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Home in the Heart of the Beat

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Home in the Heart of the Beat
Studio album by
Beat Rodeo
Released1986
GenrePop, rock
LabelI.R.S.
ProducerScott Litt
Beat Rodeo chronology
Staying Out Late with the Beat Rodeo
(1985) 		Home in the Heart of the Beat
(1986)

Home in the Heart of the Beat is the second and final album by the American band Beat Rodeo, released in 1986.[1][2] The band supported it with a North American tour that included shows opening for the Call.[3][4]

Production

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The album was produced by Scott Litt.[5] Its songs were written by frontman Steve Almaas, who thought that the band's touring in support of their debut helped get them on the same musical wavelength for the recording sessions.[6][7] Beat Rodeo were open to exploring new sounds and styles on Home in the Heart of the Beat, noting that the Beatles and David Bowie often recorded albums that sounded differently from the ones that had come before.[8] Syd Straw sang on the album; Lenny Pickett contributed on saxophone.[9] The band used synthesized strings on "Everything I'm Not".[10]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
Alternative Rock6/10[5]
Duluth News Tribune8/10[12]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[13]
The Great Indie Discography5/10[14]
Omaha World-Herald[15]
The Philadelphia Inquirer[16]
Record-JournalB−[17]

The Philadelphia Inquirer called the album "one of the pure pop pleasures of the season."[16] The Chicago Tribune labeled it "a great party record", noting that the band's "roots rock is tighter and far more mature (and still plenty of fun)."[18] The Ottawa Citizen opined that Beat Rodeo "draws heavily on the Mersey beat and includes traces of Elvis Costello. At other times, though, the shadow of Carl Perkins and the ghost of Elvis Presley will surface."[19]

The Kingston Whig-Standard praised the "post-punk energy ... taste of twangy country and REM spareness."[20] The Orlando Sentinel considered the music "countrified rock or a modern-day version of the clean sound honed by Buddy Holly and the Everly Brothers."[21] The Toronto Star said, "Behind a shimmering pop overlay, Almaas' and company travel an adventurous path between the light and dark regions of country-rock, rockabilly, post-punk and trad rock 'n' roll."[22] The Post-Bulletin listed Home in the Heart of the Beat among the 15 best albums of 1986.[23]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleLength
1."Twin Hometowns" 
2."Everything I'm Not" 
3."New Love" 
4."It Could Happen Here" 
5."(I Have) Everything I Need" 
6."I'm Not Afraid (Doesn't Matter to Me)" 
7."In the Summertime" 
8."Home in the Heart of the Beat" 
9."Song for an Angry Young Man" 
10."It's Been Too Long" 
11."While We're Apart" 

References

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  1. ^ Racine, Marty (September 7, 1986). "Records". Zest. Houston Chronicle. p. 11.
  2. ^ Blush, Steven (2016). New York Rock: From the Rise of the Velvet Underground to the Fall of CBGB. St. Martin's Publishing Group. p. 316.
  3. ^ Snider, Eric (October 3, 1986). "Music". St. Petersburg Times. p. D1.
  4. ^ Willis, Cary B. (October 17, 1986). "Two bands will raise the roof at the Red Barn". The Courier-Journal. p. C1.
  5. ^ a b Thompson, Dave (2000). Alternative Rock: Third Ear – The Essential Listening Companion. Miller Freeman Books. p. 793.
  6. ^ Gingold, David (September 19, 1986). "Records". Spotlight. Santa Cruz Sentinel. p. 11.
  7. ^ Sill, Melanie (September 26, 1986). "Music for a new age". Weekend. The News & Observer. p. 4.
  8. ^ Pickle, Betsy (October 16, 1986). "Beat Rodeo takes rock to the country". The Knoxville News Sentinel. p. C1.
  9. ^ Rock Record 6. Record Researcher Publications. 1995. p. 34.
  10. ^ Miller, Michael L. (October 3, 1986). "Sound Advice". The Columbia Record. p. 8B.
  11. ^ "Home in the Heart of the Beat Review by William Ruhlmann". AllMusic. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
  12. ^ Shefchik, Rick (October 12, 1986). "Hot wax". Accent North. Duluth News Tribune. p. 31.
  13. ^ Larkin, Colin (1998). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 1. MUZE. p. 432.
  14. ^ Strong, Martin C. (2003). The Great Indie Discography. Canongate. p. 220.
  15. ^ Healy, James (November 30, 1986). "New Sounds". Entertainment. Omaha World-Herald. p. 9.
  16. ^ a b Tucker, Ken (September 7, 1986). "A Melody Mix by a N.Y. Band". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. H11.
  17. ^ Zebora, Jim (November 16, 1986). "Off the Record". Record-Journal. p. E2.
  18. ^ Brogan, Daniel (September 12, 1986). "Beat Rodeo, Home in the Heart of the Beat". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. 75.
  19. ^ Erskine, Evelyn (September 26, 1986). "Rock". Ottawa Citizen. p. D5.
  20. ^ Burliuk, Greg (October 4, 1986). "Home in the Heart of the Beat Beat Rodeo". Magazine. The Kingston Whig-Standard. p. 1.
  21. ^ Duffy, Thomas (October 5, 1986). "Rodeo Bringing the Beat to Central Florida". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 10.
  22. ^ MacInnis, Craig (October 24, 1986). "No repeaters in the Blue Rodeo arsenal". Toronto Star. p. D18.
  23. ^ Cain, Tim; Weber, Tom (January 10, 1987). "Wax buildup — favorites of '86". Post-Bulletin. p. 11C.
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