Tag Archives: Johnny Lee

Oregon: Roots In The Sky

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In August 1979, “Elektra” label released “Roots in the Sky”, album by Oregon. It was recorded in December 1978 at “Long View Farm Studios” in North Brookfield, Massachusetts, April 1979 at “Columbia Recording Studios” in New York, and was produced by Ralph Towner, Collin Walcott, Glen Moore and Paul McCandless.

Personnel:

  • Ralph Towner – guitar, piano, flugelhorn, percussion
  • Collin Walcott – guitar, percussion
  • Glen Moore – bass
  • Paul McCandless – horn, oboe, clarinet
  • David Greene – engineer
  • Barry Magaliff, Harold Tarowsky, Lou Schlossberg, Jesse Henseron, Jim Behrendt – engineer associate
  • Bob Ludwig – mastering
  • Johnny Lee – art direction, design
  • Ron Coro – art direction, design
  • Hanna Kay – illustration

Track listing:

  1. June Bug – Ralph Towner
  2. Vessel – Ralph Towner
  3. Sierra Leone – Collin Walcott
  4. Ogden Road – Ralph Towner
  5. House of Wax – Collin Walcott
  6. Hungry Heart – Paul McCandless
  7. Orrington’s Escape – Ralph Towner
  8. Roots in the Sky – Glen Moore
  9. Longing, So Long – Colin Walcott

Smokey Robinson: Being With You

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On February 17, 1981, “Motown” label released “Being with You”, the ninth Smokey Robinson album. It was recorded November – January 1981, at “Studio Sound Recorders” in Hollywood, “Motown Recording Studios” in Los Angeles, and was produced by George Tobin, Mike Piccirillo and Smokey Robinson.

Personnel:

  • Smokey Robinson – lead and backing vocals
  • Paul Jackson Jr. – guitars
  • Reginald “Sonny” Burke – keyboards, arrangements
  • Ronnie Rancifer – keyboards
  • Bill Cuomo – keyboards
  • Mike Piccirillo – synthesizers, organ, guitars, additional keyboards, percussion, steel drums, associate producer
  • Scott Edwards – bass
  • Robert “Pops” Popwell – bass
  • Ed Greene – drums
  • James Gadson – drums
  • Scotty Harris – drums
  • Howard Lee Wolen – percussion
  • Mark Wolfson – percussion
  • Joel Peskin – saxophones
  • Harry Kim – trumpet
  • David Strout – trombone
  • George Tobin – arrangements
  • Ivory Davis – backing vocals
  • Patricia Henley – backing vocals
  • Robert John – backing vocals
  • Claudette Robinson – backing vocals
  • Julia Waters Tillman – backing vocals
  • Maxine Waters Willard – backing vocals
  • Michael Lizzio – engineer, mixing
  • Howard Lee Wolen, Mark Wolfson – engineer
  • Richie Griffin, Ginny Pallante – engineer assistant
  • George Tobin – mixing
  • John Lemay – mastering
  • Johnny Lee – art direction
  • Ginny Livingston – design
  • Gary Heery – photography
  • Lisa Marie – production coordinator
  • Randy Dunlap, Barbara Ramsey – project manager

Track listing:

All tracks by Smokey Robinson, except where noted.

  1. Being With You
  2. Food For Thought
  3. If You Wanna Make Love (Come ‘Round Here)
  4. Who’s Sad – Gary Goetzman, Mike Piccirillo
  5. Can’t Fight Love – Gary Goetzman, Mike Piccirillo
  6. You Are Forever
  7. As You Do – Peter Kingsbery
  8. I Hear The Children Singing – Forest Hairston

The Cars: Candy-O

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On June 13, 1979, “Elektra” label released “Candy-O”, the second Cars (The) studio album. It was recorded in 1979, at “Cherokee” in Hollywood, and was produced by Ray Thomas Baker.

Personnel:

  • Ric Ocasek – vocals, rhythm guitar
  • Elliot Easton – lead guitar, backing vocals
  • Greg Hawkes – keyboards, percussion, sax, backing vocals
  • Benjamin Orr – vocals, bass guitar
  • David Robinson – drums, percussion
  • Geoff Workman – engineer
  • George Tutkov – engineer assistant
  • George Marino – mastering
  • Ron Coro – art direction, design
  • Johnny Lee – art direction, design
  • David Robinson – cover concept
  • Alberto Vargas – cover painting
  • Jeff Albertson – photography

Track listing:

All tracks by Ric Ocasek.

  1. Let’s Go
  2. Since I Held You
  3. It’s All I Can Do
  4. Double Life
  5. Shoo Be Doo
  6. Candy-O
  7. Night Spots
  8. You Can’t Hold on Too Long
  9. Lust for Kicks
  10. Got a Lot on My Head
  11. Dangerous Type

Rick James: Street Songs

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Rick_James_-_Street_Songs

On April 7, 1981, “Gordy Records” label released “Street Songs”, the fifth Rick James album. It was recorded December 1980 – January 1981, at  the “Record Plant” in Sausalito, California and “Motown / Hitsville U.S.A. Recording Studios” in Hollywood, and was produced by Rick James. In July 1981, the album was certified Platinum in US by “RIIA”.

Personnel:

  • Rick James – lead vocals, guitar, bass, drums, timbales, percussion, string and horn arrangements, design concept
  • Tom McDermott – guitar, percussion
  • Erskine Williams – keyboards, clavinet, organ
  • Levi Ruffin Jr – synthesizer, backing vocals
  • Oscar Alston – bass, percussion
  • Lanise Hughes – drums
  • Steve Price – drums
  • Armando Peraza, Bugsy Wilcox, Nate Hughes, Raul Rekow – percussion
  • Donny Keider – vibraphone
  • Daniel LeMelle – alto and tenor saxophone, horns, flute
  • Fernando Harkless, Roy Roper – trumpet
  • John Ervin – horns, trombone, flute
  • Cliff Ervin – horns, trumpet, piccolo flute, flugelhorn
  • The Mary Jane Band (JoAnne McDuffy, Lisa Sarna) – singers
  • Jane’t DuBois, Jackie Ruffin, Julia Waters Tillman, Lawrence Hilton Jacobs, Levi Ruffin, Jr., Marci Thomas, Maxine Waters Willard, Pattie Brooks, The Mary Jane Band – singers
  • Aaron Dublin, California St. Clair, Daniel LeMelle, Levi Ruffin, Jr., Lisa Sarna, Oscar Alston, Teena Marie, Victor Reed – handclaps
  • Stone City Band – backing band
  • Charles Veal Jr – concertmaster
  • Daniel LeMelle – string and horn arrangements
  • Reggie Andrews – string arrangements
  • Bobby Brooks, Tom Flye – recording, mixing
  • Rick Sanches – recording
  • Michael Johnson, Tony Autore – engineer assistant
  • Johnny Lee – art direction
  • Ginny Livingston – design
  • Norman Moore – logo design
  • Ron Slenzak – photography

Track listing:

All tracks by Rick James, except where noted.

  1. Give It to Me Baby
  2. Ghetto Life
  3. Make Love to Me
  4. Policeman
  5. Super Freak – Rick James, Alonzo Miller
  6. Fire and Desire
  7. Call Me Up
  8. Below the Funk