Born to Be Bad (album)

Last updated

Born to Be Bad
BornToBeBad.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedJanuary 13, 1988
RecordedAugust 1987
Studio
Genre
Length38:35
Label EMI America
Producer
George Thorogood and the Destroyers chronology
Nadine
(1986)
Born to Be Bad
(1988)
Boogie People
(1991)
Singles from Born to Be Bad
  1. "You Talk Too Much"
    Released: January 1988
  2. "Born to Be Bad"
    Released: March 1988
  3. "Treat Her Right"
    Released: June 1988

Born to Be Bad is the seventh studio album by American blues rock band George Thorogood and the Destroyers. It was released on January 13, 1988, by the label EMI America Records. The album peaked at No. 32 on the Billboard 200, and was on the charts for 24 weeks. The album was the band's most successful internationally.

Contents

Background

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]

Recording

Recording of the album took place in August 1987, at the Ardent Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. [5] Terry Manning, who produced the band's previous album, [6] returned to produce and engineer Born to Be Bad. [5] [7] The Destroyers also helped with producing the album. [8]

Release

EMI America released Born to Be Bad on January 13, 1988. [9] [10] [11] The album debuted at No. 84, [12] and peaked at No. 32 on the Billboard 200, [13] [14] and spent 24 weeks on the chart. [15] The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on April 8, 1988. [10]

Three singles were released from the album. "You Talk Too Much", written by Thorogood, was the lead single from the album. [11] The song debuted at number 17, [16] and peaked at number 4 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. [17] "Born to Be Bad", also written by Thorogood, debuted at number 34, [18] and peaked at number 3 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. [19] "Treat Her Right", a cover of the Roy Head song, was the third single. It debuted at number 43, [20] and peaked at number 39 on the same chart. [14] Music videos were made for "You Talk Too Much" and "Treat Her Right." [21] [22]

Critical reception

Born to Be Bad received generally mixed reviews from critics.

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [23]
Music & Media (unrated) [24]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [25]
The Virgin Encyclopedia of the Blues Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [26]

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." [27] 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." [28] 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." [29] 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." [30]

George Thorogood considers Born to Be Bad and Ride 'Til I Die the best albums he ever made. [31]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Shake Your Money Maker"Elmore James3:29
2."You Talk Too Much" George Thorogood 4:35
3."Highway 49" Big Joe Williams 5:46
4."Born to Be Bad"Thorogood3:34
5."You Can't Catch Me" Chuck Berry 3:45
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I'm Ready"Sylvester Bradford, Fats Domino, Al Lewis3:20
2."Treat Her Right" Roy Head, Gene Kurtz3:32
3."I Really Like Girls"Thorogood3:49
4."Smokestack Lightning" Howlin' Wolf 3:15
5."I'm Movin' On" Hank Snow 3:58
Total length:38:35

Personnel

The following personnel are credited on the album: [32]

Musicians

Technical

Charts

Chart (1985)Peak
position
Australia (ARIA) [33] 30
Canada (RPM) [34] 14
New Zealand (RMNZ) [35] 2
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [36] 42
US Billboard 200 [13] 32

Certifications

Certifications for Born to Be Bad
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [37] Platinum80,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[ citation needed ]Gold7,500^
United States (RIAA) [10] Gold500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. "EMI Pact Gives Thorogood "Best of Both Worlds"" (PDF). Cash Box . June 19, 1982. pp. 8, 14 via World Radio History.
  2. "Gold & Platinum - RIAA". RIAA .
  3. "The Hard Report - August 21, 1987" (PDF). The Hard Report. August 21, 1987. p. 28 via World Radio History.
  4. uDiscover Team (March 8, 2020). "George Thorogood - Prodigiously-Talented Boogie Blues Guitarist". uDiscover Music.
  5. 1 2 "Billboard - November 7, 1987" (PDF). Billboard . November 7, 1987. p. 95 via World Radio History.
  6. "Maverick Thorogood LP released by EMI America" (PDF). RPM . Vol. 41. February 23, 1985. p. 7 via World Radio History.
  7. "Billboard - November 14, 1987" (PDF). Billboard . November 14, 1987. p. 40 via World Radio History.
  8. 1 2 "Cash Box - Feature Picks" (PDF). Cash Box . January 30, 1988. p. 11 via World Radio History.
  9. "January Hot Album Releases" (PDF). Billboard . January 9, 1988. p. 114 via World Radio History.
  10. 1 2 3 "Gold & Platinum - RIAA".
  11. 1 2 "Billboard - January 9, 1988" (PDF). Billboard . January 9, 1988. p. 6 via World Radio History.
  12. "Billboard 200". Billboard .
  13. 1 2 "Billboard 200". Billboard .
  14. 1 2 "George Thorogood Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 3, 2012. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  15. Goldmine (March 2, 2018). "George Thorogood & The Destroyers to release three essential albums in new vinyl LP editions". Goldmine Magazine .
  16. "Billboard Album Rock Tracks" (PDF). Billboard . January 23, 1988. p. 15 via World Radio History.
  17. "Billboard Album Rock Tracks" (PDF). Billboard . February 6, 1988. p. 15 via World Radio History.
  18. "Billboard Album Rock Tracks" (PDF). Billboard . March 12, 1988. p. 15 via World Radio History.
  19. "Billboard Album Rock Tracks" (PDF). Billboard . April 16, 1988. p. 15 via World Radio History.
  20. "Billboard Album Rock Tracks" (PDF). Billboard . June 18, 1988. p. 15 via World Radio History.
  21. "The Clip List" (PDF). Billboard . March 26, 1988. p. 52 via World Radio History.
  22. "The Clip List" (PDF). Billboard . June 11, 1988. p. 67 via World Radio History.
  23. AllMusic review
  24. "Previews" (PDF). Music & Media . March 5, 1988. p. 15 via World Radio History.
  25. Russell, Tony; Smith, Chris (2006). The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings . Penguin. p. 653. ISBN   978-0-140-51384-4.
  26. The Virgin Encyclopedia of the Blues. Virgin. 1998. p. 346.
  27. "Album review: George Thorogood & the Destroyers, Born to Be Bad (1988)". The Georgia Straight . February 26, 1988 via earofnewt.com.
  28. "Billboard - Album Reviews" (PDF). Billboard . January 23, 1988. p. 98 via World Radio History.
  29. "Ron Fell's Personal Picks - Albums" (PDF). The Gavin Report . January 22, 1988. p. 66 via World Radio History.
  30. "Albums" (PDF). RPM . January 30, 1988. p. 16 via World Radio History.
  31. Goldmine (June 18, 2018). "George Thorogood discusses three essential albums in new vinyl editions". Goldmine Magazine .
  32. George Thorogood, George Thorogood & the Destroyers - Born to Be Bad Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic , retrieved February 9, 2024
  33. "Australian charts portal". australian-charts.com.
  34. "Item: 792 - Library and Archives Canada". Library and Archives Canada.
  35. "New Zealand charts portal". charts.nz.
  36. "Swedish Charts". swedishcharts.com.
  37. "Born to Be Bad - Gold/Platinum". Music Canada.