John Mellencamp - The Definitive Remasters Collection (13 Albums, 1978-1999) Combined RE-UP

John Mellencamp is an American rock singer-songwriter, musician, painter and occasional actor known for his catchy, populist brand of heartland rock which emphasizes traditional instrumentation. He has sold over 40 million albums worldwide and has amassed 22 Top 40 hits in the United States. In addition, he holds the record for the most tracks by a solo artist to hit number-one on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, with seven, and has been nominated for 13 Grammy Awards, winning one. His biggest musical influences are Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, Buddy Holly and The Rolling Stones. Mellencamp was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 10, 2008.

More information @ Wikipedia

A Biography is John Mellencamp's third album, and the final album credited to his then stage name "Johnny Cougar". Recorded in London, it was originally released in the U.K. and Australia by Riva Records on March 6, 1978. Previously unreleased in the US. First time released on CD anywhere! Features newly remastered sound and upgraded packaging which includes lyrics and complete artwork.

allmusic.com says:
Since neither Chestnut Street Incident or The Kid Inside generated much attention, John Cougar's third album, A Biography, wasn't released in America. Ironically, it was his best effort yet, featuring a harder and genuinely rocking backbeat and, in the silly but catchy "I Need a Lover," his first good song. The rest of the album didn't even come close to matching those heights, yet the song indicated that Mellencamp had talent – he just wasn't sure how to access it.

Tracks:

01. Born Reckless
02. Factory
03. Night Slumming
04. Taxi Dancer
05. I Need A Lover
06. Alley Of The Angels
07. High C Cherrie
08. Where The Sidewalk Ends
09. Let Them Run Your Lives
10. Goodnight
11. I Need A Lover [UK Single Version]

Produced by John Plunter.
Remastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering.

- Johnny Cougar: lead vocals, acoustic guitar, background vocals
- Brian BecVar: keyboards, background vocals
- Larry Crane: guitars, background vocals
- Robert "Ferd" Frank: bass, background vocals
- Tom Knowles: drums, background vocals
- Andy Mackay: saxophones
- Ann O'Dell: string arrangement on "Taxi Dancer"



John Cougar is the fourth album by John Cougar. Released in 1979, following the Australian success of "I Need A Lover" from the previous year's A Biography (which did not receive a U.S. release), the album included the aforementioned track for U.S. audiences, as well as a re-working of A Biography's "Taxi Dancer". Features newly remastered sound and upgraded packaging which includes lyrics and complete artwork. Bonus track is the previously unreleased "Take Home Pay".

"I Need A Lover", upon the release of this album, became a hit in the US as well as in Australia, where "Miami" became his second Top 40 hit. "I Need A Lover" was subsequently covered by Pat Benatar on her album In the Heat of the Night. In the US, however, "Small Paradise" was released as a single in place of "Miami," but was not very successful.

allmusic.com says:
Once "I Need a Lover" became an Australian hit, Riva in America decided to release John Cougar's eponymous fourth album, adding the song to the record as well. Essentially, John Cougar is sonically similar to A Biography, but apart from the tacked-on "I Need a Lover," none of the songs hit the mark.

Tracks:

01. A Little Night Dancin'
02. Small Paradise
03. Miami
04. Great Mid West
05. Do You Think That's Fair
06. I Need A Lover
07. Welcome To Chinatown
08. Sugar Marie
09. Pray For Me
10. Taxi Dancer
11. Take Home Pay [Bonus track]

Produced by Ron & Howard Albert except "6" by John Plunter.
Remastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering Studios, Portland, Maine.

- John Mellencamp: vocal, guitar
- Brian BecVar: piano, keyboards
- Larry Crane: guitars, backing vocals
- Mike Wanchic: guitars, backing vocals
- Robert "Ferd" Frank: bass
- Tom Knowles: drums



Nothin' Matters And What If It Did is John Mellencamp's fifth album, under his pseudonym of John Cougar. It includes the moderate hits "Ain't Even Done With The Night," which reached No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and "This Time," which reached No. 27. Features newly remastered sound and upgraded packaging which includes lyrics and complete artwork. Bonus track is the previously unreleased "Latest Game".

allmusic.com says:
One year after John Cougar's "I Need a Lover" gave him his first hit single, Cougar released Nothin' Matters and What if It Did, an album which began to unravel his fondness for small-town simplicity and the pride that is inherited from being brought up in America's heartland. Each song from the album characterizes Cougar's non-threatening, rebellious farm-boy attitude, from the Springsteen-like overtones of "Wild Angel" to the pleading gentleness of "Don't Misunderstand Me." "This Time," carried through with its jubilant, bouncy pace and countrified vocal style, hit number 27 in 1980, with the sultry yet rustic innocence of "Ain't Even Done With the Night" climbing ten spots higher as the album's second single. A good feel for Cougar's passive yet warm approach to rock & roll can be found on Nothin' Matters, even within the lyrics of minor efforts like "Hot Night in a Cold Town" or "To M.G." Following this album was his monumental American Fool release, a solid package for Cougar and one that Nothin' Matters played the prototype for.

Tracks:

01. Hot Night In A Cold Town
02. Ain't Even Done With The Night
03. Don't Misunderstand Me
04. This Time
05. Make Me Feel
06. To M.G. (Wherever She May Be)
07. Tonight
08. Cry Baby
09. Wild Angel
10. Peppermint Twist
11. Cheap Shot
12. Latest Game [Bonus Track]

Produced by Steve Cropper.
Remastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering Studios.

- John Cougar: vocals, guitar
- Mike Wanchic: guitars, backing vocals
- Larry Crane: guitars, backing vocals
- Rick Shlosser: drums
- Ed Green: drums
- Jeff Baxter: pedal steel guitar
- Dave Woodford: saxophone
- Kenny Aronoff: vibes
- Doc Rosser: piano
- John Jarvis: piano
- Susan Duitch Helmer: back-up vocals on "This Time"




American Fool is the sixth album by John Mellencamp, released under the stage name John Cougar in 1982. This was Mellencamp's last album to be released under the name John Cougar. According to a 1983 article in the Toledo Blade, the song "Danger List" originated when Mellencamp heard his guitarist Larry Crane playing some chords in a basement rehearsal room. "I turned on the tape recorder and sang 30 verses," Mellencamp explained. "I just made them up. Then I went and weeded out the ones I didn't like". Features newly remastered sound and upgraded packaging which includes lyrics and complete artwork. Bonus track is the previously unreleased "American Fool".

allmusic.com says:
John Cougar's first albums were so bereaved of strong material that the lean swagger of American Fool came as a shock. The difference is evident from the opening song, "Hurts So Good," a hard, Stonesy rocker with an irresistibly sleazy hook. Cougar never wrote anything as catchy as this before, nor had his romantic vision of small-town America resonated like it did on "Jack & Diane," a minor and remarkably affecting sketch of dead-end romance. These two songs are the only true keepers on American Fool, but the rest of the record works better than his previous material because his band is tighter than ever before, making his weaker moments convincing. Besides, songs like "Hand to Hold On To" and "China Girl," for all their faults, do indicate that his sense of craft is improving considerably.

Tracks:

01. Hurts So Good
02. Jack & Diane
03. Hand To Hold On To
04. Danger List
05. Can You Take It
06. Thundering Hearts
07. China Girl
08. Close Enough
09. Weakest Moments
10. American Fool [Bonus track]

Produced by John Mellencamp & Don Gehman.
Remastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering Studios.

- John Cougar: vocals, guitar
- Larry Crane: guitar
- Mick Ronson: guitar, vocals, arrangements
- Mike Wanchic: guitar
- George Perry: bass
- Kenny Aronoff: drums, percussion



Uh-Huh is an 1983 album by John Cougar Mellencamp, a stage name for John Mellencamp. It was Mellencamp's seventh album and the first in which he used his real last name. Uh-Huh contained three Top 20 Billboard Hot 100 hits: "Crumblin' Down" (#9), "Authority Song" (#15), and "Pink Houses" (#8). In 1989, it was ranked #32 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the The 100 Greatest Albums of the 80's. Features newly remastered sound and upgraded packaging which includes lyrics and complete artwork. Bonus track is the acoustic version of "Pink Houses" (first issued as the b-side of "Authority Song".

allmusic.com says:
Since American Fool illustrated that John Cougar was becoming an actual songwriter, it's only proper that he reclaimed his actual last name, Mellencamp, for the follow-up, Uh-Huh. After all, now that he had success, he wanted to be taken seriously, and Uh-Huh reflects that in its portraits of brokenhearted life in the Midwest and its rumbling undercurrent of despair. Although his lyrics still have the tendency to be a little too vague, they are more effective here than ever before, as is his music; he might not have changed his style at all – it's still a fusion of the Stones and Springsteen – except that he now knows how to make it his own. Uh-Huh runs out of steam toward the end, but the first half – with the dynamic rocker "Crumblin' Down," his best protest song, "Pink Houses," the punky "Authority Song," the melancholy "Warmer Place to Sleep," and the garage rocker "Play Guitar" – makes the record his first terrific album.

Tracks:

01. Crumblin' Down
02. Pink Houses
03. Authority Song
04. Warmer Place To Sleep
05. Jackie O
06. Play Guitar
07. Serious Business
08. Lovin' Mother Fo Ya
09. Golden Gates
10. Pink Houses (Acoustic Version) [Bonus track]

Produced by John 'Little Bastard' Mellencamp & Don Gehman.
Remastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering Studios, Portland, Maine.

- John Cougar Mellencamp: vocals, guitar
- Mike Wanchic: guitar
- Kenny Aronoff: drums, percussion
- Toby Myers: bass
- Louis Johnson: bass
- Caroll Sue Hill: vocals
- Jay Ferguson: vocals



Scarecrow is the eighth album by John Mellencamp. Released in August 1985 by Mercury Records, it peaked at #2 on the U.S. charts. In 1989, it was ranked #95 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1980s. It was remastered and reissued on Mercury Records on May 24, 2005, with one bonus track.

This album contained three Top 10 hits, a record for a Mellencamp album. They were "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.," which peaked at #2 in the U.S., "Lonely Ol' Night," which peaked at #6, and "Small Town," which also peaked at #6. "Lonely Ol' Night" also peaked at #1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, his second chart-topping single on this chart.

allmusic.com says:
Uh-Huh found John Mellencamp coming into his own, but he perfected his heartland rock with Scarecrow. A loose concept album about lost innocence and the crumbling of small-town America, Scarecrow says as much with its tough rock and gentle folk-rock as it does with its lyrics, which remain a weak point for Mellencamp. Nevertheless, his writing has never been more powerful: "Rain on the Scarecrow" and "Small Town" capture the hopes and fears of Middle America, while "Lonely Ol' Night" and "Rumbleseat" effortlessly convey the desperate loneliness of being stuck in a dead-end life. Those four songs form the core of the album, and while the rest of the album isn't quite as strong, that's only a relative term, since it's filled with lean hooks and powerful, economical playing that make Scarecrow one of the definitive blue-collar rock albums of the mid-'80s. [In 2005 Universal remastered and reissued the album and included the B-side acoustic version of "Small Town." Of all the reissues in this series, this small bonus sheds light on what went into the full-blown single version, adding depth and weight to Mellencamp's seemingly simple celebration of the dignity of mainstream and rural American life. The mandolin break, slightly out of tune, comes just after a back-porch singalong bridge; it gives the entire thing a chilling authenticity that seems to suggest that the singer is attempting to convince no one, not even himself, that this truth is, if not self-evident, at least one of serene resignation.]

Tracks:

01. Rain On The Scarecrow
02. Grandma's Theme
03. Small Town
04. Minutes To Memories
05. Lonely Ol' Night
06. The Face Of The Nation
07. Justice And Independence '85
08. Between A Laugh And A Tear
09. Rumbleseat
10. You've Got To Stand For Something
11. R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A.
12. The Kind Of Fella I Am [CD Bonus track]
13. Small Town (Acoustic Version) [Reissue Bonus track]

Produced by John 'Little Bastard' Mellencamp & Don Gehman.
Remastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering Studios, Portland, Maine.

- John Cougar Mellencamp: vocals, guitar
- Mike Wanchic: electric guitars, cameo shadow vocals
- Toby Myers: electric bass, backing vocals
- Kenny Aronoff: drums, tambourine, vibes, backing vocals

Guests:
- John Cascella: keyboards
- Rickie Lee Jones: vocals on "Between a Laugh and a Tear"
- Sarah Flint: background vocals on "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A."
- Laura Mellencamp (John Mellencamp's grandmother): lead vocal on "Grandma's Theme"
- Mimi Mapes: backing vocals on "Minutes to Memories"
- A. Jack Wilkins: saxophone on "Justice and Independence '85"
- Richard Fanning: trumpet on "Justice and Independence '85"
- Ry Cooder: slide guitar on "The Kind of Fella I Am"



The Lonesome Jubilee is the ninth album by John Mellencamp, released in 1987 on the Mercury Records label. It has considerable country and folk music influences, including the use of steel guitar, violins, accordion and hammond organ. It contained a number of hit singles, including "Paper in Fire" (Mainstream Rock #1, Hot 100 #9) and "Cherry Bomb" (Mainstream Rock #1, Hot 100 #8).

allmusic.com says:
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.

Tracks:

01. Paper In Fire
02. Down And Out In Paradise
03. Check It Out
04. The Real Life
05. Cherry Bomb
06. We Are The People
07. Empty Hands
08. Hard Times For An Honest Man
09. Hotdogs And Hamburgers
10. Rooty Toot Toot
11. Blues From The Front Porch [Bonus Track]

Produced by John Mellencamp & Don Gehman.
Remastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering Studios.

- John Mellencamp: vocals, guitar
- Kenny Aronoff: drums, percussion, backing vocals
- Larry Crane: guitars, mandolin, harmonica, autoharp, banjo, backing vocals
- John Cascella: accordion, keyboards, saxophone, melodica, penny whistle, claves
- Lisa Germano: fiddle
- Toby Myers: bass guitar, banjo, backing vocals
- Pat Peterson: backing vocals, cowbell, tambourine
- Crystal Taliefero: backing vocals
- Mike Wanchic: guitars, dobro, banjo, dulcimer, backing vocals



Big Daddy is the tenth studio album by John Mellencamp, released in 1989 by Mercury Records. It was his last album to be released under the name John Cougar Mellencamp, a combination of his real name and his original stage name of Johnny Cougar. The album peaked at number seven on the Billboard 200 and contained the singles "Pop Singer" and "Jackie Brown" which peaked at number fifteen and forty eight respectively on the Billboard Hot 100. A re-mastered version of the album was released on May 24, 2005, and contains a bonus acoustic version of Jackie Brown.

Like The Lonesome Jubilee, Big Daddy is folk-inspired as violins and fiddles (among other instruments) are significantly utilized on a number of tracks. The album's lyrics largely take a serious tone and the album as a whole is regarded by some as Mellencamp's most reflective.

allmusic.com says:
Continuing with the folk inclinations of The Lonesome Jubilee, John Mellencamp recorded his most ambitious and serious-minded album with Big Daddy. Mellencamp produced the record himself, giving the album a concise and stripped-down sound, which help give his songs the appearance of being gritty statements of truth. Unfortunately, Mellencamp isn't saying nearly as much as he believes he is, since his lyrics tend to be clichéd and half-baked, making much of the album feel pompous and self-serving. This is only reinforced by the lack of rockers on Big Daddy, since he saves the most carefree moment – a ripping cover of the Hombres' "Let It Out (Let It All Hang Out)" – for an unlisted bonus track. Still, when he does hit his target, like on the gentle "Jackie Brown," the stuttering, fiddle-driven "Sometimes a Great Notion," and even the self-pitying "Pop Singer," Mellencamp proves that his talents haven't abandoned him.

Tracks:

01. Big Daddy Of Them All
02. To Live
03. Martha Say
04. Theo And Weird Henry
05. Jackie Brown
06. Pop Singer
07. Void In My Heart
08. Mansions In Heaven
09. Sometimes A Great Notion
10. Country Gentleman
11. J.M.'s Question
12. Let It All Hang Out
13. Jackie Brown (Acoustic Version) [Bonus track]

Produced by John Mellencamp.
Remastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering Studios.

- John Cougar Mellencamp: vocals, guitar
- Larry Crane: acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin
- Kenny Aronoff: drums, percussion, background vocals
- Mike Wanchic: electric guitar, bass, dobro, background vocals
- Toby Myers: bass guitar, background vocals
- John Cascella: accordion, keyboards
- Lisa Germano: violin
- Pat Peterson: background vocals
- Crystal Taliefero: background vocals, percussion



Whenever We Wanted is John Mellencamp's eleventh album, and the first to be credited simply to Mellencamp's given name (i.e., without the "Cougar" name). The album includes the hits "Get A Leg Up" (#1 for three weeks on the Album Rock Tracks chart), "Now More Than Ever" (#3 on the Album Rock Tracks chart), "Last Chance" (#12 on the Album Rock Tracks chart), and "Again Tonight" (#1 for two weeks on the Album Rock Tracks chart).

allmusic.com says:
John Mellencamp took his signature blend of Stonesy rock and folk as far as it could go on Big Daddy, so he wisely returned to straight-ahead rock & roll with Whenever We Wanted. Uh-Huh was the last record he made that rocked as hard and consistently as this, and his songwriting had improved considerably in the years since that breakthrough release. Which means, of course, that Whenever We Wanted is more consistent than the earlier record, but it never reaches the highs of Uh-Huh. Even its best moments ("Love and Happiness," "Get a Leg Up," "Whenever We Wanted," "Again Tonight") shine because of their craftsmanship, failing to achieve the kinetic energy of his earlier work. Whenever We Wanted remains a solid record, but it's one that feels like a holding pattern.

Tracks:

01. Love And Happiness
02. Now More Than Ever
03. I Ain't Ever Satisfied
04. Get A Leg Up
05. Crazy Ones
06. Last Chance
07. They're So Tough
08. Melting Pot
09. Whenever We Wanted
10. Again Tonight
11. Love And Happiness (London Club Mix) [Bonus track]

Produced by John Mellencamp.
Remastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering Studios.

- John Mellencamp: vocals, guitar
- Kenny Aronoff: drums, percussion, vibes
- Mike Wanchic: guitar, background vocals
- Toby Myers: bass guitar, background vocals
- David Grissom: guitars
- John Cascella: Hammond B-3, accordion, penny whistle, Farfisa Organ
- Pharez Whitted: trumpet on "Love And Happiness" and "Whenever We Wanted"



Human Wheels is the 12th album released by John Mellencamp in 1993. Released on Mercury Records, it peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard 200. The single "What If I Came Knocking" was Mellencamp's last No. 1 single on the Album Rock Tracks chart, staying atop for two weeks in the summer of 1993. The album is dedicated to band member John Cascella, who died unexpectedly about halfway through production.

allmusic.com says:
Following the stripped-down rock & roll of Whenever We Wanted, the somber Human Wheels comes as a bit of shock. Throughout his mid-'80s peak, John Mellencamp infused his best work with despair, but he never has sounded as beaten and broken as he does on Human Wheels. It's not just that the record sounds murky and bleak, but his singing is weary and the lyrics are filled with resignation. Consequently, Human Wheels isn't a particularly easy listen, even though it doesn't depart from his signature sound, but it is a rewarding one, and the record is arguably his most affecting.

Tracks:

01. When Jesus Left Birmingham
02. Junior
03. Human Wheels
04. Beige To Beige
05. Case 795 (The Family)
06. Suzanne And The Jewels
07. Sweet Evening Breeze
08. What If I Came Knocking
09. French Shoes
10. To The River
11. When Jesus Left Birmingham (feat. Sounds Of Blackness) [Bonus Track]

Produced by John Mellencamp, Malcolm Burn, David Leonard, Mike Wanchic.
Remastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering Studios, Portland, Maine.

- John Mellencamp: vocals, guitar
- Kenny Aronoff: drums, percussion
- David Grissom: guitars, mandolin, bass
- Lisa Germano: violin, mandolin, penny whistle, zither, background vocals
- Pat Peterson: background vocals, accordion, maracas
- Mike Wanchic: guitars, dobro, dulcimer, background vocals
- Malcolm Burn: organ, guitar, hormonica, synthesizer
- John Cascella: accordion, organ, background vocals, penny whistle, melodica



Dance Naked is the 13th album by John Mellencamp released in 1994. The album was released in response to the record company's accusations that Mellencamp's previous album, Human Wheels, didn't "fit the format." Mellencamp was irritated with this remark, feeling that none of his albums ever fit the format. As a result, he wrote several purposely radio-friendly songs and recorded them within the span of 14 days at the Belmont Mall Studio in Indiana, intending to show the lack of effort required to produce the type of album they were asking for. Dance Naked was re-mastered and re-released on July 19, 2005, along with three other Mellencamp albums. The re-mastered edition includes an acoustic version of "Wild Night" as a bonus track.

Although Mellencamp claims that Dance Naked was merely an easy output to give the company what it wanted, the album was still well received. The most notable accomplishment was the largely successful single "Wild Night," a cover of the 1971 song by Van Morrison. The song featured Me'shell Ndegeocello on a duet with Mellencamp as well as the prominent bass lead. The single reached #3 on the Billboard Top 100 and charted at #1 on the Adult Contemporary List for 8 weeks. The album itself reached #13 on the Billboard 200 and produced several music videos: two versions for "Wild Night," another for the title track "Dance Naked," and two unreleased videos for "L.U.V." and "Another Sunny Day 12/25". Spin Magazine named Dance Naked the 20th best album of 1994.

allmusic.com says:
The weary rock of Human Wheels was generally ignored, so John Mellencamp quickly banged out Dance Naked, a brief collection of by-the-book rockers. Since he and his band are professionals and fine craftsmen, it's an enjoyable record, but it has even fewer standout songs than the similar Whenever We Wanted. It's a problem that a cover of Van Morrison's "Wild Night," sung as a duet with Me'Shell NdegeOcello, is the best cut on the record, since that emphasizes how similar and undistinguished Mellencamp's songs sound.

Tracks:

01. Dance Naked
02. Brothers
03. When Margaret Comes To Town
04. Wild Night
05. L. U. V.
06. Another Sunny Day 12-25
07. Too Much To Think About
08. The Big Jack
09. The Breakout
10. Wild Night (Acoustic Version) [Bonus Track]

Produced by John Mellencamp and Mike Wanchic.
Remastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering Studios.

- John Mellencamp: vocals, guitar
- Kenny Aronoff: drums, percussion
- Toby Myers: bass guitar
- Mike Wanchic: guitars, organ, backing vocals
- Andy York: guitars, organ, bass, percussion



Mr. Happy Go Lucky is a rock album released by John Mellencamp on September 10, 1996. It was his first album released after his serious heart attack that almost killed him. Mellencamp's music on the album is said to reflect his brush with death. This album was recorded in Key West. The first single from the album, "Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First)", peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is his last Top 40 single in the United States to date.

allmusic.com says:
John Mellencamp responded to his massive heart attack and close-call with death with Mr. Happy Go Lucky, the most overtly ambitious album in his career. Mellencamp has always been a bit of a fatalist, so it isn't any great surprise that there is an undercurrent of dark mortality running through most of his songs. What is a surprise is his musical approach. Although he hasn't abandoned the essential elements of his music — the rootsy instrumentation, the violins, the simple song structures, the gritty folk-rock — he has augmented it with the help of Junior Vasquez, a noted dance producer. Vasquez doesn't push Mellencamp into dance, but he adds certain dynamics and techniques from club music to Mr. Happy Go Lucky which ocasionally gives the album a greater depth. It's a gentle change, not a forceful one — nothing sounds like dance music, but there are deeper rhythms and bass throughout the album, which breathes life into well-crafted songs like "Key West Intermezzo." Since he doesn't pursue dance completely on Mr. Happy Go Lucky, Mellencamp doesn't end up alienating his fans, but the reluctance to give himself over to dance makes the album uneven. Ironically, the tracks that exhibit Vasquez's influence the least are the least successful — they simply sound like Mellencamp is going through the motions. Nevertheless, Mr. Happy Go Lucky proves that Mellencamp has more surprises in him than many listeners would have expected and suggests that he is in the process of revitalizing his career.

Tracks:

01. Verture
02. Jerry
03. Key West Intermezzo
04. Just Another Day
05. This May Not Be The End Of The World
06. Emotional Love
07. Mr. Bellows
08. The Full Catastrophe
09. Circling Around The Moon
10. Large World Turning
11. Jackamo Road
12. Life Is Hard
13. What If I Came Knocking (Live) [Bonus Track]

Produced by John Mellencamp. Co-Produced by Mike Wanchic & Junior Vasquez.
Remastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering Studios, Portland, Maine.

- John Mellencamp: vocals, guitar
- Mike Wanchic: guitars, dobro, background vocals, mellotron, organ, mandolin
- Andy York: guitars, background vocals, chamberlain, organ, harmonica, mandolin, mellotron, percussion
- Toby Myers: bass, background vocals, keyboards, percussion
- Kenny Aronoff: drums, percussion, loops, vibes
- Moe Z M.D.: loops, organ, backing vocals
- Raphael Saadiq: bass, backing vocals
- Miriam Sturm: violin
- Milton Davis: bass
- Jimmy Ryser: violin, backing vocals
- Lonnie Pitchford: slide guitar
- Pat Peterson: backing vocals
- Jeff Pedersen: organ
- Harvey Phillips: tuba
- Tim Riggins: trombone
- Dennis Riggins: saxophone



Rough Harvest is a collection of alternate, acoustic arrangements of John Mellencamp's favorite tracks, as well as several covers. Recorded mostly in 1997 (with the exception of "Under the Boardwalk," which was recorded in 1986, and "Wild Night," 1994), the album fulfilled Mellencamp's contractual obligation with Mercury Records.

allmusic.com says:
When John Mellencamp left Mercury Records for Columbia in 1997, he owed his longtime label two more albums – one was a hits collection (The Best That I Could Do), the other was Rough Harvest. Not quite a rarities collection, not quite a live album, Rough Harvest offers a selection of acoustic arrangements of Mellencamp's personal favorites (which happen to lean toward album tracks from the '90s), plus several covers recorded live at his studio, Belmont Mall, in 1997. On paper, this may seem like it's nothing more than a toss-off, just a way to fulfill contractual obligations, but it doesn't play that way. There's a warm feeling to the performances – a nice, loose, off-the-cuff feeling that enhances the emotions in these low-key, subtly crafted songs. The newer songs benefit from this setting, as do familiar hits like "Rain on the Scarecrow" and "Jackie Brown" and the covers of "In My Time of Dying," "Farewell Angelina," "Under the Boardwalk," and "Wild Night." This may be a gentle difference that only devoted fans will notice, but that's who this album was made for, and they'll undoubtedly enjoy this intimate record.

Tracks:

01. Love And Happiness
02. In My Time Of Dying
03. Between A Laugh And A Tear
04. Human Wheels
05. Rain On The Scarecrow
06. Farewell Angelina
07. Keywest Intermezzo (I Saw You First)
08. Jackie Brown
09. When Jesus Left Birmingham
10. The Full Catastrophe
11. Minutes To Memories
12. Under The Boardwalk
13. Wild Night (Live)
14. Seventh Son (From Chess Studios) [Bonus Track]

Produced by John Mellencamp and Mike Wanchic,
except "12" by JM and Don Gehman & "14" by John Mellencamp.
Remastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering Studios, Portland, Maine.

- John Mellencamp: vocals, guitar
- Andy York: guitar
- Dane Clark: drums
- Toby Myers: bass
- Miriam Sturm: violin
- Moe Z M.D.: keyboards
- Janas Hoyt: background vocals
- Me'shell Ndegeocello: bass and vocals on "Wild Night"


Thanks to KillerRips!

All Covers included.