The Rock (John Entwistle album)
| The Rock | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by John Entwistle | ||||
| Released | 27 August 1996 | |||
| Recorded | 1985–1986 | |||
| Studio | Hammerhead Studio, Gloucestershire, England | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 41:58 | |||
| Label | Griffin Music | |||
| Producer |
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| John Entwistle chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    link |
The Rock is the sixth solo studio album by the English musician John Entwistle, formerly of the Who. It was Entwistle's first album of entirely new music since Too Late the Hero in 1981, and his first solo album to be issued by Griffin Music. The album was recorded over a period of eighteen months between 1985 and 1986, in sessions that took place at Hammerhead Studios in Gloucestershire. Upon completion, it was originally released as a private pressing by his label, WEA Records, in 1986, but it was not officially released until 1996. Having remained in the vaults for ten years, the album has subsequently been released in four different editions between 1996 and 2005, with separate covers for each. "The Rock" was Entwistle's only album in which he did not sing the lead vocals, a role performed instead by American-born Canadian Henry Small, formerly of rock music Prism.
The album was re-released in Europe in 2005 on Castle Music, featuring rare bonus content. The reissue was a CD comprising sixteen tracks. It includes the original album, digitally remastered from the original 1/2" mix tapes, alongside three outtakes, and one demo and early versions of the songs featured on the album.
Tour
Eight years before the album was officially released there was a supporting tour for it, which lasted from June to August 1988, covering North America and Canada.
Critical reception
Mark Deming of AllMusic retrospectively gave the album two and a half out of five stars and wrote that "There's no questioning the technical skill of the performances -- this band sounds tight and expert throughout, and Entwistle and [Zak] Starkey are a mighty rhythm section -- but most of Small's songs are a mass of clichés and the guitar and keyboard figures firmly date this album as a product of the mid-'80s." adding that "The Rock trades [Entwistle's] more distinctive work for faceless cookie-cutter hard rock, and there's no denying [that] he could['ve] do[ne] better."[1]
Track listing
All tracks written by Henry Small and Devin Powers, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Stranger in a Strange Land" | 4:29 | |
| 2. | "Love Doesn't Last" | John Entwistle | 3:38 |
| 3. | "Suzie" |
| 4:28 |
| 4. | "Bridges Under the Water" | Entwistle | 4:03 |
| 5. | "Heartache" | 5:05 | |
| 6. | "Billy" | 3:45 | |
| 7. | "Life After Love" | Entwistle | 4:19 |
| 8. | "Hurricane" | 4:23 | |
| 9. | "Too Much Too Soon" | 3:30 | |
| 10. | "Last Song" | Entwistle | 3:54 |
| 11. | "Country Hurricane" | 0:43 | |
| Total length: | 41:58 | ||
- Additional tracks
| 2005 re-mastered version bonus tracks | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 12. | "Casualty (outtake)" |
| 4:21 |
| 13. | "Light in the Dark (outtake)" | Andy Nye | 4:15 |
| 14. | "Break Your Heart (outtake)" | Nye | 3:25 |
| 15. | "Love Doesn't Last (demo)" | Entwistle | 3:34 |
| 16. | "Heartache (early version)" | 5:07 | |
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[2]
- John Entwistle – bass guitar, trumpet, trombone
- Henry Small – lead and background vocals, trumpet, trombone
- Gene Black – guitar
- Devin Powers (Mark R. Adams) – guitar
- Zak Starkey – drums
- Adrian Cook – keyboards
- Production team
- Martin Adam – producer, engineer
- The Rock – producer
- John Entwistle – post-production, cover design
- Bob Pridden – post-production
- Jon Astley – mastering
See also
References
- ↑ "Allmusic".
- ↑ The Rock liner notes. Griffin Music. 1996.