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One of the Boys (Roger Daltrey album)

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One of the Boys
Studio album by
Released13 May 1977
RecordedNovember 1976–March 1977
StudioRamport Studios, London and Pathe Marconi Studios, Paris
Genre
Length39:19
LabelPolydor – 2442 146 (UK)
MCA – MCA 2271 (US)
ProducerDavid Courtney, Tony Meehan
Roger Daltrey chronology
Ride a Rock Horse
(1975)
One of the Boys
(1977)
McVicar
(1980)
Singles from One of the Boys
  1. "Written on the Wind"
    Released: 15 April 1977
  2. "One of the Boys"
    Released: 24 June 1977
  3. "Avenging Annie"
    Released: September 1977 (US)
  4. "Say It Ain't So Joe"
    Released: 21 October 1977
  5. "Leon"
    Released: 1978

One of the Boys is the third solo studio album by the Who's lead vocalist, Roger Daltrey.[1] It was released in 1977, on Polydor in the UK, and MCA in the US. The sessions were recorded at the Who's Ramport Studios during the winter of 1976[2] (vocals were recorded at Pathe Marconi Studios in Paris, due to tax complications), and Daltrey allowed students from the local Battersea technical school to film them as an educational project. This also marked the first time that Daltrey had written or co-written a song since "Here for More" (released as the B-side of the Who's "The Seeker") in 1970, and Lisztomania in 1975.[3] Daltrey's original choice for producers were Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, but they declined.

When Leo Sayer launched his own career as a singer, Daltrey called on a widening group of friends to write for and perform on his (Daltrey's) albums. Paul McCartney contributed the new song "Giddy" to One of the Boys, where the band included Hank B. Marvin of the Shadows, Eric Clapton, Alvin Lee and Mick Ronson, as well as calling on a member of the Who, John Entwistle.

Album cover art

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On this cover, after releasing Ride a Rock Horse with Daltrey as a rampant centaur, another visual trick is played with Daltrey's mirror image, with reference to Magritte's famous painting Not to Be Reproduced, photographed and designed by Daltrey's cousin Graham Hughes.

Tracks background

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"Parade" is a cover song originally released on Phillip Goodhand-Tait's sixth solo album, Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks, in 1976.

"Single Man's Dilemma" was written by Colin Blunstone for Daltrey. Blunstone is the lead vocalist for The Zombies.

"Avenging Annie" is a cover song originally released on Andy Pratt's second solo album, Andy Pratt, in 1973. The song was released as a single (by Daltrey) in October 1977, reaching No. 88 in the US, but was not released in the UK.

"Leon" was written and recorded by Phillip Goodhand-Tait in 1972 and originally released on his third album Songfall. The song was released as a single (by Daltrey) in April 1978 but did not chart and was not released in the UK.

"One of the Boys" was written by Steve Gibbons about Daltrey. Gibbons did his own version live in 1977; a recording was released on his live album, Caught in the Act. The song was released as a single (by Daltrey) in June 1977 but did not chart; the song was not released in the US.

"Giddy" was written by the Beatles' Paul McCartney for Daltrey, The song started off as a demo called "Rode All Night"; the refrain was later incorporated into "Giddy".[4]

"Written on the Wind" was written by Paul Korda for Daltrey. The song features Korda playing piano; it was released as a single in April 1977, reaching No. 46 in the UK, but was not released in the US.

"Say It Ain't So, Joe" is a cover of song originally released on Murray Head's second solo album, Say It Ain't So, in 1975. The song was released as a single (by Daltrey) in July 1977 but did not chart; it was not released in the UK. The song was rereleased in February 1978 with a different B-side.

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[1]
Rolling Stone(favourable)[6]

Writing for AllMusic, critic William Ruhlmann said that "Roger Daltrey called on a wider circle of friends for his third album and came up with a more varied collection of songs ... But Daltrey was never in danger of getting lost in the all-star session. Nevertheless, the album was not treated as a major release and found only modest commercial success."

Track listing

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Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Parade"Phillip Goodhand-Tait3:41
2."Single Man's Dilemma"Colin Blunstone3:03
3."Avenging Annie"Andy Pratt4:32
4."The Prisoner"David Courtney, Todd, Daltrey3:32
5."Leon"Goodhand-Tait4:47
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."One of the Boys"Steve Gibbons2:45
7."Giddy"Paul McCartney4:47
8."Say It Ain't So, Joe"Murray Head4:16
9."Written on the Wind"Paul Korda3:23
10."Satin and Lace"David Courtney, Tony Meehan, Daltrey4:06
11."Doing It All Again"Courtney, Meehan, Daltrey2:27
Total length:39:19

Bonus tracks (2005 reissue)

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No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."You Put Something Better Inside Me"Gerry Rafferty, Joe Egan3:48
2."Martyrs and Madmen"Steve Swindells4:17
3."Treachery"Swindells4:58
Total length:12:23

Personnel

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An advert for the album.
Engineering
Album cover art
  • Graham Hughes - photography, design
  • Ian Murray - typography

Charts

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Chart (1977) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[7] 80
UK Albums (OCC)[8] 45
US Billboard 200[9] 46

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1996. p. 729.
  2. ^ a b "The Hypertext Who › Bill's Pete Townshend Pages › One of the Boys". Archived from the original on 19 June 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-19.
  3. ^ Wawzenek, Bryan (16 May 2017). "When Roger Daltrey Enlisted Famous Friends for 'One of the Boys'". Ultimate Classic Rock.
  4. ^ "THE MACCA'S SECRET VAULT (4th Vault)". Maccafan.net (in French). Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  5. ^ William Ruhlmann (13 May 1977). "One of the Boys - Roger Daltrey". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  6. ^ "Rolling Stone : Roger Daltrey: One of the Boys : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 24 February 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
  7. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, New South Wales: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  8. ^ "Roger Daltrey | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  9. ^ "Roger Daltrey Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
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