Hangin' Around the Observatory is the debut solo studio album by American singer-songwriter John Hiatt. It was released in 1974 through Epic Records. The recording sessions took place at Columbia Recording Studios in Nashville.[1] The album was produced by Glen Spreen.[2][3] The song "Sure As I'm Sittin' Here" was released as a single,[4] and was covered that same year by Three Dog Night on their album Hard Labor, and was a top 20 hit.[5]
A Billboard magazine reviewer says that the album "showcases a young writer and vocalist of obvious promise," and that "Hiatt's rich, slightly crazed and occasionally overwrought vocals are sympathetically buoyed by Glen Spreen's production, ranging from buzz-saw rock to sweet country without losing its coherence."[2] A Record World reviewer calls Hiatt an "unusually gifted writer and performer whose voice and songs are strangely compelling and often insightful."[11]
