Traces (Classics IV album)
{{Infobox album|
| name = Traces
| type = Album
| artist = Classics IV
| cover = Traces (Classics IV album).jpg
| alt =
| released = 1969
| recorded = 1969
| venue =
| studio = Studio One
| genre = Soft rock, blue-eyed soul
| length =
| label = Imperial Records
| producer = Buddy Buie
| prev_title = Mamas and Papas/Soul Train
| prev_year = 1968
| next_title = Song
| next_year = 1970
| misc =
{{Singles
| name = Traces
| type = studio
| single1 = Traces
| single1date = 1969
| single2 = Everyday with You Girl
| single2date = 1969
}}
}}
{{Album ratings
|rev1 = AllMusic
|rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/traces-mw0000841226|title=Traces|website=AllMusic|accessdate=September 12, 2020}}
|rev2 = The Encyclopedia of Popular Music
|rev2score = {{rating|2|5}}{{cite book |last1=Larkin |first1=Colin |title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |date=2006 |publisher=MUZE |volume=2 |page=401}}
}}
Traces is the third album by Classics IV, released in 1969 on Imperial Records. The album was released in Japan as Everyday with You Girl, albeit with different sequencing and three additional tracks included.{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ySgEAAAAMBAJ|title=Album Reviews|magazine=Billboard |volume=81 |issue=15|pages=20|date=April 12, 1969|publisher=Nielsen Business Media|accessdate=September 12, 2020|via=Google Books}}
The album peaked at No. 45 on the Billboard Top LPs, making it the band's most successful album. The title track and "Everyday with You Girl" are both Top 20 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and Easy Listening charts.
Reception
The album was met with positive reviews. Billboard praised the album for its top arrangement, production and performance. Greg Adams of AllMusic praised the album for the songs' poetic lyrics and the soft instrumental blend of strings and occasional flute, but states that their song covers have more quality compared to their original songs. The Rolling Stone Album Guide called the title song one of the group's "mandatory furtive-grope numbers at proms of the period," writing that it "later became an elevator music" standard.{{cite book |title=The Rolling Stone Album Guide |date=1992 |publisher=Random House |page=138}}
Track listing
All songs are written by Buddy Buie and J. R. Cobb, except where noted.
{{Track listing
| headline = Side A
| title1 = Everyday with You Girl
| length1 = 2:34
| title2 = Mr. Blue
| writer2 = Blackwell
| length2 = 2:31
| title3 = Sunny
| writer3 = Hebb
| length3 = 2:40
| title4 = Free
| length4 = 2:27
| title5 = Traces
| writer5 = Buie, Cobb, Gordy Jr.
| length5 = 2:45
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Side B
| title6 = Something I'll Remember
| length6 = 2:30
| title7 = Our Day Will Come
| length7 = 2:12
| title8 = Rainy Day
| length8 = 2:37
| title9 = Traffic Jam
| length9 = 2:18
| title10 = Sentimental Lady
| length10 = 2:24
| title11 = Nobody Loves You But Me
| length11 = 3:11
}}
Personnel
;Production
- Producer: Buddy Buie
- Photography: Howard Erik
Charts
;Album
;Singles
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Discogs release|2229921|Traces|type=album}}
- {{AllMusic|id=mw0000841226|title=Traces}}
{{Classics IV}}
{{Authority control}}