Going Back Home
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Going Back Home is a collaborative studio album by former Dr. Feelgood guitarist Wilko Johnson and The Who lead vocalist Roger Daltrey. The album features ten original songs by Johnson and a cover of Bob Dylan's "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?".[1]
The album entered the UK Albums Chart at No 3,[2] making it Daltrey’s highest ranking since The Who's album Face Dances made it to No 2 in 1981, while Johnson's last major chart success was Dr Feelgood's live album Stupidity which reached No 1 in 1976.[3]
Background
Johnson and Daltrey decided to work together after meeting when seated next to each other at an awards ceremony in 2010 and quickly striking up a friendship. Daltrey said, "It turned out we both loved Johnny Kidd & the Pirates. They'd been a big influence on both our bands. That heavy power-trio sound, backing up a singer; it's a British institution. No-one does that better than us."
Johnson was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January 2013, but was well enough to press ahead with the collaboration when The Who finished their world tour. Going Back Home was recorded in the space of a week in November 2013.[1] According to Johnson, "Roger jumped up and said, 'Let's do it,'. He knew this lovely little studio called Yellow Fish in Uckfield. Unfortunate name for a place, but a great studio."[4] The album's track listing was revealed on 22 February 2014.[5]
Some of the musicians working with Johnson and Daltrey were current and past Blockheads members Dylan Howe, Norman Watt-Roy (who also worked on Daltrey's 1984 album, Parting Should Be Painless), and The Style Council's former keyboardist Mick Talbot.
Critical reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [6] |
The Daily Telegraph | [7] |
The Guardian | [8] |
Mojo | [9] |
The National | [10] |
NME | 7/10[11] |
The Oakland Press | [12] |
USA Today | [13] |
At The Oakland Press, Gary Graff rated the album three out of four stars, writing that "If this is indeed Johnson’s last gasp, he’s made it a memorable howl."[12] Edna Gunderson of USA Today rated the album three stars out of four, and remarked: "Do they defy age with a ferocious display of R&B? Roger Wilco that."[13] In his review for Mojo magazine, Mark Blake wrote that "Johnson's chopping rhythm guitar and Daltrey's geezerish growl make perfect bedfellows." Blake described Going Back Home as a "joyful, celebratory affair".[9]
Track listing
All songs written by Wilko Johnson except as noted.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Going Back Home" (Wilko Johnson / Mick Green) | 4:00 |
2. | "Ice on the Motorway" | 2:50 |
3. | "I Keep It to Myself" | 3:21 |
4. | "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?" (Bob Dylan) | 3:37 |
5. | "Turned 21" | 3:06 |
6. | "Keep On Loving You" (Wilko Johnson / Norman Watt-Roy / Salvatore Ramundo) | 2:57 |
7. | "Some Kind of Hero" | 2:25 |
8. | "Sneaking Suspicion" | 3:45 |
9. | "Keep It Out of Sight" | 2:43 |
10. | "Everybody's Carrying a Gun" | 2:55 |
11. | "All Through the City" | 2:50 |
Total length: | 34:29 |
Personnel
- Wilko Johnson - Lead guitar
- Roger Daltrey - Lead vocals, Acoustic guitar
- Norman Watt-Roy - Bass guitar
- Dylan Howe - Drums, percussion
- Mick Talbot - Piano, Hammond organ
- Steve Weston - Harmonica
Charts
Chart (2014) | Peak position |
---|---|
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[14] | 29 |
Sales certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI)[15] | Gold | 100,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
References
- ^ a b c "Wilko Johnson to sign copies of new album 'Going Back Home' in London next week". NME. 21 March 2014. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart UK Top 100 - 5th April 2014". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
- ^ Midweek charts: Sam Bailey powering to no 1, retrieved 17 August 2014
- ^ Hann, Michael (22 January 2014). "Wilko Johnson records new album with the Who's Roger Daltrey". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
- ^ Lifton, Dave (22 February 2014). "'Wilko Johnson and Roger Daltrey to Release 'Going Back Home'". ultimateclassicrock.com. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
- ^ link
- ^ Brown, Helen (22 March 2014). "Wilko Johnson & Roger Daltrey, Going Back Home, review". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
- ^ Woodcraft, Molloy (23 March 2014). "Going Back Home review – Wilko Johnson and Roger Daltrey are 'brilliant in places'". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
- ^ a b Blake, Mark (April 2014). "Wilko Johnson & Roger Daltrey Going Back Home". Mojo. p. 92.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ McNair, James (24 March 2014). "CD review: Going Back Home by Wilko Johnson and Roger Daltrey". The National. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
- ^ Horton, Matthew (7 March 2014). "Wilko Johnson & Roger Daltrey - 'Going Back Home'". NME. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
- ^ a b Graff, Gary (3 April 2014). "Listening Room: Martina McBride, Wilko Johnson and Roger Daltrey and more new releases". The Oakland Press. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
- ^ a b Gunderson, Edna (7 April 2014). "Listen Up: Other notable releases". USA Today. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
- ^ "Wilko Johnson & Roger Daltrey: Going Back Home" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
- ^ "British album certifications – Wilko Johnson/Roger Daltrey – Going Back Home". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 4 July 2014. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Going Back Home in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.