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Hard Labor
Hard Labor
Studio album by Three Dog Night
Released	March 6, 1974
Recorded	1973
Studio	Record Plant, Sausalito, California
Genre	Pop, rock
Length	35:51
Label	Dunhill DSD-50168
Producer	Jimmy Ienner
Three Dog Night chronology
Singles from Hard Labor
	"The Show Must Go On"; Released: 1974; "Sure As I'm Sittin' Here"; Released: 1974; "Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues)"; Released: 1974;
Alternative cover

Hard Labor is the eleventh album by American rock band Three Dog Night, released in 1974. For this album, the band replaced long-time producer Richard Podolor with Jimmy Ienner, who was known for his production work with the Raspberries.^[1]

Cover artwork

The original album cover, depicting the birth of a record album, was deemed too controversial and was first included with a manila file folder covering most of the cover. This was soon reworked with a huge Band-Aid covering the "birth". Subsequent printings had the Band-Aid printed directly on the cover. The packaging also includes an attached "birth record sheet" for the album. The CD reissue by MCA Records in the 1990s restored the cover to its original look showing the record.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[2]
Circus Raves	^[3]

Tom Von Malder of the Daily Herald called Hard Labor the band's finest record up to that point, applauding the production and finding the choice of songs representing the band at "its most competent, most mature level". Malder singled out "The Show Must Go On" and "I'd Be So Happy" as its two best, and "almost perfect", songs.^[1] Cash Box called Inner's production "immaculate as always" and wrote that the album was marked by "mood changes both subtle and obvious", making it a "fantastic study in theatrical and musical contrast".^[4] Billboard found the track listing a "fine mix of material" and wrote that the instrumental section was "tight and almost perfect".^[5]

Circus Raves writer Jon Tiven gave the record "two ears"—indicating an album to "listen to ... 'til the grooves grow old" and wrote that the band "are the best when they're transforming half-arsed songs into good ones, but they run into trouble when the original rendition of the tune was fine in the first place (e.g. 'The Show Must Go On')."^[3] Writing retrospectively, Joseph McCombs of AllMusic felt that the album's preference for songs with solo vocals rather than the group's previous use of harmonies led to the band "los[ing] much of their soul and spirit" and saw the album as "show[ing] the growing cracks in the band's armor". Like Malder, McCombs found "I'd Be So Happy" and "The Show Must Go On" the highlights of the album.^[2]

Track listing

Side A
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocal(s)	Length
1.	"Prelude"	Public domain*	Instrumental	1:00
2.	"Sure As I'm Sittin' Here"	John Hiatt	Cory Wells	4:45
3.	"Anytime Babe"	Larry Weiss	Chuck Negron	3:07
4.	"Put Out the Light"	Daniel Moore	Wells	3:06
5.	"Sitting in Limbo"	Gully Bright, Jimmy Cliff	Danny Hutton	5:03

Side B
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocal	Length
1.	"I'd Be So Happy"	Skip Prokop	Negron	4:48
2.	"Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues)"	Allen Toussaint	Wells	4:48
3.	"On the Way Back Home"	Moore	Hutton, Negron, Wells	4:16
4.	"The Show Must Go On"	David Courtney, Leo Sayer	Negron	4:24

While the first track "Prelude" may have been in the Public Domain in 1974, it does have a title and writer: "Entrance of the Gladiators" is a military march composed in 1897 by the Czech composer Julius Fučík. Likewise, the introduction of their cover of Leo Sayer's The Show Must Go On also quotes the Fučík march.

Personnel

Mike Allsup – banjo, guitars
Jimmy Greenspoon – keyboard
Danny Hutton – lead vocals, background vocals
Skip Konte – keyboard, ARP, chamberlin
Chuck Negron – lead vocals, background vocals
Jack Ryland – bass
Joe Schermie – bass
Floyd Sneed – percussion, drums
Cory Wells – lead vocals, background vocals
Jimmy Ienner – production

Production

Producer: Jimmy Ienner
Engineers: Greg Calbi, Roy Cicala, Dennis Ferrante, Jimmy Ienner, Jay Messina, Tom Rabstenek, John Stronach
Assistant engineers: Corky Stasiak
Remixing: Roy Cicala, Jay Messina
Arranger: Three Dog Night
Art direction and photography: Ed Caraeff
Design: David Larkham

Charts

Album charts
Chart (1974)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)^[6]	61
Japan Oricon	50
US Top 200	20^[7]
Canada	16

Singles charts
Year	Single	Chart	Position
1974	"The Show Must Go On"	US Pop Singles	4^[8]
		US Cash Box	1
		US Record World	1
		US Radio & Records	3
		Canada Pop Singles	2
		Germany Top 100	12
		Netherlands Top 100	6
		Belgium Ultratop	23
		Japan Oricon Singles Chart	77
	"Sure As I'm Sittin' Here"	US Pop Singles	16^[9]
		US Cash Box	18
		US Record World	22
		Canada Pop Singles	18
	"Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues)"	US Pop Singles	33^[10]
		US Cash Box	26
		US Record World	24
		Canada Pop Singles	25

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)^[11]	Gold	500,000^{^}
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

^ ^a ^b Malder, Tom Von (April 5, 1974). "Three Dog Night maturing". Daily Herald. 25 (117). Arlington Heights, Illinois: Paddock Publications: S2-3 – via the Internet Archive.
^ ^a ^b McCombs, Joseph (n.d.). "Three Dog Night: Hard Labor". AllMusic. Netaktion. Archived from the original on June 4, 2012.
^ ^a ^b Tiven, Jon (August 1974). "Shortcuts". Circus Raves. 1 (6). Canadian APAG House Publications: 60 – via the Internet Archive.
^ Staff writer (April 6, 1974). "Hard Labor—Three Dog Night—ABC DSD 50168". Cash Box. XXXV (47). The Cash Box Publishing Company: 30 – via the Internet Archive.
^ Staff writer (April 6, 1974). "Spotlight" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 86, no. 14. Billboard Publications. p. 72 – via the Internet Archive.
^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 309. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
^ Three Dog Night, Hard Labor Chart Position Retrieved February 16, 2015
^ Three Dog Night, "The Show Must Go On" Chart Position Retrieved February 16, 2015
^ Three Dog Night, "Sure As I'm Sittin' Here" Chart Position Retrieved February 16, 2015
^ Three Dog Night, "Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues)" Chart Position Retrieved February 16, 2015
^ "American album certifications – Three Dog Night – Hard Labor". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 14, 2019.