Ready Eddie

Last updated
Ready Eddie
Eddiemoneyreadyeddie.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedMay 18, 1999
Genre Rock, pop rock
Length46:27
Label CMC International
Producer Curt Cuomo, Frankie Sullivan, Eddie Money and Jake Hooker (executive producer)
Eddie Money chronology
Greatest Hits Live: The Encore Collection
(1998)
Ready Eddie
(1999)
Complete Eddie Money Live
(2000)

Ready Eddie is Eddie Money's tenth studio album, released in 1999. It was his final album of original material to be released before his death in 2019.

Contents

Background

Ready Eddie was Money's first and only studio album for the American independent record label CMC International. During its recording, the album's budget was exceeded by $56,000, which came from Money's own pocket after CMC refused to pay it. [1] In a 1999 interview with the San Francisco Examiner , Money said about Ready Eddie, "I think it's a really good record. I just wanted to get back into the world of rock. The last studio album I made was Love and Money , which was mostly a romantic album." [2] He told the Tucson Citizen that CMC "wanted a hard-rock, bang-your-head-to-the-wall album" and picked "So Cold Tonight", "Broken Down Chevy", "Can't Go On" and "Turn the Light Off" as his favorite tracks. However, Money was not happy with the entire album and felt he made a concession by including two tracks, "Ready to Rock" and "It's Gotta Be Love", which CMC wanted on there. He considered "Ready to Rock" to be "so mundane and so '80s" and was even more resentful of "It's Gotta Be Love", telling the Tucson Citizen, "I hate the song, with those stupid, sissy choruses. I wrote the verse and the B-section and I said to CMC, 'Look, the song's not ready. Why don't you just let me save the song for the next record and I'll write a great chorus.' But no." [1]

Release

Ready Eddie was released in the US by CMC International on May 18, 1999. [3] "Don't Say No Tonight" was issued as a single from the album. [4] It achieved radio play in the US and reached a peak of number 40 on the Radio & Records Rock Top 50 airplay chart in June 1999. [5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg link
Calgary Herald Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]
Nanaimo Daily News Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [7]
The Press of Atlantic City Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [8]
The Windsor Star Star full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [9]
The Winnipeg Sun Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [10]

Critical reviews were mixed to positive, generally describing the album as formulaic but well-made.

Upon its release, Walter Pierce of The Daily Advertiser commented, "If you're a fan, you'll get what you deserve: a solid set of pop rockers and rocking ballads that are très Eddie. It's good to see one of the last few demigods from the album-rock firmament still chugging away." [11] Charles Schroeder of The Press of Atlantic City concluded, "Money doesn't always make the most consequential music, but every few years he shows us again he has an ear for likable, listenable rock 'n' roll. He does it again, and rather well, on Ready Eddie." [8] Steve Jenkinson of the Nanaimo Daily News called it a "heavy offering of riff-laden meat and potatoes rock that deviates little from a well-travelled path sprinkled with hits" and added, "Money is nothing, if not consistent. His past hits have a comfortable familiarity that is continued here." [7] Darryl Sterdan of The Winnipeg Sun stated it "pretty much sounds like any of his old records", with Money's "sandpaper rasp as scruffy as ever, and his roster of '70s-style air guitar rockers and Bic-lighter ballads as slick as ever". [10]

John Wooley of Tulsa World believed Money sounded "just as unremarkable but alarmingly catchy as he's ever been". He felt the songs were "so predictable you'll be able to sing along with them on first listen" and the lyrics a "veritable smörgåsbord of rock's most tired clichés", but concluded, "Still, for those still titillated by the fast cars and busty babes pictured on the cover, there are plenty of tickets to paradise here." [12] James Muretich of the Calgary Herald noted Money's music was the "same as it ever was" and summarised, "As an unintentional comic pastiche of a past rock era, this is the Spinal Tap of retro rock." [6] Ted Shaw of The Windsor Star was negative in his review, calling it an "undistinguished collection of rock tunes" and a "stuck-in-the-'70s release with songs about fast cars and love on the run". He continued, "This arena-sized rock was largely a waste of time 20 years ago; it doesn't sound much better now. Money keeps going back to the same well long after it went bone-dry." [9] John Terlesky III of The Morning Call noted, "Party-metal rockers vie with Bic lighter ballads for the title of 'Most Accurate Throwback to the '80s,' but nobody really wins here, especially the listener who welcomed the demise of that aesthetically displeasing decade." [13]

Track listing

  1. "Ready to Rock" (Curt Cuomo, Jake Hooker, Eddie Money, Frankie Sullivan) - 4:21
  2. "Don't Say No Tonight" (Cuomo, Money, Sullivan) - 5:05
  3. "So Cold Tonight" (Cuomo, Money, Sullivan) - 4:24
  4. "Let It Go" (Dedicated to "Jack and Diane") (Cuomo, Money, Sullivan, Larry Lee) - 4:06
  5. "Turn the Light Off" (Cuomo, Money, Sullivan) - 3:18
  6. "It's Gotta Be Love" (Cuomo, Money, Sullivan) - 4:30
  7. "Can't Go On" (Cuomo, Money, Sullivan) - 5:11
  8. "Nobody Knows" (John Nelson, Money) - 3:26
  9. "When You Gonna Satisfy Me" (Monty Byrom, Money, Danny Chauncey, Ira Walker) - 4:19
  10. "Need a Little Rock" (Eddie Rice) - 3:26
  11. "Broken Down Chevy (God Only Knows)" (John Nelson, Money) - 4:21

Production

Personnel

Background singers

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weezer</span> American rock band

Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo, Patrick Wilson, Brian Bell, and Scott Shriner. They have sold 10 million albums in the US and more than 35 million worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie Money</span> American musician (1949–2019)

Edward Joseph Money was an American singer and songwriter who, in the 1970s and 1980s, had eleven Top 40 songs, including "Baby Hold On", "Two Tickets to Paradise", "Think I'm in Love", "Shakin'", "Take Me Home Tonight", "I Wanna Go Back", "Endless Nights", "Walk on Water", and "The Love in Your Eyes". Critic Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times called him a working-class rocker. In 1987, he was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance for "Take Me Home Tonight".

<i>Weezer</i> (Blue Album) 1994 studio album by Weezer

Weezer is the debut studio album by the American rock band Weezer, released on May 10, 1994, by DGC Records. It was produced by Ric Ocasek of the Cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Supersuckers</span> American rock band

The Supersuckers are an American rock band, formed in 1988, whose music ranges from alternative rock to country rock to cowpunk. AllMusic describes the band as "the bastard sons of Foghat, AC/DC, and ZZ Top after being weaned on punk rock, unafraid of massive guitar riffs, outsized personalities, or pledging allegiance to sex, weed, and Satan with a wink and a nudge."

<i>Eddie Money</i> (album) 1977 studio album by Eddie Money

Eddie Money is the debut studio album by American musician Eddie Money, released in December 1977 by Wolfgang Records, a subsidiary of major label Columbia. Money, a Brooklyn native, grew up interested in music. In 1968, he moved to Berkeley, California, where he became a staple of Bay Area nightclubs. Rock impresario Bill Graham subsequently discovered Money and signed him to his Wolfgang imprint.

<i>Spend a Night in the Box</i> 2000 studio album by The Reverend Horton Heat

Spend a Night in the Box is the sixth album by The Reverend Horton Heat. It was released by Time Bomb Recordings in 2000.

<i>Love Gun</i> 1977 studio album by Kiss

Love Gun is the sixth studio album by American hard rock band Kiss, released on June 30, 1977. Casablanca Records and FilmWorks shipped one million copies of the album on this date. It was certified platinum and became the band's first top 5 album on the Billboard 200. The album was remastered in 1997 and again in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Psycho Circus (song)</span> 1998 single by Kiss

"Psycho Circus" is a song by the American hard rock band Kiss. It is the title track from the 1998 album Psycho Circus. The single charted highly, hitting number 1 on Billboard's Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. Even though MTV hardly played the song's music video, the VHS home video proved a big seller, eventually going Platinum in the US.

<i>Cant Hold Back</i> (Eddie Money album) 1986 studio album by Eddie Money

Can't Hold Back is the sixth studio album by American rock musician Eddie Money. The album was released on August 8, 1986, by Columbia Records. It contains one of Money's biggest hits, "Take Me Home Tonight" which helped bring both himself and Ronnie Spector back to the spotlight. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA in August 1987.

<i>Love and Money</i> (album) 1995 studio album by Eddie Money

Love and Money is the ninth studio album by rock artist Eddie Money. It was released in 1995.

<i>Shakin with the Money Man</i> 1997 compilation album by Eddie Money

Shakin' with the Money Man is a 1997 album by Eddie Money.

<i>The Essential Eddie Money</i> 2003 greatest hits album by Eddie Money

The Essential Eddie Money is a 2003 compilation album of hits from American rock singer Eddie Money, released as part of Sony BMG's Essential series. The album includes 15 tracks from Eddie Money's eight studio albums and one greatest hits album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Two Tickets to Paradise</span> Single by Eddie Money

"Two Tickets to Paradise" is a song by American rock singer Eddie Money from his 1977 self-titled debut album, Eddie Money. It was released as a single in June 1978 and reached number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song has since become a staple of classic rock radio, and it was Eddie Money's signature song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baby Hold On</span> 1977 single by Eddie Money

"Baby Hold On" is a song recorded by American rock singer Eddie Money. It was written by Money and guitarist Jimmy Lyon and released in 1977 as the first single from Money's debut album Eddie Money. The song reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 4 on the Canadian Hot 100, and number 19 on the Kent Music Report.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Take Me Home Tonight (song)</span> 1986 single by Eddie Money

"Take Me Home Tonight" is a song by American rock singer Eddie Money. It was released in August 1986 as the lead single from his album Can't Hold Back. The song's chorus interpolates the Ronettes' 1963 hit "Be My Baby", with original vocalist Ronnie Spector providing uncredited vocals and reprising her role. Songwriting credit was given to Mike Leeson, Peter Vale, Ellie Greenwich, Phil Spector and Jeff Barry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quinn Sullivan (musician)</span> American musician (born 1999)

Quinn Sullivan is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist from New Bedford, Massachusetts, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Give Me All Your Love</span> 1988 single by Whitesnake

"Give Me All Your Love" is a song by the English rock band Whitesnake. The song is taken from the group's 1987 multi-platinum self-titled album. Being the fourth single released from the album, the track reached number 48 on the US Top 100 charts, number 22 on the Mainstream Rock Charts, number 18 in the UK charts, and 49 in New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Dylan Gospel Tour</span> 1979–80 concert tour by Bob Dylan

The Bob Dylan Gospel Tour was a concert tour by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan that consisted of 79 concerts in North America in three legs, lasting from November 1, 1979 to May 21, 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heritage (song)</span> 1990 single by Earth, Wind & Fire featuring The Boys

"Heritage" is a song by American band Earth, Wind & Fire featuring Suns of Light, released in February 1990 by Columbia Records as the first single from their fifteenth studio album. The single reached No. 5 on the US Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart, No. 5 on the Cash Box Top R&B Singles chart, No. 4 on the Japanese Pop Singles (Oricon) chart and No. 23 on the Finland Suomen virallinen singlelista.

<i>Platinum Jive</i> 1994 studio album by Big Chief

Platinum Jive is an album by the American band Big Chief, released in 1994. Subtitled "(Greatest Hits 1969-1999)", the band presented it as a greatest hits collection, although it is made up entirely of original songs. Released by Capitol Records, Platinum Jive was the band's major label debut, and also their final album.

References

  1. 1 2 Wyckoff, Mark (June 17, 1999). "Where's the Eddie Money party? Old Tucson" . Tucson Citizen . pp. 3–4. Retrieved February 21, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  2. Vaziri, Aidin (May 30, 1999). "Pop Quiz: Q & A with Eddie Money" . San Francisco Examiner . p. 44. Retrieved February 21, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Upcoming Releases". CMJ New Music Report . No. 618. May 17, 1999. p. 40.
  4. Chuck Taylor, ed. (June 5, 1999). "Reviews & Previews: Singles". Billboard . Vol. 111, no. 23. Billboard Publications, Inc. p. 20. ISSN   0006-2510.
  5. "Rock Top 50". Radio & Records . No. 1304. Radio & Records, Inc. June 18, 1999. p. 86. ISSN   0277-4860.
  6. 1 2 Muretich, James (May 27, 1999). "CD Reviews" . Calgary Herald . p. HL24. Retrieved February 21, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  7. 1 2 Pierce, Walter (May 28, 1999). "CD Sampler: Music Reviews" . Nanaimo Daily News . p. D2. Retrieved February 21, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  8. 1 2 Schroeder, Charles (May 28, 1999). "The Sounding Board: Rock" . The Press of Atlantic City . p. 15. Retrieved February 21, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  9. 1 2 Shaw, Ted (May 20, 1999). "Seen & Heard: CD Reviews" . The Windsor Star . p. E6. Retrieved February 21, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  10. 1 2 Sterdan, Darryl (June 18, 1999). "Albums: Retro-Rock" . The Winnipeg Sun . p. 45. Retrieved February 21, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  11. Pierce, Walter (May 7, 1999). "Music: For the Record" . The Daily Advertiser . p. 14. Retrieved February 21, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  12. Wooley, John (May 21, 1999). "CD Reviews" . Tulsa World . p. 14. Retrieved February 21, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  13. Terlesky III, John (May 29, 1999). "Disc Reviews" . The Morning Call . p. A55. Retrieved February 21, 2024 via Newspapers.com.