Halcyon Days (Bruce Hornsby album)

Halcyon Days
Studio album by Bruce Hornsby
Released	August 17, 2004
Genre	Rock Jazz
Label	Columbia
Producer	Wayne Pooley, Bruce Hornsby
Bruce Hornsby chronology
Big Swing Face (2002) Halcyon Days (2004) Intersections (1985-2005) (2006)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Rolling Stone	[1]

Halcyon Days is the eighth studio album by American singer and pianist Bruce Hornsby. The album, recorded with his touring band the Noisemakers, was released in 2004. It was Hornsby's first release with Columbia Records. One song, "What The Hell Happened", has been described as a rare example of the use of bitonality in a pop piece.^[2]

The album marked a return to a more acoustic, piano-driven sound that reviewers described as "pure Hornsby".^[3] Guests included Sting, Elton John and Eric Clapton. The tracks "Gonna Be Some Changes Made," "Candy Mountain Run," "Dreamland," and "Circus On The Moon" became concert staples, each showcasing the diversity of Hornsby's improvisations and the Noisemakers' live sound. Notably, Halcyon Days also includes a suite of solo piano songs—"What The Hell Happened," "Hooray For Tom," and "Heir Gordon"—which all have a "Randy Newman pastiche."^[4] Although the album was markedly less-risk-taking than Big Swing Face, it would be well-received as a "winning balance of [Hornsby's] tuneful and adventurous sides."^[3]

"Gonna Be Some Changes Made" was used in several Lowe's commercials from 2006.

Track listing

All songs written by Bruce Hornsby.

1. "Gonna Be Some Changes Made"
2. "Candy Mountain Run" (with Eric Clapton)
3. "Dreamland" (duet with Elton John)
4. "Circus on the Moon"
5. "Halcyon Days"
6. "What the Hell Happened"
7. "Hooray For Tom"
8. "Heir Gordon"
9. "Mirror On The Wall"
10. "Song F"
11. "Lost in the Snow"

Musicians

• Bruce Hornsby - piano, keyboards, vocals
• J. V. Collier - bass
• Sonny Emory - drums
• Bobby Read - clarinet
• Doug Derryberry - guitar
• John "J. T." Thomas - organ
• Sting - vocals (on "Gonna Be Some Changes Made" and "Halcyon Days")
• Elton John - vocals (on "Dreamland")
• Eric Clapton - guitar (on "Gonna Be Some Changes Made", "Candy Mountain Run" and "Halcyon Days"), vocals (on "Candy Mountain Run")
• R. S. Hornsby - guitar
• Lloyd Johns - background vocals
• Wayne Pooley - guitar
• Bonny Bonaparte - percussion
• Woody Green - background vocals
• Ralph Payne - background vocals
• Donnie Struckey - background vocals

References

1. Bruce Hornsby: Halcyon Days at the Wayback Machine (archived June 27, 2009), RollingStone.com.
2. Diton, Robert (September 23, 2011). "Bruce Hornsby to bring the noise to Englewood", Examiner.com.
3. Wild, David (2004-09-02). "Bruce Hornsby: Halcyon Days". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2007-05-04.
4. Miller, Skyler. "Halcyon Days: Overview". All Media Guide, LLC. Retrieved 2007-05-04.