My Own Way to Rock (Original Recording Remastered)

by

Burton Cummings

Edit

Hot on the heels of his successful debut album, Burton Cummings released My Own Way To Rock in 1977. As heavy as this album is, it is driven by Cummings' stupendous piano work and features a guest appearance by former Guess Who partner Randy Bachman. As with many of Cummings' albums, this is a tribute to many of his personal favourites and influences, from Queen to Springsteen, and from Bob Seger to Bobby Darin.

"Never Had A Lady Before" serves immediate notice that this is an album to be reckoned with. It opens the album with a catchy clavinet/piano hook and gritty vocals. "Come On By" is a hormonal ode to rock stars and groupies. "My Own Way To Rock" has become a Cummings signature song, and along with "Charlemagne" provides a lethal double barreled assault of hard rocking piano. "Timeless Love" was written with the ladies in mind and features beautiful harmony vocals by Bobby King, E.L. King and Terry Evans, who had worked with Ry Cooder. The bonus tracks "Lay It On The Line" (live) and "Charlemagne" (live) were both taken from an aborted live album which was to have been released in 1978. "Lay It On The Line" was a concert staple in the late 1970s but until now was never released. It's a great rocking piece with a nice a capella section and fits well with the rest of the album. The live version of "Charlemagne" differs appreciably from the studio version, with Jack Daniels' offering up some tasty slide guitar licks. All in all, My Own Way To Rock proves that the success of the first album was no fluke.