Playing to Win is the twenty-fourth studio album by American singer Rick Nelson, released in January, 1981, on Capitol Records. It was the last album of new material Nelson would release in his lifetime. His next studio effort, All My Best, featured re-recordings of old Nelson hits while The Memphis Sessions his final collection of all-new material, was released posthumously.
| Playing to Win | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 1981 | |||
| Genre | Rock and roll, country rock | |||
| Length | 54:16 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Producer | Jack Nitzsche | |||
| Rick Nelson chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Playing to Win | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [2] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [3] |
it featured several rockabilly songs, including "Back to School Days", a contemporary version of "Believe What You Say", and John Fogerty's "Almost Saturday Night",[4] The Tentalive title came from one of his two originals on the album, "Call It What You Want," a jaunty, Rolling Stones-style romp, His other original however, provided the LP's most pro-phetic song, "The Loser Babe is You."[5] according to Nelson, "The album was going to be called 'It's Rock and Roll to Me, "but the idea was shelved because Billy Joel brought out a thing with the same theme, I just want to make records that sound like me. I've been through so many people telling me 'Go this direction' and then changing their minds the next day."[5]
The album debuted on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart in the issue dated February 21 of that year and remained on the chart for six weeks, peaking at number 153.[6]
Reception
editWilliam Ruhlmann of AllMusic said that "Nelson updated his rock & roll sound to take into consideration the heartland rock of artists like Bruce Springsteen, Bob Seger, and Tom Petty, as well as punk/new wave. As always, he had great taste, which allowed him to pick great material"[7]
Billboard called it "new wave - inflected rock" and an energetic and fun collection"[8]
Track listing
editSide one
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Almost Saturday Night" | John Fogerty | 2:35 |
| 2. | "Believe What You Say" | Dorsey Burnette, Johnny Burnette | 2:57 |
| 3. | "Little Miss American Dream" | Peter McCannbeli | 4:04 |
| 4. | "The Loser Babe Is You" | 3:46 | |
| 5. | "Back to Schooldays" | Graham Parker | 2:44 |
Side two
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "It Hasn't Happened Yet" | John Hiatt | 3:32 |
| 2. | "Call It What You Want" | 3:06 | |
| 3. | "I Can't Take It No More" | John Davis, Mickey McGee | 3:45 |
| 4. | "Don't Look at Me" | Hans Wilhelm Steinberg | 2:57 |
| 5. | "Do the Best You Can" | Ry Cooder, Titleman | 4:13 |
Charts
edit| Chart (1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Top LPs & Tape (Billboard)[6] | 153 |
References
edit- ^ ""Playing to Win" - Album Ratings". Allmusic. Retrieved 2023-11-05.
- ^ DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James; George-Warren, Holly (1992). The Rolling stone album guide : completely new reviews : every essential album, every essential artist. Random House. p. 498. ISBN 9781846098567. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 1020. ISBN 9781846098567. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
- ^ Homer, Sheree (2012). Rick Nelson, rock 'n' roll pioneer. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. p. 122. ISBN 978-0-7864-6060-1.
- ^ a b Selvin, Joel (1990). Ricky Nelson: Idol for a Generation. Chicago: Contemporary Books. p. 254. ISBN 978-0-8092-4187-3.
- ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (1996). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Albums 1955-1996. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. pp. 10, 556. ISBN 0898201179. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- ^ "Rick Nelson - Playing to Win Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". Retrieved 2023-11-05.
- ^ "Billboard Recommed LPs: Rick Nelson - Playing To Win" (PDF). Billboard. January 24, 1981. p. 106.