In 1982, the Destroyers signed a recording contract with EMI America,[1] and released 3 gold albums, Bad to the Bone, Maverick, and Live.[2] In 1987, the Destroyers embarked on a three-week club tour, after which they began recording of Born to Be Bad.[3]
Steve Chrismar joined the band on rhythm guitar sometime before recording of the album began.[4]
The album's opening track, "Shake Your Money Maker," was written by Elmore James. "You Talk Too Much" was the first of three songs written by Thorogood. The song was the lead single from the album.[9] A music video was made for the song.[10] "Highway 49" was written by Big Joe Williams, and later recorded by Howlin' Wolf. "Born to Be Bad" was written by Thorogood. He recalls being at a reading for a movie in 1983. As he was waiting in the lobby to be called in, a fan noticed him and mistook the name of Thorogood's 1982 song "Bad to the Bone" as "Born to Be Bad." Thorogood liked "Born to Be Bad" and later wrote the song.[11] The song was also released as a single. "You Can't Catch Me" is a Chuck Berry cover.[12]
Side two of the album begins with "I'm Ready," a cover of a Fats Domino song. "Treat Her Right" is a song written and first released by Roy Head. It was released as a single, and a music video was made for it, which featured Head.[13] "I Really Like Girls" was written by Thorogood, but first recorded by Hank Williams Jr. on his 1985 album Five-O.[14] "Smokestack Lightning" is a blues song written by Howlin' Wolf.[12] "I'm Movin' On" is a country standard written by Hank Snow.[15][16]
Three singles were released from the album. "You Talk Too Much", written by Thorogood, was the lead single from the album.[9] The song debuted at number 17,[23] and peaked at number 4 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.[24] "Born to Be Bad", also written by Thorogood, debuted at number 34,[25] and peaked at number 3 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.[26] "Treat Her Right", a cover of the Roy Head song, was the third single. It debuted at number 43,[27] and peaked at number 39 on the same chart.[21] Music videos were made for "You Talk Too Much" and "Treat Her Right."[10][13]
Critical reception
Born to Be Bad received generally mixed reviews from critics.
A Cash Box reviewer called the album a "polished package of their inimitable rock and roll", and that the album is "chock-full of AOR gems".[8] Steve Newton of The Georgia Straight wrote "When it comes to party-time, rockin' blues, few people deliver with the same kind of no-frills, honest urgency as George Thorogood. Well, the bad-ass guitar ace from Wilmington, Delaware, has come through with another sturdy collection of originals and classic blues covers that should keep his constantly growing legion of fans more than satisfied."[12]Billboard magazine wrote that "there isn't much that's new or original in the music", but that "Thorogood's hearty performance style and cadre of loyal fans, should win him a slot high on the charts."[32]The Gavin Report's Ron Fell says "The album at hand is mostly a collection of high-spirited covers of rockin' blues from Memphis and beyond. And they're not just covers. They lend integrity to the oldies by toughening them up, not by making them contemporary."[33]RPM writes "A potent combination of originals and covers, the album's an uncompromising example of a man sticking to his roots, complimenting the masters emotion with is own firebrand enthusiasm."[34]
George Thorogood considers Born to Be Bad and Ride 'Til I Die the best albums he ever made.[15]
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