1981 Phoebe Snow – Rock Away

Rock Away is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Phoebe Snow, recorded in 1980 and released in 1981.
Following her massively successful 1974 self-title debut album, Phoebe Snow had seen her fortunes dwindle over four subsequent albums over four subsequent years. In 1979, rather than recording the fifth and final album due to Columbia Records, Snow had asked the label for release. Snow negotiated with Polydor Records in the spring of 1980, but would in fact sign a two album deal with newly formed Mirage Records in October 1980, having reportedly commenced recording sessions for her sixth studio album over the summer.
Snow’s aspiration for her album Rock Away was what had been the failed aspiration for Snow’s 1978 Against the Grain album – and would remain Snow’s purported lifelong aspiration – : to trump her “wintry pop-folk-jazz chanteuse” musical persona with that of a “red-hot blues-and-rock-belting mama”. Produced by Greg Ladanyi – who had notably helmed albums by Jackson Browne and Warren Zevon- Rock Away featured Snow covering R&B-style songs – including her personal choice of the Don Covay number “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” – and vintage Rod Stewart (“Gasoline Alley”) as well as introducing three Snow originals (Snow judging that two of the five songs she wrote for the album were subpar). The Snow originals include the title cut which – despite being entitled “Rock Away” – is a “sparse acoustic song with a genuine pastoral feel…the only track featuring Snow on guitar…significantly, it’s the album’s only understated song”.
The majority of recording sessions for Rock Away took place at Manhattan’s Power Plant and featured members of Billy Joel’s band: Joel’s wife Elizabeth Joel was then managing Snow, although that association had ended by the release of Rock Away. “Games”, the track released as advance single in February 1981 was recorded at Record One (LA), featuring such stalwart LA session players as keyboardist Bill Payne, drummer Russ Kunkel, and electric guitarists Danny Kortchmar and Waddy Wachtel.