Going Back Home

2014 studio album by Wilko Johnson and Roger Daltrey
Going Back Home
Studio album by
Wilko Johnson and Roger Daltrey
Released25 March 2014
RecordedNovember 2013
Genre
  • Rhythm and blues
  • blues rock
  • hard rock
Length34:29
LabelChess
ProducerDave Eringa
Wilko Johnson chronology
Red Hot Rocking Blues
(2005) 		Going Back Home
(2014)
Roger Daltrey chronology
Moonlighting: The Anthology
(2005) 		Going Back Home
(2014) 		As Long As I Have You
(2018)

Going Back Home is a collaborative studio album by former Dr. Feelgood guitarist Wilko Johnson and the Who lead vocalist Roger Daltrey released in 2014. The album contains versions of songs previously recorded by Johnson and his former band Dr. Feelgood, as well as a version of "Everybody's Carrying a Gun" by Wilko Johnson and the Solid Senders.

The album entered the UK Albums Chart at No. 3,[1] making it Daltrey's highest ranking since the Who's album Face Dances (No. 2 in 1981), while Johnson's last major chart success was Dr. Feelgood's live album Stupidity which reached No. 1 in 1976.[2]

Background

Johnson and Daltrey decided to work together after meeting when seated next to each other at an awards ceremony in 2010 and quickly striking up a friendship. Daltrey said, "It turned out we both loved Johnny Kidd & the Pirates. They'd been a big influence on both our bands. That heavy power-trio sound, backing up a singer; it's a British institution. No-one does that better than us."

Johnson was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January 2013, but was well enough to press ahead with the collaboration when The Who finished their world tour. Going Back Home was recorded in the space of a week in November 2013.[3] According to Johnson, "Roger jumped up and said, 'Let's do it,'. He knew this lovely little studio called Yellow Fish in Uckfield. Unfortunate name for a place, but a great studio."[4] The album's track listing was revealed on 22 February 2014.[5] It was later established that Johnson actually had a less aggressive neuroendocrine tumour, and following radical surgery he was later declared cancer-free.[6]

Some of the musicians who worked with Johnson and Daltrey on the album were current and past Blockheads members Dylan Howe, Norman Watt-Roy (who also worked on Daltrey's 1984 album Parting Should Be Painless), and the Style Council's former keyboardist Mick Talbot.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
The Daily Telegraph[8]
The Guardian[9]
Mojo[10]
The National[11]
NME7/10[12]
The Oakland Press[13]
USA Today[14]

At The Oakland Press, Gary Graff rated the album three out of four stars, writing that "If this is indeed Johnson’s last gasp, he’s made it a memorable howl."[13] Edna Gunderson of USA Today rated the album three stars out of four, and remarked: "Do they defy age with a ferocious display of R&B? Roger Wilco that."[14] In his review for Mojo magazine, Mark Blake wrote that "Johnson's chopping rhythm guitar and Daltrey's geezerish growl make perfect bedfellows." Blake described Going Back Home as a "joyful, celebratory affair".[10]

Track listing

All songs written by Wilko Johnson except as noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Going Back Home"Wilko Johnson, Mick Green4:00
2."Ice on the Motorway" 2:50
3."I Keep It to Myself" 3:21
4."Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?"Bob Dylan3:37
5."Turned 21" 3:06
6."Keep On Loving You"Wilko Johnson, Norman Watt-Roy, Salvatore Ramundo2:57
7."Some Kind of Hero" 2:25
8."Sneaking Suspicion" 3:45
9."Keep It Out of Sight" 2:43
10."Everybody's Carrying a Gun" 2:55
11."All Through the City" 2:50
Total length:34:29

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2014) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[15] 97
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[16] 46
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[17] 29
French Albums (SNEP)[18] 117
Scottish Albums (OCC)[19] 4
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[20] 57
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[21] 56
UK Albums (OCC)[22] 3

Year-end charts

Chart (2014) Position
UK Albums (OCC)[23] 49

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[24] Gold 100,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "Official Albums Chart UK Top 100 - 5th April 2014". The Official UK Charts Company. Archived from the original on 23 February 2014.
  2. ^ Williams, Paul (26 March 2014). "Midweeek (sic) Charts: Sam Bailey powering to No 1". Music Week. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  3. ^ "Wilko Johnson to sign copies of new album 'Going Back Home' in London next week". NME. 21 March 2014. Archived from the original on 23 March 2014.
  4. ^ Hann, Michael (22 January 2014). "Wilko Johnson records new album with the Who's Roger Daltrey". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  5. ^ Lifton, Dave (22 February 2014). "Wilko Johnson and Roger Daltrey to Release 'Going Back Home'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  6. ^ "Wilko Johnson: Dr Feelgood guitarist dies, aged 75". BBC News. 23 November 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  7. ^ "Going Back Home Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  8. ^ Brown, Helen (22 March 2014). "Wilko Johnson & Roger Daltrey, Going Back Home, review". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  9. ^ Woodcraft, Molloy (23 March 2014). "Going Back Home review – Wilko Johnson and Roger Daltrey are 'brilliant in places'". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  10. ^ a b Blake, Mark (April 2014). "Wilko Johnson & Roger Daltrey Going Back Home". Mojo. p. 92.
  11. ^ McNair, James (24 March 2014). "CD review: Going Back Home by Wilko Johnson and Roger Daltrey". The National. Abu Dhabi. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  12. ^ Daly, Rhian (7 March 2014). "Wilko Johnson & Roger Daltrey – 'Going Back Home'". NME. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  13. ^ a b Graff, Gary (3 April 2014). "Listening Room: Martina McBride, Wilko Johnson and Roger Daltrey and more new releases". The Oakland Press. Archived from the original on 8 April 2014.
  14. ^ a b Gunderson, Edna (7 April 2014). "Listen Up: Other notable releases". USA Today. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  15. ^ "Ultratop.be – Wilko Johnson / Roger Daltrey – Going Back Home" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  16. ^ "Ultratop.be – Wilko Johnson / Roger Daltrey – Going Back Home" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  17. ^ "Wilko Johnson & Roger Daltrey: Going Back Home" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  18. ^ "Lescharts.com – Wilko Johnson / Roger Daltrey – Going Back Home". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  19. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  20. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Wilko Johnson / Roger Daltrey – Going Back Home". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  21. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Wilko Johnson / Roger Daltrey – Going Back Home". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  22. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  23. ^ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2014". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  24. ^ "British album certifications – Wilko Johnson/Roger Daltrey – Going Back Home". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
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