Rough | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 1978 | |||
Recorded | 1977 | |||
Studio | Conway, Hollywood, California | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 41:15 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer | Bob Monaco | |||
Tina Turner chronology | ||||
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Singles from Rough | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Rough is the third solo studio album by Tina Turner, released in September 1978 on the EMI label in the UK, Ariola Records in West Germany, and United Artists Records in the United States. This is Turner's first solo album released after her divorce from husband Ike Turner in 1978. Her first two solo albums, Tina Turns the Country On! (1974) and Acid Queen (1975), were released while she was still a member of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. Although Rough received positive critical reception, it was not a commercial success.
Rough is made up of mostly blues and disco cover songs with a rock influence. [1] Just like the preceding Acid Queen, the album was an indication that Turner wanted to take her music into a rock-oriented direction.
The opening track, "Fruits of the Night", was co-written by Giorgio Moroder's longtime collaborator Pete Bellotte. Turner recorded a cover of Bob Seger's "Fire Down Below" for the album. It also includes Turner's first cover version of Elton John's "The Bitch Is Back", which she re-recorded in 1991 for the tribute album Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin .
"Viva La Money" was the only single released in the United States. [2] Three additional singles were released in Europe: "Root Toot, Undisputable Rock & Roller", "Sometimes When We Touch", and "Fruits of the Night". None of the singles had chart success.
Billboard reviewed the album as an "adventurous variety of old and new material", adding that Turner's "delivery has lost none of its snap and crackle". [3]
Cash Box wrote that "she rocks rough and randy enough to make her pop and soul competitors quiver in their lizard skin tennis shoes. Turner mixes the intensity of the gospel choir with the promised pleasures of the turned-down bed to great effect." [4]
RecordWorld noted, "Turner's sassy vocals are always something to behold and her newest lp is certainly no exception." [5]
Joel Vance of Stereo Review wrote that "one hearing of 'The Bitch Is Back', 'Night Time Is the Right Time', 'Fire Down Below', or 'Root, Toot Undisputable Rock 'n Roller' will convince you that if Tina temporarily abdicated as the queen of steamy soul, she has now reclaimed her throne with a sweet vengeance." [6]
The album was re-issued on CD by EMI in the early 1990s but is currently out of print. In November 2023, the album was made available on streaming services and as a digital download, marking its first release in any digital format.
The album was re-issued on LP and CD on November 15, 2024. [7]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Fruits of the Night" | Pete Bellotte, Edo Zanki, Vilko Zanki | 4:05 |
2. | "The Bitch Is Back" | Elton John, Bernie Taupin | 3:30 |
3. | "The Woman I'm Supposed to Be" | Cliff Wade | 3:10 |
4. | "Viva La Money" | Allen Toussaint | 3:14 |
5. | "Funny How Time Slips Away" | Willie Nelson | 4:08 |
6. | "Earthquake & Hurricane" | Willie Dixon | 2:30 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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7. | "Root, Toot Undisputable Rock 'n' Roller" | Gary Jackson | 4:29 |
8. | "Fire Down Below" | Bob Seger | 3:13 |
9. | "Sometimes When We Touch" | Dan Hill, Barry Mann | 3:54 |
10. | "A Woman in a Man's World" | Hal David, Archie Jordan | 2:41 |
11. | "Night Time Is the Right Time" | Leroy Carr | 6:21 |
Tina Turner was a singer, songwriter, and actress. Known as the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer of the husband-wife duo Ike & Tina Turner before launching a successful career as a solo performer.
Private Dancer is the fifth solo studio album by American singer Tina Turner. It was released on May 29, 1984 by Capitol Records and was her first album released by the label. After several challenging years of going solo after divorcing Ike Turner, Private Dancer propelled Turner into becoming a viable solo star, as well as one of the most marketable crossover singers in the recording industry. It became a worldwide commercial success, earning multi-platinum certifications, and remains her best-selling album in North America to date.
Ike & Tina Turner was an American musical duo consisting of husband and wife Ike Turner and Tina Turner. From 1960 to 1976, they performed live as the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, supported by Ike Turner's band, the Kings of Rhythm, and backing vocalists, the Ikettes. The Ike & Tina Turner Revue was regarded as "one of the most potent live acts on the R&B circuit."
"River Deep – Mountain High" is a song by Ike & Tina Turner released on Philles Records as the title track to their 1966 studio album. Produced by Phil Spector and written by Spector, Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich. Rolling Stone ranked "River Deep – Mountain High" No. 33 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. NME ranked it No. 37 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame added it to the list of the 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll. The song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.
"Proud Mary" is a song by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, written by vocalist and lead guitarist John Fogerty. It was released as a single in January 1969 by Fantasy Records and on the band's second studio album, Bayou Country. The song became a major hit in the United States, peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1969, the first of five singles to peak at No. 2 for the group.
"Nutbush City Limits" is a semi-autobiographical song written by Tina Turner which commemorates her rural hometown of Nutbush in Haywood County, Tennessee, United States. Originally released as a single on United Artists Records in August 1973, it is one of the last hits that husband-wife R&B duo Ike & Tina Turner released together.
"I've Been Loving You Too Long" (originally "I've Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now)") is a soul music ballad written by Otis Redding and Jerry Butler. Considered by music critics and writers to be one of Redding's finest performances and a soul classic, it is a slow, emotional piece with Redding's pleading vocals backed by producer Steve Cropper's arpeggiated guitar parts and a horn section.
"Better Be Good to Me" is a song written by Mike Chapman, Holly Knight, and Nicky Chinn, recorded by singer Tina Turner for her solo studio album Private Dancer (1984) and released as a single in early September 1984. The song was originally recorded and released in 1981 by Spider, a band from New York City that featured co-writer Knight as a member. Turner's version was successful in the United States and peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 6 on the then-Hot Black Singles charts. At the 27th Annual Grammy Awards in 1985, it won Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female, one of four Grammys awarded to Turner's Private Dancer album at that ceremony. The song was also included on the Miami Vice soundtrack, and the 2024 Paramount Pictures film IF, during which the main characters sing and dance to the track inside the official music video.
American-born Swiss singer Tina Turner released nine studio albums, three live albums, two soundtracks, and six compilation albums. Widely referred to as the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", Turner had reportedly sold around 100 to 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling female artists in music history. According to Recording Industry Association of America, Turner has certified sales of 10 million albums in the US, alone.
"The Bitch Is Back" is a rock song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It was the second single released from John's 1974 album Caribou, and reached number 1 in Canada, number 4 in the United States and number 15 in the United Kingdom.
"It's Gonna Work Out Fine" is a song made famous by Ike & Tina Turner in 1961 as a single issued on the Sue label. It was also included on their 1962 album Dynamite!. The record is noted for being their first Grammy nominated song and their second million-selling single after "A Fool in Love".
Love Explosion is the fourth solo studio album by Tina Turner, released late 1979 on the EMI label in Europe, Ariola Records in West Germany and United Artists Records in the UK. Italy and South Africa followed in early 1980. The album was not released in the United States. It was her second solo album released after she left husband Ike Turner and the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. Love Explosion failed to chart, so Turner lost her recording contract. It would be her last album until the critically acclaimed Private Dancer in 1984.
Acid Queen is the second solo studio album by Tina Turner. It was released in 1975 on the EMI label in the UK and on United Artists in the US. Although it is a Tina Turner solo album, the first single, "Baby, Get It On", was a duet with Ike Turner, her musical partner and husband at the time. Acid Queen was her last solo album before their separation and her departure from Ike & Tina Turner Revue.
Tina Turns the Country On! is the debut solo studio album by Tina Turner, released in September 1974 on the United Artists Records. Released while Turner was still a member of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, it was an attempt by her husband, Ike Turner, to expose her to a wider audience. Although the album did not chart, it earned Turner a Grammy Award nomination in the "Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female" category.
The Soul of Ike & Tina Turner is the debut album by Ike & Tina Turner. It was released on the Sue Records in February 1961. The album is noted for containing the duo's debut single "A Fool in Love" and their follow-up singles "I Idolize You" and "I'm Jealous."
Proud Mary: The Best of Ike & Tina Turner is a compilation album released as part of EMI's Legends Of Rock N' Roll Series in 1991. In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine ranked the album number 212 on their list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
"The Hunter" is a blues song first recorded by Albert King in 1967 for his landmark album Born Under a Bad Sign. It was written by Stax Records' house band, Booker T. and the MGs, and Carl Wells. Along with "Born Under a Bad Sign" and "Crosscut Saw", "The Hunter" is one of King's best-known and most-recorded songs. In 1969, Ike & Tina Turner's version reached the singles charts in the U.S.
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