John Mellencamp's fascination with the American heartland came into full flower on Scarecrow, but with its follow-up, The Lonesome Jubilee, he began exploring American folk musics, adding fiddle, accordions, and acoustic guitars to his band, which allowed him to explore folk and country.
The expansion of his band coincided with his continuing growth as a songwriter.
Song for song, The Lonesome Jubilee is Mellencamp's strongest album, the record where he captured his romantic, if decidedly melancholy, vision of working-class America.
He may recycle the same lyrical ideas as before, but he captures them better than ever, and his music is richer, which gives the album resonance.
Again, there are a few moments where Mellencamp's reach exceeds his grasp, but "Paper in Fire," "Check It Out," "Cherry Bomb," "Empty Hands," and "Hard Times for an Honest Man" make the record his best.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paper in FireJohn Cougar, John Mellencamp | John Mellencamp | Play | 03:52 | 8 MB | 27 MB |
| 2 | Down and Out in ParadiseJohn Cougar, John Mellencamp | John Mellencamp | Play | 03:38 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 3 | Check It OutJohn Cougar, John Mellencamp | John Mellencamp | Play | 04:21 | 9 MB | 30 MB |
| 4 | The Real LifeJohn Mellencamp | John Mellencamp | Play | 03:58 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 5 | Cherry BombJohn Cougar, John Mellencamp | John Mellencamp | Play | 04:49 | 11 MB | 33 MB |
| 6 | We Are the PeopleJohn Cougar, John Mellencamp | John Mellencamp | Play | 04:17 | 9 MB | 30 MB |
| 7 | Empty HandsJohn Cougar, George Green, George Michael Green, John Mellencamp | John Mellencamp | Play | 03:44 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 8 | Hard Times for an Honest ManJohn Cougar, John Mellencamp | John Mellencamp | Play | 03:28 | 7 MB | 23 MB |
| 32 mins | 73 MB | |||||
| 32 mins | 223 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenny Aronoff | Congas, Drums, Dulcimer, Hammer Dulcimer, Tambourine, Vibraphone, Vocals (Background) |
| 2 | John Cascella | Accordion, Claves, Keyboards, Mandola, Melodica, Penny Whistle, Saxophone, Whistle (Human) |
| 3 | George Corsillo | Artwork |
| 4 | John Cougar | Composer |
| 5 | Larry Crane | Autoharp, Banjo, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Guitar (Steel), Harmonica, Lap Steel Guitar, Mandolin, Pedal Steel, Vocals (Background) |
| 6 | Rick Fettig | Assistant Engineer |
| 7 | Don Gehman | Engineer, Mixing, Producer |
| 8 | Lisa Germano | Fiddle |
| 9 | George Green | Composer |
| 10 | George Michael Green | Composer |
| 11 | David Leonard | Engineer, Mixing |
| 12 | Stephen Marcussen | Mastering |
| 13 | John Mellencamp | Composer, Primary Artist, Producer |
| 14 | Toby Myers | Banjo, Guitar (Bass), Vocals (Background) |
| 15 | Pat Peterson | Cowbell, Percussion, Tambourine, Vocals (Background) |
| 16 | Crystal Taliefero | Vocals (Background) |
| 17 | Mike Wanchic | Banjo, Dobro, Dulcimer, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Vocals (Background) |
| 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. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |