Tag Archives: Rock Steady

Bad Company: Same

BadCompany BadCompany

On June 26, 1974, “Swan Song” label released the self-titled, debut Bad Company album. It was recorded in November 1973, at “Headley Grange” with “Ronnie Lane’s Mobile Studio”, and was produced by Paul Rodgers, Mike Ralphs, Boz Burrell, and Simon Kirke. “Kerrang!” magazine ranked the album at number 40 among the “100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time”.

Personnel:

  • Paul Rodgers– vocals, rhythm and acoustic guitars, piano, tambourine
  • Mick Ralphs– lead guitar, keyboards
  • Boz Burrell– bass
  • Simon Kirke– drums
  • Mel Collins– saxophones
  • Sue Glover, Sunny Leslie– backing vocals
  • Ron Fawcus – tape operator
  • Ron Nevison – engineer, mixing
  • Steve Hoffman– mastering
  • Barry Diament – mastering
  • Bob Wynne – art direction
  • Hipgnosis– design, photography
  • Beverly Taddei – production co-ordinatio

Track listing:

  1. Can’t Get Enough – Mike Ralphs
  2. Rock Steady – Paul Rodgers
  3. Ready for Love – Mike Ralphs
  4. Don’t Let me Down – Paul Rodgers, Mike Ralphs
  5. Bad Company – Paul Rodgers, Simon Kirke
  6. The Way I Choose – Paul Rodgers
  7. Movin’ On – Mike Ralphs
  8. Seagull – Paul Rodgers, Mike Ralphs

Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man

I'm_Your_Man_-_Leonard_Cohen (1)

On February 2, 1988, “Columbia” label released “I’m Your Man”, the eighth Leonard Cohen studio album. It was recorded August – November 1987, at the “Studio Tempo” in Montréal and “Rock Steady” in Los Angeles, and was produced by Leonard Cohen, Roscoe Beck, Jean-Michel Reusser and Michel Robidoux.  Pitchfork Media ranked the album at number 51 on its list “100 Best Albums of the 1980s”; “Slant” magazine listed the album at number 29 on its list of “Best Albums of the 1980s”.

Personnel:

  • Leonard Cohen – vocals, keyboards
  • Jude Johnson – vocals
  • Anjani Thomas – vocals
  • Jennifer Warnes – vocals
  • Bob Stanley – guitar
  • Sneaky Pete Kleinow – pedal steel guitar
  • John Bilezikjian – oud
  • Jeff Fisher – keyboards
  • Peter Kisilenko – bass
  • Michel Robidoux – drums, keyboards
  • Tom Brechtlein – drums
  • Vinnie Colaiuta – drums
  • Lenny Castro – percussion
  • Richard Beaudet – saxophone
  • Raffi Hakopian – violin
  • Mayel Assouly – backing vocals
  • Evelyine Hebey – backing vocals
  • Elisabeth Valletti – backing vocals

Track listing:

All tracks by Leonard Cohen except where noted.

  1. First We Take Manhattan
  2. Ain’t No Cure for Love
  3. Everybody Knows – Leonard Cohen, Sharon Robinson
  4. I’m Your Man
  5. Take This Waltz – Leonard Cohen, Federico Garcia Lorca
  6. Jazz Police – Leonard Cohen, Jeff Fisher
  7. I Can’t Forget
  8. Tower of Song

Aretha Franklin: Young, Gifted And Black

ArethaFranklinYoung,Gifted&Black

On January 24, 1972, “Atlantic” label released “Young, Gifted and Black”, the nineteenth Aretha Franklin studio album. It was recorded August 1970 – February 1971, and was produced by Tom Dowd, Arif Mardin and Jerry Wexler. In 1972, the album won Aretha Franklin “Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance”. In 2003, the TV network “VH1” ranked it the 76th greatest album of all time.

Personnel:

  • Aretha Franklin – lead vocals, acoustic piano, celesta, electric piano
  • Don Arnone – acoustic guitar
  • Cornell Dupree- guitar
  • Hugh McCracken- guitar
  • Donny Hathaway- organ, electric piano
  • Billy Preston- organ
  • Eric Gale- bass
  • Chuck Rainey- bass
  • Robert Popwell- bass, percussion
  • Bernard “Pretty” Purdie- drums
  • Al Jackson, Jr.- drums
  • Ray Lucas – drums
  • The Memphis Horns- horn section
  • Andrew Love (of the Memphis Horns) – tenor saxophone
  • Neal Rosengarden – trumpet, vibraphone
  • Wayne Jackson (of the Memphis Horns) – trumpet
  • Hubert Laws- flute
  • Tom Dowd- horn arrangements
  • Pat Smith – backing vocals
  • Ronald Bright – backing vocals
  • R. Bailey – backing vocals
  • Carolyn Franklin- backing vocals
  • Erma Franklin- backing vocals
  • Margaret Branch – backing vocals
  • Ann S. Clark – backing vocals
  • The Sweet Inspirations- backing vocals
  • Sammy Turner – backing vocals
  • Stanislaw Zagorski – cover design
  • David Nathan – liner notes

Track listing:

  1. Oh Me Oh My (I’m a Fool for You Baby) – Jim Doris
  2. Day Dreaming – Aretha Franklin
  3. Rock Steady – Aretha Franklin
  4. Young, Gifted and Black – Weldon Irvine, Nina Simone
  5. All the King’s Horses – Aretha Franklin
  6. A Brand New Me – Theresa Bell, Jerry Butler, Kenny Gamble
  7. April Fools – Burt Bacharach, Hal David
  8. I’ve Been Loving You Too Long – Jerry Butler, Otis Redding
  9. First Snow in Kokomo – Aretha Franklin
  10. The Long and Winding Road – John Lennon, Paul McCartney
  11. Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time) – Thom Bell, William Hart
  12. Border Song (Holy Moses) – Bernie Taupin, Elton John

Sting: …Nothing Like The Sun

Nothing_Like_the_Sun

On October 13, 1987, “A&M” label released“…Nothing Like the Sun”, the second Sting studio album. It was recorded March–August, 1987,at the “Air Studios”, in Montserrat, and was  produced by Sting, Hugh Padgham, Bryan Loren and Neil Dorfsman.

Personnel:

  • Sting– lead vocals, bass guitar, guitar
  • Hiram Bullock– guitar
  • Andy Summers, Eric Clapton, Fareed Haque, Mark Knopfler– guitar
  • Gil Evans & His Orchestra
  • Ken Helman– piano
  • Kenny Kirkland– keyboards
  • Mark Egan– bass
  • Manu Katché– drums
  • Andy Newmark– drums
  • Kenwood Dennard– drums
  • Mino Cinelu– percussion, vocoder
  • Branford Marsalis– saxophone
  • Rubén Blades– spoken Spanish
  • Renée Geyer, Vesta Williams, Dollette McDonald, Janice Pendarvis – backing vocals

Track listing:

All tracks by Sting, except where noted.

  1. The Lazarus Heart
  2. Be Still My Beating Heart
  3. Englishman in New York
  4. History Will Teach Us Nothing
  5. They Dance Alone
  6. Fragile
  7. We’ll Be Together
  8. Straight to My Heart
  9. Rock Steady
  10. Sister Moon
  11. Little Wing – Jimi Hendrix
  12. The Secret Marriage – Hanns Eisler, Sting