A complete US SC CD discography, followed by a brief history of Sheryl Crow on A&M Records in the United States. Various artists CDs, when not neccessary for their music, are generally excluded, though their issue is mentioned in the article below.
Remember, this list only includes tracks issued on CD. For cassette only material (just the Unreleased 1992 LP), and video only (be it LD or DVD) material, see the FULL(ish) track-by-track discography or the Song List.
Run Baby Run (31458 8163 2) gps, 1993
Single Version
LP Version
Scenes From The Tuesday Night Music Club (31458 8182 2) gps, 1993
Run Baby Run
Strong Enough
All I Wanna Do
No One Said It Would Be Easy
Leaving Las Vegas (31458 8208 2) gps, 1993
Radio Fade
LP Version
All I Wanna Do (31458 8298 2) dp, 1994
Remix
LP Version
Leaving Las Vegas (31458 8261 2) ssc, 1994
Live Acoustic Version
LP Version
All I Wanna Do (31458 8317 2) ssc, 1994
Live
Remix
Remix (No LA Version)
Strong Enough (31458 8339 2) gps, 1994
LP Version
Strong Enough (31458 8407 2) sjc, 1994
Radio Compressed Mix
Can’t Cry Anymore (31458 8284 2) dp, 1995
LP Version
If It Makes You Happy (AMCDP 00303) dp, 1996
Edit
Full Version
Sheryl Crow on Sheryl Crow-The Interview (AMSAD 00281) jc, 1996
Everyday Is A Winding Road (AMCDP 00345) ps, 1997
LP Version
A Change Would Do You Good (AMCDP 00443) ps, 1997
LP Version
Home (AMCDP 00518) ps, 1997
Fade
LP Version
Tomorrow Never Dies (AMCDP 00555) ps, 1997
Fade
LP Version
My Favorite Mistake (AMCDP 00721) sdp, 1998
LP Version
There Goes The Neighborhood (AMCDP 00800) sdp, 1998
Radio Edit
Alternate Radio Edit
LP Version
There Goes The Neighborhood (A&M Mastering acetate; not released to DJs) jc, 1998
There Goes The Neighborhood
Blue Christmas
Anything But Down (AMPCD 00793) sdp, 1999
Anything But Down
Anything But Down jc, CDR, 1999
Anything But Down
Sweet Child O' Mine (American Records, CSK 42160) jc, 1999
Rock Mix
Pop Mix
Sweet Child O' Mine (A&M Records/Sony Music # INT5P-6635) jc, 1999
Sweet Child O' Mine
The Difficult Kind (A&M Records) jc, 1999
Edit (4:35)
LP Version
SMART TRAKS (Oldsmobile test drive promtional disc) jc, 1999
A Change Would Do You Good
Can't Cry Anymore
The Difficult Kind
Resuscitation
My Favorite Mistake
Carolina
Everyday Is A Winding Road
Soak Up The Sun (AMRR-10707) jc, 2002
Soak Up the Sun (radio edit)
Strong Enough (31458 0866 2) jc, 1994
Strong Enough-LP Version
All I Wanna Do-Live
Reach Around Jerk-Live
Leaving Las Vegas-Live
Can’t Cry Anymore (31458 1081 2) jc, 1995
Can’t Cry Anymore-LP Version
No One Said It Would Be Easy-Live At The Empire
What I Can Do For You-Live At The Empire
I Shall Believe-Live At The Empire
If It Makes You Happy (31458 1874 2) jc, 1996
If It Makes You Happy-Edit
Keep On Growing
If It Makes You Happy (31458 1875 2) jc, 1996
If It Makes You Happy-LP Version
Keep On Growing
I’m Going To Be A Wheel Someday
No One Said It Would Be Easy-Live In Nashville
Everyday Is A Winding Road (31458 2032 2) jc, 1997
Everyday Is A Winding Road-LP Version
Sad Sad World-Non LP Track
Everyday Is A Winding Road (31458 2033 2) jc, 1997
Everyday Is A Winding Road-LP Version
Sad Sad World-Non LP Track
In Need-Non LP Track
On The Outside-Live From Shepherds Bush Empire
Tuesday Night Music Club (31458 0126 2) jc, 1993
There are also BMG Music Service and Columbia Record Club versions of this title.
Additionally, there is a promo version of this LP in a special “menu” folder.
Sheryl Crow (31454 0587 2) jc, 1996
There are also BMG Music Service and Columbia Record Club versions of this title. Some early copies title the track "A Change Would Do You Good" as "A Change". Copies of this disc can also be found in a promotional issue, which has slightly alternate cover art, and is in a plastic sleeve, with art inserted.
The Globe Sessions (31458 0959 2) jc, 1998
There is also a promo version of this LP in a special box package.
The Globe Sessions ("Reissue") jc, 1999
New copies of this LP, made after mid-1999 include Sheryl's cover of "Sweet Child O' Mine," in order to boost sales. This new version was issued on July 6, though it seems it was another week until they actually filtered into most stores.
Sheryl Crow And Friends: Live In Central Park (069490574-2) jc, 1999
This release, Sheryl's first live full-length LP, was released to cash-in on the enormous success of her FOX tv special, from which this CD is derived.
C'mon, C'mon (no cat. number info yet) jc, 2002
Sheryl's first studio LP since 1998 is due out on April 9th.
Point Break- Music From The Motion Picture (MCA Records, MCAD 10202) jc, 1991
10. Hundreds Of Tears
If I Were A Carpenter (31454 0258 2) jc, 1994
7. Solitaire
Broadcasts Vol. 2 (Strait Music Company) jc, 1995
(CD1) 19. Leaving Las Vegas (KGSR live)
99X Live X II "One Life" (99x) jp, 1995
All I Wanna Do (99x version)
Y100 Sonic Sessions, Vol. 1 (Y100) jc, 1995
Strong Enough (Y100 version)
Live at the World Cafe, Vol. 1 (WXPN) jc, 1995
3. Leaving Las Vegas (WXPN live)
The Best Of Studio C, Vol 5. (KBCO) jc, 1995
Strong Enough (KBCO)
Pavarotti & Friends for War Child (London 452 900-2) jc, 1996
Run Baby Run (live in Italy)
La Ci Darem La Mano
Q107's Concerts In The Sky: The Campfire Versions (MCA (Canada) MCAMD 81003) jc, 1996
10. Run Baby Run (Q107 live)
This CD, technically not a US release, was issued regionally for this Toronto radio station. Included on the disc is Sheryl's early 1994 live radio version of "Run Baby Run", unavailable elsewhere.
Z100 Morning Zoo Bootleg (Z100 FM CD 009) jc, 1997
31. If It Makes You Happy (Z100 live)
Live On Letterman-Music From The Late Show (Reprise Records, 9 46827 2) jc, 1997
2. Strong Enough
A Very Special Christmas 3 (31454 0764 2) jc, 1997
6. Blue Christmas
The Best Of Studio C, Vol. 9 (KBCO) jc, 1997
4. Home (KBCO)
ONXRT Live from the Archives Volume 4 (99XRT) jc, 1998
Leaving Las Vegas (ONXRT live version)
The Peak Lounge: Live Tracks Volume 2 (Peak Foundation PPND965) jc, 1998
Home (96.5 version)
Burt Bacharach-One Amazing Night (N2K Encoded Music, N2K 10008) jc, 1998
1. One Less Bell To Answer
99X LIVE X IV "Home" (WNNX5) jp, 1999
Home (99x version)
AT&T Presents Stormy Weather (AT&T Worldnet Software), dp, 1999
1. Good Morning Heartache
Return of the Grievous Angel: A Tribute to Gram Parsons (Almo Sounds AMSD-80024) jc, 1999
Juanita (with Emmylou Harris)
A Very Special Christmas: Live In Washingston, D.C., jc, 1999
Merry Christmas Baby
Woodstock 99 (Sony/Epic), jc, 1999
(disc two) 6. If It Makes You Happy
Pointfolio 1.0: A Live Music Compilation (Audio House, Inc. 70440) jc, 1999
My Favorite Mistake (104.1 version)
Broadcasts Vol. 7 (Strait Music), jc, 1999
Anything But Down (KGSR)
KFOG 104.5/97.7 Live from the Archives 6 (KFOG ARCH6-2) dp, 1999
Anything But Down (KFOG version) *also issued on Star 98.7's 99 Star Lounge Collection
Channel 103.1 Special Selections Vol. 1 (SBR Creative Media) jc, 1999
Anything But Down (103.1 version)
Cities Sampler, Vol. 11 (KTCZ 97.1) jc, 1999
Anything But Down (KTCZ Cities 97 version)
VH1 Storytellers (Interscope Records 0694905112) jc, 2000
Strong Enough (Storytellers, with Stevie Nicks)
TODAY Presents: The Best of the Summmer Concert Series, Volume One (NBC Records 6747 9 75004 2 7) jc, 2000
If It Makes You Happy (TODAY Show live)
All Access: Front Row. Backstage. Live! (MCA MCAR-25431-2) jc, 2001
If It Makes You Happy (IMAX live version)
Groundwork: Act to Reduce Hunger (Starbucks/Hear Music) jp, 2001
Everyday is a Winding Road (Groundwork live version)
Music from the Motion Picture Bridget Jones's Diary (Island 314 548 797-2) jc, 2001
Kiss That Girl
Substitute: The Songs of the Who (Edel Entertainment ED183022) jc, 2001
Behind Blue Eyes
The Best of Sessions at West 54th (Columbia/Legacy CK 63702) jc, 2001
Everyday is a Winding Road (live at West 54th)
Hank Williams: Timeless (Lost Highway Records 088 170 239-2) dp, 2001
Long Gone Lonesome Blues
Good Rockin' Tonight: The Legacy of Sun Records (Sire Records 311650-2) jc, 2001
Who Will the Next Fool Be?
A Very Special Christmas 5 (A&M Records 06949 3138 2) jc, 2001
Run Rudolph Run
Toney Bennett; Playin' With My Friends: Bennett Sings the Blues (Columbia CK 85833) jc, 2001
Good Morning, Heartache (duet, with Tony Bennett)
America: A Tribute to Heroes (Joint Network Benefit (mfg. by Universal) 0694931882) jc, 2001
Safe and Sound (telethon version)
I Am Sam: Music from and Inspired By the Motion Picture (V2 Records 63881-27119-2) jc, 2002
Mother Nature's Son
jc = jewel case. A regular CD case, with a back and front insert.
jp = jewel style digipack. This is a half cardboard, half plastic monstrosity, very similar to some DVD cases today. Thankfully, these never really caught on.
ps = paper sleeve. A paper sleeve, much like an LP cover, slightly larger than the cd.
gps = gatefold picture sleeve. The same as above, but with a gatefold.
dp = digipack. A case in which the CD is in a plastic tray, and the artwork is glued around this plastic tray, gatefold style.
sc = a slimline case. A case approximately half as thick as a jewel case, with one wraparound insert, much like a tape cassette insert. These are most frequently seen in European single releases.
ssc = stickered slimline case. A slimline case with no artwork, except a sticker directly attached to the outside of the slimline case
sdp = slimline digipack. Starting with "My Favorite Mistake," US promos are usually in a new kind of digipack, with a thinner tray, making the package as a whole only a tad thicker than a slimline case, and noticably thinner than a regular digipack.
pjc = promo jewel case. An odd style of jewel case which is made up of only 2 (instead of three) parts, the tray and back of case being the same piece. These CDs have artwork on a sticker attached to the front of the case, much like the “stickered slimline case”.
Sheryl was signed to A&M in 1991, after a long career as a backup singer to Michael Jackson and, later, Don Henley. She went into the studio to prepare her debut album, which took until 1992. One track, “Hundreds Of Tears,” was released on the soundtrack to the film Point Break in 1991 presumably to give her a bit of exposure in preparation for her scheduled first LP release. However, before the album was completed, the mix of this song was toned down significantly, can edited by 45 seconds. Thus, the only released track from these first album sessions is different from the version that would have appeared on the first album.
The album was made as a test promotional tape cassette (A & M 75021 5393 4) without artwork, though artwork was prepared and the album, entitled Sheryl Crow, ready to be released to stores. Then A&M had second thoughts, and canceled the album, calling it “too uncommercial”. The label then, in what must be viewed as a magnanimous gesture, as Sheryl was still a commercial nonentity, decided to give her a free hand to produce a less “slick” album. She went into the studio with the Tuesday Night Music Club, a group of LA musicians who she had frequently jammed with in the past. Under the watchful eye of producer Bill Bottrell, the album Tuesday Night Music Club was completed and set for an August release.
A&M was very enthusiastic about this album, and ready to promote it In July, A&M released what they thought was “the” hit from the album on a promotional single, also creating a radio edit, in order to draw in DJs who would be unlikely to play a 5 minute song by an unknown artist. Unfortunately, “Run Baby Run” would not be Sheryl’s break away hit.
In early August, just before the release of the album in stores, A&M prepared a four track sampler, Scenes From The Tuesday Night Music Club, including the previous promo track, “Run Baby Run,” as well as three tracks A&M also considered to be selling points of the LP- “Strong Enough”, “All I Wanna Do”, and “No One Said It Would Be Easy” (from a soon to be issued soundtrack). This disc also failed to initially generate significant radio play, perhaps because DJs were unsure as to what track to promote. This disc would, however, be key to breaking Sheryl Crow commercially in the beginning of 1994.
Sheryl Crow’s debut album was released in stores on the 3rd of August. On that same date, the soundtrack from the film Kalifornia was issued on A&M Records, and included the track “No One Said It Would Be Easy.” This was, clearly, another attempt by A&M (as was the case for the “Point Break” soundtrack) to generate interest in Sheryl Crow in a non-direct way. A&M clearly hoped to generate sales for her album through placing the track in the movie. It didn’t work, and the Kalifornia soundtrack sank without a trace.
A&M then went to the well once more, issuing a promo (also with a radio edit) of “Leaving Las Vegas”, which was also the title of an upcoming movie and an already popular book. This track generated a bit more airplay, and the album began to trickle out of US record stores. As 1993 faded into 1994, no one could have guessed that 1994 would be Sheryl’s year.
Radio interest in “Leaving Las Vegas” prompted some DJs to look for other Sheryl tracks in early 1994. This brought DJs back to the Scenes From The Tuesday Night Music Club promo, and, ignoring the slow ballads, “Strong Enough”, and “No One Said It Would Be Easy”, some began playing “Run Baby Run” again. Most, however, picked up on the catchy throwaway track, “All I Wanna Do”. Interest in Sheryl Crow was boosted by the airplay that Sheryl received from “All I Wanna Do”, and, to a lesser extent, the two earlier promos. By the middle of April 1994, the album was really moving out of the shops.
This spontaneous support for “All I Wanna Do” caught A&M off guard, and must have been embarrassing to both the label and the artist. The song, while “fun”, was, in many ways, the least significant track on the album. In fact, Sheryl Crow would later state that it almost did not make the album, likely due to the strength of the studio version of the track “Reach Around Jerk,” which would later see foreign release. A&M rushed out a promo single for “All I Wanna Do” in order to capitalize on the moderate success of the track on the radio, which included an shorter remix, making stations with more strict timing requirements able to play the track. This brought the song to the attention of virtually every radio programmer in the country, and made it a massive hit, though A&M never saw fit to release it as a domestic single.
A&M then attempted to keep the momentum going, issuing a new “Leaving Las Vegas” promo single, including an acoustic version she had recorded for a Seattle radio station in December of 1993. This single did get more airplay, and focused more attention on Sheryl, but “All I Wanna Do” remained the preeminent hit. A&M reacted to this by, in the late summer of 1994, close on the heels of the new “Leaving Las Vegas” promo, releasing another “All I Wanna Do” promo, this time including a live version. This promo, again, got very little airplay, as the hit version was a hit because of the in studio chemistry. This live version simply did not carry the song off as well as the studio version, or the remix. Another odd fact about this promo is that, while it did not contain the LP version, it did contain a new edit of the remix version of the track. This remix, perhaps the silliest A & M edit or new mix, excluded the “the is LA” section of the introduction by way of a three second cut in the song. This mix is called, for obvious reasons the “No LA Version”, the logic apparently being that radio play in this already hit single could be boosted if it wasn’t seen as a regional song. This logic is inherently flawed based on the track’s repetitive references to “Santa Monica Boulevard”. This single, like the previous “Leaving Las Vegas” disc, may have been rush released, as the promo is in a generic slimline case, with a sticker designating contents. Another explanation for this could be that A&M wanted to ensure that radio programmers would not confuse these new promos with the previous ones, and thus had to package them in a different manner.
In September of 1994, the various artists release If I Were A Carpenter included A&M’s biggest artists, including the Cranberries, and Sheryl Crow. The track Sheryl Crow submitted for this release was “Solitaire,” a Carpenters, and even one-time Elvis Presley song. This track has yet to be released on any other album save for this one, released on September 13th. A month earlier, on August 9th, Sheryl’s version of the Fats Domino track, “I’m Gonna Be A Wheel Someday” was issued on the various artists album, “Fast Track To Nowhere”. This track would be available on several releases, both foreign and domestic, over the next two years.
By the fall of 1994, “All I Wanna Do” had made the Tuesday Night Music Club album a big success for Sheryl Crow. A&M wished to continue that momentum, which was making her an international star. During 1994, she would continue her workhorse touring in promotion of her album, and went overseas to promote it as well. A&M needed a new single, fearing that “All I Wanna Do” would run out of steam, and Sheryl would be forgotten. The label released as a promotional single the track “Strong Enough”, which had begun to get some radio play even before this. The initial promotional release of this track featured the LP mix, but this mix sounded weak on the radio. A second “Strong Enough” single was then prepared, featuring a compressed mix, taking away the problems that the ‘open’ LP mix created on radio. This single was, like the other two re-release promo singles, was packaged in a generic case, with an information and artwork sticker.
Overseas, Sheryl Crow had released more than 7 commercial singles, all of which included b sides unavailable in the United States. A&M in the US, however, had yet to release ANY commercial singles, and, indeed, missed a great commercial opportunity by not releasing an “All I Wanna Do” single, as import copies of the German “All I Wanna Do”, featuring “I Shall Believe” live from the 328 Club Nashville, and “What I can Do For You” from the Borderline in London. Another frequently imported “All I Wanna Do” set was a two CD UK set, which included exclusive versions of other tracks. By not releasing any of these early singles, A&M forced themselves into a position which they are still in. The majority of Sheryl Crow tracks are released only overseas, forcing fans to import sometimes very expensive versions of albums with bonus tracks, and multiple part single sets only released abroad. For many artists, this is a standard practice, but the level it has reached with Sheryl Crow is almost absurd. There are now (January 1999) more that 30 singles released overseas, most of which contain material not commercially available in the United States, as well as multiple versions of her three albums which are necessary if one wishes to own every Sheryl track.
A&M, seeing their mistake with “All I Wanna Do”, chose to release a commercial single for the new radio hit, “Strong Enough”. This single, released on the 14th of November, was an exact copy (except for some necessary artwork reformatting) of a previously released import single for this track. This single included “All I Wanna Do”, “Reach Around Jerk”, and “Leaving Las Vegas”, all in live versions. The live version of “All I Wanna Do” was, in fact, the same live version (from the 328 Club) that had been released on a previous A&M promo. This single sold moderately well, but was not the success that “All I Wanna Do” was.
1995 came with Sheryl on the top of the music world. She would end up winning several Grammies for her first album, including “Best New Artist”. Most artists would sit back and relax after a grueling year such as 1994, but Sheryl Crow did not. She continued to tour relentlessly, almost as if she believed she still had something to prove. She didn’t, but delighted audiences who already knew that she was a talented superstar. She was even popular enough to be asked to perform at Woodstock ‘94, and appeared on the two cd release of this event, singing “Run Baby Run”. This disc was scheduled to be issued a week before the “Strong Enough” single, on November 7th, though an error in the liner notes forced the disc to be recalled, and it was widely available in stores within two weeks of that initial release date.
The year started, commercially, with “Strong Enough”, and “All I Wanna Do” still getting strong radio play. Even “Leaving Las Vegas”, and, to a lesser extent, “Run Baby Run” were recognizable radio hits. A&M realized that none of these tracks could be released for any commercial gain, as they had been on the radio for more than a year, and anyone who would have bought the album for these tracks had likely already bought it. Sales were still high, but A&M recognized that the album was likely to begin a significant downturn unless they could come up with another radio hit. “Strong Enough” had not yet reached its maximum exposure, saleswise or in terms of radio play, but A&M needed to have a plan for keeping “Sheryl-mania” going at least until the end of 1995, and this would require another hit.
Before this would happen, though, there would be several releases. The soundtrack to the film “Boys On The Side” was issued on Arista Records on the 24th of January, 1995. This included the first release of the track “Keep On Growing”, an Eric Clapton cover. This track, like “I’m Gonna Be A Wheel Someday”, would be later released on several other discs. For some odd reason, this track was ignored by A&M internationally until the 1996 release of the Sheryl Crow album, although its first release was 19 months to the day from the release of her second album.
Her Grammy nominations spurred the release of the now finally slowing down “All I Wanna Do” on two compilations. This track was released on February 7,on the disc 1995 Grammy Nominees, and then, curiously, by A&M on March 7th on a compilation entitled Women For Women. The logic of releasing the same track on two different CDs within 28 days is a little questionable, until one considers that “All I Wanna Do” seemed to be incapable of being overkilled, and remained her biggest hit.
A release that received quite a bit of attention, both commercial and in the press, was Encomium-A Tribute To Led Zeppelin, which included Sheryl’s interpretation of the song “D’yer Mak’er”. Released on March 21st, this disc was a significant commercial success, a rarity for these sorts of discs. Interestingly, this is also the only issue of a Sheryl Crow related item in the United States for which any reference copies have circulated in the collectors market. The plain white cover insert may not be much to look at, but it is an interesting rarity.
In the Spring of 1995, radio interest in “All I Wanna Do” was finally spent, though the video remained popular. It was time for A&M to release something that would keep people interested throughout the remainder of the year. If A&M was unable to do this, Sheryl may have ended up a two hit wonder, primarily remembered for “All I Wanna Do”. In May of 1995, A & M believed they had the single they needed in “Can’t Cry Anymore,” and they were right. Released, firstly, as a one track promotional single in an attractive digipack, the track received heavy radio play from the outset. The modest commercial success of the “Strong Enough” commercial single spurred A & M to release a commercial single for this new hit. “The Can’t Cry Anymore” US promo included the same attractive artwork as the digipack promo, but also included 3 tracks recorded live at the Shepherds Bush Empire in London in the fall of 1994.
This single continued her popularity into the fall, with both the video and the song getting heavy airplay. Commercially, this single was also a success, but not as big as “All I Wanna Do” may have been if issued in early 1994. “Can’t Cry Anymore” was also issued on Volume 8 of MTVs Party To Go, on the Tommy Boy label, on November 21st, 1995. The rest of the year would see very little activity from A&M,. in fact, no US Sheryl product was issued in either the third or fourth quarter of 1995, the above two releases notwithstanding. A&M in America made the decision to not release a single from Tuesday Night Music Club in the fall, though in Europe, the track “What I Can Do For You” was issued and was a major hit. Also, significantly, Sheryl’s European “Run Baby Run” 2cd single set, including 6 tracks recorded live in Nashville, was heavily imported throughout the late Summer and Fall.
In the spring of 1995, the first appearance of an exclusive Sheryl track on a regional CD occured. Released in Austin Texas, to benefit the Travis County Child Advocacy Center, was a CD entitled "Broadcasts Vol. 2". Included on the two cd set, which also featured Tori Amos, Sarah McLachlan, and Crowded House, was an acoustic performance of "Leaving Las Vegas" recorded (and broadcast) by 107.1 KGSR in Austin in March of the previous year. The two CD set, being a regional issue, is difficult to find, particularly due to the notoriety of several of her fellow performers on the disc. There is also another 1995 disc featuring an acoustic LLV, this time "Live at the World Cafe, VOl. 1", released by WXPN in Pennsylvania. Later in the year, a version of "Strong Enough" recorded for KBCO, in Boulder, Colorado, would appear on the regional "The Best Of Studio C" series, released both on Volume Five and the Retrospective Volume Seven. Two other Sheryl radio-only CDs from this era are Altanta's 99x's "Live X II: One Life", with an exclusive version of "All I Wanna Do", and Philadelphia's "Y100 Sonic Sessions, Vol. 1", with "Strong Enough".
A&M America clearly recognized that there was little they could do, commercially, for Sheryl in late 1995. She was still undertaking her grueling schedule of concerts and TV appearances, including, notably, appearances on “Late Night With David Letterman”, and her own edition of the popular “MTV Unplugged”. Tuesday Night Music Club had succeeded in making Sheryl Crow a star, but had run out of commercial potential. In many ways, Sheryl’s next moves would be more important than any since the decision to scrap her original 1992 album. She had to prove in 1996 that she was not just “the girl that wanted to have fun”, and she would.
The first three quarters of 1996 were very quiet ones for Sheryl’s label. In March, a tribute album to the popular TV show “The X Files”, entitled Songs In The Key of X, included a newly recorded Sheryl Crow track, more malevolent and melancholy in atmosphere than anything she had yet released. This track was “On The Outside”, which would end up on several other releases, including the European part one of her forthcoming “If It Makes You Happy” single.
Anyone who doubted whether Sheryl was shifting gears would be proven wrong in early August 1996. A&M released “If It Makes You Happy” as a promotional single, including the LP version, and a radio edit. A&M must have been overly nervous about her new, harder, direction, as they pressed more of this promo single, packaged in a gatefold digipack, than any other promo for her second album.
Needing to generate a bit of promotion for Sheryl Crow, as she was out of the commercial limelight for about a year, A&M decided to release her new LP debut single commercially as well. Possibly noting the success of the multiple part singles from Tuesday Night Music Club in Europe, the label decided to release a two part single for “If It Makes You Happy”. A&M must have also noticed the popularity of two track “budget” singles, which generally sell for half the price of a regular cd single. Unfortunately, they decided to merge these ideas. On the 3rd of September, the two “If It Makes You Happy” singles were released. The four track edition included the full length version of the title track as well as two previously released tracks: “Keep On Growing” (Boys On The Side), “I’m Going To Be A Wheel Someday” (Fast Track To Nowhere), and “No One Said It Would Be Easy”( live at the 328 Club, previously unreleased in the US). The two track edition of this single featured the radio edit of “If It Makes You Happy”, as well as “Keep On Growing”. A&M clearly missed their opportunity to create a new precedent for multiple part single sets, as, due to track selection, those who bought one rarely bought the other. This strange fusion of two good release ideas was a general failure, though A&M would try this again later.
This was a minor problem for A&M, as “If It Makes You Happy” flew off of the shelves, partially boosted by added publicity after Wal-Mart discount stores announced they would not stock the forthcoming LP, due to the “inflammatory” nature of the track “Love Is A Good Thing”, which, they felt, implied that Wal-Mart was selling guns to minors. The album was set for release on the 24th of September, but there would be one other issue before this came out. After the success of the various artists compilation Women For Women, to which Sheryl contributed the already released “All I Wanna Do”, A & M decided to release a second volume. Women For Women 2 included the track “I Shall Believe” on September 17. This was the last time a track from “Tuesday Night Music Club” would be issued on a major label current compilation, marking the end of an era for Sheryl Crow’s career.
There were a couple other TNMC related CDs to hit stores at the end of the year. On November 19, 1996, in the form of here duet with Luciano Pavarotti on "La Ci Darem La Mano" and her performance with Eric Clapton on "Run Baby Run", both taken from one of Pavarotti's War Child benefits, and released as "Pavarotti &Friends for War Child".However, the last "Tuesday Night Music Club" era track released would be issued by a Toronto radio station, Q107, in late 1996. A version of Sheryl performing "Run Baby Run" in early 1994 was included on their "Q107's Concerts In The Sky" CD, though the CD received only limited distribution, and is today quite rare. It is more than appropriate that this would be the last TNMC era track released, as it was the first, on the original "Run Baby Run" promo single.
The album Sheryl Crow was issued in America on the 24th of September, 1996. In the UK, the album included an extra track, entitled “Free Man”, while in Germany, the concurrent release featured the extra tracks “Hard To Make A Stand (Alternate Version” and “Sad Sad World.” The Japanese release, featuring drastically different cover art (later used for the UK and German “Everyday Is A Winding Road singles, and its US promo) and included “Sad Sad World” and “Free Man”, the latter of which would never be issued in the United States. It was an immediate hit, even to the point of revitalizing sales of the already multi-platinum Tuesday Night Music Club. The best thing A&M could do was just sit back and wait.
A&M America did not take the label’s lead in Europe, where, on November 11th, multiple singles for “Everyday Is A Winding Road” were released. These singles used cover art which was a variation of the Japanese edition of “Sheryl Crow”. However, as the UK geared up to issue their “Hard To Make A Stand” 2 part single set in March of 1997, A & M US decided that it was time to issue an “Everyday Is A Winding Road” promo. This promo used the same cover art as the UK singles. This is only significant as, after the video for the track was filmed, A&M released commercial singles which were drastically different in appearance from the promo (using the same picture as the UK “Hard To Make A Stand” singles, but with a different style).
As Sheryl was now an established artist on her way to a second multi-platinum record, there was very little need to push her on the radio, unlike during her first album. Thus, there was very little A&M could do except issue the occasional promo single in order to keep radio programmers interested. A&M did decide to release, in the middle of April, a budget “Everyday Is A Winding Road” single, which also included “Sad Sad World”, issued for the first time in the US.
After releasing an “A Change Would Do You Good” one track promo in May of 1997, A & M released a second “Everyday Is A Winding Road” single, this time adding the tracks “In Need”, and “On The Outside”, the latter recorded at Shepherd Bush Empire earlier that year. Thus, “Everyday Is A Winding Road” belatedly became the second of the peculiar breed of American multiple part singles sets, and, due to the relative failure of this second release, the experiment would not be tried again. In fact, within a year, while the four track singles would remain in print, the two track budget singles, initially better sellers, would cease to be available.
With the massive radio success of the three fast paced tracks so far released as promos in America, and the radio success of “Hard To Make A Stand”, which was not issued as a US promo, it was time to issue a different type of single. A&M could count on the other track to carry Sheryl’s popularity, so it was no longer a risk to release “Home” as a promotional single in August of 1997. Still, to ensure that it would get play, A & M created a radio edit, which, with the LP version, was featured on the promotional single. Though radio play was less than the earlier discs, this single only showed radio listeners just how talented Sheryl was and that she was now, commercially speaking, almost infallible.
On October 7th, 1997, Sheryl Crow’s contribution to the A Very Special Christmas, Volume 3 album was issued. Sheryl Crow had recorded “Blue Christmas”, an Elvis Presley track, for this compilation. Unlike her previous reverent covers of Led Zeppelin and Eric Clapton, this track was a radical rearrangement of the classic track, and succeeds for that very reason. Commercially, the album was a moderate success, much of the profits being donated to the Specal Olympics charity.
On Easter, 1997, Sheryl had appeared at the Z100 Birthday Bash Concert in Portland Oregon. A few months later, in the fall, the radio station released "The Z100 Morning Zoo Bootleg", which featured a track each by Sheryl and Jewel from their gigs in Portland. This disc was a charity disc, sold only regionally in Oregon at the end of 1997. While not technically a part of Sheryl's standard (A&M) canon, it is important as it is an officially released exclusive version of "If It Makes You Happy". Another exclusive version of a "Sheryl Crow" track was KBCO's version of "Home", released in late 1997 on Volume Nine of their popular "The Best Of Studio C" series. A year or so later, 97.9 The Peak in Denver, and 99X in Atlanta would also issue exclusive acoustic versions of this track.
In November of 1997, Sheryl, for the first time, was set to issue a non album single. “Tomorrow Never Dies” was the title track from the latest movie in the James Bond franchise. It was released on the soundtrack to the film on the 25th of November, and as a promo single a few weeks earlier. This promo featured both the LP version (from the soundtrack) and a radio edit. This departure from her usual sound was a radio success, though many critics panned it. A&M, for reasons known only to themselves (likely wanting to move more units of the soundtrack), missed the excellent opportunity to release this as a single, though it was a popular import as a two single set from the UK.
Two other releases from this period are the release of her 1995 appearance on “The Late Show With David Letterman”, singing “Strong Enough” on a disc called Live On Letterman-Music From The Late Show, on November 18, 1997. This was a very odd choice, based on the fact that she had more recently appeared on the Letterman Show, playing “If It Makes You Happy”. Why Reprise records chose to release this two year old performance is anyone’s guess. Also released around this period was 1998 Grammy Nominees, featuring “Everyday Is A Winding Road.” This would be her final release of the “Sheryl Crow” album era.
1998 began very slow commercially for Sheryl Crow. After appearing in “Lilith Fair” for a time, she was inexplicably left off of the two cd Songs From Lilith Fair album. A new version of “In Need”, later to show up on a UK single, was released on the soundtrack to the movie Hope Floats on May 19, 1998.
Sheryl Crow’s new album, at this point entitled Riverwide, was scheduled to be issued in August. However, the decision to change the title and rework the track lists changed the release date of The Globe Sessions to September 15th. In late August, A&M issued, in strangely small quantities, the promotional one track single for “My Favorite Mistake”, but announced that there would be no commercial single to this lead off release. A&M instead decided to use a new strategy to promote Sheryl Crow’s new album. Previously, promotional videos for Sheryl Crow’s videos were only issued to television stations and other media. This time, the video, attractively packaged, was distributed to retail outlets for in store play. This, combined with radio play, successfully created a demand for the new cd.
A&M was also able to promote The Globe Sessions indirectly, as the cd-rom magazine Launch chose to interview Sheryl for their 20th issue, released in August. As a bonus to this interview, she performed a solo version of the new single on a keyboard. This was chosen by Launch as their bonus audio track, playable in standard cd players.
A last second reordering of tracks meant that the album was put back to September 29th. When released, not only was it discovered to be an “enhanced” cd, with cd-rom material, including the video to “My Favorite Mistake”, but it also included a hidden track, entitled “Subway Ride”. This track had already been released in Europe as a single b side. The European version of The Globe Sessions also included the track “Resuscitation”, while the Japanese release included this track as well as “Carolina”, another UK b side. The former track, “Resuscitation”, was issued on the soundtrack to “The Faculty”, which appeared in stores on December 15th, though it was not scheduled until December 22nd.
1998 ended with an additional promo single, though “My Favorite Mistake” continued to receive heavy airplays. Issued concurrently with the European 2 cd set, “There Goes The Neighborhood” included the LP version, a radio edit, and, the second contender for silliest edit of all time, an “Alternate Radio Edit”, which faded the vocal every time the word “acid” was used, meaning that Sheryl “dropped ____ on a Saturday night.” This single was only distributed in very limited quantities, and the special edit has failed to receive any real radio play.
Apparently, "There Goes The Neighborhood" was in fact planned for Christmas release as a US single. In late 1998, A&M Mastering Studios made a few acetate CDR pressings of a two track "There Goes The Neighborhood". This single would have included the LP version of "There Goes The Neighborhood" and "Blue Christmas", previously issued a year earlier on "A Very Special Christmas 3". Perhaps this disc was not issued due to the buyout of A&M, or due to the relative commercial failure of the previous US two track "Everyday Is A Winding Road". Or, alternatively, perhaps it had something to do with the label's insecurity over the "I dropped acid" line in the song, or the lack of radio play, as "My Favorite Mistake" continued to be the favorite of DJs. Regardless, all that remains of these plans are a few extremely rare acetates, with an A&M Mastering title card. This disc was definitely designed for the US, as the foreign UK releases were already out by this point.
November 17, 1998 saw the release of a Sheryl track that had nothing to do with The GLobe Sessions, or even the contemporary rock scene. Sheryl appeared in the TNT tv special One Amazing Night, held in honor of Burt Bacharach. When the CD was issued, there was Sheryl, absolutely singing her heart out to "One Less Bell to Answer". Though totally at odds with her current work promoting The Globe Sessions, this CD really shows her diversity as an artist.
The first Sheryl Crow release of 1999 was "Anything But Down". In late February, UK A&M issued two singles for the track, and A&M America, though there are no plans for a commercial single, released a promo with the LP version of the track in early February. The sleeve is a departure from previous Sheryl Crow covers, with a black and white picture with an all black background. There is also a CDR version of the promo, but it's release has been very limited. Oddly, A&M in the states did not issue a promo with the UK single edit, but with the LP version. It would be unfortunate if that extra 22 seconds discouraged stations from playing this disc (as, pathetically enough, the word "acid" seems to have scared stations away from TGTN).
Next up in 1999 was the release (to some who recieve AT&T Worldnet Software) of a live Sheryl track called "Good Morning Heartache" from the concert for Walden Pond. The CD is called "Stormy Weather", and has proven most difficult for many fans to get a hold of, though a commercial release is not expected. Another quite important event in early 1999 was the formal end of A&M Records. After a complicated series of buy-outs, including Seagrams and Universal getting in on the act, A&M was declared defunct, and Sheryl was switched over to Interscope Records. Personally, I don't think too highly of them, considering the fact that, in their first four months, they still had yet to release any American SC stuff, promo or otherwise,a dn when they did put stuff out, they reissued her LP (more on this later)! Foreign releases were still to be handled by Polygram, who continue the A&M name abroad.The actual label name is still be used on Sheryl releases here, as to not confuse merchants and others, but they will not be released by the same organization, but rather the new one using the old name.
Late June saw the issue of a promo for Sheryl's cover of "Sweet Child O' Mine", included on the Big Daddy soundtrack. This promo is important, as not only does it contain a different mix of the standard version (called the "Pop Mix" here), but also a different "Rock Mix", otherwise unavailable on any other disc (though it was originally scheduled for the SCOM UK single part two). The promo is on American Records, but shortly after its release, the first new Interscope/A&M Sheryl release was made, and it was another release of "Sweet Child O' Mine"! The plan was to add the track to all future pressings of The Globe Sessions, thus selling more copies. For the roughly 1.5 million copies that didn't have the track, and were already sitting in warehouses, the plan was to press a special single of "Sweet Child O' Mine", which is to be given out free to all who purchase a non-"Sweet Child O' Mine" copy of the LP. This new A&M promo has a picture of Sheryl on it, and was used as a stop-gap giveaway disc until new copies of TGS were made. This A&M one-track was quite important for a month or so, as it features a different mix than the two track American Records promo, though now that TGS reissue features that mix (and future import singles will also include it), its musical importance is much less. The release date for the "new" The Globe Sessions was originally set for July 6, but the disc didn't actually appear in stores until a week later. Just when I feared that the golden age of Sheryl release insanity was over, along comes this cockamamie scheme. Woo Hoo!
Lost in much of this silliness was Sheryl's beautiful duet with Emmylou Harris on "Juanita", a track featured on "Return of the Grievous Angel: A Tribute to Gram Parsons", released on July 13, 1999, the same day the silly new version of TGS came out.
August 1999 saw the issue of "The Difficult Kind" as a promo single, perhaps in the lead up to the release of her first commercial video, the live "The Globe Sessions Tour 1999" (retitled "Rockin The Globe" when it hit stores). The promo is in a jewel case with back cover art and a silkscreened dic, but no front art, and includes an exclusive edit which somehow manages to chop 2 whole minutes off of the track. Both this and the contemporary "Sweet Child of Mine" store give-away disc have Interscope CD numbers (INT's), but by the time of Sheryl's next full fledged release in December, the Interscope name had all but vanished from her label copy.
Speaking of Sheryl videos, though Rockin' The Globe was pushed back to early 2000, three videos were released featuring Sheryl in 1999 and 2000. Eric Clapton & Friends in Concert features Sheryl with Eric on "Difficult Kind" and "My Favorite Mistake", and Sheryl dueting with Clapton on "Little Wing". The concert was taped in June, 1999, and a DVD was also released. Two video blasts from the past appeared in the form of MTV Unplugged Classic Moments (with Leaving Las Vegas) and MTV Unplugged Ballads (with Strong Enough), both featuring a single track from Sheryl's 1995 Unplugged appearance. These two tapes were put on DVD on October 31st, 2000 and February 27, 2001 respectively. February 6, 2001 saw the DVD release of Lilith Fair: A Celebration of Women in Music, featuring Sheryl's 1997 live takes on "Strong Enough" and "I Shall Believe". June 19th, 2001 saw the release of VH1 Storytellers Classics, featuring Sheryl's 1998 performance of "My Favorite Mistake". None of these six tracks have ever been released on CD.
Now after that brief VHS/DVD interlude, back to your regularly scheduled CD release story...
Two various artists CDs were released on October 19, 1999, both with exclusive Sheryl tracks. The first is "A Very Special Christmas: Live From Washington, D.C.", consisting of live tracks recorded at last year's Washington benefit concert. Sheryl's contribution (along with backing on a couple of other tracks) is a rendition of Elvis and Chuck Berry's "Merry Christmas Baby". Also released on this day was "Woodstock 99", featuring Sheryl's performance of "If It Makes You Happy" from that event. During the fall of 1999, Oldsmobile distributed a CD called "Sheryl Crow Smart Traks", a seven song EP, to those who test drive the Oldsmobile Bravada SUV.
The end of 1999 was also a crazy time for radio station charity cds. On November 25, KGSR radio released "Broadcasts Vol. 7", with a KGSR live version of "Anything But Down", but they had already been pipped to the post by KFOG's "Live from the Archives Volume 6", with a different live version (also on LA's Star 98.7's "'99 Star Lounge Collection), and before the year was out, "Channel 103.1 Special Selections, Vol. 1" and KTCZ 97.1's "Cities 97 Sampler Vol. 11" (from
Minnesota) all had their own exclusive acoustic versions of the track! The real stand-out in the crowd of 1999 charity releases is Minneapolis 104.1's "Pointfolio 1.)", with an acoustic version of "My Favorite Mistake".Interscope, having only 5 months before reissued one of her albums with a bonus track, wasn't through as 1999 drew to a close. In late 1999, Sheryl did a fantastic star-studded event in Central Park. It was broadcast on the FOX tv network, and sponsored by American Express. Apparently, somebody at American Express and somebody at Universal (the owners of Interscope, which controls/is A &M) got together and decided that this would be an optimum release for the Christmas market, with a nice little American Express advert inserted into each jewel case (if I sound all evil and anti-capitalist, I'm not. I just am not fond of star-studded live albums!). So on December 7, 1999, Sheryl's 4th LP came out: Sheryl Crow and Friends: Live in Central Park. After that, Interscope apparently forgot all about the release, as only Mexico ever released any promo singles for this one, and there were no worldwide commercial singles for it. Oddly, there is no mention of Interscope on the release at all, implying that Universal has had the sense to realize what an historic brand-name A&M is, and reversed thyeir earlier decision to phase out A&M.
Early 2000 was another very quiet time for Sheryl Crow. We later learned that thoughout much of 2000, she was struggling to complete a new studio LP, and almost scrapped it all for an LP of cover songs. Instead she chose to walk away from the studio for a while, and picked up the pieces of the 2000 recordings in 2001, for C'mon C'mon. Her first CD appearance of 200) was on April 25th's VH1 Storytellers CD, which made commercially available her duet with Stevie Nicks on "Strong Enough", taped in mid-1998. On August 22, 2000, Sheryl's August 1999 appearance on the TODAY show was released on "TODAY Presents: The Best of the Summer Concert Series, Volume One". Sheryl sings "If It Makes You Happy" on this CD. Also released in 2000 (on April 4th) was the soundtrack to the hit movie Erin Brockovich, on which "Redemption Day" and "Everyday is a Winding Road" are featured. The success of this movie definitely kept Sheryl in the spotlight in 2000, but using recordings first released in 1996!
In 2001, as Sheryl finally finished her 4th (released) studio LP, she appeared on a number of tribute and various artists cds in the last few month of the year. But before that, she was featured on a Verizon/MCA promo for the IMAX concert film "All Access", in which she does a live version of "If It Makes You Happy". She also appears (in a live version of "Everyday is a Winding Road") on a Starbucks/Hear Music charity CD called "Groundwork: Act to Reduce Hunger".
On April 3, 2001, a brand new Sheryl song, "Kiss That Girl" was released on the soundtrack to Bridget Jones's Diary, another runaway hit with a Sheryl song in it. Unfortunately Sheryl's new song is overshadowed by "Killin' Kind" by Shelby Lynne, a Grammy winning track. Her second soundtrack of the year was Shallow Hal, with "members Only", released November 6th. In the summer, Sheryl appeared on "Substitute:Songs of the Who", doing a fantastic version of "Behind Blue Eyes" (released June 12th).
September 4th saw the long overdue release of Sheryl's appearance on the West 54th PBS tv show, on "The Best of Sessions at West 54th", on which she does "Everyday is a Winding Road" (hey, it was taped in 1997!). And September 25th, 2001 saw the release of Sheryl's *best* cover ever, a fantastic version of Hank William's Sr.'s "Long Gone Lonesome Blues", on Timeless:A Tribute to Hank Williams. Her performance got her nominated for yet another Grammy, and is just another of the many examples of her musical range, from Opera to Hank. She showed even further diversity on "Good Rockin' Tonight: The Legacy of Sun Records" when she proved she could do late 1950s tracks too, this time "Who Will the Next Fool Be?". The CD was released October 16th, 2001.
Sheryl Crow also renewed her long term association with the "A Very Special Christmas" series, appearing in Volume Five, released October 30, 2001. She deleivers another in her series of 2001 killer-covers, this time in the form of "Run Rudolph Run", a Chuck Berry classic.
Tony Bennett's 2001 LP, "Playin With My Friends: Bennett Sings the Blues", released on November 6th, 2001, features Sheryl in a duet with Tony on "Good Morning, Heartache", a track she recorded on her own for the "Stormy Weather" Walden Woods Benefit CD in 1999. This version is much more accessible and pleasant, and a nice generation-crosser.
The world stood still on September 11th, we all know that. And in the aftermath, there were a great deal of tv specials, concerts, and benefits. One such benefit was the America: A Tribute to Heroes telethon, broadcast in late September over all four US tv networks. Sheryl was there, singing a version of "Safe and Sound", a track from her forthcoming LP. She's on the CD of this event that was released on December 4th. A preview of her new album, but more importantly, a comfort to millions of people and a nation in shock.
2002 has started much like 2001 ended for Sheryl. Her first release was on the first day that it was possible to release anything in 2002 - January 8th. What was it? Another "killer cover", this time of Paul McCartney's "Mother Nature's Son", on the soundtrack to "I Am Sam".
But 2002 isn't just another year of various artists CDs, and lalbum reissue nonsense. This time, we're getting a brand new studio LP (her first since 1998!), called C'mon, C'mon. As of early February 2002, the first single, called "Soak Up the Sun", has been sent to DJs, and the game has started again. It seems that there are again no plans for a domestic single, so right now the promo is all there is. The oddest thing about the new single is a complete lack of the mention of "Interscope", or even Universal (as on the Central Park CD). Instead, it's just plain old A&M Records again. The single, in a jewel case, with beautiful color inserts, features an edit of "Soak Up the Sun", which to my ears sounds the perfect Spring hit. Here's hoping!
The C'mon , C'mon CD is due in stores April 16th, 2002.
This page accessed more than once. No really, I promise!
Page created by: jasonrh@ix.netcom.com
All written content Copyright 1999-2002, Jason Rhoden, unless noted.
Do not copy without permission.