Half a Boy/Half a Man
| Half a Boy/Half a Man | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 13, 1999 | |||
| Recorded | 1999 | |||
| Studio | Compass Point Studios | |||
| Genre | Blues rock, boogie rock | |||
| Length | 43:08 | |||
| Label | CMC International[1] | |||
| Producer | Terry Manning the Delaware Destroyers | |||
| George Thorogood and the Destroyers chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Half a Boy/Half a Man | ||||
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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]
Background
[edit]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
[edit]The album consists of eleven songs, ten 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
[edit]CMC International released Half a Boy/Half a Man on April 13, 1999.[4][5][8] One single was released from the album, "I Don't Trust Nobody",[9] which debuted at No. 35,[12] and peaked at #24 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts,[13][14] making it the band's final single to chart.[15]
Critical reception
[edit]Half A Boy/Half A Man received mixed reviews from critics.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [16] |
| The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings |  [17] |
| Daily Vault | A[18] |
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
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(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. Weaver | 3:53 |
| 4. | "Half a Boy, Half a Man" | Nick Lowe | 3:27 |
| 5. | "As Long as I Have You" | Willie Dixon | 4:04 |
| 6. | "B.I.G.T.I.M.E." | Keith Sykes | 3:07 |
| 7. | "Be Bop Grandma" | Solomon Burke, Delores Burke | 3:58 |
| 8. | "Nothing New" | Dave Bartholomew, Fats Domino, Jack Jessup, Murphy Maddux | 3:24 |
| 9. | "Just Passin' Thru" | George Thorogood | 4:43 |
| 10. | "Hellbound Train (Downbound Train)" | Chuck Berry | 4:56 |
| 11. | "Not Tonight, I Have a Heartache" | George Thorogood | 4:43 |
| Total length: | 43:08 | ||
Personnel
[edit]The following personnel were credited in the album liner notes:
Musicians
- George Thorogood – vocals, guitar
- Billy Blough – bass guitar
- Hank Carter – saxophone, keyboards, guitars, vocals
- Jeff Simon – drums and percussion
Technical
- Terry Manning – producer, engineer, mixing
- The Delaware Destroyers – producers
- C. J. Buscaglia, Osie Bowe – assistant engineers
- Ted Jensen – mastering
- Mark Weiss – photography
References
[edit]- ^ Ccatlin, Roger (April 11, 1999). "SPRINGSTEEN MAKES MORE NEW TRACKS FROM OLD". courant.com.
- ^ Piccoli, Sean (April 23, 1999). "BASK IN A STRONG, HOT SUNFEST MUSICAL LINEUP". Sun-Sentinel.
- ^ uDiscover Team (March 8, 2020). "George Thorogood - Prodigiously-Talented Boogie Blues Guitarist". uDiscover Music.
- ^ a b "Upcoming Releases". CMJ New Music Report. CMJ Network, Inc. April 12, 1999 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b "Billboard Radio Monitor - April 9, 1999" (PDF). Billboard Radio Monitor. April 9, 1999. p. 13 – via World Radio History.
- ^ a b "Billboard - August 29, 1998" (PDF). Billboard. August 29, 1998. p. 10 – via World Radio History.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "George Thorogood Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine". AllMusic.
- ^ a b c Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Half a Boy/Half a Man Review". AllMusic.
- ^ a b "Radio & Records - March 26, 1999" (PDF). Radio & Records. March 26, 1999. p. 85 – via World Radio History.
- ^ a b Thelen, Christopher. "George Thorogood And The Destroyers | Daily Vault". Daily Vault.
- ^ Ross, Mike (November 15, 1999). "Still bad to the bone". Edmonton Sun – via DelawareDestroyers.com.
- ^ "Billboard - April 17, 1999" (PDF). Billboard. April 17, 1999. p. 81 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "Billboard". Billboard. May 29, 1999. p. 89.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel. Joel Whitburn's 1999 Billboard Music Yearbook. Record Research Incorporated. p. 110. ISBN 9780898201383.
- ^ "George Thorogood Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 3, 2012. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Half a Boy/Half a Man at AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-09-30.
- ^ Russell, Tony; Smith, Chris (2006). The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin. p. 653. ISBN 978-0-140-51384-4.
- ^ Daily Vault Review
