''Better Than the Rest'' is the third album (

mini-album A mini-LP or mini-album is a short vinyl record album or LP, usually retailing at a lower price than an album that would be considered full-length. It is distinct from an EP due to containing more tracks and a slightly longer running length. A ...

) of songs by

George Thorogood and the Destroyers George Lawrence Thorogood (born February 24, 1950) is an American musician, singer and songwriter from Wilmington, Delaware. His "high-energy boogie-blues" sound became a staple of 1980s rock radio, with hits like his original songs "Bad to the ...

, recorded in 1974 and released in 1979. When the songs were recorded, Thorogood was an unknown artist who was not signed to a record label. After he had released his first two official albums on

Rounder Records Rounder Records is an independent record label founded in 1970 in Somerville, Massachusetts by Marian Leighton Levy, Ken Irwin, and Bill Nowlin. Focused on American roots music, Rounder's catalogue of more than 3000 titles includes records by Al ...

in 1977 and 1978, ''Better Than The Rest'' was released by MCA. In 1986, the songs from this album were released on

compact disc The compact disc (CD) is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then rele ...

with the title '' Nadine'', in a different track order. ''Better Than The Rest'' was the band's last album as a

power trio A power trio is a rock and roll band format having a lineup of electric guitar, bass guitar and drum kit (drums and cymbals), leaving out a second rhythm guitar or keyboard instrument that are often used in other rock music bands that are quartet ...

, as Thorogood recruited saxophonist Hank Carter shortly afterward. It was also their only studio album to feature original bassist Michael Levine.

Track listing

# "In the Night Time" (Michael Henderson,

Sylvester Rivers Sylvester Rivers (born October 28, 1953) is an American composer, arranger, pianist and producer, based in Los Angeles, California. A prolific session musician, he has recorded with numerous major artists including Aretha Franklin, Nancy Wilson ...

) – 3:08 # " I'm Ready" (

Willie Dixon William James Dixon (July 1, 1915January 29, 1992) was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was proficient in playing both the upright bass and the guitar, and sang with a distinctive voice, but he ...

) – 2:46 # "Goodbye Baby" ( Joe Josea, Jules Taub, Sam Ling) – 3:08 # "Howlin for My Darling" (Dixon,

Howlin' Wolf Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910January 10, 1976), better known by his stage name Howlin' Wolf, was an American blues singer and guitarist. He is regarded as one of the most influential blues musicians of all time. Over a four-decade care ...

) – 3:24 # "My Weakness" (Vetter Smith, Wilson) – 2:26 # " Nadine" (

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...

) – 4:03 # "

My Way "My Way" is a song popularized in 1969 by Frank Sinatra set to the music of the French song "Comme d'habitude" composed by Jacques Revaux with lyrics by Gilles Thibaut and Claude François and first performed in 1967 by Claude François. Its E ...

" (

Eddie Cochran Ray Edward Cochran (; October 3, 1938 – April 17, 1960) was an American rock and roll musician. Cochran's songs, such as "Twenty Flight Rock", "Summertime Blues", " C'mon Everybody" and " Somethin' Else", captured teenage frustration and desire ...

Jerry Capehart Jerry Neil Capehart (August 22, 1928 – June 7, 1998) was an American songwriter and music manager. Capehart co-wrote the songs "Summertime Blues" and " C'mon Everybody" with Eddie Cochran, whom he also managed. One of his most-recorded so ...

) – 1:56 # "You're Gonna Miss Me" (Eddie Jones) – 2:14 # "Worried About My Baby" (Wolf) – 3:29 # "Huckle Up Baby" (

Bernard Besman Bernard Besman (October 8, 1912 – January 10, 2003) was a Russian-born American record producer and distributor who established Sensation Records, an early independent record label in Detroit, Michigan. He was the first to record John Lee ...

John Lee Hooker John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1912 or 1917 – June 21, 2001) was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. The son of a sharecropper, he rose to prominence performing an electric guitar-style adaptation of Delta blues. Hooker often ...

) – 2:24

Personnel

Musicians

*George Thorogood –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

*Michael Levine –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

*Jeff Simon –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

, vocals

Technical

*Danny Lipman – producer *Joe Chicarrelli –

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

Charts

1979 albums George Thorogood and the Destroyers albums MCA Records albums {{1970s-rock-album-stub