Making Waves is a 1980 album released by the pop group The Nolans

The Nolans

The Nolans are an Anglo-Irish all-female band consisting of a group of sisters. The group, best known for their song "I'm In the Mood for Dancing", gained prominence as guest performers on numerous television shows in the United Kingdom...

. In the UK, the album went gold and featured four top 20 singles. Worldwide it became their biggest-selling album, being certified double platinum in Australia and reaching No.1 in Japan.

Background

The Nolans began working on Making Waves shortly after their name change in early 1980. The single "Don't Make Waves", taken from the album and released in April 1980, reached number 12 on the UK charts. In mid-1980, Anne left the group and Coleen

Coleen Nolan

Coleen Patricia Nolan is an English born television presenter, author and singer of Irish descent. She was the youngest member of the girl group, The Nolans, in which she sang alongside her sisters...

 became an official member of the group, and recorded the remainder of the songs with them for Making Waves, including "Gotta Pull Myself Together," which would later take the No.9 spot on the UK charts.

The album was released in October 1980, and tracks "Who's Gonna Rock You" and "Attention to Me" went on to be released from the album, both of them becoming UK top 20 hits. The album was a similar success, peaking at No.11 and spending 33 weeks in the charts, their longest run in the UK. It was certified gold by the BPI for sales of over 100,000. The album reached No.1 in Japan - their biggest market, where it was released as 恋のハッピー・デート (Happy Dating Love). It became the ninth biggest-selling album of 1981 there. In Australia, the album was released with an earlier single "I'm in the Mood for Dancing

I'm In the Mood for Dancing

"I'm In the Mood for Dancing" is a single by pop group, The Nolan Sisters. Originally released in November 1979, the song became a top three hit in the UK in February 1980. The song, a cross between pure pop and disco, has since become synonymous with the group and remains their biggest hit...

" included, which also featured on the Japanese version, replacing "Sexy Music", which instead was the title track to their next album (a compilation). In Australia the album was a success, being awarded double platinum.

The songs were produced separately by two producers, Ben Findon, who was responsible for the pop-orientated tracks like "Gotta Pull Myself Together" and "Attention to Me", while Nicky Graham

Nicky Graham

Nicky Graham is a musician, songwriter and music producer from the UK.He played keyboards for David Bowie throughout most of 1972 including on the Spiders from Mars tour, August and September 1972. He was A & R Manager at CBS Records UK during the 1980s when he signed The Clash...

 produced the more disco-themed songs such as "Who's Gonna Rock You" and "Lead Me On". Significant other songs included "Touch Me in the Morning

Touch Me in the Morning

"Touch Me in the Morning" is a popular song recorded by Diana Ross on the Motown label. It became her second solo number-one single in the United States on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973....

", a cover of the Diana Ross

Diana Ross

Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...

 hit and "Sexy Music", which was released as a single in Japan after winning the 1981 Tokyo Music Festival.

Track listing

Side One

1. "Gotta Pull Myself Together" (2.42)
2. "Don't Make Waves" (3.39)
3. "Touch Me in the Morning
   Touch Me in the Morning
   "Touch Me in the Morning" is a popular song recorded by Diana Ross on the Motown label. It became her second solo number-one single in the United States on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973....
   
   " (4.09)
4. "Don't Stoke the Fire" (2.42)
5. "Better Late than Never" (2.56)
6. "Sexy Music" (3.31)

Side Two

1. "Who's Gonna Rock You" (3.29)
2. "Attention to Me" (3.04)
3. "Old Feelings Again" (2.30)
4. "Lead Me On" (3.00)
5. "Directions of Love" (2.50)
6. "Get Ready" (3.39)

Producers:

• Ben Findon: Side One, tracks 1,2,4,5,6, Side Two tracks 2,3,5
• Nicky Graham: Side One, track 3, Side Two, tracks 1,4,6

Chart performance

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Release date
! colspan="135"| Single title
! UK Chart position
|-
| April 1980
| colspan="135"| "Don't Make Waves"
| 12
|-
| September 1980
| colspan="135"| "Gotta Pull Myself Together"
| 9
|-
| December 1980
| colspan="135"| "Who's Gonna Rock You"
| 12
|-
| April 1981
| colspan="135"| "Attention to Me"
| 9
|-
! Release date
! colspan="135"| Album title
! UK Chart position
|-
| October 1980
| colspan="135"| Making Waves
| 11
|}