Playing to Win is the twenty-fourth studio album by American singer Rick Nelson, released in January, 1981, on Capitol Records.[1] It was the last album of new material Nelson would release in his lifetime. His next studio effort, All My Best, featured re-recordings of old Nelson hits while The Memphis Sessions his final collection of all-new material, was released posthumously.
| Playing to Win | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 1981 | |||
| Genre | Rock and roll, country rock | |||
| Length | 54:16 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Producer | Jack Nitzsche | |||
| Rick Nelson chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Playing to Win | ||||
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It featured several rockabilly songs, including "Back to School Days", a contemporary version of "Believe What You Say", and John Fogerty's "Almost Saturday Night",[2] The Tentalive title came from one of his two originals on the album, "Call It What You Want," a jaunty, Rolling Stones-style romp, His other original however, provided the LP's most pro-phetic song, "The Loser Babe is You."[3] according to Nelson, "The album was going to be called 'It's Rock and Roll to Me, "but the idea was shelved because Billy Joel brought out a thing with the same theme, I just want to make records that sound like me. I've been through so many people telling me 'Go this direction' and then changing their minds the next day."[3]
The album debuted on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart in the issue dated February 21 of that year and remained on the chart for six weeks, peaking at number 153.[4]
Bear Family included also the album in the 2010 The Last Time Around box set.[5]
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [6] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [7] |
William Ruhlmann of AllMusic said that "Nelson updated his rock & roll sound to take into consideration the heartland rock of artists like Bruce Springsteen, Bob Seger, and Tom Petty, as well as punk/new wave. As always, he had great taste, which allowed him to pick great material"[1]
Billboard called it "new wave - inflected rock" and "an energetic and fun collection".[8]
Track listing
editSide one
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Almost Saturday Night" | John Fogerty | 2:35 |
| 2. | "Believe What You Say" | Dorsey Burnette, Johnny Burnette | 2:57 |
| 3. | "Little Miss American Dream" | Peter McCannbeli | 4:04 |
| 4. | "The Loser Babe Is You" | 3:46 | |
| 5. | "Back to Schooldays" | Graham Parker | 2:44 |
Side two
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "It Hasn't Happened Yet" | John Hiatt | 3:32 |
| 2. | "Call It What You Want" | 3:06 | |
| 3. | "I Can't Take It No More" | John Davis, Mickey McGee | 3:45 |
| 4. | "Don't Look at Me" | Hans Wilhelm Steinberg | 2:57 |
| 5. | "Do the Best You Can" | Ry Cooder, Titleman | 4:13 |
Charts
edit| Chart (1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Top LPs & Tape (Billboard)[4] | 153 |
References
edit- ^ a b c Rick Nelson – Playing to Win: Review at AllMusic. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- ^ Homer, Sheree (2012). Rick Nelson, rock 'n' roll pioneer. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. p. 122. ISBN 978-0-7864-6060-1.
- ^ a b Selvin, Joel (1990). Ricky Nelson: Idol for a Generation. Chicago: Contemporary Books. p. 254. ISBN 978-0-8092-4187-3.
- ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (1996). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Albums 1955-1996. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. pp. 10, 556. ISBN 0898201179. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- ^ "The Last Time Around 1970-1982". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
- ^ DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James; George-Warren, Holly (1992). The Rolling stone album guide : completely new reviews : every essential album, every essential artist. Random House. p. 498. ISBN 9781846098567. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 1020. ISBN 9781846098567. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
- ^ "Recommended LPs: Rick Nelson – Playing to Win" (PDF). Billboard. January 24, 1981. p. 106.