| The Way It Is | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 1, 1986 | |||
| Recorded | 1985–1986 | |||
| Studio | ||||
| Genre | Rock, soft rock | |||
| Length | 43:12 | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Producer | Bruce Hornsby, Huey Lewis, Elliot Scheiner | |||
| Bruce Hornsby chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative cover art | ||||
 First U.S. release cover | ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau | B−[2] |
The Way It Is is Bruce Hornsby and the Range's debut album, released by RCA Records in 1986. Led by its hit title track, the album went on to achieve multi-platinum status and helped the group to win the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. Other hits from the album include "Mandolin Rain" and "Every Little Kiss". Huey Lewis features on harmonica and vocals on "Down the Road Tonight". Lewis also co-produced the song, along with the tracks "The Long Race" and "The River Runs Low".
Releases
The original release of the album featured an impressionistic photograph on the cover of Bruce Hornsby playing an accordion.[3] It was originally targeted at the New Age music market and featured slightly different versions of the songs "Down the Road Tonight" and "The River Runs Low."
Once the album's tracks started to receive regular airplay on Pop music stations in late 1986, the album was remixed and was re-released with a new sepia-toned cover featuring a photo of the band superimposed over a photo of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel in Virginia.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 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 written by Bruce Hornsby; all other songs written by Bruce Hornsby and John Hornsby. Track times are for the current release of the album. The opening of "Every Little Kiss" features an extended quotation from the opening of Movement III, The Alcotts, from Charles Ives's Piano Sonata No. 2.
Live: The Way It Is Tour 1986–87
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 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
Bruce Hornsby and The Range
- Bruce Hornsby – vocals, grand piano, synthesizer, hammered dulcimer, accordion
- David Mansfield – guitar, mandolin, violin
- George Marinelli – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, backing vocals
- Joe Puerta – bass, backing vocals
- John Molo – drums, percussion
Additional personnel
- Huey Lewis – harmonica, backing vocals on "Down the Road Tonight"
- John Gilutin and Sean Hopper – synthesizer consultants
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
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
Certifications
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References
- ↑ https://www.allmusic.com/album/r9510
- ↑ Christgau, Robert (March 31, 1987). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
- ↑ "The first U.S. CD issue of Bruce Hornsby and The Range The Way It Is". Keith Hirsch's CD Resource. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Bruce Hornsby and the range – The Way It Is" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
- ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Bruce Hornsby And The Range – The Way It Is" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
- ↑ "Charts.nz – Bruce Hornsby and the range – The Way It Is". Hung Medien.
- ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Bruce Hornsby and the range – The Way It Is". Hung Medien.
- ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Bruce Hornsby and the range – The Way It Is". Hung Medien.
- ↑ "Bruce Hornsby | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.
- ↑ "Bruce Hornsby Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
- ↑ "Bruce Hornsby Chart History (Top Catalog Albums)". Billboard.
- ↑ "Top Selling Albums of 1987". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
- ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2002 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
- ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Bruce Hornsby – The Way It Is". Music Canada. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
- ↑ "British album certifications – Bruce Hornsby – The Way It Is". British Phonographic Industry.
- ↑ "American album certifications – Bruce Hornsby – The Way It Is". Recording Industry Association of America.