Half a Boy/Half a Man

Last updated

Half a Boy/Half a Man
Half a BoyHalf a Man.jpeg
Studio album by
George Thorogood and the Destroyers
ReleasedApril 13, 1999
Recorded1999
Studio Compass Point Studios
Genre Blues rock, boogie rock
Length43:08
Label CMC International [1]
Producer Terry Manning
the Delaware Destroyers
George Thorogood and the Destroyers chronology
Rockin' My Life Away
(1997)		Half a Boy/Half a Man
(1999)		 Ride 'Til I Die
(2003)
Singles from Half a Boy/Half a Man
  1. "I Don't Trust Nobody"
    Released: 1999
  2. "Be Bop Grandma"
    Released: 1999

Half a Boy/Half a Man is the eleventh studio album by American blues rock band George Thorogood and the Destroyers. [2] [3] It was released on April 13, 1999, on the CMC International label. [4] [5] The album failed to chart in any capacity. The band supported the album with a world tour. [6]

Contents

Background

In 1997, the Destroyers released Rockin' My Life Away , [7] which failed to chart on the Billboard 200. The next year EMI America dropped them, [8] so they signed with CMC International. [6]

Content

The album consists of eleven songs, nine covers and two originals.

"I Don't Trust Nobody" is the album's opening track, written by Eddie Shaw, and also the lead single. [9] "Double Shot" was written by Don Smith and Cyril Vetter. This song, and many others, feature Hank "Hurricane" Carter on keyboards, alongside saxophone. "Half a Boy, Half a Man" was written by Nick Lowe, while "Just Passin' Thru", and the album's closer, "Not Tonight", were both written by Thorogood. [10] "Not Tonight" was written by Thorogood almost 15 years earlier, but no record company wanted to record it. The song is more of a slower country ballad, compared to the rest of the album. [11]

Release

CMC International released Half a Boy/Half a Man on April 13, 1999. [4] [5] [8] Two singles were released from the album, "I Don't Trust Nobody", [9] debuted at No. 35, [12] and peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts. [13] [14] "Be Bop Grandma" was also released as a single, [15] but it failed to chart. "I Don't Trust Nobody" was the band's final single to chart. [16]

Critical reception

Half A Boy/Half A Man received mixed reviews from critics.

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [17]
Daily VaultA [18]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [19]

AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote, "Unfortunately, the album isn't blessed with the strong material that characterized Rockin' My Life Away , but that album didn't have the raw, visceral edge that this album does. And when it comes to rockin' blues, sometimes it's better to have better sound than better songs." [8] Daily Vault critic Christopher Thelen wrote "Half A Boy / Half A Man is an album that reaffirms Thorogood and the Destroyers' ability to work the blues into a frenzy that you hope will never stop. It's an album that must be experienced - but good luck getting it out of your CD player." [10]

Track listing

Half a Boy/Half a Man track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I Don't Trust Nobody" Eddie Shaw 5:02
2."Double Shot"Don Smith, Cyril Vetter 3:12
3."99 Days in Jail" Willie Dixon, L. P. Weaver3:53
4."Half a Boy, Half a Man" Nick Lowe 3:27
5."As Long as I Have You"Willie Dixon4:04
6."B.I.G.T.I.M.E." Keith Sykes 3:07
7."Be Bop Grandma" Solomon Burke, Delores Burke3:58
8."Nothing New" Dave Bartholomew, Fats Domino, Jack Jessup, Murphy Maddux3:24
9."Just Passin' Thru"George Thorogood4:43
10."Hellbound Train (Downbound Train)" Chuck Berry 4:56
11."Not Tonight, I Have a Heartache"George Thorogood4:43
Total length:43:08

Personnel

The following personnel were credited in the album liner notes:

Musicians

Technical

References

  1. ↑ Ccatlin, Roger (April 11, 1999). "SPRINGSTEEN MAKES MORE NEW TRACKS FROM OLD". courant.com.
  2. ↑ Piccoli, Sean (April 23, 1999). "BASK IN A STRONG, HOT SUNFEST MUSICAL LINEUP". Sun-Sentinel.
  3. ↑ uDiscover Team (March 8, 2020). "George Thorogood - Prodigiously-Talented Boogie Blues Guitarist". uDiscover Music.
  4. 1 2 "Upcoming Releases". CMJ New Music Report. CMJ Network, Inc. April 12, 1999 – via Google Books.
  5. 1 2 "Billboard Radio Monitor - April 9, 1999" (PDF). Billboard Radio Monitor. April 9, 1999. p. 13 – via World Radio History.
  6. 1 2 "Billboard - August 29, 1998" (PDF). Billboard . August 29, 1998. p. 10 – via World Radio History.
  7. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "George Thorogood Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine". AllMusic .
  8. 1 2 3 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Half a Boy/Half a Man Review". AllMusic.
  9. 1 2 "Radio & Records - March 26, 1999" (PDF). Radio & Records. March 26, 1999. p. 85 – via World Radio History.
  10. 1 2 Thelen, Christopher. "George Thorogood And The Destroyers | Daily Vault". Daily Vault.
  11. ↑ Ross, Mike (November 15, 1999). "Still bad to the bone". Edmonton Sun . Archived from the original on March 13, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2025– via DelawareDestroyers.com.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  12. ↑ "Billboard - April 17, 1999" (PDF). Billboard . April 17, 1999. p. 81 – via World Radio History.
  13. ↑ "Billboard". Billboard. May 29, 1999. p. 89.
  14. ↑ Whitburn, Joel. Joel Whitburn's 1999 Billboard Music Yearbook. Record Research Incorporated. p. 110. ISBN   9780898201383.
  15. ↑ "Going For Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records . June 25, 1999. p. 103 – via World Radio History.
  16. ↑ "George Thorogood Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 3, 2012. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  17. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Half a Boy/Half a Man at AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-09-30.
  18. ↑ Daily Vault Review
  19. ↑ Russell, Tony; Smith, Chris (2006). The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings . Penguin. p. 653. ISBN   978-0-140-51384-4.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.