180g Vinyl, LP - MFSL 1-614 Read more.
1. Cat’s In The Cradle
2. I Wanna Learn A Love Song
3. Shooting Star
4. 30,000 Pounds Of Bananas
5. She Sings Songs Without Words
6. What Made America Famous?
7. Vacancy
8. Halfway To Heaven
9. Six String Orchestra
The title track from Harry Chapin’s fourth album “Verities & Balderdash” is so timeless that it became the subject of a 2025 documentary in which artists from several generations discuss its impact on their lives and work. “Cat’s In The Cradle” undoubtedly remains the highlight of the singer-songwriter’s 1974 album. The legendary opening track also serves as a guidepost for the bold personal and social themes that follow – as well as for the beautiful folk-rock arrangements that underpin the New Yorker’s most commercially successful work. “Verities & Balderdash” was warmly received by audiences and critics alike and was certified double platinum. “Cat’s In The Cradle” reached No. 1 on the singles chart and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. The romantic ballad “I Wanna Learn A Love Song” made the Top 50.
The mini-epic “What Made America Famous?”, also released as a single, helped establish Chapin as one of the country’s most perceptive and empathetic lyricists, as “Verities & Balderdash” was rich with topical themes and situational observations. Chapin examines everything from national polarization to shifting moral standards and cultural priorities. Both singer and storyteller, he conveys a broad spectrum of emotions. As the centerpiece of a career tragically cut short by a fatal car accident, “Verities & Balderdash” stands as a prime example of his craftsmanship, sensitivity, and the perspective he contributed to American music.
MFSL is proud to present “Verities & Balderdash” in audiophile reference quality – and for the first time on vinyl: mastered from the original tapes at the MoFi studio in California and pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, the LP (180g, 33 RPM) is strictly limited to 3,000 numbered copies and comes housed in a deluxe Stoughton Printing jacket including a four-page insert. The Top-5 album sets new standards for soundstage, transparency, and dynamics, distinguished by remarkable tonal balance, instrument separation, and realism. When Chapin lists the instruments in “Six String Orchestra”, they seem to appear as if by magic, as though the band were playing just a few meters away.
