Recorded 1985–1986 Producer Martin Adam
The Rock Release date 27 August 1996 | Length 41:58 Artist John Entwistle Label Griffin Music | |
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Released 27 August 1996 (1996-08-27) Studio Hammerhead Studio, Gloucestershire, England The Rock
(1996) Thunderfingers The Best of John Entwistle
(1996) Genres Rock music, Hard rock, Pop rock, Glam metal, Arena rock Similar John Entwistle albums, Rock music albums | ||
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.
Contents
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 - two of which were written by and feature Andy Nye on keyboards - 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."
Track listing
All tracks written by Henry Small and Devin Powers, except where noted.
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.
Production
Songs
1Stranger in a Strange Land4:29
2Love Doesn't Last3:38
3Suzie4:28