Life for the Taking is the second studio album by American rock musician Eddie Money. It was recorded and released in late 1978 in the US and January 1979 in the UK on manager Bill Graham's Wolfgang imprint via Columbia Records. The album includes the singles "Can't Keep a Good Man Down", "Maybe I'm a Fool" and "Maureen".
| Life for the Taking | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1978 | |||
| Recorded | 1978 | |||
| Genre | Rock, pop rock | |||
| Length | 40:23 | |||
| Label | Wolfgang, Columbia | |||
| Producer | Bruce Botnick | |||
| Eddie Money chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Life for the Taking | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [2] |
With Money seemingly endlessly on the road promoting his previous debut album, this effort was primarily written in hotel rooms with a variety of band members and worked up during sound checks prior to performances. The final track, "Call on Me" was often interjected into the set lists prior to the release of this album and received a strong response in spite of its more soulful, less frantic composure.
This album also marked a conscious effort to expand Money's audience with the inclusion of several more pop and dance oriented numbers. This direction would continue to be expanded upon with the subsequent release Playing for Keeps. The album was met with less enthusiastic critical response than its predecessor with a number of the pundits citing a weakness of quality songwriting and the inconsistency of style as pitfalls.
Money resumed his frantic promotion and touring schedule upon the release of this album. The cover shot plays on a rendition of the artist mocking his debut album artwork but with an obvious worn and tired appearance.
As with the previous release, both singles were issued in promotion only edited versions, while the retail releases featured tracks from the album as B-sides. By now, Money was headlining mid-sized venues and a number of the dates featured the then up-and-coming Pat Benatar as support.
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Life for the Taking" | Eddie Money | 4:45 |
| 2. | "Can't Keep a Good Man Down" | Money, Dan Alexander, Chris Solberg | 3:37 |
| 3. | "Nightmare" | Money, James Lyon | 4:22 |
| 4. | "Gimme Some Water" | Money | 3:38 |
| 5. | "Rock and Roll the Place" | Money, Lyon | 3:04 |
| 6. | "Maybe I'm a Fool" | Money, Lloyd Chiate, Lee Garrett, Robert Taylor | 3:04 |
| 7. | "Love the Way You Love Me" | Money, Steve Howard | 3:37 |
| 8. | "Maureen" | Money, Ernie Makaway, Chiate, Solberg | 3:35 |
| 9. | "Nobody" | Money, Lyon | 4:40 |
| 10. | "Call On Me" | Jeremy Storch, Money | 6:01 |
| Total length: | 40:23 | ||
Personnel edit
- Horns arranged by Eddie Money & Tom Scott
- Strings arranged & conducted by Albhy Galuten
- Musicians
- Jesse Bradman – piano
- Lloyd Chaite – guitar
- John DeLeone – drums
- Nicky Hopkins – keyboards, piano
- David Lindley – guitar
- Jimmy Lyon – guitar
- Gary Mallaber – drums
- Eddie Money – harmonica, keyboards, piano, saxophone, vocals
- Randy Nichols – keyboards, organ, synthesizer, vocals, background vocals
- Alan Pasqua – keyboards, piano
- Greg Phillinganes – keyboards, piano
- Steve Porcaro – synthesizer, background vocals
- Lonnie Rutner – bass
- Tom Scott – horn, saxophone
- Tim Sheridan – bass
- Lonnie Turner – bass
- Darrell Verdusco – background vocals
- John Whitney – guitar
- Angela Winbush – background vocals
- Production
- Produced By Bruce Botnick (for Wolfgang Productions)
- Engineered By Andy Johns & Rik Pekkonen
- Mixed By Andy Johns
- Mastered By Wally Traugott
Charts edit
| Chart (1979) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[3] | 17 |
References edit
- ^ Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Life for the Taking - Eddie Money". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-06-02.
- ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 482.
- ^ "Eddie Money Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 12, 2019.