Haircut (album)

Haircut
Studio album by
George Thorogood and the Destroyers
ReleasedJuly 27, 1993 (1993-07-27)
StudioSounds Unreel Studios, Memphis, TN
Compass Point Studios, Nassau, Bahamas
Genre
Length42:49
LabelEMI America[1]
ProducerTerry Manning, The Delaware Destroyers
George Thorogood and the Destroyers chronology
Boogie People
(1991) 		Haircut
(1993) 		Live: Let's Work Together
(1995)
Singles from Haircut
  1. "Get a Haircut"
    Released: July 1993
  2. "Howlin' for My Baby"
    Released: 1993
  3. "Gone Dead Train"
    Released: 1993

Haircut is the ninth studio album by American blues rock band George Thorogood and the Destroyers. It was released on July 27, 1993[2] by the label EMI America Records.[3][4] The first single from the album was "Get a Haircut",[5] which charted in multiple countries. The album peaked at No. 120 on the Billboard 200.[6][7] The band supported the album with a North American,[8] and Canadian tour.[9]

Recording

Recording of the album took place at the Sounds Unreel Studios in Memphis, Tennessee, and the Compass Point Studios in Nassau, The Bahamas. The album was produced by Terry Manning.[4][10]

Content

The album contains almost all cover material, except one song written by Thorogood.[11] "Want Ad Blues" is a cover of the John Lee Hooker song.[12] "Gone Dead Train" was written by Jack Nitzsche.[13] Thorogood wrote "Baby Don't Go".[14] "Howlin' for My Baby" was written by Willie Dixon and Howlin' Wolf.[15] The album cover art was made by Peter Bagge.[16]

Release

EMI America released Haircut on July 27, 1993.[2][3][4] The album debuted at No. 133,[17] and peaked at No. 120 on the Billboard 200 chart.[7] The album was certified gold by Music Canada, where it sold more than 40,000 units.[18]

"Get A Haircut" was the lead single from the album.[5] The song peaked at No. 2 on the Album Rock Tracks chart,[19] and was the No. 1 most played song in Canada on FM radio.[20] "Howlin' for My Baby" was the second single.[21] It debuted at No. 34,[22] and peaked at No. 12 on the Album Rock Tracks chart.[23] "Gone Dead Train" debuted at No. 39,[24] and peaked at No. 24 on the same chart.[25]

Critical reception

Haircut received mixed reviews from critics.

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[26]
Calgary HeraldB[27]
Music Connection5/10[28]
The Indianapolis Star[29]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings[30]
The Philadelphia Inquirer[13]
The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide[31]
The Virgin Encyclopedia of the Blues[32]
Windsor StarB+[33]

Ron Wynn of AllMusic wrote that "Thorogood's work has never lost its edge because he avoids becoming indulgent or a parody, and continues to sound genuinely interested in and a fan of the tunes he's doing."[11] The Windsor Star wrote that "the guitar-slinging motor mouth offers another round of stinging and rocking blues, featuring that consistently fat sound with which his band has made its trademark style."[33] The Calgary Herald deemed Haircut "boogie blues and rock 'n' roll ... And, yep, he hasn't changed a thing."[27] The Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph opined that "since shtick is exactly what Thorogood's become reduced to, the only phrase that comes to mind listening to this is, 'get a real job'."[34] Michael Kramer of Music Connection called "Get A Haircut", "an instant Thorogood standard, right up there with “Bad To The Bone” and “I Drink Alone.", but considered the rest of the album "a letdown", adding "Although his vocals and guitar are as good as ever, none of the other songs are particularly exciting or even catchy."[35]

The Canadian Press called it "another slice of devil-may-care, comically anti-authoritarian riff rock".[36] The Boston Globe concluded that "Thorogood doesn't gain any dramatic ground, but his loyalty to his favorite idioms remains genuine."[14] The Indianapolis Star praised the "stark, deliberative" "Killer's Bluze".[29]

Track listing

Haircut Track Listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Get a Haircut"David Avery, Bill Birch4:12
2."Howlin' for My Baby"Willie Dixon, Howlin' Wolf5:14
3."Killer's Bluze"Dex Rogers6:10
4."Down in the Bottom"Willie Dixon4:03
5."I'm Ready"Willie Dixon3:36
6."Cops and Robbers"Bo Diddley4:50
7."Gone Dead Train"Jack Nitzsche, Russ Titelman4:07
8."Want Ad Blues"John Lee Hooker5:06
9."My Friend Robert"Patrick Sky2:30
10."Baby Don't Go"George Thorogood3:24
Total length:42:49

Personnel

The following personnel are credited on the album:

Musicians

  • George Thorogood – guitar, vocals
  • Billy Blough – bass guitar
  • Hank Carter – keyboards, saxophone, background vocals
  • Jeff Simon – drums

Technical

Charts

Chart (1993) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[37] 41
Canada (RPM)[38] 22
New Zealand (RMNZ)[39] 37
US Billboard 200[7] 120

References

  1. ^ "MUSIC". PART II. Newsday. August 16, 1993. p. 36.
  2. ^ a b Krewen, Nick (January 29, 1993). "A couple of true blues guys". Ego. The Hamilton Spectator. p. 14.
  3. ^ a b "U2, Cypress Hill, Dayne Sets Grace Stores" (PDF). Billboard. July 3, 1993. p. 117 – via World Radio History.
  4. ^ a b c "George Thorogood: 'Get A Haircut'" (PDF). Radio & Records. June 11, 1993. p. 21 – via World Radio History.
  5. ^ a b "Yoakam, Thorogood coming to town". Ottawa Citizen. July 7, 1993. p. B8.
  6. ^ "Billboard 200". Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 36. September 4, 1993. p. 88.
  7. ^ a b c "Billboard 200". Billboard.
  8. ^ Catlin, Roger (June 17, 1993). "What's New". Calendar. Hartford Courant. p. 3.
  9. ^ "RPM - September 4, 1993" (PDF). RPM. September 4, 1993. p. 2 – via World Radio History.
  10. ^ "Album reviews — Haircut by George Thorogood". Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 33. August 14, 1993. p. 52.
  11. ^ a b "George Thorogood and the Destroyers, George Thorogood - Haircut". AllMusic. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  12. ^ Howell, Peter (July 10, 1993). "George Thorogood and the Destroyers Haircut". Toronto Star. p. G10.
  13. ^ a b Wood, Sam (August 24, 1993). "POP". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. E6.
  14. ^ a b Morse, Steve (August 5, 1993). "GEORGE THOROGOOD & THE DESTROYERS HAIRCUT". Calendar. The Boston Globe. p. 11.
  15. ^ Augusto, Troy J. (August 14, 1993). "REVIEWS - GEORGE THOROGOOD & THE DESTROYERS: Haircut" (PDF). Cash Box. p. 13 – via World Radio History.
  16. ^ Worcester, Kent (March 6, 2015). Peter Bagge: Conversations. Univ. Press of Mississippi. ISBN 978-1-62674-520-9 – via Google Books.
  17. ^ "Billboard 200". Billboard.
  18. ^ "Gold/Platinum - Music Canada". Music Canada.
  19. ^ "Billboard - September 4, 1993" (PDF). Billboard. September 4, 1993. p. 88 – via World Radio History.
  20. ^ Marchand, Francois (April 30, 2014). "George Thorogood: Rock is a very real job". George Thorogood official website.
  21. ^ "Second Tremors" (PDF). Album Network. September 3, 1993. p. 8 – via World Radio History.
  22. ^ "Billboard Album Rock Tracks - October 2, 1993" (PDF). Billboard. October 2, 1993. p. 96 – via World Radio History.
  23. ^ "George Thorogood Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 3, 2012. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  24. ^ "Billboard Album Rock Tracks - December 25, 1993" (PDF). Billboard. December 25, 1993. p. 100 – via World Radio History.
  25. ^ "Billboard Album Rock Tracks - January 22, 1994" (PDF). Billboard. January 22, 1994. p. 84 – via World Radio History.
  26. ^ Haircut at AllMusic
  27. ^ a b Muretich, James (July 25, 1993). "George Thorogood & The Destroyers: Haircut". Calgary Herald. p. B8.
  28. ^ Kramer, Michael (October 10, 1993). "Disc Reviews". Music Connection. p. 33.
  29. ^ a b Konz, Joe (August 16, 1993). "George Thorogood & the Destroyers 'Haircut'". The Indianapolis Star. p. C5.
  30. ^ Russell, Tony; Smith, Chris (2006). The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin. p. 653. ISBN 978-0-140-51384-4.
  31. ^ The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide. Random House. 1999. p. 654.
  32. ^ The Virgin Encyclopedia of the Blues. Virgin. 1998. p. 346.
  33. ^ a b Jones, Owen (July 24, 1993). "Blues". Windsor Star. p. F2.
  34. ^ Asakawa, Gil (August 13, 1993). "'HAIRCUT' George Thorogood and the Destroyers". Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph. p. E2.
  35. ^ "Music Connection - Disc Reviews" (PDF). Music Connection. October 11, 1993. p. 33 – via World Radio History.
  36. ^ "Thorogood's touring with good reason this time". Edmonton Journal. July 25, 1993. p. C3.
  37. ^ "Australian charts portal". australian-charts.com.
  38. ^ "Item: 1458 - Library and Archives Canada". Library and Archives Canada.
  39. ^ "New Zealand charts portal". charts.nz.
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