The Closer You Get...

The Closer You Get... is the seventh studio album by American country music band Alabama, released in 1983. All three singles from this album — "The Closer You Get", "Lady Down on Love" and "Dixieland Delight" — reached Number One on the Hot Country Songs charts in 1983. "She Put the Sad in All His Songs" was also recorded by Ronnie Dunn (who formed the duo Brooks & Dunn with Kix Brooks in 1991) and was released by him as a single in 1983. The album itself reached No. 10 on the Billboard 200, becoming the band's highest-charting album. Considered a stylistic move towards a more pop-friendly sound, the album has been described as a mix of "easy listening" country pop and neotraditional country by AllMusic's Vik Iyengar.[1]

The Closer You Get...
Studio album by
Alabama
ReleasedMarch 1983
Recorded1981-1982
StudioThe Music Mill (Nashville, Tennessee)
Genre
Length40:53
LabelRCA Nashville
ProducerAlabama
Harold Shedd
Alabama chronology
Mountain Music
(1982)		 The Closer You Get...
(1983)		 Roll On
(1984)
Singles from The Closer You Get...
  1. "Dixieland Delight"
    Released: January 28, 1983
  2. "The Closer You Get"
    Released: April 29, 1983
  3. "Lady Down on Love"
    Released: August 5, 1983
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]

The album was certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.[2]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Closer You Get"J.P. Pennington, Mark Gray4:33
2."Lady Down on Love"Randy Owen4:00
3."She Put the Sad in All His Songs"Robert Byrne, Mac McAnally4:03
4."Red River"Bud McGuire, George Pearce4:20
5."What in the Name of Love""Bill Boling, Chris Deal, Rick Wayne3:54
6."Dixieland Delight"Ronnie Rogers5:25
7."Very Special Love"Teddy Gentry, Owen4:50
8."Dixie Boy"Jim McBride4:20
9."Alabama Sky"Larry Shell3:21
10."Lovin' Man"Jeff Cook2:33

Personnel

Alabama

Additional musicians
  • Shane Keister – keyboards
  • Willie Rainsford – keyboards
  • Jack Eubanks – acoustic guitar
  • George "Leo" Jackson – acoustic guitar
  • Dave Kirby – electric guitar
  • Fred Newell – electric guitar
  • William Adair – bass guitar
  • Larry Paxton – bass guitar
  • Steve Schaffer – bass guitar
  • Hayward Bishop – drums
  • Farrell Morris – percussion
  • Bruce Watkins – fiddle
  • Kristin Wilkinson – string arrangements
  • Nashville String Machine – strings

Production
  • Alabama – producers
  • Harold Shedd – producer
  • Paul Goldberg – engineer
  • Gene Rice – engineer
  • Randy Kling – mastering at Randy's Roost (Nashville, Tennessee)
  • Hogan Entertainment – art direction
  • Gabrielle Raumberger – art direction, design
  • Moshe Brakha – photography

Chart performance

Singles
Year Single Peak chart positions
US Country US US AC CAN Country CAN AC
1983 "Dixieland Delight" 1 — — 1 —
"The Closer You Get" 1 38 9 1 1
"Lady Down on Love" 1 76 18 1 10

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[8] 4× Platinum 4,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Notes
  1. https://www.allmusic.com/album/r105289
  2. "Alabama – Gold & Platinum Certifications". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. Retrieved July 6, 2014.
  3. "Alabama Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  4. "Alabama Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  5. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1983". Billboard. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  6. "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1983". Billboard. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  7. "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1984". Billboard. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  8. "American album certifications – Alabama – The Closer You Get". Recording Industry Association of America.
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