No Fences


No Fences is the second studio album by the American country music artist Garth Brooks. It was released on August 27, 1990, and reached No. 1 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart. The album also reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200. On the latter chart, it stayed in the top 40 for 126 weeks. No Fences remains Brooks' best-selling studio album to date with 18 million copies shipped in the US, and is the album that made him an international star. It was his first album issued in Europe.

Musical style and composition

No Fences has been described as a country pop and neotraditional country album, that expanded further on the pop elements of Brooks' self-titled debut album, and focused more on the fusion of the soft rock, arena rock, and hard rock styles of artists such as Dan Fogelberg, James Taylor, the Eagles, Journey, and Aerosmith, and traditional country artists such as George Strait. It is considered the turning point when Garth Brooks established and followed the "stadium country" country-pop sound that grew in popularity for the rest of the 1990s, departing the neo-traditionalist sound that he started with in his career.

Singles

Some of Brooks' most famous songs appear on No Fences, including: "The Thunder Rolls", "Friends in Low Places", "Unanswered Prayers" and "Two of a Kind, Workin' on a Full House". A cover version of The Fleetwoods' "Mr. Blue" appears on the album. The album itself was named Album of the Year by the ACM in 1990. It reached Number 1 on the British country music charts and remained charted for over five years.
The track "Victim of the Game" was later covered by Brooks's friend and future wife Trisha Yearwood for her 1991 eponymous debut album.
Brooks later re-recorded the track "Wild Horses", and released the new recording as a single in early 2001, reaching #7 on the country chart.

25th anniversary reissue

In September 2015, it was announced No Fences would be reissued later in the year to commemorate its 25-year release anniversary. The release would include a new version of "Friends in Low Places", featuring George Strait, Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line, and Keith Urban singing along with Brooks. The album release has since been delayed due to royalty disputes.

Personnel

The following credits are sourced from liner notes included with the album's release.
Musicians
  • Pat Alger – acoustic guitar, harmony and backing vocals
  • Bruce Bouton – pedal steel guitar, harmony and backing vocals
  • Tim Bowers – bass guitar, harmony and backing vocals
  • Garth Brooks – lead, harmony and backing vocals, acoustic guitar
  • Mark Casstevens – acoustic guitar
  • Mike Chapman – bass guitar, harmony and backing vocals
  • Johnny Christopher – acoustic guitar
  • Ty England – acoustic guitar, harmony and backing vocals
  • Dave Gant – piano, keyboard, organ, fiddle, harmony and backing vocals
  • James Garver – electric guitar, harmony and backing vocals
  • Rob Hajacos – fiddle, harmony and backing vocals
  • Chris Leuzinger – electric guitar
  • Steve McClure – electric and pedal steel guitars
  • Edgar Meyer – double bass
  • Mike Palmer – drums, percussion
  • Brian Petree – harmony and backing vocals
  • Milton Sledge – drums
  • Bobby Wood – piano, keyboards, organ, harmony and backing vocals
  • Nashville String Machine – string orchestra
Backing and harmony vocalists
  • Friends in Low Places
  • * Pat Alger
  • * Al "Shaggy" Barclay
  • * Dewayne Blackwell
  • * Bruce Bouton
  • * Tim Bowers
  • * Sandy Brooks
  • * Stephanie C. Brown
  • * Mike Chapman
  • * Bob Doyle
  • * The Englands
  • * Dave Gant
  • * Rob Hajacos
  • * Joe Harris
  • * Dan Heins
  • * Rusty "Race Horse" Jones
  • Steve King
  • Earl of Bud Lee
  • Pam "The Chick" Lewis
  • Buddy Mondlock
  • Steve Morley
  • Mike "Palmerman"
  • Brian Petree
  • Dale Pierce
  • Jim Rooney
  • Tami Rose
  • Lee Sartin
  • Charlie Stefl
  • Scott Stem
  • Bobby Wood
  • Unanswered Prayers
  • * Wendy Johnson
  • * Jennifer O'Brien
  • * Hurshel Wiginton
  • * Curtis Young
  • Wolves
  • * Indian River
  • ** David McVay
  • ** Stephen Tolman
  • ** Neil Thrasher
  • ** Curry Worsham
Recording
  • Denny Purcell – mastering engineer
  • Mark Miller – recording and mixing engineer
  • Dan Heins – harmony and backing vocals, audio engineer