Rock Billy Boogie

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rock Billy Boogie
Studio album by
Released1979 (1979)
RecordedNovember 1978
StudioPlaza Sound, New York City
GenreRockabilly[1]
Length28:48
LabelRCA
ProducerRichard Gottehrer
Robert Gordon chronology
Fresh Fish Special
(1978)
Rock Billy Boogie
(1979)
Bad Boy
(1980)
Singles from Rock Billy Boogie
  1. "It's Only Make Believe"
    Released: 1979
  2. "Black Slacks"
    Released: 1979

Rock Billy Boogie is a studio album by Robert Gordon, released on RCA Records in 1979.[2] It peaked at number 106 on the Billboard 200 chart.[3]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Robert ChristgauB[5]

Robert Christgau gave the album a "B" grade, saying, "Gordon's nouveau rockabilly has always been a mite slick and a mite fast, and this is his best album because he's no longer hiding it--his blown notes are just blown notes, not stigmata of authenticity."[5] The Globe and Mail noted that "the further he goes with the schtick, the more convincing he gets, and this time around it's hard to criticize his vocal work as stagey or imitative."[6]

Bruce Eder of AllMusic said that "there's not a bad song, or even a less-than-first-rate performance anywhere on it."[4]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Rock Billy Boogie"Dorsey Burnette, Johnny Burnette, George Hawkins, Henry Jerome2:33
2."Love My Baby"Junior Parker1:42
3."I Just Found Out"Paul Burlison, Dorsey Burnette, Johnny Burnette, Henry Jerome2:30
4."All by Myself"Dave Bartholomew, Fats Domino2:17
5."Black Slacks"Joe Bennett, Jimmy Denton1:41
6."The Catman"Robert Gordon, Diane Lampert, Scott Turner2:24
7."It's Only Make Believe"Jack Nance, Conway Twitty2:37
8."Wheel of Fortune"Bennie Benjamin, George David Weiss2:27
9."Am I Blue"Harry Akst, Grant Clarke2:08
10."Walk On By"Kendall Hayes2:18
11."I Just Met a Memory"Robert Gordon, Diane Lampert, Scott Turner3:15
12."Blue Christmas"Billy Hayes, Jay W. Johnson2:37

Personnel[edit]

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.

Musicians[edit]

  • Robert Gordon – vocals
  • Chris Spedding – lead guitar
  • Scotty Turner – rhythm guitar
  • Rob Stoner – bass guitar, piano (on "The Catman", "It's Only Make Believe" and "Wheel of Fortune")
  • Howie Wyeth – drums, piano (on "Am I Blue")
  • The Three R's – background vocals (on "All by Myself")
  • Terry Vernon – background vocals (on "Black Slacks", "It's Only Make Believe" and "Wheel of Fortune")
  • Snooky Bellomo – background vocals (on "The Catman")
  • Tish Bellomo – background vocals (on "The Catman")
  • Paul Evans – background vocals (on "It's Only Make Believe")
  • Marty Nelson – background vocals (on "It's Only Make Believe")
  • Robin Grean – background vocals (on "It's Only Make Believe")

Technical[edit]

  • Jimmy Wisner – string arrangement
  • Richard Gottehrer – production
  • Rob Freeman – engineering
  • Eric Block – engineering assistance
  • Greg Calbi – mastering
  • Acy Lehman – art direction
  • Dick Smith – art direction
  • Nick Sangiamo – cover photography
  • Gary Green – inner sleeve photography

Charts[edit]

Chart Peak
position
US Billboard 200[7] 106

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Any Way You Look At Him, Robert Gordon Is Impressive". Billboard: 44–45. March 31, 1979.
  2. ^ Cartwright, Garth (2011). "Robert Gordon". Rockabilly: The Twang Heard 'Round the World. Voyageur Press. pp. 198–199.
  3. ^ "Billboard 200 - The week of May 12, 1979". Billboard. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Eder, Bruce. "Rock Billy Boogie - Robert Gordon". AllMusic. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  5. ^ a b Christgau, Robert. "Robert Gordon". Robert Christgau. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  6. ^ McGrath, Paul (17 Mar 1979). "Rock Billy Boogie Robert Gordon". The Globe and Mail. p. F7.
  7. ^ "Robert Gordon Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 21, 2019.

External links[edit]