Rock n' Roll Nights
| Rock 'n' Roll Nights | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by BTO | ||||
| Released | March 1979 | |||
| Recorded | 1978-1979, Mushroom Studios, Vancouver, Canada | |||
| Genre | Rock, soft rock | |||
| Length | 36:50 | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Producer | BTO, Jim Vallance | |||
| BTO chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
Rock n' Roll Nights is the eighth studio album by Canadian rock band BTO, released in 1979. This album was one of three BTO albums that did not feature co-founder Randy Bachman. Rock n' Roll Nights is also one of the two albums from this band to feature Jim Clench, formerly of April Wine. This album generated sales of only about 350,000 copies, though a single from the album called "Heartaches" managed to reach #60 on the U.S. charts and cracked the Top 40 in Canada. Rock n' Roll Nights is a rare find on CD, as it was released only for a short time on that format in 1990.
The band played two songs -- "Heartaches", the last BTO single to chart, and "Jamaica"—live on American Bandstand in February, 1979 to support the Rock n' Roll Nights album release. During an interview segment on the show, Dick Clark mentions to the band that he is concerned about the increasing and dominating popularity of disco music at the time. Many consider disco and the decline of guitar-based hard rock in the late 1970s to be among the reasons that both Street Action and Rock n' Roll Nights sold so poorly.
The band used multiple outside songwriters on Rock n' Roll Nights, including Jim Vallance of Prism and Bryan Adams (who penned the song, "Wastin' Time"). C.F. Turner and Jim Clench would later appear as session musicians for Adams' debut album in 1980, where Adams recorded his own version of "Wastin' Time".[2]
The song "Rock and Roll Hell" would later be re-recorded, written with a new verse, by KISS in 1982, for the album Creatures of the Night.
The song "Jamaica" would later be re-recorded, with new words, as "Kristina" by Rick Springfield on his 1982 album "Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet".
Track listing
- "Jamaica" (Vallance) – 4:08
- "Heartaches" (Turner) – 3:51
- "Heaven Tonight" (Clench, Thornton) – 3:03
- "Rock and Roll Nights" (Clench) – 5:30
- "Wastin' Time" (Adams) – 3:28
- "Here She Comes Again" (Clench, Thornton, Vallance) – 3:00
- "End of the Line" (Clench) – 3:25
- "Rock and Roll Hell" (Vallance) – 4:06
- "Amelia Earhart" (Simmonds, Vallance) – 6:19
Personnel
- C.F. Turner - lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- Blair Thornton - lead guitar
- Jim Clench - bass, backing vocals
- Robbie Bachman - drums, percussion
Production
- Producers: Jim Vallance
- Engineers: John Brand, Rolf Henneman
- Assistant engineer: Mike Donegani
- Mixing: Jim Vallance
- Art direction, photography: James O'Mara
Charts
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Pop Albums | 165 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | "Heartaches" | U.S. Pop Singles | 60 |
| 1979 | "Heartaches" | RPM (Canada) | 32 |