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''Pages of Life'' is the third studio album by the American country music/country rock group The Desert Rose Band. It was released January 16, 1990 via MCA/Curb. ==Background== Following the success of the band's previous albums ''The Desert Rose Band'' and ''Running'', both of which entered the top 30 of the US Top Country Albums chart, and a string of hit country singles, the band's third album ''Pages of Life'' became their most successful commercially, but also their final charting studio album. The album peaked at #17 on the Top Country Albums chart, and was also the band's only album to enter the American Billboard 200 Albums Chart, where it peaked at #187. It lasted within the Top 200 for a total of four weeks. Like all of the band's albums, it did not chart in Canada. It was produced by both Paul Worley and Ed Seay who had produced all five of the band's albums, except for late 1991’s ''True Love'', whilst only Worley produced the band's self-titled 1987 debut. The album spawned three successful singles. The lead single "Start All Over Again" peaked at #6 on the US Hot Country Songs chart, and #3 on the Canada RPM Country Tracks chart. "In Another Lifetime" was the second single from the album, and the band's third single since 1987 to miss the top 10. It peaked at #13 in the US and #18 in Canada.〔 "Story of Love" was the third and final single from the album, and was the band's final Top 30 single, despite the release of a compilation album, two further studio albums and six further singles up to 1993. It peaked at #10 in the US and #6 in Canada.〔 Six of the tracks were written by Hillman and his usual collaborator Steve Hill. "Missing You" was later re-recorded by Hillman and Pedersen for the 2005 various artists compilation ''Songs for Sophie: A Collings Collective''. This release was recorded as a benefit to offset the medical expenses of Sophie McCreary, the ten-year-old daughter of Steve McCreary, general manager of Collings Guitars, Inc., of Austin, TX. The child had been diagnosed with early onset bipolar disorder, and the album was organized and issued by FGM Records, the recording arm of Flatpicking Guitar Magazine. "Just a Memory" was the only Desert Rose Band song to feature a writing credit to the band's guitarist John Jorgenson, whilst "Darkness on the Playground" contained an anti-drug message. The album featured two remakes. "Our Baby's Gone" is a remake of Pedersen's folk song about his daughter which was originally recorded with Emmylou Harris for his 1976 album ''Southwest'', and this song features Pedersen on lead vocal, whilst "Desert Rose", written by Hillman and Bill Wildes, originally appeared on Hillman's 1984 album ''Desert Rose''. In the Little Rock Gazette, (daily newspaper of Little Rock, Arkansas), an article based on the band was published in the July 13, 1990, issue, written by Gazette staff writer Mark Marymont. The author noted that although the group never delved deeply into traditional country, the new album reflected an even harder edge than the first two. Jorgenson was quoted ''"Maybe what happened is that we had a hand in mixing this album, so those rock elements came out a little more. We wanted this one to sound like we do on stage. It's a little more aggressive. The lines in country music are so stretched that it's difficult to say when something is country and something is rock. But people see we have some traditional country roots, even if it's not real obvious."''〔http://www.drb-fans.com/images/reviews/DRB%201990%2007-13.pdf〕 For the ''Pages of Life'' album, Curb Records released a press release. This stated ''"Both "The Desert Rose Band" and "Running" were more aggressive albums than what was coming out of Nashville at the time of their release, and "Pages of Life" is no different. The mix of textures and aesthetics takes the edge of rock guitar and applies it to the most traditional sounding country there is."'' Hillman, within the press release, stated ''"Story of Love" is your basic 2/4 bluegrass. But then you take a song like "In Another Lifetime" and you've got John Jorgenson playing guitar like Eric Clapton."''〔http://www.drb-fans.com/images/reviews/DRB%201990%2001-01.pdf〕 The release continued ''"If it sounds incongruous, remember that country music has always been the white man's blues and that songs of real life are what sets country apart. Certainly if there's an area where Hillman excels it's in writing songs that take the pulse of his contemporaries and the society in which we live. "Start All Over Again," the first single and already a hit, sets the tone for "Pages of Life," as it balances the notion of trying to reclaim one's own destiny in the face of perhaps insurmountable problems in a relationship. The same can be said for the plucky acoustic country of "Missing You". But then things get serious with "Darkness on the Playground," a song about the perils of drugs, peer pressure and neglect facing our nation's children, and "Everybody's Hero," which deals with the clay feet of the people who are often supposed to be setting the standard. If it sounds potentially disillusioning and disheartening, that's not the case. These are songs of options, consideration and hope in the face of it all. Given that Hillman has always avoided the glass-dome world of most pop stars, his point of view is startlingly accurate. But, that's because he's in step with the rest of society - and that's something he and the rest of the Desert Rose Band are extremely proud of."'' Hillman stated ''"Writing these kinds of songs is never intentional. If you sit down to write a song about one of these subjects, it becomes contrived. So, I just try to write about what's on my mind and hope that it reflects what other people are thinking, too."'' Hillman also spoke of the band, stating ''"Start All Over Again" is the result of three year of evolving; it's where we've come to and I think it's a real solid unit. We're a real good band that plays together. We have songs of substance that are played real well - and we have a passion for this music, which you can hear. Where we go from here is just a matter of continuing evolution. As long as we can maintain our parameters; keep making music that matters and continue growing, it'll be fine."''〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Pages of Life」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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