Tag Archives: Dave Reitzas

Natalie Cole: Stardust

On September 24, 1996, “Elektra” label released “Stardust”, the 15th Natalie Cole album. It was recorded June – September 1996, at “Ocean Way Recording”, “Capitol Studios”, “Conway Studios” and “LeGonks West” in Hollywood, “Record Plant” in Los Angeles, “Chartmaker Studios” in Malibu, California, “The Hit Factory” and “Sony Music Studios” in New York, “The Shire” in Bedford, New York, “Wisseloord Studios” in Hilversum, Netherlands, and was produced by George Duke, David Foster, Phil Ramone and Natalie Cole. At the 39th “Grammy Awards”, Natalie Cole won the “Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals” for the song “When I Fall in Love”, a duet with Nat King Cole. The song also won the “Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement with Accompanying Vocal(s)” for arrangers Alan Broadbent and David Foster.

Personnel:

  • Natalie Cole – lead and backing vocals, vocal and music arrangements, album concept, executive producer
  • Nat King Cole – lead vocals, Hammond B3 organ
  • John Chiodini – guitar, acoustic guitar
  • John Pizzarelli – guitar
  • Paul Jackson Jr. – electric guitar
  • Lee Ritenour – guitar
  • Terry Trotter – acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes, keyboards
  • Michael Lang – acoustic piano
  • Rob Mounsey – acoustic piano, keyboards, music arrangements
  • George Duke – acoustic piano, keyboards, vibraphone, music arrangements, horn arrangements, vocals arrangements
  • Bob James – keyboards, acoustic piano, music arrangements
  • Toots Thielemans – harmonica 
  • Jim Hughart – bass, music arrangements
  • Chuck Domanico – bass
  • David Finck – bass
  • Reggie Hamilton – bass
  • Chuck Berghofer – bass
  • Nathan East – bass
  • Harold Jones – drums
  • Ralph Penland – drums
  • Chris Parker – drums
  • John Guerin – drums
  • John Robinson – drums
  • Harvey Mason – drums
  • Bashiri Johnson – percussion
  • Paulinho da Costa – percussion
  • Rafael Padilla – percussion
  • Dan Higgins – saxophone
  • Everette Harp – alto saxophone
  • Michael Brecker – saxophone
  • Wynton Marsalis – trumpet
  • George Bohanon – trombone
  • Jon Clarke – oboe
  • Alan Broadbent – music arrangements
  • John Clayton – music arrangements
  • David Foster – music and vocals arrangements
  • Johnny Mandel – music arrangements
  • Charles Floyd – music arrangements
  • Gordon Jenkins – original music arrangements
  • Clare Fischer – strings arrangements
  • Jerry Hey – horns arrangements
  • Janis Siegel – backing and harmony vocals
  • Al Schmitt – recording, mixing
  • Elliot Scheiner, Erik Zobler, Dave Reitzas – recording
  • Felipe Elgueta, Wayne Holmes, Henk Korff, John Patterson, Patrick Ulenberg – additional engineering
  • Jeffrey Demorris, Peter Doell, Koji Ejawa, Rob Frank, Barry Goldberg, John Hendrickson, Glenn Marchese, Eddie Miller, Charlie Paakkari, Rail Rogut, Robbes Stieglitz – engineer assistant
  • Gabrielle Raumberger – art direction
  • Emily Rich – design
  • Rocky Schenck – photography
  • Simon Ramone, Corrine Duke – production assistant
  • Shari Sutcliffe – project coordinator
  • Dick La Palm – liner notes

Track listing:

  1. There’s a Lull in My Life – Mack Gordon, Harrye Revel
  2. Stardust – Hoagy Carmichael, Mitchell Parish
  3. Let’s Face the Music and Dance – Irving Berlin
  4. Teach Me Tonight – Sammy Cahn, Gene de Paul
  5. When I Fall in Love – Edward Heyman, Victor Young
  6. What a Difference a Day Made – Stanley Adams, María Méndez Grever
  7. Love Letters – Edward Heyman, Victor Young
  8. He Was Too Good to Me – Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers
  9. Dindi – Ray Gilbert, Antônio Carlos Jobim
  10. Two for the Blues – Neal Hefti, Jon Hendricks
  11. If Love Ain’t There – Johnny Burke
  12. To Whom It May Concern – Nat King Cole, Charlotte Hawkins
  13. Where Can I Go Without You? – Victor Young, Peggy Lee
  14. Ahmad’s Blues – Ahmad Jamal. Bobby Williams
  15. Pick Yourself Up – Dorothy Fields, Jerome Kern
  16. If You Could See Me Now – Tadd Dameron, Carl Sigman
  17. Like a Lover – Alan and Marilyn Bergman, Nelson Motta
  18. This Morning It Was Summer – Bob Haynes
  19. When I Fall in Love (Spanish version) – Victor Young, Edward Heyman

Neil Diamond: The Best Years of Our Lives

On December 13, 1988, “Columbia” label released “The Best Years of Our Lives”, the eighteenth Neil Diamond studio album. It was recorded in 1988, at “Chartmaker Studios”, “Lion Share Recording Studios”, “Village Recorders”, “Ocean Way Recording” in Los Angeles, “A&M Studios” in Hollywood, “Omnisound Recording Studios” in Nashville, “Seacost Sound” in Victoria, British Columbia, and was produced by David Foster.

Personnel:

  • Neil Diamond – lead vocals
  • Bill Champlin, Tamara Champlin, Renée Geyer, Richard Page – backing vocals
  • Richard Bennett – acoustic guitar
  • Dean Parks – acoustic and electric guitar
  • Michael Landau, Steve Lukather – electric guitar
  • Michael Boddicker, Robbie Buchanan, David Foster, Tom Hensley, Alan Lindgren, Michael Omartian, David Paich – keyboards
  • Mike Brignardello, Reinie Press – bass guitar
  • Tris Imboden, Paul Leim, Carlos Vega – drums
  • Rick Bowen, Rhett Lawrence, Kevin Maloney – synthesizer programming
  • Gary Grant, Jerry Hey, Dan Higgins, Bill Reichenbach Jr., Larry Williams – horns
  • David Foster, Jerry Hey – horn arrangements
  • Jeremy Lubbock – string arrangements
  • David Foster – arranger
  • Jeffrey Woodruff – engineer
  • Jesse Kanner, Ray Pyle, Dave Reitzas – engineer assistant
  • Humberto Gatica – mixing
  • Mauricio Guerrero, Laura Livingston – mixing assistant
  • George Marino – mastering
  • David Kirschner – art direction, design
  • Beverley Lazor-Bahr – additional design
  • Matthew Rolston – photography
  • Sam Cole, Chris Earthy – production coordination
  • Ned Brown, Barry Cardinale, Larry E. Williams, Alison Zanetos – production assistant

Track listing:

All tracks by Neil Diamond, except where noted.

  1. The Best Years of Our Lives
  2. Hard Times for Lovers
  3. This Time – Neil Diamond, David Foster, Jeremy Lubbock
  4. Everything’s Gonna Be Fine – Neil Diamond, Weldon Dean Parks
  5. Hooked on the Memory of You
  6. Take Care of Me – Neil Diamond, David Foster
  7. Baby Can I Hold You – Tracy Chapman
  8. Carmelita’s Eyes – Neil Diamond, David Foster
  9. Courtin’ Disaster – Neil Diamond, David Foster
  10. If I Couldn’t See You Again
  11. Long Hard Climb – Neil Diamond, Tom Hensley, Alan Lindgren