Four years after their acclaimed debut, the Tractors finally delivered their full-fledged follow-up, Farmers in a Changing World, in late 1998.
(A holiday album, Have Yourself a Tractors Christmas, appeared in 1995, but that doesn't count as a sequel to The Tractors).
During that time, contemporary country became even more infatuated with the pop-country crossover, as the success of Shania Twain and Faith Hill proved.
The title of the album hints at that situation, but the Tractors ignore such trends, choosing to synthesize a plethora of American roots musics into a distinctive sound -- they're farmers in a changing world.
Sure, they remain rooted in country, but they try a bunch of other things, including soul, New Orleans R&B, and rockabilly with "The Elvis Thing," backed by no less than Scotty Moore, James Burton, and DJ Fontana.
What ties it all together is Steve Ripley's fine songwriting and the band's excellent taste in covers; the material is so good that the eclecticism doesn't seem jumbled -- it makes sense.
It may have taken a while for the album to have been recorded, but the wait was worth it.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I Wouldn't Tell You No LieRon Getman, Steve Ripley | The Tractors | Play | 06:03 | 13 MB | 39 MB |
| 2 | Linda LouWalt Richmond, Steve Ripley | The Tractors | Play | 03:31 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 3 | How Long Will It TakeSteve Ripley | The Tractors | Play | 02:59 | 6 MB | 18 MB |
| 4 | Shortenin' BreadCasey Van Beek, Walt Richmond, Steve Ripley | The Tractors | Play | 03:20 | 7 MB | 21 MB |
| 5 | The World's Biggest FoolSteve Ripley | The Tractors | Play | 04:27 | 10 MB | 27 MB |
| 6 | Poorboy ShuffleRon Davies, Walt Richmond, Steve Ripley | The Tractors | Play | 04:43 | 10 MB | 29 MB |
| 7 | With a Girl Like YouSteve Ripley | The Tractors | Play | 02:53 | 6 MB | 16 MB |
| 8 | Way Too LateSteve Ripley | The Tractors | Play | 03:58 | 9 MB | 23 MB |
| 9 | Foot Stomp Stompin'Jamie Oldaker, Walt Richmond, Steve Ripley, Leon Russell | The Tractors | Play | 05:57 | 13 MB | 32 MB |
| 10 | The Elvis Thing / Mystery Train | The Tractors | Play | 05:30 | 12 MB | 33 MB |
| 11 | Hale-Bopp Boogie | The Tractors | Play | 05:05 | 11 MB | 33 MB |
| 48 mins | 111 MB | |||||
| 48 mins | 300 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brad Becker | Sax (Alto) |
| 2 | Larry Bell | Trumpet |
| 3 | James Burton | Composer, Guest Artist, Guitar |
| 4 | Debbie Campbell | Cornet, Vocal Harmony |
| 5 | Mark Carr | Assistant Engineer, Studio Assistant |
| 6 | Maude Gilman Clapham | Art Direction, Design |
| 7 | Don Cobb | Consultant |
| 8 | Eric Conn | Digital Editing |
| 9 | John Crowder | Vocal Harmony |
| 10 | Ron Davies | Composer |
| 11 | Bud Deal | Sax (Tenor) |
| 12 | Chuck Dewalt | Trumpet |
| 13 | D.J. Fontana | Composer, Drums, Guest Artist |
| 14 | Ron Getman | Composer, Dobro, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Guitar (Steel), Lap Steel Guitar, Mandolin, Trumpet, Vocal Harmony |
| 15 | Maude Gilman | Art Direction |
| 16 | Stacey Grant | Trombone |
| 17 | Carlos Grier | Digital Manipulation |
| 18 | Steve Ham | Tuba |
| 19 | Wiley Hunt | Vocal Harmony |
| 20 | Nick Hunter | A&R |
| 21 | Fats Kaplin | Fiddle, Guitar (Steel) |
| 22 | Curly Lewis | Fiddle |
| 23 | Señor McGuire | Photography |
| 24 | Glen Mitchell | Organ (Hammond) |
| 25 | Mike Moore | Vocals |
| 26 | Scotty Moore | Composer, Guest Artist, Guitar |
| 27 | Dave Nives | Reissue Producer |
| 28 | Jamie Oldaker | Composer, Drums, Percussion |
| 29 | Mike Panno | Sax (Baritone), Sax (Tenor) |
| 30 | Tony Phipps | Photography |
| 31 | Denny Purcell | Mastering |
| 32 | Bonnie Raitt | Guest Artist, Slide Guitar |
| 33 | Eddie Richmond | Introduction |
| 34 | Walt Richmond | Accordion, Bass (Vocal), Composer, Drums (Bass), Engineer, Fender Rhodes, Foot Stomping, Organ (Hammond), Photography, Piano, Piano (Grand), Producer, Vocals |
| 35 | Angelene Ripley | Foot Stomping, Organ (Hammond) |
| 36 | Charlene Ripley | Piano, Piano (Grand), Trumpet |
| 37 | Elvis Ripley | Design, Guitar, Piano, Piano (Grand) |
| 38 | Steve Ripley | Composer, Engineer, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Mixing, Producer, Vocals |
| 39 | Jonathan Russell | Mastering Assistant |
| 40 | Leon Russell | Composer, Guest Artist, Piano, Vocals |
| 41 | Eldon Shamblin | Fender Rhodes, Fender Stratocaster, Talking |
| 42 | Elizabeth A. Spratt | Product Manager |
| 43 | Karin Stroo | Photography |
| 44 | Roger Tillison | Trumpet |
| 45 | Evan Tonsing | Cello, Cello Arrangement |
| 46 | The Tractors | Primary Artist |
| 47 | Jared Tyler | Vocals |
| 48 | Casey Van Beek | Bass, Bass (Electric), Composer, Sax (Tenor), Vocal Harmony, Vocals |
| 49 | Traci Werbel | Product Manager |
The Tractors
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |