''Rough'' is the third solo

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939 – May 24, 2023) was a singer, songwriter, actress, and author. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", her vocal prowess, raspy voice, and electrifyin ...

, released in September 1978 on the

EMI EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...

label in the UK,

Ariola Records Ariola (also known as Ariola Records, Ariola Express, 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 ...

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 1958 ...

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!'' (1974) and '' Acid Queen'' (1975), were released while she was still a member of the

Ike & Tina Turner Ike & Tina Turner was 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 the Kings of Rhythm and backing vocalists, the Ikettes. ...

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

Songs

''Rough'' is made up of mostly

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

and

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

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 and music producer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Disco", Moroder is credited with pioneering Euro disco and electronic dance music. His work ...

'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 Inde ...

. Turner recorded a cover of

Bob Seger Robert Clark Seger ( ; born May 6, 1945) is a retired American singer, songwriter, and musician. As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded with the groups Bob Seger and the Last Heard and the Bob Seger System throu ...

's "Fire Down Below" for the album. It 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, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

'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 th ...

", 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", 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 ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' 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'' was 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. In November 2023, the album was made available on streaming services and as a digital download, marking its first release in any digital format. The album was re-issued on LP and CD on November 15, 2024.

Track listing

Personnel

*Rick Kellis – horn, saxophone, strings, horn arrangements *Ken Moore – piano, background vocals *

Airto Moreira Airto Guimorvan Moreira (born August 5, 1941) is a Brazilian jazz drummer, composer and percussionist. He is married to jazz singer Flora Purim, and their daughter Diana Moreira is also a singer. Coming to prominence in the late 1960s as a membe ...

– 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 Wi ...

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

Venetta Fields Venetta Lee Fields (born 1941) is an American-born Australian singer and musical theater actress, and vocal coach. Fields was a backing vocalist for touring American and British rock and pop acts of the 1960s and 1970s, as well as working as a ...

– 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 The Clavinet is an electric clavichord invented by Ernst Zacharias and manufactured by the Hohner company of Trossingen, West Germany, from 1964 to 1982. The instrument produces sounds with rubber pads, each matching one of the keys and respond ...

*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 Brook ...

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

Charts

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