Tag Archives: Mercury

Ruben And The Jets: For Real!

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In March 1973, “Mercury” label released “For Real!”, the debut Ruben and the Jets (the debut Rubén Guevara Jr.’s new lineup, after the group name had previously been used as an alias of The Mothers of Invention in 1968.) It was recorded in 1972, and was produced by Frank Zappa.

Personnel:

  • Rubén Guevara Jr. – vocals, tambourine, keyboards
  • Tony Duran – vocals, guitar, keyboards
  • Robert “Frog” Camarena – vocals, rhythm guitar
  • John Martinez – vocals, Hammond organ
  • Bill Wild – bass guitar, tenor vocals
  • Bob Zamora – drums
  • Frank Zappa – guitar
  • Robert “Buffalo” Roberts – tenor saxophone
  • Jim Sherwood – baritone saxophone, tambourine

Track listing:

  1. If I Could Only Be Your Love Again – Frank Zappa
  2. Dedicated to the One I Love – Lowman Pauling, Ralph Bass
  3. Show Me the Way to Your Heart – Tony Duran, Leonard Duran
  4. Sparkie – Tony Duran, Ruben Guevara
  5. Wedding Bells – Robert “Frog” Camarena
  6. Almost Grown – Chuck Berry
  7. Charlena – Manuel Chavez, H. Chaney
  8. Mah Man Flash – Ruben Guevara
  9. Santa Kari – Ruben Guevara
  10. Spider Woman – Paul Hof, Lonnie Scott, Tony Duran, Ruben Guevara
  11. All Night Long – John Gray

Sarah Vaughan: Vaughan And Violins

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In March 1959, “Mercury” label released “Vaughan and Violins”, the eleventh Sarah Vaughan album. It was recorded in July 1958, and was produced by Jack Tracy.

Personnel:

  • Sarah Vaughan – vocals
  • Marcel Hrasko – alto saxophone
  • Zoot Sims – tenor saxophone
  • Jo Hrasko – baritone saxophone
  • William Boucya – baritone saxophone 
  • Pierre Culaz – guitar
  • Ronnell Bright – piano
  • Richard Davis – bass
  • Pierre Michelot – bass
  • Kenny Clarke – drums
  • Michel Hausser – vibraphone
  • Quincy Jones – arrangements, conductor

Track listing:

  1. Please Be Kind – Sammy Cahn, Saul Chaplin
  2. The Midnight Sun Will Never Set – Dorcas Cochran, Quincy Jones, Henri Salvador
  3. Live for Love – Paul Misraki, Carl Sigman
  4. Misty – Johnny Burke, Erroll Garner
  5. I’m Lost – Otis René
  6. Love Me – John Lehmann, John Lewis
  7. That’s All – Alan Brandt, Bob Haymes
  8. Day by Day – Sammy Cahn, Axel Stordahl, Paul Weston
  9. Gone with the Wind – Herbert Magidson, Allie Wrubel
  10. I’ll Close My Eyes – Buddy Kaye, Billy Reid
  11. The Thrill Is Gone – Lew Brown, Ray Henderson

The Bar Kays: Flying High On Your Love

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In November 1977, “Mercury” label released “Flying High on Your Love”, the seventh Bar Kays (The) album. It was recorded in 1977, at “Ardent Recording Studios” in Memphis, Tennessee, and was produced by Allen Jones.

Personnel:

  • Larry Dodson – lead vocals, arrangements
  • Lloyd Smith – lead guitar, arrangements
  • Winstin Stewart – keyboards, arrangements
  • James Alexander – vocals, bass, arrangements
  • Michael Beard – vocals, drums, arrangements
  • Harvey Henderson – saxophones, percussion, arrangements
  • Charles Allen – vocals, trumpet, arrangements
  • Frank Thompson – trombone, percussion, arrangements
  • Lester Snell – string arrangements
  • Allen Jones – arrangements
  • William C. Brown III – recording
  • Larry Nix – engineer
  • Robert Jackson – engineer assistant
  • Jim Schubert – art direction
  • John Youssi – illustration
  • David Alexander – photography

Track listing:

All tracks by Larry Dodson, Lloyd Smith, Winstin Stewart, James Alexander, Michael Beard, Harvey Henderson, Charles Allen and Frank Thompson.

  1. Shut the Funk Up
  2. Standing on the Outside
  3. Woman of the Night
  4. Whatever It Is
  5. Can’t Keep My Hands Off You
  6. Let’s Have Some Fun
  7. Attitudes
  8. You Can’t Run Away
  9. Flying High on Your Love

Big Country: Peace In Our Time

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On September 26, 1988, “Mercury” label released “Peace in Our Time”, the fourth Big Country album. It was recorded in 1988, and was produced by Peter Wolf.

Personnel:

  • Stuart Adamson – vocals, guitar, piano, e-bow
  • Bruce Watson – vocals, guitar, harmonica, mandolin, sitar, e-bow
  • Tony Butler – vocals, bass, guitar
  • Mark Brzezicki – drums, percussion
  • Peter Wolf – keyboards
  • Josh Phillips – keyboards
  • Maxine Anderson – backing vocals
  • Merry Clayton – backing vocals
  • Donna Davidson – backing vocals

Track listing:

 All tracks by Stuart Adamson, except where noted.

  1. King of Emotion
  2. Broken Heart (Thirteen Valleys)
  3. Thousand Yard Stare – Stuart Adamson, Bruce Watson
  4. From Here to Eternity
  5. Everything I Need
  6. Peace in Our Time
  7. Time for Leaving – Stuart Adamson, Mark Brzezicki, Tony Butler, Bruce Watson
  8. River of Hope
  9. In This Place
  10. I Could Be Happy Here – Stuart Adamson, Bruce Watson

James Bay: Leap

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On July 8, 2022, “Mercury” and “Republic” labels released “Leap”, the third James Bay studio album. It was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee and London, and was produced by Dave Cobb, Finneas, Gabe Simon, Ian Fitchuk, James Bay, Sacha Skarbek, Jon Green and Benjamin Rice.

Personnel:

  • James Bay – lead and backing vocals, acoustic and electric guitar, slide guitar, keyboards, percussion, programming 
  • Gabe Simon – electric guitar, organ, piano, synthesizer, percussion, backing vocals, programming
  • Todd Lombardo – acoustic guitar
  • Alex Tomkins – piano
  • Philip Towns – keyboards, synth bass, piano, mellotron, synthesizer
  • Reuben James – Wurlitzer electric piano
  • Jon Green – acoustic and electric guitar, bass guitar, piano, keyboards, synthesizer, drums, percussion, backing vocals, programming
  • John Ryan – electric guitar, keyboards, drums, backing vocals, programming
  • Ian Fitchuk – acoustic and electric guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, drums, percussion, backing vocals, programming
  • Mads Hauge – keyboards, percussion, programming
  • Sacha Skarbek – piano, mellotron, backing vocals
  • Joel Little – bass guitar, keyboards, drum programming
  • Finneas – bass guitar, piano, synth bass, synthesizer, drum programming
  • Andrew Haas – bass guitar, electric guitar, keyboards, drums, programming
  • Brian Allen – bass guitar
  • Nate Smith – drums, electronic percussion, percussion
  • Ian Franzino – drums, programming
  • Dave Cobb – percussion, tom-toms
  • Jimmy Hogarth – percussion, programming
  • Brennan Aerts – drum programming
  • Josh Moore – programming
  • Davide Rossi – strings
  • Forest Miller – violin
  • Foy Vance – backing vocals
  • Lucy Smith – backing vocals
  • Tom Elmhirst – engineer, mixing
  • Buckley Miller – engineer
  • Gabe Simon – engineer
  • Henri Davies – engineer
  • Joel Little – engineer
  • John Hanes – engineer
  • Matt Wiggins – engineer
  • Darrell Thorp – engineer
  • Marcus Locock – engineer
  • Maximilian Von Ameln – engineer
  • Adam Lunn – engineer
  • Brennan Aerts – engineer
  • Afterhrs – engineer
  • John Ryan – engineer
  • Jimmy Hogarth – engineer
  • Andrea Mastroiacovo – engineer assistant
  • Art Smith – engineer assistant
  • Sean Badum – engineer assistant
  • Philip Smith – engineer assistant
  • Gabrielle Stok – engineer assistant
  • Jeff Gunnell – engineer assistant
  • Nick Spencer – engineer assistant
  • Mark “Spike” Stent – mixing
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing
  • Kolton Lee – mixing
  • Serge Courtois – mixing
  • Matt Wolach – mixing assistant
  • Bryce Bordone – mixing assistant
  • Matthew Scatchell – mixing assistant
  • Josh Moore – editing 
  • Alex Tomkins – editing assistant
  • Bob Ludwig – mastering

Track listing:

  1. Give Me the Reason – James Bay, Foy Vance, Gabe Simon
  2. Nowhere Left to Go – James Bay, Jacob Kasher Hindlin, Michael Pollack
  3. Save Your Love – James Bay, Jacob Kasher Hindlin, Ammar Malik, Finneas O’Connell, John Ryan
  4. Everybody Needs Someone – James Bay, James Murray, Mustafa Omer, Phil Plested
  5. One Life – James Bay, Bianca Ghermezian, Ethan Gruska, Matt Morris, Stephen Wrabel, Steve Robson
  6. Silent Love – James Bay, Jon Green, Sacha Skarbek
  7. Love Don’t Hate Me – James Bay, Jimmy Hogarth, Jon Green
  8. Brilliant Still – James Bay, Jamie Scott, Johnny Coffer
  9. Right Now – James Bay, Ilsey Juber
  10. We Used to Shine – James Bay, Simon Aldred
  11. Endless Summer Nights – James Bay, Jon Green, Paul Epworth
  12. Better – James Bay, Simon Aldred

Tears for Fears: Elemental

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On June 7, 1993, “Mercury” label released “Elemental”, the fourth Tears for Fears studio album. It was recorded in 1993, at Roland’s Neptune’s Kitchen, and was produced by Roland Orzabal, Tim Palmer and Alan Griffiths.

Personnel:

  • Roland Orzabal – vocals, instruments
  • Alan Griffiths – instruments
  • Tim Palmer – instruments
  • Mark O’Donoughue – Wurlitzer electric piano
  • Guy Pratt – additional bass guitar
  • John Baker – backing vocals
  • Julian Orzabal – backing vocals
  • Mark O’Donoughue – engineer
  • Bob Ludwig – mastering
  • Area – design
  • David Austen – collages
  • Pamela Springsteen – photography
  • Julian Lavender – technician

Track listing:

All tracks by Roland Orzabal and Alan Griffiths, except where noted.

  1. Elemental
  2. Cold – Roland Orzabal
  3. Break It Down Again
  4. Mr. Pessimist
  5. Dog’s a Best Friend’s Dog
  6. Fish Out of Water
  7. Gas Giants
  8. Power
  9. Brian Wilson Said
  10. Goodnight Song

Def Leppard: Diamond Star Halos

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On May 27, 2022, “Bludgeon Riffola” and “Mercury” labels released “Diamond Star Halos” the twelfth Def Leppard studio album. It was recorded 2021 – 2022, and was produced by Ronan McHugh, Joe Elliot, Phil Collen, Rick Savage, Vivian Campbell and Rick Allen.

Personnel:

  • Joe Elliott – lead vocals, guitar, additional engineering
  • Phil Collen – guitar, backing vocals, additional engineering
  • Vivian Campbell – guitar, backing vocals, additional engineering
  • Rick Savage – bass guitar, guitar, backing vocals, additional engineering
  • Rick Allen – drums
  • Alison Krauss – lead vocals
  • Mike Garson – piano
  • Debbi Blackwell-Cook – backing vocals
  • Dave Bassett – backing vocals
  • Eric Gorfain – string arrangements
  • Ross Hogarth – recording engineer
  • Ronan McHugh – drum programmer, editor, engineer, mixing
  • Joe LaPorta – mastering

Track listing:

All tracks by Phil Collen, except where noted.

  1. Take What You Want – Joe Elliott, Rick Savage
  2. Kick – Dave Bassett, Phil Collen
  3. Fire It Up – Phil Collen, Sam Hollander
  4. This Guitar – C.J. Vanston, Phil Collen
  5. SOS Emergency – Joe Elliott, Phil Collen
  6. Liquid Dust
  7. U Rok Mi
  8. Goodbye for Good This Time – Joe Elliott
  9. All We Need – Joe Elliott, Phil Collen
  10. Open Your Eyes – Joe Elliott, Phil Collen
  11. Gimme a Kiss – Joe Elliott, Phil Collen
  12. Angels (Can’t Help You Now) – Joe Elliott
  13. Lifeless – Joe Elliott, Phil Collen
  14. Unbreakable – Joe Elliott
  15. From Here to Eternity – Rick Savage

New York Dolls: Too Much Too Soon

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On May 10, 1974, “Mercury” label released “Too Much Too Soon”, the second New York Dolls album. It was recorded in 1974 at “A&R Studios” in New York City, and was produced by Shadow Morton.

Personnel:

  • David Johansen – vocals, gong
  • Sylvain Sylvain – vocals, guitar, piano
  • Johnny Thunders – vocals, guitar
  • Arthur “Killer” Kane – bass
  • Jerry Nolan – drums, percussion
  • Dixon Van Winkle – engineer
  • Dennis Druzbik – engineer
  • Gilbert Kong – mastering
  • Album Graphics – graphic supervision
  • Hans G. Lehmann – photography
  • Pieter Mazel – photography
  • Bob Gruen – photography

Track listing:

  1. Babylon – David Johansen, Johnny Thunders
  2. Stranded in the Jungle – James Johnson, Ernestine Smith
  3. Who Are the Mystery Girls? – David Johansen, Johnny Thunders
  4. (There’s Gonna Be A) Showdown – Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff
  5. It’s Too Late – David Johansen, Johnny Thunders
  6. Puss ’n’ Boots – David Johansen, Sylvain Sylvain
  7. Chatterbox – Johnny Thunders
  8. Bad Detective – Keni St. Lewis
  9. Don’t Start Me Talkin’ – Sonny Boy Williamson
  10. Human Being – David Johansen, Johnny Thunders

Shania Twain: Same

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On April 20, 1993, “Polygram,” and “Mercury” label released the self-titled, debut Shania Twain studio album. It was recorded 1992 – 1993, and was produced by Harold Shedd and Norro Wilson.

Personnel:

  • Shania Twain – lead and backing vocals
  • Mark Casstevens, Allen Frank Estes, Chris Leuzinger, Billy Joe Walker Jr., John Willis – acoustic guitar
  • Steve Gibson, Billy Joe Walker Jr., Reggie Young – electric guitar
  • Sonny Garrish – steel guitar
  • Costo Davis – synthesizer
  • David Briggs, Costo Davis, Gary Prim – keyboards
  • Terry McMillan, Kirk “Jelly Roll” Johnson – harmonica
  • Mike Brignardello, Glenn Worf – bass
  • Paul Leim, Larrie Londin – drums
  • Terry McMillan – percussion
  • Anthony Martin, John Wesley Ryles, Ronny Scaife, Cindy Richardson Walker, Dennis Wilson, Curtis Young – backing vocals
  • Jim Cotton, Todd Culross, Graeme Smith, Joe Scaife – engineer, mixing
  • Marty Williams – mastering

Track listing:

  1. What Made You Say That – Tony Haselden, Stan Munsey
  2. You Lay a Whole Lot of Love on Me – Hank Beach, Forest Borders II
  3. Dance with the One That Brought You – Sam Hogin, Gretchen Peters
  4. Still Under the Weather – Skip Ewing, L.E. White, Michael White
  5. Good Ain’t Gonna Getcha for That – Eillen Twain, Kent Robbins
  6. Got a Hold on Me – Rachel Newman
  7. There Goes the Neighborhood – Tommy Dodson, Bill C. Graham, Alan Laney
  8. Forget Me – Stephony Smith
  9. When He leaves You – Mike Reid, Kent Robbins
  10. Crime of the Century – Richard Fagan, Ralph Murphy