Chestnut Street Incident
Chestnut Street Incident is the debut studio album by John Mellencamp, then known as "Johnny Cougar," released in 1976.
| Chestnut Street Incident | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 1, 1976 | |||
| Recorded | 1975 | |||
| Studio | Gilfoy Sound Studio, Bloomington, Indiana, The Hit Factory, New York City | |||
| Genre | Heartland rock | |||
| Length | 33:42 | |||
| Label | MCA | |||
| Producer | Tony Defries, James J. C. Andrews | |||
| Johnny Cougar chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Classic Rock | |
| Rolling Stone | |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
Signing on with David Bowie's manager, Tony Defries, Mellencamp travelled to New York City to cut this first album. DeFries would also go on to produce the album as well. With the thinking that a name like "Mellencamp" wouldn't generate a lot of interest, DeFries changed Mellencamp's name to "Johnny Cougar." Mellencamp would later go on to say that he had no idea about the name change until he saw the final product and that nobody had ever called him "Johnny" before. It would take Mellencamp 15 years to have his full real name on an album, Whenever We Wanted, in 1991.
Five of the tracks are covers from the '50s and '60s, and six are original songs by Mellencamp. The 1998 Original Masters rerelease added two bonus songs that were also covers. The album sold 12,000 copies when it was originally released, which would lead to MCA's refusal to release his next album, The Kid Inside, and drop Mellencamp.
The 2009 CD reissue by Cherry Red Records added six bonus tracks recorded during the original album sessions.