Love's So Tough
Encyclopedia
Love's So Tough is a studio album
by the Iron City Houserockers
. Released in 1979, the Iron City Houserocker's first album attempts to capture the presence of what was essentially a Pittsburgh bar band playing to a blue collar crowd every night. While Joe Grushecky's songwriting skills are clearly still developing, his potential is visible in cuts such as "Dance with Me" and "Heros Are Hard to Find". The general sound of the album is reminiscent of a slightly "harder" Bruce Springsteen, and the heavy use of harmonica would be a distinguishing factor of the Houserockers for several albums to come. The Chuck Berry
song "School Days (Ring! Ring! Goes the Bell)
" was recorded for the album but was cut from the final release. The track was then released on Pumping Iron & Sweating Steel: The Best of the Iron City Houserockers
.. The album was reissued in CD format in 1999.
about the release of a Ronnie Spector record on Cleveland International Records
. The band was known at that time as the Brick Alley Band, and they sent a demo tape to Steve Popovich
at Cleveland International Records. After a personal phone call from Steve Popovich, Joe Grushecky and his band drove out to Cleveland and under the guidance of Steve Popovich and Marty Mooney, made a series of recordings that landed a deal with MCA Records
.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by the Iron City Houserockers
Iron City Houserockers
The Iron City Houserockers were an American rock band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, led by singer/guitarist Joe Grushecky, that existed from 1976 until 1984...
. Released in 1979, the Iron City Houserocker's first album attempts to capture the presence of what was essentially a Pittsburgh bar band playing to a blue collar crowd every night. While Joe Grushecky's songwriting skills are clearly still developing, his potential is visible in cuts such as "Dance with Me" and "Heros Are Hard to Find". The general sound of the album is reminiscent of a slightly "harder" Bruce Springsteen, and the heavy use of harmonica would be a distinguishing factor of the Houserockers for several albums to come. The Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
song "School Days (Ring! Ring! Goes the Bell)
School Days (song)
"School Days" is a song written and recorded by rock and roll icon Chuck Berry, released by the Chess record label as a single in March 1957, and released on the LP After School Session two months later . It is one of his best known songs and is often considered a rock and roll anthem...
" was recorded for the album but was cut from the final release. The track was then released on Pumping Iron & Sweating Steel: The Best of the Iron City Houserockers
Pumping Iron & Sweating Steel: The Best of the Iron City Houserockers
Pumping Iron & Sweating Steel: The Best of the Iron City Houserockers is a compilation album by the Iron City Houserockers. Released in 1992 under Rhino Records, it was at that time the only Iron City Houserockers material available on compact disc Pumping Iron & Sweating Steel: The Best of the...
.. The album was reissued in CD format in 1999.
Background
In the spring of 1977 Joe Grushecky's brother Jon sent him a full page ad from Billboard magazineBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
about the release of a Ronnie Spector record on Cleveland International Records
Cleveland International Records
Cleveland International Records is an independent record label formed in 1977 by Steve Popovich. One of the first albums the label released was 1977's Bat Out of Hell by Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf which has sold over 40 million copies worldwide. They have also released recordings by B.J...
. The band was known at that time as the Brick Alley Band, and they sent a demo tape to Steve Popovich
Steve Popovich
Steve Popovich , was an American record company executive.Popovich was born in Nemacolin, Pennsylvania, and in 1962 started in the warehouse at Columbia Records Cleveland...
at Cleveland International Records. After a personal phone call from Steve Popovich, Joe Grushecky and his band drove out to Cleveland and under the guidance of Steve Popovich and Marty Mooney, made a series of recordings that landed a deal with MCA Records
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
.
Side one
- "I Can't Take It" (Joe Grushecky) – 3:54
- "Hideaway" (Fred Goodman) – 4:31
- "Turn It Up" (Grushecky) – 4:54
- "Dance with Me" (Grushecky, Art Nardini) – 4:46
Side two
- "Love So Tough" (Grushecky, Gil Snyder) – 3:42
- "Veronica" (Grushecky) – 3:38
- "Heroes Are Hard to Find" (Grushecky, Nardini, Gary Scalese) – 2:55
- "Stay with Me Tonight" (Grushecky) – 4:43
- "I'm Lucky" (Grushecky, Nardini) – 4:27
Chart performance
| Year | Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Bubbling Under the Top LP's |
201 |
Personnel
- Joe GrusheckyJoe GrusheckyJoe Grushecky is an American rock musician known for his work with the Iron City Houserockers in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and for his works since the late the 1980s with his act Joe Grushecky and The Houserockers and his solo career...
- lead vocalsLead vocalistThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
, guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker... - Gary Scalese - guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
- Art Nardini - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Gil Snyder - keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
- Ned E. Rankin - drums
- Marc Reisman - harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
- Billy Cross - slide guitarSlide guitarSlide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles...
on "Turn It Up", guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
on "Hideaway" and "Stay with Me Tonight" - Denny Martin - accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
on "Stay with Me Tonight" - Richard Reising - background vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
on "Dance with Me" and "Hideaway" - Susan Lynch - background vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
on "Dance with Me" and "Hideaway" - Rodney Psyka - background vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
on "Dance with Me" and "Hideaway" - Tampa Lann - background vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
on "I'm Lucky" - Arnie Rosenberg - engineer
- Jim Hillenbrand - engineer on "Heroes Are Hard to Find"
- Ralph Camino - engineer on "Turn It Up"
- Jeffrey Kawalec - engineer, mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
- Charles Conrad - engineer, mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
- Bob LudwigBob LudwigBob Ludwig is an American mastering engineer.He is a well known and respected figure within the music industry. His name is credited on the covers of albums released across the world, and he has won numerous awards....
- engineer, masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced... - Steve PopovichSteve PopovichSteve Popovich , was an American record company executive.Popovich was born in Nemacolin, Pennsylvania, and in 1962 started in the warehouse at Columbia Records Cleveland...
- producer - Marty Mooney - producer
- Sunana Batra - re-issue project coordinator
- Katharine Neubauer - re-issue licensingMusic licensingMusic licensing is the licensed use of copyrighted music. Music licensing is intended to ensure that the creators of musical works get paid for their work. A purchaser of recorded music owns the media on which the music is stored, not the music itself...