Album of the Day

On his fourth studio set, Harry Chapin served up an appealing mix of VERITIES & BALDERDASH. The nine originals on the 1974 Elektra album range from the romantic (“I Wanna Learn a Love Song”) to the topical (“What Made America Famous”) to the comedic ("30,000 Pounds of Bananas," inspired by an incident that happened in Scranton, PA, on this day in 1965). And it didn’t hurt that a No.1 hit – signature song “Cat's In The Cradle” – was part of the lineup. With producer Paul Leka at the helm, the collection benefits from polished, ambitious arrangements and the work of top studio musicians; all of Chapin's other albums feature his touring band. VERITIES & BALDERDASH would prove the most commercially successful release from the versatile singer-songwriter.