The Hard Stuff (George Thorogood and the Destroyers album)

The Hard Stuff
Studio album by George Thorogood and the Destroyers
Released	May 30, 2006
Recorded	2006
Studio	Ardent Studios Castle Oaks Studios Glenwood Place Studios
Genre	Boogie rock, blues rock
Length	56:40
Label	Eagle
Producer	Jim Gaines The Delaware Destroyers Tom Hambridge
George Thorogood and the Destroyers chronology
Ride 'Til I Die (2003) The Hard Stuff (2006) The Dirty Dozen (2009)

The Hard Stuff is the thirteenth studio album by American blues rock band George Thorogood and the Destroyers. It was released in 2006 by the label Eagle Records.[1] The album peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Top Blues Album chart.[2][3] It was their first album recorded after the departure of long time saxophone player Hank "Hurricane" Carter, a 23-year member of the band.[4][5]

Release

Eagle Records released The Hard Stuff on May 30, 2006.[6][7] The album peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Top Blues Album chart.[2][3]

Critical reception

The Hard Stuff received generally positive reviews from critics.

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[8]
Classic Rock	[9]
The Trades	A-[10]

AllMusic's Tim Sendra says "While the record doesn't exactly capture the loose, rock hard feel of albums he cut in his glory days, it is no patch on them and should remind people that Thorogood is a master of good time rockin' blues."[11] A Billboard reviewer wrote "Thorogood shows not the slightest inclination to reinvent the wheel, happy to keep rolling down the hard -rocking road of which he is a master."[12]

Track listing

The Hard Stuff Track Listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"The Hard Stuff"	George Thorogood, Jim Suhler, Tom Hambridge	3:51
2.	"Hello Josephine"	Dave Bartholomew, Antoine "Fats" Domino Jr.	3:05
3.	"Moving"	Chester Arthur Burnett	4:13
4.	"I Got My Eyes On You"	Mike Morgan	3:32
5.	"I Didn't Know"	Thorogood, Hambridge	2:56
6.	"Any Town U.S.A."	Thorogood, Suhler, Hambridge	4:16
7.	"Little Rain"	Ewart Abner, Jimmy Reed	4:09
8.	"Cool It!"	Suhler	3:01
9.	"Love Doctor"	Richard Fleming, Hambridge	3:39
10.	"Dynaflow Blues"	Johnny Shines	3:45
11.	"Rock Party"	Holland K. Smith	4:22
12.	"Drifter's Escape"	Bob Dylan	3:15
13.	"Give Me Back My Wig"	Theodore Roosevelt "Hound Dog" Taylor	4:25
14.	"Takin' Care Of Business"	Rudy Toombs	4:12
15.	"Huckle Up Baby"	Bernard Besman, John Lee Hooker	3:59
Total length:			56:40

Personnel

Delaware Destroyers

• George Thorogood – guitar, vocals
• Jim Suhler – guitar
• Bill Blough – bass
• Jeff Simon – drums
• Buddy Leach – saxophone

Additional musicians

• Rick Steff – accordion, piano

Technical

• Delaware Destroyers – producer
• Jim Gaines – producer
• Tom Hambridge – producer
• Mike Donahue – executive producer
• Shawn Berman – engineer
• Leon Zervos – mastering
• Joshua Blanchard, Jason Gillespie, Jay Goin, Adam Hill – assistant engineers
• Henry Marquez – art direction
• Chris Cuffaro – photography
• Steve Morse – liner notes

References

1. Billboard Staff (April 27, 2006). "Thorogood Rocks 'Hard' On New Album". Billboard.
2. "George Thorogood Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 3, 2012. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
3. "Top Blues Albums - June 17, 2006" (PDF). Billboard. June 17, 2006. p. 71 – via World Radio History.
4. uDiscover Team (March 8, 2020). "George Thorogood - Prodigiously-Talented Boogie Blues Guitarist". uDiscover Music.
5. "Henry G. "Hank" Carter III - Spicer-Mullikin Funeral Homes & Crematory". Spicer-Mullikin Funeral Homes & Crematory.
6. "GEORGE THOROGOOD & THE DESTROYERS The Hard Stuff" (PDF). Billboard. June 3, 2006. p. 60 – via World Radio History.
7. "George Thorogood: Still bad to the bone or just plain bad?". The Morning Call. October 5, 2021.
8. The Hard Stuff at AllMusic
9. Jeffries, Neil (January 2014). "George Thorogood & The Destroyers - Ride 'Til I Die/The Hard Stuff". Classic Rock (192): 122.
10. The Trades review
11. Sendra, Tim. "The Hard Stuff Review". AllMusic.
12. "Billboard - Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. June 3, 2006. p. 60 – via World Radio History.