Roger Daltrey - Ride A Rock Horse (1975) + Bonus Track

(U.K 1959 - Present)
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Ride a Rock Horse is the second solo album by The Who's lead singer, Roger Daltrey. It was first released in 1975. Songs were recorded during Daltrey's filming commitments for Ken Russell's film Lisztomania.

Roger Daltrey's career outside the Who differs from most solo ventures. Rather than compete with his group, he chooses music very much out of their realm. Ride a Rock Horse, his second solo endeavour, differs also from his initial Daltrey, suggesting that on his own he prefers to experiment. And though he may not sound as anguished or as gentle as other singers, few can match his sheer power.

As Dave Courtney and Leo Sayer dominated Daltrey with sprightly and melodic pop treatments, so Russ Ballard (formerly with Argent) commands this record through more vigorous material. Daltrey includes three Ballard songs, each with more than a hint of rhythm and blues. Ballard also plays guitar and piano strongly here, and his production achieves a smooth, clear surface. An approach often cold in its perfection, it's excitingly alive here.

Two songs by pianist Paul Korda are high points. "Heart's Right" builds on a series of haunting piano chords, rises with powerful orchestration and slips into a relaxing, airy vocal chorus at the end. "World Over" is satisfying as well, albeit in a lighter fashion -- a simple and catchy tune, delivered in Daltrey's higher, more delicate range.

He gives "Walking the Dog" a more throaty carriage (there's a cooking percussion section, too) but "Oceans Away" is a more reserved piece with a regal string arrangement. The craft of everyone involved, particularly Ballard, allows such seemingly unsuited choices to mesh on the album. Studio wizardry, of course, is a work -- but this is not assembly-line output. Ride a Rock Horse is instead a rare example of tried professionalism linked with creativity [Charley Walters, Rolling Stone, 9/11/75]

Bonus Reviews
Versatility is the keynote of "Tommy's" latest solo effort, from brightly soulful rockers to Garfunkel-esque ballad productions. But cut-for-cut the set uses Daltrey's voice for sweetness more than a Who album would. Most of the songs are straightforward and unpretentious, with producer Russ Ballard providing three of the tunes. Best cuts: "Walking The Dog," "Come And Get Your Love," "Oceans Away," "Near To Surrender." [Billboard, 1975]

By the time Roger Daltrey was ready to make his second solo album, Leo Sayer, upon whom he had relied to provide songs for his first, had launched his own successful singing career and was keeping his material for himself. Daltrey, therefore, called on his producer, Russ Ballard, who wrote three songs, including the chart single "Come And Get Your Love," and one P. Korda, who wrote another three. On this material, Daltrey took a pop/rock approach, somewhat less aggressive than his work with The Who. He also tossed in some R&B with a cover of Rufus Thomas's "Walking The Dog" and sang in something closer to his actual British accent in the Cockney raveup "Milk Train." Ride A Rock Horse lacked the overall quality and cohesion of Daltrey, but was still a respectable effort, especially since Daltrey's solo career remained a side issue at this time [William Ruhlmann, The All-Music Guide to Rock, 1995]

This post consists of FLACs ripped from my vinyl (which I purchased back in the 70's) and includes full album artwork and label scans. I also managed to source the back tray for the CD release which I've yet to come across (shame, I'd buy it in a heart beat).  I've also taken the liberty of including another great 'bonus' track called "Say It Ain't So, Joe" which he released several years later. [Note: Gary Brooker (Procol Harum) did another fantastic version of this song in 1979 which I believe trumped Daltrey's version].

'Ride A Rock Horse' is my favourite Daltrey album, and in some respects contains some of his best work (even up against his Who material). I think the success of this album was mostly due to the brilliant production and musical contributions of former Argent guitarist Russ Ballard, who also wrote 3 of the tracks on this album.  Overall, this is a brilliant album and should not be missed.
Great cover by the way (and thankfully he didn't end up using a real rocking chair which would have been dreadful)
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Track Listing:

01 – Come and Get Your Love
02 – Hearts Right
03 – Oceans Way
04 – Proud
05 – World Over
06 – Near to Surrender
07 – Feeling
08 – Walking the Dog
09 – Milk Train
10 – I Was Born to Sing Your Song
11 - Say It Ain't So, Joe [Bonus Track]

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Credits:

Vocals – Roger Daltrey

Backing Vocals – Kokomo, Paul Gorda, Russ Ballard, Sweedies

Bass – Dave Wintour 

Congas – Tony Meehan

Drums – Henry Spinetti, Stuart Francis

Guitar – Russ Ballard 

Guitar [Solo] – Clem Clemson (tracks: B2)

Horns – Tony Meehan

Keyboards – Russ Ballard

Organ – Russ Ballard

Percussion – Tony Meehan

Piano – Paul Korda, Philip Goodhand-Tait , Russ Ballard

Saxophone – Phil Kenzie

Trumpet – Alan Brown

Produced by Russ Ballard

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Ride A Rock Horse Link (259Mb) New Link 01/05/2020

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