Hard at Play

Template:Use mdy dates {{safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst-infobox||$params=italic_title,name,type,longtype,artist,cover,border,alt,caption,released,recorded,venue,studio,genre,length,language,label,director,producer,compiler,chronology,prev_title,prev_year,year,next_title,next_year,misc|$extra=italic_title,longtype,border,caption,language,director,compiler,chronology,year,misc|$aliases=italic title>italic_title,Italic title>italic_title,Name>name,Type>type,image>cover,Cover>cover,Border>border,Alt>alt,Caption>caption,Longtype>longtype,Artist>artist,Released>released,Recorded>recorded,Venue>venue,Studio>studio,Genre>genre,Length>length,Language>language,Label>label,Director>director,Producer>producer,Compiler>compiler,Chronology>chronology,Misc>misc|$flags=override|$B={{#ifeq:{{#invoke:Is infobox in lead|main|[Ii]nfobox [Aa]lbum}}|true|{{#if:Template:Has short description | |{{#if: 7 May 1991 | Template:Short description}}}}}}{{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Category handlerTemplate:Main other{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox album with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y|italic_title |type |name |image |cover |border |alt |caption |longtype |artist |released |recorded |venue |studio |genre |length |language |label |director |producer |compiler |prev_title|prev_year|next_title|next_year|chronology|year|misc}}{{#if:{{#invoke:String|match|error_category=Music infoboxes with Module:String errors|A|1=Small World1988Four Chords & Several Years Ago1994StudioHard at PlayHuey Lewis & the News - Hard at Play.jpgHuey Lewis and the News7 May 19911990–1991Skywalker Sound and The Site (Marin County, California); Schnee Studios (North Hollywood, California); Studio D (Sausalito, California); Apt. 2 Recording (Novato, California); Sub-Par Recording (California).Rock, pop rock46:09Chrysalis (UK)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
EMI (Most of the world)Huey Lewis and the News
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Hard at Play is the sixth album by American rock band Huey Lewis and the News. It was released in 1991 on EMI for most of the world and Chrysalis in the UK. Hard at Play peaked at number 27 on the Billboard 200 pop albums chart and produced two top 40 singles, "Couple Days Off" and "It Hit Me Like a Hammer." Music videos were released for "It Hit Me like a Hammer," "Couple Days Off," and "He Don't Know."

Critical reception

In a review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine notes the "return to the straight-ahead blues-inflected pop/rock that made Huey Lewis and the News superstars in the early '80s" with Hard at Play.<ref name="AM" />

Personnel

Huey Lewis and the News Template:Div col

• Huey Lewis – harmonica, vocals
• Mario Cipollina – bass
• Johnny Colla – guitar, saxophone, backing vocals
• Bill Gibson – percussion, drums, backing vocals
• Chris Hayes – guitar, backing vocals
• Sean Hopper – keyboards, backing vocals

Additional personnel

• The Gospel Hummingbirds – backing vocals (4)
• David Fredericks – backing vocals (5, 10)
• Mike Duke – backing vocals (6)
• Michael Ruff – backing vocals (6)
• John McFee – guitar (11)

Production

• Huey Lewis and the News – producers
• Bill Schnee – producer, engineer, mixing
• Eric "ET" Thorngren – co-producer (1, 5), additional engineer
• Bob Brown – executive producer
• Bob Edwards – additional engineer, assistant engineer
• Jeffrey "Nik" Norman – additional engineer
• Ken Allardyce – assistant engineer, mix assistant
• Tony Eckert – assistant engineer
• Stephen Hart – assistant engineer
• Tim Lauber – assistant engineer
• Kevin Scott – assistant engineer
• Jim "Watts" Vereecke – assistant engineer
• Jack Joseph Puig – mixing
• Doug Sax – mastering at The Mastering Lab (Hollywood, CA).
• Henry Marquez – art direction
• Michael Diehl – design
• Aaron Rapoport – photography

Charts

Weekly charts

Template:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chart

Chart (1991)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)<ref name="AUS Albums">Template:Cite Ryan</ref>	61
Canadian Albums (RPM)<ref name="Canadian album positions">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	20
European Top 100 Albums<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	25
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)<ref name="FINchart">Template:Cite book</ref>	9
Italian Albums (AFI)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	25
Japanese Albums (Oricon)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	10
Japanese International Albums (Oricon)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	1
UK Albums (OCC)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	39
US Billboard 200<ref name="VPb">Template:Cite magazine</ref>	27
Zimbabwean Albums (ZIMA)<ref>* Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: albums chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000</ref>	7

Year-end charts

Chart (1991)	Position
Canadian Albums Chart (RPM)<ref name="CAYearend91">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	85

Singles

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1991	"Couple Days Off"	Album Rock Tracks	3
1991		The Billboard Hot 100	11
1991	"Build Me Up"	Album Rock Tracks	27
1991	"It Hit Me Like a Hammer"	The Billboard Hot 100	21
1991		Adult Contemporary	10