2120 South Michigan Ave.
| 2120 South Michigan Ave. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 12, 2011 | |||
| Recorded | 2011 | |||
| Studio | House of Blues Studio, Encino, CA Route 44 Studio, Sebastopol, CA Rax Trax Studios, Chicago, IL | |||
| Genre | Blues rock, boogie rock | |||
| Length | 46:05 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Producer | Tom Hambridge | |||
| George Thorogood and the Destroyers chronology | ||||
| ||||
2120 South Michigan Ave. is the fifteenth studio album by George Thorogood and the Destroyers. It was released on June 12, 2011, on the Capitol Records label.[1][2] The album peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Top Blues Albums chart. The title refers to the address of the offices and recording studios of Chess Records in Chicago.[3]
Background
[edit]Recording of this album started sometime in 2011, Capitol Records approached Thorogood with the idea for the album and selected most of the songs.[1] Buddy Guy and Charlie Musselwhite perform on the album,[4] although their work was added after primary recording was complete.[1] The album was produced by Tom Hambridge.[5]
Release and content
[edit]Capitol released 2120 South Michigan Ave. on June 12, 2011.[6][2]
The album contains ten covers of songs recorded on Chess Records by artists such as Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Willie Dixon, and Muddy Waters; plus a cover of The Rolling Stones' instrumental "2120 South Michigan Avenue" and two original songs about Chess Records artists.
Critical reception
[edit]2120 South Michigan Ave. received positive reviews from critics. AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote "George Thorogood & the Destroyers have never made their debt to Chess Records a secret, so an album-length tribute to the home of Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Willie Dixon, Chuck Berry, and Bo Diddley is a logical move for the rough and tumble blues-rockers."[5] Daily Vault's Christopher Thelen says "2120 South Michigan Avenue will be a treat to not only that fanbase, but to students of classic blues music – and, if the listener learns something while enjoying this disc, all the better."[7]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [8] |
| Daily Vault | B[9] |
| Record Collector | [10] |
| PopMatters | 8/10[11] |
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Going Back" | Tom Hambridge, George Thorogood | 3:24 |
| 2. | "Hi-Heel Sneakers" (featuring Buddy Guy) | Robert Higginbotham | 3:29 |
| 3. | "Seventh Son" | Willie Dixon | 3:07 |
| 4. | "Spoonful" | Dixon | 4:13 |
| 5. | "Let It Rock" | Chuck Berry | 2:55 |
| 6. | "Two Trains Running (Still a Fool)" | McKinley Morganfield | 5:13 |
| 7. | "Bo Diddley" | Ellas McDaniel | 3:08 |
| 8. | "Mama Talk to Your Daughter" | J. B. Lenoir, Alex Atkins | 2:30 |
| 9. | "Help Me" | Dixon, Aleck "Rice" Miller, Ralph Bass | 4:02 |
| 10. | "My Babe" (featuring Charlie Musselwhite) | Dixon | 3:20 |
| 11. | "Willie Dixon's Gone" | Hambridge, Thorogood | 3:12 |
| 12. | "Chicago Bound" | James A. Lane | 2:59 |
| 13. | "2120 South Michigan Ave." (featuring Charlie Musselwhite) | Nanker Phelge | 4:38 |
Personnel
[edit]Delaware Destroyers
[edit]- George Thorogood – lead guitar, rhythm guitar and slide guitar, vocals
- Bill Blough – bass
- Buddy Leach – saxophones
- Jeff Simon – drums
- Jim Suhler – rhythm and lead guitar
Additional musicians
[edit]- Buddy Guy – lead guitar (track 2)
- Tom Hambridge – drums, percussion, background vocals
- Tommy MacDonald – bass
- Kevin McKendree – piano, Hammond B3 organ
- Charlie Musselwhite – harmonica (tracks 10, 13)
- Marla Thorogood – background vocals
- Rio Thorogood – background vocals
Technical
[edit]- Tom Hambridge – producer
- Mike Donahue – executive producer
- Harry Gale – engineer
- Mike Tholen – engineer
- Shawn Berman – engineer
- Susan Lavoie – art direction
- Mark Holley – design
- Brian To – photography
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Interview: George Thorogood Discusses His New Album, '2120 South Michigan Ave.'". Guitar World. June 20, 2011. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
- ^ a b "Release Details | PopMatters". PopMatters.
- ^ "Willie Dixon's Blues Heaven Foundation". Explore Chicago. Archived from the original on October 6, 2011. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
- ^ M. Junior, Chris. "George Thorogood drops by '2120 South Michigan Avenue'". Goldmine Magazine.
- ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "2120 South Michigan Ave. Review". AllMusic.
- ^ "2120 South Michigan Ave". George Thorogood official website.
- ^ Thelen, Christopher. "George Thorogood and the Destroyers: | Daily Vault". Daily Vault.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. 2120 South Michigan Ave. at AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-09-30.
- ^ Daily Vault Review
- ^ Record Collector Review
- ^ PopMatters Review