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Have a Good Time but Get Out Alive!

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}

{{Infobox album

| name = Have a Good Time but Get Out Alive!

| type = Album

| artist = Iron City Houserockers

| cover = Haveagoodtimebutgetoutalive.jpg

| alt =

| released = June 6, 1980

| recorded = 1980

| venue =

| studio = Mediasound, New York City

| genre = Rock, Hard Rock, Heartland Rock

| length = 40:44

| label = MCA

| producer = The Slimmer Twins (Steve Popovich and Marty Mooney), Mick Ronson, Steven Van Zandt (uncredited)

| prev_title = Love's So Tough

| prev_year = 1979

| next_title = Blood on the Bricks

| next_year = 1981

|misc ={{Singles

|name = Have a Good Time But Get Out Alive!

|type = studio

|single1 = Hypnotized

|single1date = July 1980

|single2 = Junior's Bar

|single2date = October 1980

|single3 = We're Not Dead Yet

|single3date = 1980

}}

}}

{{Music ratings

|rev1 = AllMusic

|rev1score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}[{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r432977|pure_url=yes}} AllMusic review]

|rev2 = Robert Christgau

|rev2score = B−{{cite web |url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=iron+city+houserockers |title=Consumer Guide Reviews |last1=Christgau |first1=Robert |date=1980 |website=robertchristgau.com |publisher=Robert Christgau |access-date=October 21, 2016 |quote=}}

|rev3 = Creem

|rev3score = Very favorable{{cite magazine |last=Hull |first=Robot |date=September 1980 |title=Iron City Houserockers: Have A Good Time (But Get Out Alive) |magazine=Creem |location=Birmingham, Michigan |publisher=Creem Magazine, Inc. }}

|rev4 = Rolling Stone

|rev4score = Very favorable{{cite magazine |last=Carson |first=Tom |date=August 21, 1980 |title=New American Classic |magazine=Rolling Stone |location=New York, New York |publisher=Straight Arrow Publishers Inc. }}

| rev5 = The Village Voice

| rev5Score = Very favorable{{cite news |last=Marcus |first=Greil |date=July 9, 1980 |title=Iron City Houserockers: Pure Steel |newspaper=The Village Voice |location=New York, New York }}

}}

Have a Good Time But Get Out Alive! is a studio album by the Iron City Houserockers. Although well-received critically, commercial success eluded the Iron City Houserockers outside of the rust belt. Among the strongest tracks are the title track, "Don't Let Them Push You Around", "We're Not Dead Yet", the two-part medley of "Old Man Bar" and Junior's Bar", and "Rock Ola" - Grushecky's first truly competent ballad.

Background

According to the liner notes present on the 1999 and 2020 reissues, E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt produced and arranged five songs ("Junior's Bar", "Angela", "Running Scared", "Blondie", and "Don't Let Them Push You Around"), assisted in re-writing "Blondie" from its original version, and played lead guitar on "Junior's Bar" before leaving due to creative differences with Ian Hunter and Mick Ronson. The version of "Junior's Bar" released as a single is an entirely different take than the album version."Pumping Iron & Sweating Steel: The Best Of Iron City Houserockers" liner notes, 1992. This version was only available on the original 1980 vinyl single until it was reissued on CD on the 1992 compilation Pumping Iron & Sweating Steel: The Best Of Iron City Houserockers by Rhino Records.

The album was reissued on CD in remastered form for its 40th anniversary in 2020 by Cleveland International Records with a bonus CD of previously unreleased outtakes and demos.{{Cite web|url=https://store.clevelandinternational.com/products/copy-of-preorder-iron-city-houserockers-have-a-good-time-but-get-out-alive-cd|title=Iron City Houserockers: Have A Good Time... But Get Out Alive|website=Store.clevelandinternational.com|access-date=24 December 2021}}

Track listing

=Side one=

  1. "Have a Good Time (But Get Out Alive)" (Joe Grushecky) – 3:49
  2. "Don't Let Them Push You Around" (Grushecky) – 2:23
  3. "Pumping Iron" (Grushecky) – 3:54
  4. "Hypnotized" (Grushecky, Gil Snyder) – 3:20
  5. "Price of Love" (Grushecky, Snyder) – 4:04
  6. "Angela" (Grushecky) – 3:17

=Side two=

  1. "We're Not Dead Yet" (Dan Beck, Grushecky, Snyder) – 3:01
  2. "Blondie" (Grushecky) – 2:44
  3. "Old Man Bar" (Bob Boyer, Eddie Britt, Snyder) – 3:14
  4. "Junior's Bar" (Britt, Grushecky, Snyder) – 4:17
  5. "Runnin' Scared" (Grushecky, Art Nardini, Snyder) – 3:49
  6. "Rock Ola" (Grushecky) – 2:52

=40th anniversary edition bonus tracks=

  1. "Have a Good Time (But Get Out Alive)" (Demo) (Grushecky) - 5:06
  2. "Don't Let Them Push You Around" (Demo) (Grushecky) – 6:20
  3. "Pumping Iron" (Demo) (Grushecky) – 4:11
  4. "Don't Stop the Music" (Demo) (Grushecky) - 3:47
  5. "Angela" (Demo) (Grushecky) – 3:18
  6. "Price of Love" (Demo) (Grushecky, Snyder) – 3:57
  7. "Hold Out" (Demo) (Grushecky) - 3:48
  8. "Rock Ola" (Demo) (Grushecky) – 3:13
  9. "Struggle & Die" (Demo) (Grushecky, Beck) - 5:03
  10. "Rock Ola" (Extended) (Grushecky) – 4:27
  11. "Charlena" (Grushecky) – 2:40
  12. "Runnin' Scared" (Demo) (Grushecky, Nardini, Snyder) – 2:44
  13. "Runnin' Scared" (Alternate) (Grushecky, Nardini, Snyder) – 3:54
  14. "Hypnotized" (A Work in Progress) (Grushecky, Snyder) – 7:48
  15. "Rooster Blues" (J.D. Miller) - 3:02
  16. "Doo Wah Diddy" (Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich) - 1:44

"Hypnotized" was produced by Ian Hunter. "Don't Let Them Push You Around", "Angela", "Blondie", "Junior's Bar" and "Runnin' Scared" were arranged by Steven Van Zandt.

Personnel

;Iron City Houserockers

with:

Chart performance

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

!Year

!Chart

!Peak
position

1980

|align="left"|Billboard Bubbling Under the Top LP's

|204

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • [http://www.joegrushecky.com/ Joe Grushecky's official web site]
  • [http://www.shotinthedark.info/houserockers/HaveAGoodTime.html Rock's So Tough - Iron City Houserockers]

{{Iron City Houserockers}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1980 albums

Category:Iron City Houserockers albums

Category:Albums produced by Mick Ronson

Category:Albums produced by Steven Van Zandt

Category:MCA Records albums