Lucinda Williams-Car Wheels On A Gravel Road (1998)


 

Artist: Lucinda Williams

Title: Car Wheels On A Gravel Road

Label: Mercury

Format: CD

Catalog Number: 314 558 338-2

Year of Release: 1998

Country and Year of Edition: US 1998 BMG Music Club 

Sell Price: $3.36

Sell Date: 10/18/26

Condition: VG+/VG+

Discogs Last Sold: 10/1/26 VG/VG+ $2.00

Low: $0.77

Median: $2.98

Average: $2.87

High: $5.50

Current low price: $2.50 NM/VG+

Curren Number on Sale at Discogs: 14

Have/Want: 190/54

Where Sold: San Francisco, CA

Time It Took To Sell: 11 years

Where and When Bought:  BMG Music Club circa 1998

Gwiz-gau Letter Grade: A+

Sad To See It Go: No

Car Wheels On A Gravel Road has been a "modern" classic for over a quarter-century now.  One forgets that this was along labored and rerecorded  for Rick Rubin's American Recordings over 5 years before moving on to Mercury.  Media was primed to love this and the end result was an immediate critic "Album Of The Year" sort of release.  Even though she had been around nearly 20 years and had some great records like "Passionate Kisses" and "Sweet Old World," this was the record that made Lucinda Williams LUCINDA WILLIAMS.  

Certain songs here are off the charts great: "Metal Firecracker," "Drunken Angel" and the title track.  Others like the opener "Right In Time," "Concrete and Barbed Wire" and the closer "Jackson" are merely excellent.  "Joy" is filler?  How could that be said?  You took it and she wants it back!    How did I forget about "Lake Charles?" An album like this makes you wonder if Lucinda is even capable of doing a bad song or bad performance but I'm sure she'll tell you otherwise, especially during these long running sessions.  Steve Earle, Charlie Sexton, Buddy Miller, Bo Ramsey and Emmylou Harris all played their bit roles here.

Those people were visibly invisible in the collective cause of something much greater. 

FOR FURTHER REVIEW:

Lucinda Williams @ Forest Hills Stadium, Queens, NY 7/21/26

Lucinda Williams @ Northwell @ Jones Beach Theater, Wantaugh, NY 8/1/25

Sweet Old World (1992) 

Various Artists-Timeless (2001)

Elvis Costello & The Imposters-The Delivery Man (2004)

Mary Lou Lord/Sean Na Na (1999)


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