Your fall record haul just got waaayyyy better.
The November selection for our Record of the Month Club is the debut solo album from Tina Turner, originally released in 1974 and never previously reissued. The album turns 50 years old this year!
Tina Turns the Country On! finds Tina stepping into country music with her own soulful take on classics by Kris Kristofferson, Bob Dylan, Olivia Newton-John, James Taylor and Dolly Parton. Tina’s version of “Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You” is one of our favorite Dylan covers of all time.
The album garnered Turner a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female at the 17th Annual Grammy Awards.
From The Needle Drop:
In 1974, two years before she finally managed to break free from her abusive husband Ike, Tina Turner tried her hand at country with the release of her debut solo album, Tina Turns the Country On!, via the now-defunct label United Artists.
Despite being nominated for a Grammy, the album didn’t fare all that well commercially and, to this day, has never been reissued worldwide on physical formats. But that all changes on November 15th with a Warner Music reissue of the album on half-speed mastered vinyl, along with three other early Tina Turner solo albums – 1975’s Acid Queen, 1978’s Rough, and 1979’s Love Explosion – that have been out of print for over 20 years.
Although Tina Turns the Country On! mostly comprised of covers, the swampy opening track “Bayou Song” was specially written for her. Tina performed the song on the TV show The Midnight Special.
The welcome return of Tina Turns the Country On! is the second major reissue of Turner’s work this year, following April’s Rhino Records 30th anniversary edition of the late singer’s classic soundtrack recording, What’s Love Got To Do With It. Turner’s name has also been part of the conversation surrounding Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, with many commentators drawing parallels between the two artists.
Billboard reviewed the record in 1974:
Fine mix of country, folky and soft rock tunes done in Tina’s inimitable style. On this effort she flexes her voice from its softest to its usual rough tone and molds it perfectly around each cut. Drawing from a wide range of composers from Dylan to Dolly Parton to Kris Kristofferson to Hank Snow. Ms. Turner should gain easy soul and pop play and possibly some country play. Surprisingly effective are the slow cuts, and Tina proves just as adept an interpreter of other’s material as she is a singer of original songs.
