Wikipedia

The Way It Is (Bruce Hornsby album)

The Way It Is is the debut album by Bruce Hornsby and the Range, released by RCA Records in 1986. Led by its hit title track, the album achieved multi-platinum status and contributed to the group winning the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. Other notable tracks from the album include "Mandolin Rain" and "Every Little Kiss". Huey Lewis appears on harmonica and provides vocals on "Down the Road Tonight." Lewis also co-produced this track, along with "The Long Race" and "The River Runs Low."

The Way It Is
cover art
Album cover on the reissue
Studio album by
Bruce Hornsby and the Range
ReleasedApril 24, 1986[1]
Recorded1985–1986
Studio
GenreRock, soft rock
Length43:12
LabelRCA
ProducerBruce Hornsby, Huey Lewis, Elliot Scheiner
Bruce Hornsby chronology
The Way It Is
(1986) 		Scenes from the Southside
(1988)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Robert ChristgauB−[3]

Releases

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The original release of the album featured an impressionistic photograph on the cover of Bruce Hornsby playing an accordion.[4] It was initially aimed at the New Age music market and included slightly different versions of the songs "Down the Road Tonight" and "The River Runs Low."

As the album's tracks began to receive regular airplay on pop music stations in late 1986, it was remixed and subsequently re-released with a new sepia-toned cover featuring a photograph of the band superimposed over an image of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge–Tunnel in Virginia.

Track listing

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The Way It Is track listing
No.TitleLength
1."On the Western Skyline"4:42
2."Every Little Kiss"5:48
3."Mandolin Rain"5:19
4."The Long Race"4:26
5."The Way It Is"4:58
6."Down the Road Tonight"4:26
7."The Wild Frontier"4:04
8."The River Runs Low"4:28
9."The Red Plains"5:01

Tracks 2 and 5 were written by Bruce Hornsby, while all other songs were co-written by Bruce Hornsby and John Hornsby. The track times listed are for the current release of the album. The opening of "Every Little Kiss" features an extended quotation from the beginning of Movement III, The Alcotts, from Charles Ives's Piano Sonata No. 2.

Live: The Way It Is Tour 1986–87

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Live: The Way It Is Tour 1986–87 track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Every Little Kiss"6:27
2."The Long Race"6:02
3."The Way It Is (Solo Piano Intro)"7:07
4."The Way It Is"6:25
5."Mandolin Rain"6:31
6."The Red Plains"6:44
7."On the Western Skyline"6:19

Produced by DIR Broadcasting for the King Biscuit Flower Hour. Recorded live at The Ritz, New York City, February 2, 1987 by Effanel Music.

Personnel

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Bruce Hornsby and The Range

Additional personnel

Production

  • Executive producer – Paul Atkinson
  • Tracks 1–3, 5, 7 and 9 produced by Bruce Hornsby and Elliot Scheiner (for Trackman, Inc.); tracks 4, 6 and 8 produced by Huey Lewis.
  • Recorded and engineered by Elliot Scheiner (Tracks 1–3, 5, 7 and 9) and Jim Gaines (Tracks 4, 6 and 8)
  • Additional engineers – Eddie King and Jeff "Nik" Norman
  • Assistant engineers – Jim "Watts" Vereecke and Lenette Viegas.
  • Mixed by Eddie King, David Luke, Don Smith and Elliot Scheiner.
  • Mixed at Fantasy Studios (Berkeley, CA); Conway Studios (Hollywood, CA); The Village Recorder and The Complex (Los Angeles, CA); Rumbo Recorders (Canoga Park, CA).
  • Mastered by Stephen Marcussen at Precision Mastering (Hollywood, CA).
  • Digital editing by Bob Harlan
  • Production assistant – Ivy Skoff
  • Art direction and design – Ted Raess
  • Art consultant – Kathy Hornsby
  • Photography – Aaron Rapoport
  • Inner sleeve photo – Robert Llewellyn
  • Enforcement – Jeff Gerson

Charts and certifications

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References

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  1. ^ "FMQB" (PDF). p. 36. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2024-05-19. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  2. ^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/r9510
  3. ^ Christgau, Robert (March 31, 1987). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Archived from the original on May 7, 2013. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
  4. ^ "The first U.S. CD issue of Bruce Hornsby and The Range The Way It Is". Keith Hirsch's CD Resource. Archived from the original on 3 February 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  5. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 142. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  6. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Bruce Hornsby and the range – The Way It Is" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  7. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Bruce Hornsby And The Range – The Way It Is" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  8. ^ "Charts.nz – Bruce Hornsby and the range – The Way It Is". Hung Medien.
  9. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Bruce Hornsby and the range – The Way It Is". Hung Medien.
  10. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Bruce Hornsby and the range – The Way It Is". Hung Medien.
  11. ^ "Bruce Hornsby | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.
  12. ^ "Bruce Hornsby Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  13. ^ "Bruce Hornsby Chart History (Top Catalog Albums)". Billboard.
  14. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1987". Recorded Music NZ. Archived from the original on 11 May 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  15. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2002 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  16. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Bruce Hornsby – The Way It Is". Music Canada. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  17. ^ "British album certifications – Bruce Hornsby – The Way It Is". British Phonographic Industry.
  18. ^ "American album certifications – Bruce Hornsby – The Way It Is". Recording Industry Association of America.
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