A Day in the Life (Wes Montgomery album)
| A Day in the Life | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Wes Montgomery | ||||
| Released | 1967 | |||
| Recorded | June 6–7 and June 26, 1967 Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey |
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| Genre | Jazz pop | |||
| Length | 34:41 | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Producer | Creed Taylor | |||
| Wes Montgomery chronology | ||||
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A Day in the Life is the eighteenth album by guitarist Wes Montgomery, released in 1967. It reached number one on the Billboard Jazz album chart and number 2 on the R&B chart. It also reached number 13 on the Billboard 200. The single "Windy" became his biggest Hot 100 hit when it peaked at number forty-four.
After numerous albums with Riverside and Verve Records, Montgomery switched to A&M Records. His melodic renditions of current pop hits were played regularly on Top 40 radio.[1]
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide | [2] |
In his Allmusic review, music critic Scott Yanow called the album <templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" />
In most cases the guitarist did little more than play the melody, using his distinctive octaves, and it was enough to make him saleable. Of his three A&M recordings, A Day in the Life (the first one) was by far the best and, although the jazz content is almost nil, the results are pleasing as background music.[1]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A Day in the Life" | John Lennon, Paul McCartney | 5:45 |
| 2. | "Watch What Happens" | Jacques Demy, Norman Gimbel, Michel Legrand | 2:43 |
| 3. | "When a Man Loves a Woman" | Calvin Lewis, Andrew Wright | 2:52 |
| 4. | "California Nights" | Marvin Hamlisch, Howard Liebling | 2:29 |
| 5. | "Angel" | Wes Montgomery | 2:46 |
| 6. | "Eleanor Rigby" | Lennon, McCartney | 3:04 |
| 7. | "Willow Weep for Me" | Ann Ronell | 4:31 |
| 8. | "Windy" | Ruthann Friedman | 2:20 |
| 9. | "Trust in Me" | Milton Ager, Jean Schwartz, Ned Wever | 4:25 |
| 10. | "The Joker" | Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley | 3:26 |
Personnel
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Production notes:
- Creed Taylor – producer
- Don Sebesky – arranger, conductor
- Rudy Van Gelder – engineer
Chart positions
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Billboard Jazz Albums | 1 |
| Billboard R&B Albums | 2 | |
| The Billboard 200 | 13 |
