Red Earth (Crash Vegas Album)

Red Earth (Crash Vegas Album)

Red Earth was the debut album of the Canadian indie band Crash Vegas. It was released by Risque Disque, a label formed by Blue Rodeo. Greg Keelor, one of Blue Rodeo's musicians, collaborated with Michelle McAdorey and co-wrote some of the music for the album, and also provided guitar performances for the recorded version of the songs "Red Earth" and "The One That Keeps Me Running". The band toured in support of the album in 1990, and again from late 1991 to mid-1992. The second tour included opening act Junkhouse, which became increasingly popular as a result of this exposure.

The album is typically described as melancholic and brooding folk rock, with a style reminiscent of Cowboy Junkies or 10,000 Maniacs. It was recorded at The Lab, a studio in Hamilton operated by Jocelyne Lanois, of Martha & The Muffins, and Malcolm Burn.

Songs that received notable airplay on Canadian radio included "Sky", "Smoke" and "Inside Out", which became a Top 20 hit in Canada. It also includes a cover of "Down to the Wire" from the unreleased album Stampede by Buffalo Springfield, which first appeared on the album Decade by Neil Young.

Performers for the recorded album, in addition to the band members and Keelor, include Malcolm Burn, who played piano, keyboard, percussion and provided backing vocals; Sammy Vegas, lead guitar on "Down to the Wire", and Anne Bourne on keyboards for "Red Earth".