Rockin' My Life Away is the tenth studio album by American blues rock band George Thorogood and the Destroyers. It was released March 25, 1997 by the label EMI America Records.[1] The album peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Top Blues Album chart,[2][3] and spent 9 weeks on the chart.[4]
| Rockin' My Life Away | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 25, 1997 | |||
| Recorded | November–December 1996 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 44:33 | |||
| Label | EMI America | |||
| Producer | Delaware Destroyers Waddy Wachtel | |||
| George Thorogood and the Destroyers chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Rockin' My Life Away | ||||
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Rockin' My Life Away was the first Destroyers album to not reach the Billboard 200 since their debut in 1977.
Release
editEMI America released Rockin' My Life Away on March 25, 1997.[1][5] Two tracks from the album were released as singles, "Rockin' My Life Away"[6] and "The Usual". The album peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Top Blues Album chart.[2] Rockin' My Life Away is the Destroyers only album to chart in Finland, where it peaked at No. 37.[7]
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [8] |
| The Virgin Encyclopedia of the Blues | [9] |
Rockin' My Life Away received mixed reviews from critics. AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine says "and while he's losing energy as he ages, it actually adds some subtlety to his music. Still, if Rockin' My Life Away is anything, it's bloozy boogie and it's predictable, and for longtime fans, the lack of spark may cancel out the strength of the material."[10]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Get Back Into Rockin'" | Jerry Lynn Williams | 4:16 |
| 2. | "Trouble Every Day" | Frank Zappa | 4:16 |
| 3. | "Night Rider" | George Thorogood | 3:43 |
| 4. | "The Usual" | John Hiatt | 3:51 |
| 5. | "Living With The Shades Pulled Down" | Merle Haggard | 3:26 |
| 6. | "Manhattan Slide" | Elmore James | 3:20 |
| 7. | "Rockin' My Life Away" | Mack Vickery | 3:32 |
| 8. | "Jail Bait" | Andre Williams | 3:42 |
| 9. | "My Dog Can't Bark" | Otis "Big Smokey" Smothers | 4:00 |
| 10. | "Blues Hang-Over" | Slim Harpo, J. D. Miller | 4:18 |
| 11. | "Stoop Down" | Chick Willis | 3:18 |
| 12. | "Rock & Roll Man" | Thorogood | 2:51 |
| Total length: | 44:33 | ||
Personnel
editThe following personnel are credited on the album:[10]
Musicians
edit- George Thorogood – guitar, vocals
- Waddy Wachtel – guitar, producer
- Billy Blough – bass
- Jeff Simon – drums
- Hank Carter – guitar, keyboards, saxophone, vocals
- Tony Berg – tambourine, tamboura on "Night Rider"
Technical
edit- Delaware Destroyers – producer
- Brian Scheuble – engineer
- Jim Liberato – guitar technician
- Henry Marquez – art direction
- Robert Laverdiere – package design
- Chris Cuffaro – photography
References
edit- ^ a b "ROCKIN' MY LIFE AWAY — GEORGE THOROGOOD & THE DESTROYERS". Hartford Courant. 29 May 1997.
- ^ a b "Billboard". Billboard. April 12, 1997. p. 29.
- ^ "George Thorogood Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 3, 2012. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
- ^ "Billboard - June 7, 1997" (PDF). Billboard. June 7, 1997. p. 55 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "ROCKIN' MY LIFE AWAY". George Thorogood official website.
- ^ "Radio & Records - April 4, 1997" (PDF). Radio & Records. April 4, 1997. p. 80 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "finnishcharts.com - George Thorogood & The Destroyers - Rockin' My Life Away". finnishcharts.com.
- ^ AllMusic review
- ^ Larkin, Colin (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of the Blues. Virgin. p. 346. ISBN 9780753502266.
- ^ a b Allmusic.com – Rockin' My Life Away – Overview