''Rough'' is

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the " Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue before ...

's third solo studio album, released in September 1978 on the

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 2012, ...

label in the UK,

Ariola Records Ariola (also known as Ariola Records, Ariola-Eurodisc and BMG Ariola) is a German record label. In the late 1980s, it was a subsidiary label of the Bertelsmann Music Group, which in turn has become a part of the international media conglomera ...

in West Germany, and

United Artists Records United Artists Records was an American record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists in 1957 to issue movie soundtracks. The label expanded into other genres, such as easy listening, jazz, pop, and R&B. History Genres In 1959, ...

in the United States. This is Turner's first solo album released after her divorce from husband

Ike Turner Izear Luster "Ike" Turner Jr. (November 5, 1931 – December 12, 2007) was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, record producer, and talent scout. An early pioneer of 1950s rock and roll, he is best known for his work in the 1960s and ...

in 1978. Her first two solo albums, ''

Tina Turns the Country On! ''Tina Turns the Country On!'' is the debut solo studio album by Tina Turner, released in September 1974 on the United Artists Records. Released while Turner was still a member of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, it was an attempt by her husband, ...

'' (1974) and ''

Acid Queen ''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 ...

'' (1975), were released while she was still a member of the

Ike & Tina Turner Ike & Tina Turner were an American musical duo consisting of husband and wife Ike Turner and Tina Turner. From 1960 to 1976, they performed live as the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, supported by Ike Turner's band the Kings of Rhythm and backing voc ...

Revue. Although ''Rough'' received positive critical reception, it was not a commercial success.

Songs

''Rough'' is made up of mostly blues and disco cover songs with a rock influence. Just like the preceding ''Acid Queen'', the album was an indication that Turner wanted to take her music into a rock-oriented direction. The opening track, "Fruits of the Night," was co-written by

Giorgio Moroder Giovanni Giorgio Moroder (, ; born 26 April 1940) is an Italian composer, songwriter, and record producer. Dubbed the " Father of Disco", Moroder is credited with pioneering euro disco and electronic dance music. His work with synthesizers had ...

's longtime collaborator

Pete Bellotte Peter John Bellotte (born 28 August 1943)Ancestry.com. England & Wales, Birth Index: 1916–2005 atabase on-line Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008. Original data: General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration Index ...

. Turner recorded a cover of

Bob Seger Robert Clark Seger ( ; born May 6, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and The Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s, break ...

's "Fire Down Below." The album also includes Turner's first cover version of

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

's "

The Bitch Is Back "The Bitch Is Back" is a rock song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It was the second single released from John's 1974 album '' Caribou'', and reached number 1 in Canada (his sixth in ...

," which she re-recorded in 1991 for the tribute album '' Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin''. "Viva La Money" was the only single released in the United States. Three additional singles were released in Europe: "Root Toot, Undisputable Rock & Roller," "

Sometimes When We Touch "Sometimes When We Touch" is a 1977 ballad written by Canadian pop rock artist Dan Hill (lyrics) and Barry Mann (music) on the album ''Longer Fuse''. It was first released as a single by Hill. His version of the song became the most successful a ...

," and "Fruits of the Night." None of the singles had chart success.

Critical reception

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' reviewed the album as an "adventurous variety of old and new material," adding that Turner's "delivery has lost none of its snap and crackle." '' Cash Box'' wrote that "she rocks rough and randy enough to make her pop and soul competitors quiver in their lizard skin tennis shoes. Turner mixes the intensity of the gospel choir with the promised pleasures of the turned-down bed to great effect." ''Record'' ''World'' noted, "Turner's sassy vocals are always something to behold and her newest lp is certainly no exception." Joel Vance of ''

Stereo Review ''Sound & Vision'' is an American magazine, purchased by AVTech Media Ltd. (UK) in March 2018, covering home theater, audio, video and multimedia consumer products. Before 2000, it had been published for most of its history as ''Stereo Review'' ...

'' wrote that "one hearing of 'The Bitch Is Back', 'Night Time Is the Right Time', 'Fire Down Below', or 'Root, Toot Undisputable Rock 'n Roller' will convince you that if Tina temporarily abdicated as the queen of steamy soul, she has now reclaimed her throne with a sweet vengeance."

Reissues

The album was re-issued on CD by EMI in the early 1990s but is currently out of print.

Track listing

Personnel

*Rick Kellis – horn, saxophone, strings, horn arrangements *Ken Moore – piano, background vocals * Airto Moreira – percussion *Dennis Belfield – bass guitar *

Michael Boddicker Michael Lehmann Boddicker (born January 19, 1953) is an American film composer and session musician, specializing in electronic music. He is a three times National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (N.A.R.A.S.) Most Valuable Player "Synthes ...

– synthesizer *Peter Bunetta,

Ed Greene Ed Greene is an American drummer and session musician. In 1971 he recorded with Donald Byrd (''Ethiopian Knights'', 1972), together with Thurman Green, Harold Land, Bobby Hutcherson, Joe Sample, Bobbye Porter Hall, David T. Walker, and Wilton ...

– drums *Al Ciner – acoustic guitar *Denise Echols – background vocals *

Venetta Fields Venetta Lee Fields (born 1941) is an American-born singer, musical theater actress and vocal coach. She was a backing vocalist for American and British rock and pop acts of the 1960s and 1970s, including Ike & Tina Turner, Pink Floyd, Humble Pie, ...

– background vocals *Billy Haynes – bass guitar *

Maxayn Lewis Maxayn Lewis is an American soul singer, musician, songwriter, and producer. She began her career in the 1960s, under her birth name Paulette Parker, as member of the Ikettes in the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. In the 1970s, Lewis sang lead in the ba ...

– background vocals *Deborah Lindsey – background vocals *Lenny Macaluso – electric guitar *Bill Oz – harmonica *Mary Russell – background vocals *Julia Tillman Waters – background vocals *Stephanie Spruill – background vocals *Michael Stephenson – background vocals *Ron Stockert – synthesizer, clavinet *Marsha Thacker – background vocals *Tony Walthers – background vocals *Jeff "Dino" Deane, Dennis Farias – horn *

William "Smitty" Smith William Daniel "Smitty" Smith (August 30, 1944 – November 28, 1997) was a Canadian keyboardist and session musician. Background He had been playing together with Steve Kennedy, Eric Mercury, Eric "Mouse" Johnson, Terry Logan and Diane Brooks ...

– Hammond organ *The L.A. Horns – horns *The Gerald Lee String Company – strings *Jill Harris – assistant producer *Claude Mougin – photography

References

{{Authority control Tina Turner albums 1978 albums United Artists Records albums Disco albums by American artists Blues rock albums by American artists EMI Records albums Ariola Records albums