Acid Queen
Acid Queen | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | August 1975 | |||
Recorded | 1975 | |||
Studio | Bolic Sound, Inglewood, California | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 35:29 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer | ||||
Tina Turner chronology | ||||
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Alternative covers | ||||
Singles from Acid Queen | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Christgau's Record Guide | B[2] |
Acid Queen is the second solo studio album by Tina Turner. It was released in 1975 on the EMI label in the UK and on United Artists in the US. Although it is a Tina Turner solo album, the first single, "Baby, Get It On", was a duet with Ike Turner, her musical partner and husband at the time. Acid Queen was her last solo album before their separation and her departure from Ike & Tina Turner Revue.[3]
Background and songs
The Acid Queen album was inspired by Tina Turner's role as the Acid Queen in Ken Russell's film version of The Who's classic rock opera Tommy, which also featured Elton John, Eric Clapton, Jack Nicholson, Ann-Margret, and starred Roger Daltrey.
Side A of the album consists of rock covers. In addition to a re-recorded version of the title track, it also contained the
Side B was written and produced mainly by Ike Turner.[1] It includes Ike & Tina Turner's last single together, the disco-influenced "Baby, Get It On" (No. 88 Pop, No. 31 R&B). Other singles include "Whole Lotta Love" (No. 61 R&B) released in 1975, and "Acid Queen" released in the UK in 1976. The track "Under My Thumb" was released as a single in Australia to promote Turner's tour, reaching No. 80 in 1977.
Release and reissues
Acid Queen was released in August 1975, peaking at No. 155 on the
Critical reception
Billboard gave the album a positive review, noting the "strong production from Denny Diante, Spencer Proffer (and Ike on side two)....Ms. Turner's gruff vocals are perfect for the raucous British material she has chosen, while side two, though soul oriented, should also reach the pop fans with its strong Sid Sharp string arrangements."[4] By contrast, Dave Mash of Rolling Stone criticized the album. He stated, "The primary flaw in the rock-classics side of Acid Queen rests not with the singer but with her producers, Denny Diante and Spencer Proffer. The arrangements here are the opposite of what seems sensible," adding that the "material also seems ill-chosen."[6]
Reviewing Acid Queen in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), Robert Christgau said: "Her rock myth reconfirmed cinematically, Tina quickly turns out two from the Who (only fair), two from the Stones (who else?), and one from Led Zep ('Whole Lotta Love,' brilliant, I trust R. Plant has his big twelve-inch in a sling at this very moment). With bass lines lifted whole from the originals the singing almost doesn't matter. And what rocks most mythically? I. Turner's cleverly entitled 'Baby—Get It On.'"[2]
Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Rob Theakston wrote: "Acid Queen is thus an immensely enjoyable affair from start to finish. Her version of Led Zep's 'Whole Lotta Love' takes the dynamics of the original and turns them upside down to deliver an affair that is on par with some of Isaac Hayes' finest moments.[1]
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Under My Thumb" | Mick Jagger, Keith Richards | 3:22 |
2. | "Let's Spend the Night Together" | Mick Jagger, Keith Richards | 2:54 |
3. | "Acid Queen" | Pete Townshend | 3:01 |
4. | "I Can See for Miles" | Pete Townshend | 2:53 |
5. | "Whole Lotta Love" | John Bonham, Willie Dixon, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant | 5:24 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
6. | "Baby, Get It On" (Ike & Tina Turner) | Ike Turner | 5:34 |
7. | "Bootsey Whitelaw" | Ike Turner | 5:06 |
8. | "Pick Me Tonight" | Ike Turner | 3:13 |
9. | "Rockin' and Rollin'" | Ike Turner | 4:02 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
10. | " Jerry Butler | 3:55 |
Personnel
- Tina Turner – lead vocals
- Ike Turner – vocals on "Baby Get It On", producer (Side B), arranger
- Ed Greene – drums
- Henry Davis – bass guitar
- Ray Parker Jr. – guitar
- Spencer Proffer – guitar, producer (tracks: A1–A5, B1–B4), arranger
- Jerry Peters, Clarence McDonald – keyboards
- Jeffrey Marmelzat – keyboards, arranger
- Joe Clayton – congas
- Alan Lindgren – ARP, synthesizer, string ensemble
- Jimmie Haskell – ARP, synthesizer, orchestration, producer (tracks: B2–B4), string and horn arrangements
- The Sid Sharp Strings – strings
- Tom Scott – saxophone, flute
- Plas Johnson, Bill Perkins – saxophone
- Lew McCreary – trombone
- Tony Terran, Charles Findley – trumpet
- Maxine Willard Waters– backing vocals
- percussion
- Ron Malo – recording, mixing
Chart performance
Chart (1975) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[7] | 75 |
US Billboard Top LPs & Tapes[5] | 155 |
US Billboard Soul LPs[5] | 39 |
US Cash Box Top Albums 101–200[8] | 119 |
US Record World Albums 101–150[9] | 139 |
References
- ^ a b c d "Acid Queen - Tina Turner". AllMusic.
- ^ ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 17, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ]
- ^ a b c "Billboard's Top Album Picks" (PDF). Billboard. August 30, 1975. p. 52.
- ^ a b c "Soul LPs, Top LPs & Tapes" (PDF). Billboard. October 18, 1975. pp. 35, 72.
- ^ Marsh, Dave (November 6, 1975). "Acid Queen". Rolling Stone.
- ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Cash Box Top Albums 101 to 200" (PDF). Cash Box: 110. October 18, 1975.
- ^ "The Album Chart 101–150" (PDF). Record World: 37. October 11, 1975.