California 37 (album) explained
California 37 is the sixth studio album from California rock band Train. The album was released on April 13, 2012 through Columbia Records. It is the last Train album to feature drummer Scott Underwood before his departure in 2014 and the last recorded as a three-piece. It was preceded by the lead single "Drive By" on January 10, 2012.
Background
Train recorded the album in San Francisco and Los Angeles with Butch Walker and Espionage, and Monahan says that a majority of the writing happened while the group was touring Save Me, San Francisco. "I didn't spend 3 months or 5 months writing, I just wrote throughout the course of the last 3 years," said Monahan. "We have 13 songs that we've recorded and I want to hear every single one of them over and over again."[1]
Recording
California 37 was recorded in various locations across North America. Recording sessions for the band's sixth studio album took place at the Tiny Telephone and Hyde Street Studios in San Francisco and at Ruby Red Studios located in Los Angeles. Additional recording and production for the album also took place at the Bear Creek Studios in Woodinville, Washington, and at the Avast! Recording Studios in Seattle, Washington. Other studios used by the band for recording on California 37 include Integrated Studios, Flux Studios, MSR Studios and Peaceful Waters Music, all located in New York City, and at the Quayside Studios in Newcastle, England.
Album title and cover
The album is named after California State Route 37, a state highway in the North San Francisco Bay Area in northern California. The album's cover is a picture of a 1961 Cadillac on a barren road with the highway shield of California State Route 37 in the foreground, and a shadow overlay of the band's crown logo used on every album since their debut.
Critical reception
California 37 received generally mixed reviews from music critics upon its release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 53 based on 6 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews".[2] Both the BBC and The New York Times gave the album mixed reviews.[3] [4] On the other hand, the Northwest Herald and Billboard gave the album a positive review.[5] [6] USA Today journalist Brian Mansfield appreciated California 37 for having "its heart in the right place", despite certain awkward moments, particularly the references to older pop songs. He felt that "at its best, California 37's emphatic bursts of melody are buoyant and life affirming".
Commercial performance
The album debuted at number 10 on the UK Albums Chart in the United Kingdom, selling 7,809 copies.[7] It is their highest-charting album there since Drops of Jupiter which peaked at number eight in 2001.[8] In the United States, California 37 debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 76,000 copies. It is their fourth top 10 album and their highest-charting album in the US.[9] As of September 2012, California 37 has sold 254,000 copies.[10]
On June 25, Train is re-issuing the album as California 37: Mermaids of Alcatraz Tour Edition. It will have three additional studio recordings on it: "Futon", "To Be Loved" and a cover of John Lennon's "Imagine". The album will also have 3 live songs off of California 37 taken from the band's 2012 San Francisco Tour: "Drive By (Live from San Francisco)", "This'll Be My Year (Live from San Francisco)", and "When The Fog Rolls In (Live from San Francisco)".[11]
Singles
"Drive By" was released as the album's lead single on January 10, 2012.[12] [13] It was commercially successful, peaking at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100—giving the band their third top ten hit on the chart—and at number 2 on the Billboard Adult Top 40.[14] [15] It also reached the top ten in several other countries, including Austria,[16] Denmark,[17] Germany,[18] the Netherlands,[19] Sweden,[20] Switzerland,[21] and the United Kingdom.[22] The single was later certified three times platinum by Music Canada and the Recording Industry Association of America,[23] [24] two times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association,[25] The song's music video, directed by Alan Ferguson[26] and shot at Shafer Vineyards,[27] premiered on VH1 on February 14, 2012.[28] "Feels Good at First" was released digitally on March 26 in the week preceding the album's release.[29] "50 Ways to Say Goodbye" was released to adult contemporary radio in the United States as the album's second official single on June 11,[30] with a release to mainstream radio following on July 31.[31] The single peaked at numbers 20 and 4 respectively on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Adult Top 40.
"Bruises", featuring American country singer Ashley Monroe, was released as the third single from California 37 on October 5, 2012.[32] The song was re-recorded in both English and French with singer Marilou for its Canadian single release,[33] while the original version was released to country radio and peaked at number 79 on the Hot 100.[34] On November 28, Train announced that "This'll Be My Year" would be released as the album's fourth single in Australia.[35] The following day, it officially impacted radio in the country.[36] "Mermaid" was released to American adult contemporary radio as the album's fifth overall and final single on December 27.[37]
Personnel
Credits for California 37 adapted from AllMusic.[38]
- Train
- Pat Monahan – vocals, songwriting
- Jimmy Stafford – guitar
- Scott Underwood – drums
- Additional Personnel
- Jerry Becker – keyboards, songwriting
- Amund Bjørklund – producer, programming
- Eva Burmeister – violin
- Karen Dreyfus – viola
- Mark Endert – mixing
- George Flynn – bass trombone, tuba
- Katherine Fong – violin
- Quan Ge – violin
- Aaron Heick – alto sax, oboe
- David Hodges – songwriting, production
- Sam Hollander – songwriting
- Birch Johnson – trombone
- Vivek Kamath – viola
- Dave Katz – songwriting
- Shmuel Katz – viola
- Jeff Kievit – trumpet
- Lisa Kim – violin, concertmaster
- Krzysztof Kuznik – violin
- Hyunju Lee – violin
- Kuan Cheng Lu – violin
- Espen Lind – producer, bass, guitar, keyboards, background vocals, programming, Weissenborn, string arrangement, ukulele, harmonium
- Brad Magers – horns
- Hector Maldonado – bass
- Jorgen Malo – orchestration
- Ashley Monroe – vocals
- Kurt Muroki – bass
- Jooyoung Oh – violin
- Suzanne Ornstein – violin
- Diji Parq – songwriting, production
- John Patitucci – bass
- Anna Rabinova – violin
- Tim Ries – tenor sax, clarinet
- Robert Rinehart – viola
- Roger Rosenberg – baritone sax, bassoon
- Allen Shamblin – songwriting
- Jake Sinclair – programming
- Lenny Skolnik – programming
- Mina Smith – cello
- Alan Stepansky – cello
- Jenny Strenger – violin
- Kathryn Tickell –Northumbrian pipes
- Butch Walker – songwriting, production
- Gregg Wattenberg – songwriting, production
- The West Los Angeles Children's Choir – vocals
- Mary Wooten – cello
- Sharon Yamanda – violin
- Wei Yu – cello
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Release history
Notes and References
- News: Lipshutz. Jason. Train To Release 'California 37' Album in April. 7 February 2012. Billboard . 24 March 2013. 11 February 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130211090136/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/506303/train-to-release-california-37-album-in-april. live.
- Web site: California 37 Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. 2012-04-20. 2012-04-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20120426064939/http://www.metacritic.com/music/california-37. live.
- Web site: Fox. Al. BBC - Music - Review of Train - California 37. BBC. 20 April 2012. 13 April 2012. 20 April 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120420010736/http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/5nd3. live.
- News: Caramanica. Jon. New Albums From Train and Jason Mraz. The New York Times. 18 April 2012. 26 February 2017. 23 November 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211123161551/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/19/arts/music/new-albums-from-train-and-jason-mraz.html?_r=1. live.
- News: Rosen. Jody. California 37 Album Reviews. Northwest Herald. 28 April 2012. 24 April 2012. 14 July 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140714180938/http://www.nwherald.com/2012/04/18/music-reviews-neon-trees-jason-mraz-train-audio/bfujeex/?page=2. dead.
- Graff. Gary. Train, 'California 37': Track-By-Track Review. Billboard. 20 April 2012. 17 April 2012. 6 February 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130206125843/http://www.billboard.com/articles/review/1067018/train-california-37-track-by-track-review. live.
- Web site: Jones. Alan. Official Charts Analysis: Adele needs just 17k album sales for 23rd week at No.1. Music Week. 23 April 2012. 23 April 2012. 19 July 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130719161355/http://www.musicweek.com/story.asp?sectioncode=1. live.
- Web site: Lane. Dan. Record beaker Adele denies Jason Mraz his first UK Number 1. The Official Charts Company. 22 April 2012. 22 April 2012. 26 April 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120426084458/http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/record-beaker-adele-denies-jason-mraz-his-first-uk-number-1-1355/. live.
- Caulfield. Keith. Billboard 200: Lionel Richie Holds Off Jason Mraz, Stays At No. 1. Billboard. 25 April 2012. 25 April 2012. 7 February 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130207050518/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/490731/billboard-200-lionel-richie-holds-off-jason-mraz-stays-at-no-1. live.
- Web site: The US top 50 best selling 2012 albums of the year thus far. Hallyu8. 5 September 2012. 22 April 2012. https://archive.today/20130125010731/http://hallyu8.com/topic/18329-the-us-top-50-best-selling-2012-albums-of-the-year-thus-far/. 25 January 2013. dead.
- Web site: BIG ANNOUNCEMENT(S)! - Train . 2013-06-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130618070213/http://savemesanfrancisco.com/profiles/blogs/big-announcement-s . 2013-06-18 . dead .
- Web site: Drive By . Amazon.com (US) . November 18, 2013 . January 16, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140116071411/http://www.amazon.com/Drive-By-Train/dp/B006OAMVIO . live .
- Web site: Grammy Winning Group Train Invites You To Enjoy 'Drive By,' The Group's Brand New Single from Columbia Records . . January 9, 2012 . November 18, 2013 . January 31, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130131032031/http://www.sony.com/SCA/company-news/press-releases/sony-columbia-records/2012/grammy-winning-group-train-invites-you-to-enjoy-dr.shtml . live .
- [{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=train|chart=Hot 100}} Train – Chart History: Hot 100 ]. Billboard . . May 8, 2012.
- [{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=train|chart=Adult Pop Songs}} Train – Chart History: Adult Pop Songs ]. Billboard . Prometheus Global Media . May 8, 2012.
- Web site: Discographie Train . austriancharts.at . Hung Medien . November 18, 2013 . German . December 22, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111222172539/http://austriancharts.at/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Train . live .
- Web site: Discography Train . danishcharts.dk . Hung Medien . November 18, 2013 . October 24, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181024232426/https://danishcharts.dk/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Train . live .
- Web site: Chartverfolgung / Train / Single . musicline.de . . May 24, 2010 . German . https://web.archive.org/web/20120928200211/http://musicline.de/de/chartverfolgung_summary/artist/TRAIN/?type=single . September 28, 2012 . dead .
- Web site: Top 40: Train – Drive by . . October 20, 2012 . Dutch . November 23, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211123161558/https://www.top40.nl/train/train-drive-by-22377 . live .
- Web site: Discography Train . swedishcharts.com . Hung Medien . November 18, 2013 . January 11, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140111191021/http://swedishcharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Train . live .
- Web site: Discographie Train . swisscharts.com . Hung Medien . December 22, 2009 . select "Charts" tab . German . May 28, 2006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20060528045546/http://swisscharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Train . live .
- Web site: Train . . May 11, 2012 . https://archive.today/20130204030948/http://www.theofficialcharts.com/artist/_/Train/ . February 4, 2013 . dead .
- Canada . Train . August 17, 2010.
- Web site: Gold & Platinum: Train . . December 22, 2009.
- Web site: ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2012 Singles . . May 11, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130817081636/http://www.aria.com.au/pages/httpwww.aria.com.aupagesSINGLEaccreds2012.htm . August 17, 2013 .
- Web site: Drive By Train Music Video . . . May 11, 2012 . July 12, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160712015438/http://www.mtv.com/videos/train/732151/drive-by.jhtml . dead .
- News: Train Shoots New Music Video at Shafer Vineyards . . Los Angeles . February 15, 2012 . November 18, 2013 . Garbee, Jenn . https://web.archive.org/web/20120218013306/http://blogs.laweekly.com/squidink/2012/02/wine_shafer_train_music_video.php . February 18, 2012 . dead .
- Web site: 'Drive By' Video Premiering Now on VH1! . . February 14, 2012 . November 18, 2013 . Monahan, Pat . Patrick Monahan . Stafford, Jimmy . Underwood, Scott . https://archive.today/20131118121007/http://savemesanfrancisco.com/profiles/blogs/drive-by-video-premiering-now-on-vh1 . November 18, 2013 . dead .
- Web site: Feels Good At First – Single by Train . iTunes Store (IE) . . December 7, 2012 . May 30, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140530073353/https://itunes.apple.com/ie/album/feels-good-at-first-single/id510979909 . live .
- Web site: Hot/Modern/AC Future Releases . All Access Music Group . October 17, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120603125326/http://www.allaccess.com/hot-modern-ac/future-releases . June 3, 2012.
- Web site: Top 40/M Future Releases . All Access Music Group . November 18, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120626132631/http://www.allaccess.com/top40-mainstream/future-releases . June 26, 2012 . dead .
- Web site: Train – Cruises (Sony) . Radio Airplay SRL . November 17, 2013 . Spada, Valentina . Italian . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141016065658/http://www.radioairplay.fm/RadioDate/PublicDetails/39 . October 16, 2014 .
- Web site: Bruises (feat. Marilou) – Single by Train . iTunes Store (CA) . Apple . December 7, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140228153110/https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/bruises-feat.-marilou-single/id584475877 . February 28, 2014 .
- Web site: Future Releases for Country Radio Stations . All Access Music Group . January 7, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130114190459/http://www.allaccess.com/country/future-releases . January 14, 2013 . dead .
- Web site: 'This'll Be My Year' Video Premiere . . November 28, 2012 . November 17, 2013 . Train . https://web.archive.org/web/20140111112104/http://savemesanfrancisco.com/profiles/blogs/this-ll-be-my-year-video-premiere . January 11, 2014 . dead .
- Web site: New Songs At Radio This Week . Auspop . November 29, 2012 . November 17, 2013 .
- Web site: Hot/Modern/AC . All Access Music Group . January 4, 2013 . January 4, 2013 . https://archive.today/20130104054141/http://www.allaccess.com/hot-modern-ac . live .
- Web site: California 37 – Train (Credits) . AllMusic . Rovi Corporation . November 17, 2013 . November 4, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161104014826/http://www.allmusic.com/album/california-37-mw0002323801/credits . live .
- Web site: Train – California 37 . australian-charts.com. Hung Medien . November 17, 2013 . December 29, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131229045136/http://www.australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Train&titel=California+37&cat=a . live .
- Web site: Train – California 37 . austriancharts.at. Hung Medien . November 17, 2013 . German . February 19, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140219203539/http://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=Train&titel=California+37&cat=a . live .
- Web site: Train – California 37 . ultratop.be. Hung Medien . November 17, 2013 . Dutch . December 2, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121202035611/http://www.ultratop.be/nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Train&titel=California+37&cat=a . live .
- Web site: Train – California 37 . ultratop.be. Hung Medien . November 17, 2013 . French . November 23, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211123161604/https://www.ultratop.be/fr/album/2e91a/Train-California-37 . live .
- [{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=train|chart=Canadian Albums}} Train – Chart History: Canadian Albums ]. Billboard . Prometheus Global Media . November 17, 2013.
- Web site: Train – California 37 . danishcharts.dk. Hung Medien . November 17, 2013 . May 20, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190520235332/https://danishcharts.dk/showitem.asp?interpret=Train&titel=California+37&cat=a . live .
- Web site: Train – California 37 . dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien . November 17, 2013 . Dutch . July 20, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130720045725/http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Train&titel=California+37&cat=a . live .
- Web site: Train – California 37 . lescharts.com. Hung Medien . November 17, 2013 . French . November 23, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211123161601/https://lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Train&titel=California+37&cat=a . live .
- Web site: Chartverfolgung / Train / Longplay . . May 24, 2010 . German . https://web.archive.org/web/20120613014511/http://musicline.de/de/chartverfolgung_summary/artist/TRAIN/?type=longplay . June 13, 2012 . dead .
- Web site: Top 75 Artist Album, Week Ending 19 April 2012 . . April 20, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141017031105/http://www.chart-track.co.uk/index.jsp?c=p%2Fmusicvideo%2Fmusic%2Farchive%2Findex_test.jsp&ct=240002&arch=t&lyr=2012&year=2012&week=16 . 17 October 2014 . dead .
- Web site: Italy Albums Top 100 — Compiled By: Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI) [Issue Date: Tuesday April 17, 2012] ]. Acharts.us . November 17, 2013 . November 10, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131110115911/http://acharts.us/italy_albums_top_100/2012/16 . live .
- Web site: Train – California 37 . charts.nz. Hung Medien . November 17, 2013 . April 15, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170415065228/http://charts.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Train&titel=California+37&cat=a . live .
- Web site: 2012 Top 40 Scottish Albums Archive – 28th April 2012 . . April 28, 2012 . November 23, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211123161721/https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/scottish-albums-chart/20120422/40/ . live .
- Web site: Train – California 37 . hitparade.ch. Hung Medien . November 17, 2013 . German . December 29, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131229041400/http://hitparade.ch/showitem.asp?interpret=Train&titel=California+37&cat=a . live .
- Web site: 2012 Top 40 Official Albums Chart UK Archive – 18th August 2012 . . August 12, 2012 . February 20, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180220101103/http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/albums-chart/20120812/7502/ . live .
- [{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=train|chart=Billboard 200}} Train – Chart History: Billboard 200 ]. Billboard . Prometheus Global Media . November 17, 2013.
- [{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=train|chart=Rock Albums}} Train – Chart History: Rock Albums ]. Billboard . Prometheus Global Media . November 17, 2013.
- Web site: ARIA Top 100 Albums 2012 . . January 15, 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130307023544/http://www.aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-end-of-year-charts-top-100-albums-2012.htm . March 7, 2013 .
- Web site: End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2012. Official Charts Company. June 12, 2020. March 16, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200316131840/https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/end-of-year-artist-albums-chart/20120108/37502/. live.
- Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2012. Billboard. June 12, 2020. September 17, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180917161031/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2012/top-billboard-200-albums. live.
- Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2012. Billboard. June 12, 2020. December 1, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201201154905/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2012/top-rock-albums. live.
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- Web site: Train – California 37 . Sony Music Entertainment . May 17, 2012 . German . https://archive.today/20120912085607/http://www.sonymusic.de/Train/California-37/P/2632464/B/88691987822 . September 12, 2012 . dead .
- Web site: California 37 von Train . iTunes Store (DE) . Apple . May 17, 2013 . German . May 10, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120510095645/http://itunes.apple.com/de/album/california-37/id510774448 . live .
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- Web site: California 37 by Train . iTunes Store (UK) . Apple . May 17, 2013 . December 6, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141206202815/https://itunes.apple.com/gb/preorder/california-37/id511440152 . live .
- Web site: California 37 by Train . iTunes Store (AU) . Apple . May 17, 2013 . June 19, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120619054202/http://itunes.apple.com/au/album/california-37/id510774448 . live .
- Web site: California 37 . Amazon.com (UK) . November 17, 2013 . October 19, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131019230109/http://www.amazon.co.uk/California-37-Train/dp/B007J26INU . live .
- Web site: Train: California 37 (CD) . WOW HD (IE) . November 17, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141013070241/http://www.ie.wowhd.com/CD/train-california-37/dp/28416821 . October 13, 2014 . dead .
- Web site: California 37 . Amazon.com (US) . November 17, 2013 . December 5, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131205103631/http://www.amazon.com/California-37-Train/dp/B007G3H8Y0 . live .
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- Web site: California 37 [Vinyl] ]. Amazon.com (UK) . November 17, 2013 . November 15, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131115043942/http://www.amazon.co.uk/California-37-VINYL-Train/dp/B007PZADLO . live .
- Web site: California 37 (Vinyl) . Amazon.com (US) . May 17, 2012 . May 20, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120520090520/http://www.amazon.com/California-37-Vinyl-Train/dp/B007PZADLO . live .
- Web site: Train – California 37 (Deluxe Edition) . . November 1, 2012 . German . https://archive.today/20130412101601/http://www.sonymusic.de/Train/California-37-Deluxe-Edition/P/2632464 . April 12, 2013 . dead .
- Web site: California 37 (Deluxe Edition) . Amazon.com (UK) . November 17, 2013 . October 13, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141013145503/http://www.amazon.co.uk/California-37-Deluxe-Edition-Train/dp/B009XL5PPC . live .
- Web site: California 37: Mermaids Of Alcatraz Tour Edition . Amazon.com (US) . November 17, 2013 . October 30, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131030005045/http://www.amazon.com/California-37-Mermaids-Alcatraz-Edition/dp/B00CNIDH7A . live .