Wild Weekend (NRBQ album)

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Wild Weekend
Studio album by
NRBQ
Released1989
GenrePop, rock
LabelVirgin[1]
ProducerBill Scheniman, Andy Paley
NRBQ chronology
Diggin' Uncle Q
(1988) 		Wild Weekend
(1989) 		Peek-A-Boo
(1990)

Wild Weekend is an album by the American band NRBQ, released in 1989.[2][3] It was the band's first studio album in more than five years, due to disputes with their former label, Bearsville Records.[4]

The album peaked at No. 198 on the Billboard 200.[5] It sold around 75,000 copies in its first nine months of release.[6] NRBQ promoted it by touring with R.E.M.[7] The first single was "It's a Wild Weekend", for which the band shot a video.[8] "If I Don't Have You" was the second single.[9]

Production[edit]

The album was produced by Bill Scheniman and Andy Paley.[10] Roswell Rudd and John Sebastian contributed to the album.[11] The title track is a cover of the Rockin' Rebels' song, with lyrics and additional instrumentation.[12] "Boozoo, That's Who!" is about Boozoo Chavis; Chavis played accordion on the song.[13][14] "Poppin' Circumstance" contains a trombone solo.[15] Virgin Records helped the band select tracks for the album.[16]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[17]
Chicago Sun-Times[18]
Chicago Tribune[19]
Robert ChristgauB−[20]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[21]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[22]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[23]
Spin Alternative Record Guide8/10[13]

The Washington Post wrote that the album "harks back to the early '60s, when rock-and-roll didn't take itself quite so seriously, when every single brought forth unforced enthusiasm for a new car, a new guitar sound, a new girl, a new Saturday night."[24] Robert Christgau opined: "First cute, then peculiar, then annoying, their callow act is turning positively perverse as they twinkle-toe past 40."[20] The Chicago Sun-Times noted that "NRBQ has learned to make an album work as an album, rather than as a random selection of cute curiosities or the studio transplant of a bar band."[18]

The New York Times determined that it's the "combination of a hard-driving, eccentric rhythm section, mixed loud and up front, along with the strangely sophisticated and satisfying tunes, that allows the album to radiate so much pleasure."[14] The Los Angeles Times said that Wild Weekend "may well be the finest of the group's 17 albums, bristling with some of the best pop hooks since Brian Wilson's heyday, performed with a playground zeal coupled with a musicianship so good they make it seem effortless."[25]

AllMusic wrote that "the quartet retains its eclectic range of pop and rock mayhem, adapting several well-worn concert favorites for this studio platter."[17] The Rolling Stone Album Guide concluded that "the spaced-out boyish charm starts to grate."[23]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleLength
1."It's a Wild Weekend"3:26
2."Little Floater"3:06
3."Fireworks"3:34
4."Boy's Life"2:55
5."If I Don't Have You"2:12
6."Boozoo, That's Who!"3:20
7."Poppin' Circumstance"3:20
8."The One and Only"3:42
9."Immortal for a While"2:59
10."Fraction of Action"3:19
11."This Love Is True"2:44
12."Like a Locomotive"3:56

References[edit]

  1. ^ Gettelman, Parry (29 Sep 1989). "Music". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 24.
  2. ^ "NRBQ Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  3. ^ "NRBQ Wild Weekend". Newsweek. Vol. 114, no. 16. Oct 16, 1989. p. 66.
  4. ^ Mackie, John (2 Sep 1989). "At last we're going to get another dose of 'omnipop'". Vancouver Sun. p. D9.
  5. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2010). Top Pop Albums (7 ed.). Record Research Inc. p. 575.
  6. ^ McIntyre, Ken (July 20, 1990). "Obscurity is just fine for rock vets NRBQ". The Washington Times. p. E3.
  7. ^ Harrison, Tom (11 Oct 1989). "REM Revving Up". Entertainment. The Province. p. 51.
  8. ^ Heim, Chris (22 Sep 1989). "For two decades, NRBQ has bounced...". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. 52.
  9. ^ Snider, Eric (December 8, 1989). "Rock Splashed with a Twist". Weekend. St. Petersburg Times. p. 24.
  10. ^ Gettelman, Parry (January 17, 1992). "What NRBQ Stands For". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 5.
  11. ^ Toombs, Mikel (February 23, 1990). "You never know what the offbeat NRBQ band will do". The San Diego Union-Tribune. p. E7.
  12. ^ "NRBQ Wild Weekend". Toronto Star. 20 Oct 1989. p. D18.
  13. ^ a b Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. pp. 274–275.
  14. ^ a b Watrous, Peter (24 Sep 1989). "American Pie with a Dash of the Eccentric". The New York Times. p. A27.
  15. ^ Smith, Peter (October 8, 1989). "Nick Lowe, NRBQ Truly Know How to Rock 'n' Roll". The Palm Beach Post. p. 2L.
  16. ^ Oermann, Robert K. (December 29, 1989). "Through the Years with NRBQ". USA Today.
  17. ^ a b "Wild Weekend". AllMusic.
  18. ^ a b McLeese, Don (October 20, 1989). "NRBQ, Linda Ronstadt prove their strengths on new albums". Weekend Plus. Chicago Sun-Times. p. 61.
  19. ^ Heim, Chris (2 Nov 1989). "Recordings". Chicago Tribune. p. 13I.
  20. ^ a b "NRBQ". Robert Christgau.
  21. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 6. MUZE. p. 245.
  22. ^ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 823.
  23. ^ a b The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 511.
  24. ^ "NRBQ'S Rock-and-Roll for the Moment". The Washington Post. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  25. ^ Washburn, Jim (17 Oct 1989). "NRBQ Getting Back on Track After 6-Year Record Lockout". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 3.
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