Piledriver (album)

The album was the first one the group recorded after they had switched labels from Pye to Vertigo Records. When recording for Pye, the studio staff had complained about the volume as it would overload the input levels on the recording desk and distort, but for Piledriver, they could bring their touring gear into IBC Studios and record live at stage levels, giving them a much stronger sound.[1]

The opening song, "Don't Waste My Time" was written by Francis Rossi and Bob Young in the soon-to-be trademark shuffle style the group would become famous for. The lyrics complain about a girl not being serious about a relationship and messing around. The song became a live favourite, and frequently got audiences bouncing around at gigs.[2]

"Paper Plane" was written by Rossi and Young; the lyrics included a reference to the Mercedes-Benz 600 used by the band, which they called a "three grand Deutsche car".[3] It was the album's only single, with the B-side "Softer Ride" (written by Rick Parfitt and Alan Lancaster), was to become the first in a sequence of thirty-three Top 40 hits on the UK Singles Chart when it peaked at #8 after its release in November 1972. The B-side would later be incorporated into the band's following album, Hello!, released the following year.[4]

The group first heard the Doors' version of Roadhouse Blues when touring Bielefeld, Germany in 1970, and enjoyed its 12-bar shuffle, using it as a template for other songs. The group's arrangement was longer than the original, featuring another first and three-part harmony vocals.[5][6]

The front cover showed a live shot of the band in their classic "heads down, no-nonsense boogie" mode.[7] It was the first album to credit Francis Rossi under his real name; when signed to Pye he had been called "Mike".[8]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[9]
Christgau's Record Guide	C+[10]
Sea of Tranquility	[11]

The album was released in December the same year, and reached the highest position of #5 in the UK charts, spending 37 weeks there.[12]

In their retrospective review, AllMusic applauded the album as both crowd-pleasing and moderately ambitious, commenting that "Despite the name, most of the music on Piledriver is varied and subtle enough to be interesting." They particularly praised "A Year" and "Big Fat Mama".[9] The Village Voice critic Robert Christgau asserted that the band had no decent singer or guitarist, and criticized their attempts at ballads and blues as "boring".[10]

Source:[13]

• Francis Rossi - guitar, vocals
• Rick Parfitt - guitar, piano, organ, vocals
• Alan Lancaster - bass, 12 string acoustic guitar, vocals
• John Coghlan - drums, percussion

Additional personnel

• Bob Young - Harmonica on "Roadhouse Blues"
• Jimmy Horowitz - Piano on "Roadhouse Blues"

Citations

Sources