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Johnny Rivers at the Whisky à Go Go (shown as "At Whisky-A-Go-Go" on the original label) is a live album and is the debut album from American rock and roll singer, songwriter and guitarist Johnny Rivers.

At the Whisky à Go Go
Live album by Johnny Rivers
Released	February 1964
Recorded	January 1964
Venue	Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles, California
Genre	Pop, rock and roll
Length	34:48
Label	Imperial
Producer	Lou Adler
Johnny Rivers chronology
At the Whisky à Go Go (1964) Here We à Go Go Again! (1964)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	3 [1]

The album was released in February 1964, just as The Beatles and the British music invasion was getting into full swing. Rivers was asked to open the Whisky a Go Go nightclub in Los Angeles starting January 15, 1964[2] and during that run he recorded the album. With the help of producer Lou Adler, Johnny helped introduce the "Go Go sound" to rock and roll. The album reached #13 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart,[3] (#12 on the Billboard 200)[4] and became Johnny's first gold album. The album also gave Rivers his very first big hit, a cover version of Chuck Berry's 1959 hit "Memphis". Rivers's version went to #2 on Billboard's Pop Singles chart in the summer of 1964, and stayed there for twelve weeks.[5] It became his first gold single.

Johnny Rivers at the Whisky à Go Go would be the first of five albums that Rivers would record live at the nightclub, and is not to be confused with Johnny Rivers Live at the Whisky à Go Go, an entirely different album which was released in Germany.

Track listing

1. "Memphis" (Chuck Berry) – 2:44
2. "It Wouldn't Happen with Me" (Raymond Evans) – 3:30
3. "Oh Lonesome Me" (Don Gibson) – 2:37
4. "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" (Lloyd Price) – 3:00
5. "Whiskey a Go Go" (Johnny Rivers) – 3:57
6. "Walking the Dog" (Rufus Thomas) – 3:51
7. "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" (Berry) – 2:36
8. "You Can Have Her (I Don't Want Her)" (Bill Cook) – 3:20
9. "Multiplication" (Bobby Darin) – 2:51
10. "Medley: La Bamba" (Traditional; arranged by Johnny Rivers) / "Twist and Shout" (Phil Medley, Bert Russell) – 6:22

Personnel

Musicians

• Johnny Rivers – vocals, guitar
• Joe Osborn – bass
• Eddie Rubin – drums

Technical

• Lou Adler – producer
• Bones Howe, Harold "Lanky" Linstrot – studio engineers
• Wally Heider – remote engineer
• Studio Five – cover design, photography

References

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