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At the Whisky à Go Go

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At the Whisky à Go Go
Live album by
Johnny Rivers
ReleasedFebruary 1964
RecordedJanuary 1964
VenueWhisky a Go Go, Los Angeles, California
GenreBlues rock[1]
Length34:48
LabelImperial
ProducerLou Adler
Johnny Rivers chronology
At the Whisky à Go Go
(1964) 		Here We à Go Go Again!
(1964)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic3 [2]

Johnny Rivers at the Whisky à Go Go (shown as "At Whisky-A-Go-Go" on the original label) is a live album and is the debut album from American rock and roll singer, songwriter and guitarist Johnny Rivers.

The album was released in February 1964, just as the Beatles and the British music invasion was getting into full swing. Rivers was asked to open the Whisky a Go Go nightclub in Los Angeles starting January 15, 1964[3] and during that run he recorded the album. With the help of producer Lou Adler, Johnny helped introduce the "Go Go sound" to rock and roll. The album reached number 13 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart,[4] (number 12 on the Billboard 200)[5] and became Johnny's first gold album. The album also gave Rivers his very first big hit, a cover version of Chuck Berry's 1959 hit "Memphis". Rivers's version went to number 2 on Billboard's Pop Singles chart in the summer of 1964, and stayed there for twelve weeks.[6] It became his first gold single.

Johnny Rivers at the Whisky à Go Go would be the first of five albums that Rivers would record live at the nightclub, and is not to be confused with Johnny Rivers Live at the Whisky à Go Go, an entirely different album which was released in Germany.

Track listing

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  1. "Memphis" (Chuck Berry) – 2:44
  2. "It Wouldn't Happen with Me" (Raymond Evans) – 3:30
  3. "Oh Lonesome Me" (Don Gibson) – 2:37
  4. "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" (Lloyd Price) – 3:00
  5. "Whiskey a Go Go" (Johnny Rivers) – 3:57
  6. "Walking the Dog" (Rufus Thomas) – 3:51
  7. "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" (Berry) – 2:36
  8. "You Can Have Her (I Don't Want Her)" (Bill Cook) – 3:20
  9. "Multiplication" (Bobby Darin) – 2:51
  10. "Medley: La Bamba" (Traditional; arranged by Johnny Rivers) / "Twist and Shout" (Phil Medley, Bert Russell) – 6:22

Personnel

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Musicians

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Technical

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References

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  1. ^ Breihan, Tom (September 25, 2018). "The Number Ones: Johnny Rivers' "Poor Side Of Town"". Stereogum. Retrieved June 14, 2023. Rivers specialized in the kind of jumped-up blues-rock that was popular in go-go clubs like the Whiskey, and Adler produced a 1964 live album that Rivers recorded at the club.
  2. ^ At the Whisky à Go Go at AllMusic
  3. ^ Ragogna, Mike (31 December 2013). "From Whisky A Go Go to the Royal Studios: Conversations with Johnny Rivers..." Huffington Post. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  4. ^ "Discography 1964-1969". Johnny Rivers Official Site. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  5. ^ "Johnny Rivers at the Whiskey A-Go-Go - Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  6. ^ "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 30 June 2020.



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