Hard at Play

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Released7 May 1991
Recorded1990–1991
StudioSkywalker Sound and The Site (Marin County, California); Schnee Studios (North Hollywood, California); Studio D (Sausalito, California); Apt. 2 Recording (Novato, California); Sub-Par Recording (California).
Hard at Play
Studio album by
Released7 May 1991
Recorded1990–1991
StudioSkywalker Sound and The Site (Marin County, California); Schnee Studios (North Hollywood, California); Studio D (Sausalito, California); Apt. 2 Recording (Novato, California); Sub-Par Recording (California).
GenreRock, pop rock
Length46:09
LabelChrysalis (UK)[1]
EMI (Most of the world)
ProducerHuey Lewis and the News
Bill Schnee
Eric Thorngren
Huey Lewis and the News chronology
Small World
(1988)
Hard at Play
(1991)
Four Chords & Several Years Ago
(1994)
Singles from Hard at Play
  1. "Couple Days Off"
    Released: 1991
  2. "It Hit Me Like a Hammer"
    Released: 1991
  3. "He Don't Know"
    Released: 1991

Hard at Play is the sixth album by American rock band Huey Lewis and the News. It was released in 1991 on EMI for most of the world and Chrysalis in the UK. Hard at Play peaked at number 27 on the Billboard 200 pop albums chart and produced two top 40 singles, "Couple Days Off" and "It Hit Me Like a Hammer." Music videos were released for "It Hit Me like a Hammer," "Couple Days Off," and "He Don't Know."

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]

In a review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine notes the "return to the straight-ahead blues-inflected pop/rock that made Huey Lewis and the News superstars in the early '80s" with Hard at Play.[2]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Build Me Up"4:28
2."It Hit Me Like a Hammer"4:01
3."Attitude"Max Carl4:00
4."He Don't Know"4:15
5."Couple Days Off"
  • Chris Hayes
  • Lewis
  • Geoffrey Palmer
4:56
6."That's Not Me"Michael Ruff4:15
7."We Should Be Making Love"
  • Andy Goldmark
  • Steve Kipner
  • Steve Lindsey
4:01
8."Best of Me"
  • Bonnie Hayes
  • Kevin Hayes
  • Annie Stocking
3:57
9."Do You Love Me, or What?"
3:46
10."Don't Look Back"
  • Lewis
  • Bill Gibson
  • David Fredericks
3:44
11."Time Ain't Money"
  • Colla
  • Lewis
4:46
Total length:46:24

Personnel

Huey Lewis and the News

Additional personnel

  • The Gospel Hummingbirds – backing vocals (4)
  • David Fredericks – backing vocals (5, 10)
  • Mike Duke – backing vocals (6)
  • Michael Ruff – backing vocals (6)
  • John McFee – guitar (11)

Production

  • Huey Lewis and the News – producers
  • Bill Schnee – producer, engineer, mixing
  • Eric "ET" Thorngren – co-producer (1, 5), additional engineer
  • Bob Brown – executive producer
  • Bob Edwards – additional engineer, assistant engineer
  • Jeffrey "Nik" Norman – additional engineer
  • Ken Allardyce – assistant engineer, mix assistant
  • Tony Eckert – assistant engineer
  • Stephen Hart – assistant engineer
  • Tim Lauber – assistant engineer
  • Kevin Scott – assistant engineer
  • Jim "Watts" Vereecke – assistant engineer
  • Jack Joseph Puig – mixing
  • Doug Sax – mastering at The Mastering Lab (Hollywood, CA).
  • Henry Marquez – art direction
  • Michael Diehl – design
  • Aaron Rapoport – photography

Charts

Certifications

References

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