Hybrid Vigor is the second album by the American musician Webb Wilder, released in 1989.[1][2] Wilder supported the album by touring with the Georgia Satellites.[3] The first single was "Human Cannonball", which was a hit on college radio.[4][5]
| Hybrid Vigor | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1989 | |||
| Genre | Rock and roll, hard rock, roots rock | |||
| Label | Island | |||
| Producer | Bobby Field | |||
| Webb Wilder chronology | ||||
| ||||
Production
editThe album was produced by Bobby Field.[6] The majority of the songs were written by Wilder and Field.[7] Wilder aimed to make a commercial album that did not betray the sound of his debut; he also wanted to use his bigger budget to experiment in the studio.[8][9] "Louisiana Hannah" is a cover of the Larry Williams song.[10] "Ain't That a Lot of Love" is a cover of the song made famous by Sam & Dave.[11]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| Chicago Tribune | [12] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | [13] |
| Ottawa Citizen | [14] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [15] |
The Chicago Tribune deemed the album "glorious rock 'n' roll for the misanthrope in all of us."[12] The Ottawa Citizen wrote that "Wilder has an uncontrolled B-movie mentality that takes his Chuck Berry licks through detective thriller and Sci-Fi territory."[14] The Edmonton Journal called Hybrid Vigor "snappy, off-the-wall, way cool hard rock written by people who know the definition of irony but also know when to lay off and simply turn the volume up."[16] Trouser Press panned the often "hellish metal-country experiment."[17]
The Globe and Mail determined that "Webb sound[s] fresh in comparison to all those other grave-robbing, heritage-hawking roots rockers."[18] The Vancouver Sun considered it "a pedal-to-the-metal blast of trashed-up rhythm and boozy rock, all nasty licks and hilarious little lyrics."[19] The Houston Chronicle noted that the album "threatens to out-Stone the Stones with its raunchy, twangy, hard-charging attack that adds up to pure unadulterated rock 'n' roll."[20]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hittin' Where It Hurts" | |
| 2. | "Human Cannonball" | |
| 3. | "Do You Know Something (I Don't Know)" | |
| 4. | "Cold Front" | |
| 5. | "Safeside" | |
| 6. | "Wild Honey" | |
| 7. | "What's Got Wrong with You?" | |
| 8. | "Ain't That a Lot of Love" | |
| 9. | "Skeleton Crew" | |
| 10. | "Louisiana Hannah" |
References
edit- ^ Popson, Tom (11 Aug 1989). "A familiar act in Chicago clubs, Nashville-based Webb Wilder...". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. 7.
- ^ Takiff, Jonathan (19 Sep 1989). "Buzz Bands". Features. Philadelphia Daily News. p. 35.
- ^ Harrison, Tom (14 Dec 1989). "It's 100-proof rock and roll moonshine". Entertainment. The Province. p. 71.
- ^ Pick, Steve (October 15, 1989). "'Hybrid Vigor' – Webb Wilder". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 4F.
- ^ a b "Hybrid Vigor Review by James Chrispell". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
- ^ "Crunch rocker has broken out of the mould". Calgary Herald. Knight Ridder. 9 Dec 1989. p. C8.
- ^ Burliuk, Greg (24 Nov 1989). "The Credo of Webb Wilder". Entertainment. The Kingston Whig-Standard. p. 1.
- ^ Wyman, Bill (September 15, 1989). "Webb Wilder's a real rock 'n' roll hybrid". Weekend Plus. Chicago Sun-Times. p. 25.
- ^ Sandmel, Ben (January 12, 1990). "A Witty Walk on the Wilder Side of Music". The Times-Picayune. p. L6.
- ^ Menconi, David (11 Dec 1989). "Rock 'n' roll rises in odd Southern style". Austin American-Statesman. p. B8.
- ^ Bourke, Brian G. (January 7, 1990). "New Music". Stars. Herald-American. p. 26.
- ^ a b Kot, Greg (7 Sep 1989). "Recordings". Chicago Tribune. p. 17F.
- ^ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 1230.
- ^ a b Erskine, Evelyn (8 Sep 1989). "Webb Wilder Hybrid Vigor". Ottawa Citizen. p. D6.
- ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 765.
- ^ Metella, Helen (10 Sep 1989). "Record Reviews". Edmonton Journal. p. D9.
- ^ "Webb Wilder and the Beatnecks". Trouser Press. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
- ^ Dafoe, Chris (14 Sep 1989). "Hybrid Vigor Webb Wilder". The Globe and Mail. p. C17.
- ^ Mackie, John (12 Dec 1989). "Roots music Wilder's thing". Vancouver Sun. p. B7.
- ^ Racine, Marty (September 24, 1989). "Records". Zest. Houston Chronicle. p. 18.