Garth Brooks in...the Life of Chris Gaines
Garth Brooks in...the Life of Chris Gaines | ||||
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Studio album by Garth Brooks (as Chris Gaines) | ||||
Released | September 28, 1999 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 56:23 | |||
Label | Capitol | |||
Producer | Don Was | |||
Garth Brooks chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Christgau's Consumer Guide | [8] |
The Daily Vault | B−[9] |
Entertainment Weekly | C−[2] |
Mojo | (favorable)[10] |
PopMatters | (favorable)[11] |
Q | [10] |
Rolling Stone | [3] |
Garth Brooks in...the Life of Chris Gaines, also titled Greatest Hits, is an album by American country music artist Garth Brooks, in which Brooks assumes the fictitious persona of Australian rock artist Chris Gaines. Originally, this album was intended to be the soundtrack for a movie called The Lamb that would star Brooks as a rock star recalling the different periods of his life. This album was purposely released a year in advance from the scheduled film release date to pique interest in Brooks performing rock instead of country. The Lamb, however, was never filmed due to financial and management problems.
The album was released on September 28, 1999. It reached No. 2 on the
On November 13, 1999, Brooks hosted Saturday Night Live as himself but performed the musical number ("Way of the Girl") as Chris Gaines without acknowledging to the audience that they were the same person. The album had disappointing sales compared to Brooks' previous albums, with some citing Brooks' image change of wig and make up, and the album's rock-star concept for this fact.[12]
Commercial performance
Garth Brooks in... The Life of Chris Gaines peaked at No. 2 on the U.S.
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "That's the Way I Remember It" | Tommy Sims, Tony Arata | 4:29 |
2. | "Lost in You" | Gordon Kennedy, Wayne Kirkpatrick, Sims | 3:05 |
3. | "Snow in July" | Kennedy, Kirkpatrick, Mike More, Andrew Logan | 4:20 |
4. | "Driftin' Away" | Sims | 4:56 |
5. | "Way of the Girl" | Kennedy | 3:44 |
6. | "Unsigned Letter" | Kennedy, Kirkpatrick | 4:17 |
7. | "It Don't Matter to the Sun" | Kennedy, Kirkpatrick, Sims | 4:21 |
8. | "Right Now" | Cheryl Wheeler, Chet Powers | 3:24 |
9. | "Main Street" | Kennedy, Kirkpatrick, Trisha Yearwood | 4:12 |
10. | "White Flag" | Kennedy, Kirkpatrick | 4:45 |
11. | "Digging for Gold" | Kennedy, Kirkpatrick | 5:08 |
12. | "Maybe" | Kennedy, Phil Madeira | 5:11 |
13. | "My Love Tells Me So" | Kennedy, Kirkpatrick, Sims | 4:33 |
Total length: | 56:23 |
Personnel
Musicians
- Garth Brooks (as Chris Gaines) – lead vocals, acoustic guitar
- Gordon Kennedy – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass (1-4, 7, 10-13), backing vocals, lead vocals (13)
- Reggie Young – electric guitar (4)
- Jimmie Lee Sloas – bass (5, 6, 8)
- James "Hutch" Hutchison – bass (9)
- Wayne Kirkpatrick – keyboards, clavinet, acoustic guitar, drum programming, backing vocals
- Tommy Sims – keyboards, acoustic guitar, drum programming, backing vocals
- Blair Masters – keyboards (1, 3, 5, 6, 11)
- Mike Lawler – keyboards (3), clavinet (3)
- Greg Phillinganes – keyboards (3)
- Matt Rollings – keyboards (4)
- Hammond B3 organ(9)
- Phil Madeira – Hammond B3 organ (10, 12), horn and string arrangements (12)
- Dan Needham – drums (1)
- Chris McHugh – drums, percussion, drum programming
- Eddie Bayers – drums (4)
- Kenny Aronoff – drums (9)
- Lenny Castro – percussion (3)
- Terry McMillan – percussion (12)
- Carl Marsh – horn and string arrangements (12), Fairlight horns (13)
- Carl Gorodetzky – string contractor (12)
- The Nashville String Machine– horns and strings (12)
- Lee Leavitt – vocal whispers (8)
- Crystal Taliefero – backing vocals (9)
- Kelly Shane – stock market reporter (11)
- Chris Harris – chanting (12)
- Mark Heimermann – chanting (12)
Technical personnel
- Don Was – production
- J.B. Baird – recording and mixing
- George Massenburg – recording and mixing (horns and strings)
- Glenn Spinner – recording and mixing
- Rik Pekkonen – recording
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada)[19] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[20] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
See also
References
- ^ AllMusic
- ^ a b David Browne (October 1, 1999). "In... The Life of Chris Gaines Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
- ^ a b David Wild (October 28, 1999). "Garth Brooks: In...The Life Of Chris Gaines". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 13, 2007. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
- JSTOR 40071703.
- ^ Farley, Christopher John (September 26, 1999). "A Different Hat". Time. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
- ISBN 978-1-101-17147-9.
- ^ Stephen Thompson (April 19, 2002). "Garth Brooks: In The Life Of Chris Gaines". The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
- ^ Robert Christgau. "CG: Garth Brooks". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
- ^ Christopher Thelen (October 13, 1999). "The Daily Vault Music Reviews : Chris Gaines Greatest Hits (aka In The Life Of Chris Gaines)". The Daily Vault. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
- ^ a b "Garth Brooks - In The Life Of Chris Gaines CD Album". CD Universe. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
- ^ Nikki Tranter (September 27, 1999). "Garth Brooks: In the Life of Chris Gaines". PopMatters. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
- ^ "Garth Flop: Poor sales for 'The Life Of Chris Gaines' by Garth Brooks". www.crossrhythms.co.uk.
- ^ "Garth Brooks Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
- GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
- ^ "Hits of the World - Ireland". Billboard. October 30, 1999. p. 43. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Garth Brooks – ...The Life Of Chris Gaines". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
- ^ "Garth Brooks Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
- ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1999". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 24, 2015. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Garth Brooks – In the Life of Chris Gaines". Music Canada. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
- ^ "American album certifications – Garth Brooks – In...the Life of Chris Gaines". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 31, 2024.