linden and Anne Bourne.
This album is supposed to be a tribute to the Harvest-era Neil Young sound.[1] This is especially evident on the song "5 Days in May."
"5 Days in May", "Hasn't Hit Me Yet" and "Bad Timing" were notable hit singles for the band.
Track listing
All songs by Greg Keelor and Jim Cuddy, except where noted.
- "5 Days in May" – 7:12
- "Hasn't Hit Me Yet" – 5:14
- "Bad Timing" – 5:09
- "Cynthia" – 4:40
- "Photograph" – 4:10
- "What is This Love" – 6:16
- "English Bay" – 3:20
- "Head over Heels" – 4:01
- "'Til I Gain Control Again" – 4:29 - Rodney Crowell
- "Dark Angel" – 5:16
- "Know Where You Go/Tell Me Your Dream" – 9:22
Track trivia
- "What is This Love," "Dark Angel" and "Tell Me Your Dream" feature Sarah McLachlan.
- Singer/guitarist Jim Cuddy has said that "5 Days in May" was inspired by his sound engineer's practice of writing his wife's name in the sand whenever he finds himself on a beach. Cuddy noticed the engineer doing so while the band was on tour in New Zealand, and was inspired to write lyrics combining this story with the story of how Cuddy met his own wife.
Chart performance
| Chart (1993) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM Country Albums | 3 |
| Canadian RPM Top Albums | 8 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[2] | 6× Platinum |
References
- ↑ Barclay, Michael; Schneider, Jason; Jack, Ian (2011). Have Not Been the Same: The CanRock Renaissance, 1985-1995. p. 783-787. ISBN 1554909686.
- ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Blue Rodeo – 5 Days in July". Music Canada.