Have a Good Time But... Get Out Alive!

by The Iron City Houserockers, Joe Grushecky

Overview

The Iron City Houserockers' first album sounded like the work of a better than average bar band with the potential to grow into something more; 1980's Have a Good Time but Get out Alive was where they proved just how good they could be. While the band sounded solid on their debut, here they landed with the impact of a Louisville slugger connecting with a fastball (especially drummer Ned E. Rankin and harmonica player Marc Reisman), and producer Mick Ronson managed to get their nuances on tape with tightly focused clarity. (Ian Hunter and Steve Van Zandt also helped with the production and arrangements, and their hard rock smarts certainly show in the final product.) But what really sets Have a Good Time but Get out Alive apart from the work of dozens of "Heartland Rockers" who emerged in Bruce Springsteen's wake is Joe Grushecky; his songwriting and lead vocals seethe with a furious passion that's never less than convincing, and if the details of his songs sometime lean towards cliches, the total commitment of his performance, delivered with the conviction of a man fighting for his life, brings these stories to vivid, sweaty life. Lots of songwriters have written about desperate guys on the wrong side of the tracks, but on "We're Not Dead Yet," "Runnin' Scared," and the title cut, Grushecky makes them sound as real as the guy who mugged you last week and turns their stories into something both tragic and compelling. Have a Good Time but Get out Alive is a masterpiece of hard-bitten Rust Belt rock, and the remastered CD reissue released in 1999 is a major improvement over the noisy vinyl pressings of the album's original release. ~ Mark Deming

Product Details

Release Date:	06/19/2020
Label:	Cleveland International
UPC:	0709522500318
Rank:	75714

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Iron City Houserockers   Primary Artist
Joe Grushecky   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Ellen Foley   Guest Artist,Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Ian Hunter   Guest Artist,Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Keyboards,Vocals (Background)
Mick Ronson   Guest Artist,Piano,Mandolin,Keyboards
Tom Mandel   Organ,Keyboards
Tommy Mandel   Organ
Steven Van Zandt   Guitar
Joey Miskulin   Accordion
Ned E. Rankin   Drums
Gil Snyder   Piano,Vocals,Keyboards
Eddie Britt   Guitar,Vocals
Marc Reisman   Vocals,Harmonica
Art Nardini   Bass
Roy Martin   Vocals,Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

The Slimmer Twins   Producer,Producer
Ian Hunter   Arranger,Producer
The Iron City Houserockers   Performer
Joe Grushecky   Composer,Liner Notes
Ellie Greenwich   Composer
John Naclerio   Mastering
Mick Ronson   Producer
George Marino   Mastering
Brian Coleman   Producer
Steven Van Zandt   Arranger
J.D. Miller   Composer
Jeff Barry   Composer
Harvey Goldberg   Engineer
Mick Slimmer   Producer
Gil Snyder   Composer
Sunana Batra   Reissue Coordinator
Eddie Britt   Composer
Art Nardini   Composer
Ralph Camino   Engineer
Dan Beck   Composer
Bob Boyer   Composer
Johnny Grushecky   Producer
Ronson Slimmer   Producer
Dan Baeck   Composer
Iron Hunter   Arranger