ROSANNE CASH - THE WHEEL

The Wheel was first released in 1993 and to celebrate thirty years since its initial release comes this new expanded edition The Wheel (30th Anniversary Edition) on the newly formed RumbleStrip Records. In this article we look back at the recording, release and commercial success of the original album, find out more about the formation of the new label and review this latest offering. I was fortunate to ask Rosanne about the new project and her answers form part of this article.

Rosanne Cash released her first album in 1978, the self titled Rosanne Cash, on the German label Ariola. The following year she signed with Columbia Records and between 1980 and 1990 released six more albums, Right Or Wrong, Seven Year Ache, Somewhere In The Stars, Rhythm & Romance, Kings Record Shop and Interiors.

During this period she also placed twenty-two singles on the country charts with ten of those reaching number one, including Seven Year Ache, My Baby Thinks He's A Train, I Don't Know Why You Don't Want Me, The Way We Make A Broken Heart, Tennessee Flat Top Box and Runaway Train.

By 1991 Cash had broken up with her husband Rodney Crowell, who had produced all her albums up to that point except for Interiors which Cash produced herself, and she relocated from Nashville to New York.

It was there that she began a creative relationship with songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer John Leventhal who she would eventually marry.

Credit: Pamela Springsteen

She started work on her next album on which she wrote, or co-wrote with Leventhal, all the songs which marked a new beginning for her.

Rosanne had written seven songs, The Wheel, You Won't Let Me In, Change Partners, Sleeping In Paris, From The Ashes, Roses In The Fire and If There's A God On My Side and had played them for Leventhal. She said they were elemental, full of references to the natural world... wind, fire, rain, moon and snow. She wasn't really sure what she was talking about but noticed she was using a lot of nature metaphors, many of them violent. Apparently Leventhal looked a little confused and finally said, "Okay, But are they good songs?"

Leventhal wrote the music on four more songs, Seventh Avenue, Tears Falling Down, The Truth About You and Fire Of The Newly Alive.

Recording took place at various studios in New York City with Cash and Leventhal producing. Leventhal played several instruments including guitar, mandolin, bass, keyboards and percussion. Additional musicians making an appearance on the album included Benmont Tench from The Heartbreakers and Steuart Smith of The Eagles. Cash invited Mary Chapin Carpenter, Patty Larkin, Marc Cohn and Bruce Cockburn to provide additional vocals. "The sessions were a thrilling mix of truly gifted people," remembered Rosanne.

The Wheel was released on 19th January 1993 and deserved to do much better in the charts. The album peaked at #37 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and #160 on the Billboard 200, certainly not a reflection on the material which was some of her strongest to date.

Two singles were released, Seventh Avenue and The Wheel, the former reaching #63 on the Canadian Country Charts and the latter #45 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart.

Credit: Pamela Springsteen

The album may not have performed well on the charts but received critical acclaim from the music press. Reviews were positive with Rolling Stone commenting that the album, "makes her singer-songwriter shorthand a cathartic outlet, not merely a blunt weapon." They went on to say, "Most remarkable about these tightly scripted songs is Cash's resilience..."

Entertainment Weekly wrote, "Rosanne Cash sounds as if she's lived every word she sings on The Wheel - and she probably has." Making their 'Best Of The Year' list they also said, "This crystal-clear, intensely sung record rings startingly true as it details the end of a marriage-and the renewal that can follow."

During the sessions Cash and Leventhal's relationship grew as she would later recall, "John and I grew closer with every session and by the end of the record we were a couple." In my interview with her she spoke more about their relationship, "This is the first of seven albums John and I have made together, and the record which began our relationship. We've been together for these thirty years now. I guess it all worked out!"

Credit: Vivian Wang

Recently Cash and Leventhal started their own record label, RumbleStrip Records, in partnership with Thirty Tigers. David Macias, founder of Thirty Tigers, spoke about the partnership, "I have listened to Rosanne Cash's music ever since Seven Year Ache came out, and I was working in record stores. She has continued to grow and push the boundaries of her creative powers. I respect her immenseley. She is a vital artist, and I am so thrilled that she has agreed to team up with Thirty Tigers."

Rosanne told me more about the label and why she decided to start the label. "My contract with Sony stipulated that I would get my master recordings back after thirty years, and they started coming back to me. I didn't anticipate how that would feel - it was powerful and moving to me to actually own my own master recordings for the first time. John and I started talking about what we could do with them, and the idea of forming our own record label, to re-release some of them seemed like a fun thing to do. We partnered with Thirty Tigers to distribute and do the administrative things we didn't know how to do!"

When asked why The Wheel was chosen as the first release on the new album she said, "It was the thirtieth anniversary year, 1993-2023, and it seemed like a special time to release it. It is remastered to modern sonic standards and, for vinyl fans, is out on vinyl for the very first time."

The first disc features the original album, remastered for this new release, and is a collection of introspective and confessional songs that follow the theme of love and relationships.

In her memoir Composed, Rosanne talked about the album. "The Wheel was a satisfying and truthful record, and conveyed, for me anyway, the crazy longing and lust of new love." Talking about the albums relative commercial failure she says, "I still have a lot of affection for it. It wasn't commercially successful, however, and I had to start thinking seriously about what I wanted to do with my life and how I could reinvent a forum for my work that was outside Top 40 radio, since that avenue was closing for artists like me."

The Wheel is a beautiful album with great lyrics, instrumentation and production. There isn't a poor track on the album and it is almost impossible to pick any favourites. However, if asked I would pick Seventh Avenue, Sleeping In Paris, The Truth About Me, Roses In The Fire and the title track.

The second disc features previously unreleased live recordings. From a 26 July 1993 appearance on Live At Austin City comes The Wheel, Seventh Avenue, Sleeping In Paris and two non-album tracks, Crescent City and I'll Change For You, The latter would eventually be recorded and released for her 2003 album Rules Of Travel.

From the 16 May 1993 Columbia Records Hour are Seventh Avenue, Roses In The Fire, The Truth About You, What We Really Want and The Wheel, all from The Wheel except for What We Really Want, a song originally released on Cash's 1990 album Interiors and also a Top 40 single. Also included from this show is a beautiful rendition of Wouldn't It Be Loverly?, a song written by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe for the musical My Fair Lady. 

Most people who know me will realise that packaging is important to me and this new release certainly didn't let me down. Presented in a three-panel card sleeve with photos, memorabilia and notes from Rosanne along with a booklet of lyrics and more photos. A nice addition is the signed card that was included.

Seven Year Ache has always been my favourite Rosanne Cash album but The Wheel is a close second.

 

What of the future? I was fortunate to chat to Rosanne about future plans and she said, "I am definitely thinking about re-mastering and re-releasing other albums, but our next release is of John's first solo album! It is coming on January 26th."

Regarding the possibility of more previously unreleased material she commented, "The double vinyl set of The Wheel includes live performances, and I am definitely considering a full live album."

I hope that all her other Columbia albums receive the same treatment and that more previously unreleased material can be included... unreleased songs, alternate versions, demos and live recordings. I am sure we have a lot to look forward too.

The Wheel 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition is available as a Deluxe Double CD, Vinyl and a Deluxe 180g Exclusive Marble Swirl Vinyl, all with a signed insert, and can be ordered from Rosanne Cash's website... https://shop.rosannecash.com/

With thanks to Rosanne Cash, John Leventhal and Danny Kahn for their help with this article.