Melissa Manchester (album)
Encyclopedia
Melissa Manchester is the title of the eighth album release by singer-songwriter Melissa Manchester
issued on Arista Records
the first week of October 1979.
Although it was reported in August 1979 that Manchester was recording a followup to her 1978 album release Don't Cry Out Loud
album with the title cut
's producer Harry Maslin at Cherokee Studios
the tracks on the Melissa Manchester album were all recorded with producer Steve Buckingham
at Web IV Studios in Atlanta in September 1979.
Following Manchester's 1977 cover album Singin'... and the 1978 album Don't Cry Out Loud which was mostly original material (despite the Top Ten hit title cut not being written by Manchester), the Melissa Manchester album featured five Manchester originals and five tracks of outside material.
Both the singles from the Melissa Manchester album were outside material: released three weeks prior to the album, "Pretty Girls" was the first upbeat single to lead a Melissa Manchester album and besides its standard 7" inch 45
issue the track served as Manchester's extended dance single
debut (producer Buckingham was best known for the Alicia Bridges
disco
classic "I Love the Nightlife"). Although Manchester would have her biggest hit with the dance track "You Should Hear How She Talks About You
" in 1982, her first foray into disco music with "Pretty Girls" barely translated into Top 40 success with the title peaking at #39 on the Billboard Hot 100
.
With the followup single: the ballad "Fire in the Morning", Arista attempted to curry favour with the easy listening
market which had been the mainstay of Manchester's support with that track - featuring Paul Davis
on harmony vocals - crossing over from the A/C Top Ten (at #8) to #32 on the Billboard Hot 100
.
Without producing a Top 30 single, the Melissa Manchester album evidenced a drop in the singer's popularity from the precedent Don't Cry Out Loud album, with Melissa Manchester peaking at #63 as opposed to #33. However Manchester would re-team with producer Steve Buckingham for the subsequent For the Working Girl
album (1980) before scoring a 1982 comeback with the Hey Ricky
album and the #5 single "You Should Hear How She Talks About You" produced by Arif Mardin
.
Neither of the singles from the Melissa Manchester album was featured on Manchester's 1983 Greatest Hits album; the last-named did include Manchester's version of the Kenny Loggins
hit she'd co-written: "Whenever I Call You Friend", which Manchester recorded for the Melissa Manchester album as a duet with Arnold McCuller.
The 2007 reissue of the Melissa Manchester album by Wounded Bird Records
augmented the original tracklisting with three bonus tracks: "O Heaven (How You've Changed Me)" from the singer's 1974 album Bright Eyes, "We Had This Time" which was the B-side
of the "Don't Cry Out Loud" single, and "Nice Girls" a Steve Buckingham composition introduced on Manchester's 1983 Greatest Hits album ("Nice Girls" had charted at #41).
Melissa Manchester
Melissa Manchester is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Beginning in the 1970s, she has recorded generally in the adult contemporary genre. She has also appeared as an actress on television, in films, and on stage....
issued on Arista Records
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
the first week of October 1979.
Although it was reported in August 1979 that Manchester was recording a followup to her 1978 album release Don't Cry Out Loud
Don't Cry Out Loud (Melissa Manchester album)
Don't Cry Out Loud is the title of the seventh album by Melissa Manchester; it was released by Arista Records in October 1978.-Background:...
album with the title cut
Don't Cry Out Loud (song)
"Don't Cry Out Loud" is the title of a song written in 1976 by Peter Allen with lyricist Carole Bayer Sager which is best known as a hit single for Melissa Manchester in the US and for Elkie Brooks in the UK.-Early versions:...
's producer Harry Maslin at Cherokee Studios
Cherokee Studios
Cherokee Studios was a recording facility in Hollywood, founded in 1972 and closed in August 2007 to make way for a new building, after 35 years of operation under the Cherokee name as a well-renowned studio...
the tracks on the Melissa Manchester album were all recorded with producer Steve Buckingham
Steve Buckingham (record producer)
Steve Buckingham is an American record producer, and four-time Grammy winner with 27 number one singles to his credit. He has been awarded 11 Platinum and 19 Gold albums...
at Web IV Studios in Atlanta in September 1979.
Following Manchester's 1977 cover album Singin'... and the 1978 album Don't Cry Out Loud which was mostly original material (despite the Top Ten hit title cut not being written by Manchester), the Melissa Manchester album featured five Manchester originals and five tracks of outside material.
Both the singles from the Melissa Manchester album were outside material: released three weeks prior to the album, "Pretty Girls" was the first upbeat single to lead a Melissa Manchester album and besides its standard 7" inch 45
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
issue the track served as Manchester's extended dance single
Maxi single
A maxi single or maxi-single is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an a-side song and a b-side song.-The first maxi singles:...
debut (producer Buckingham was best known for the Alicia Bridges
Alicia Bridges
Alicia Bridges is an American singer who co-wrote and performed her international hit "I Love the Nightlife " in 1978.-Early years:...
disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
classic "I Love the Nightlife"). Although Manchester would have her biggest hit with the dance track "You Should Hear How She Talks About You
You Should Hear How She Talks About You
"You Should Hear How She Talks About You" is a 1982 Top Ten single performed by Melissa Manchester from her album Hey Ricky.First recorded by Charlie Dore for her 1981 Listen! album, "You Should Hear..." was written by Dean Pitchford and Thomas R. Snow...
" in 1982, her first foray into disco music with "Pretty Girls" barely translated into Top 40 success with the title peaking at #39 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
.
With the followup single: the ballad "Fire in the Morning", Arista attempted to curry favour with the easy listening
Easy listening
Easy listening is a broad style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the 1950s, evolving out of big band music, and related to MOR music as played on many AM radio stations. It encompasses the exotica, beautiful music, light music, lounge music, ambient music, and space age pop genres...
market which had been the mainstay of Manchester's support with that track - featuring Paul Davis
Paul Davis (singer)
Paul Lavon Davis was an American singer and songwriter, best known for his radio hits and solo career which started worldwide in 1970. His career encompassed soul, country and pop music...
on harmony vocals - crossing over from the A/C Top Ten (at #8) to #32 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
.
Without producing a Top 30 single, the Melissa Manchester album evidenced a drop in the singer's popularity from the precedent Don't Cry Out Loud album, with Melissa Manchester peaking at #63 as opposed to #33. However Manchester would re-team with producer Steve Buckingham for the subsequent For the Working Girl
For the Working Girl
For the Working Girl is the title of the ninth album release by singer-songwriter Melissa Manchester released by Arista Records.Recorded at Northstar Studios in Boulder, Colorado in the summer of 1980, For the Working Girl reteamed Manchester with Steve Buckingham producer of the singer's 1979...
album (1980) before scoring a 1982 comeback with the Hey Ricky
Hey Ricky
Hey Ricky is the title of the tenth album release by by Melissa Manchester issued on Arista Records in April 1982.During the interim between the release of Hey Ricky and that of the precedent For the Working Girl in September 1980 Manchester had attempted to extricate herself from her recording...
album and the #5 single "You Should Hear How She Talks About You" produced by Arif Mardin
Arif Mardin
Arif Mardin was a Turkish-American music producer, who worked with hundreds of artists across many different styles of music, including jazz, rock, soul, disco, and country...
.
Neither of the singles from the Melissa Manchester album was featured on Manchester's 1983 Greatest Hits album; the last-named did include Manchester's version of the Kenny Loggins
Kenny Loggins
During the next decade, Loggins recorded so many successful songs for film soundtracks that he was referred to as, King of the Movie Soundtrack.He began with "I'm Alright" , "Mr. Night", and "Lead the Way" from Caddyshack...
hit she'd co-written: "Whenever I Call You Friend", which Manchester recorded for the Melissa Manchester album as a duet with Arnold McCuller.
The 2007 reissue of the Melissa Manchester album by Wounded Bird Records
Wounded Bird Records
Wounded Bird Records is a CD only, re-issue record label, that was founded in 1998 in Guilderland, New York. They re-release lesser known albums from both popular and lesser known artists, including Deborah Harry, Chic, David Blue, Marilyn Martin, Gordon Haskell, Jon Anderson, Adrian Belew, Ellen...
augmented the original tracklisting with three bonus tracks: "O Heaven (How You've Changed Me)" from the singer's 1974 album Bright Eyes, "We Had This Time" which was the B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
of the "Don't Cry Out Loud" single, and "Nice Girls" a Steve Buckingham composition introduced on Manchester's 1983 Greatest Hits album ("Nice Girls" had charted at #41).
Track listing
- Pretty Girls (Lisa DalbelloLisa DalbelloDalbello is a Canadian recording artist, songwriter, and voice actress. She released three albums in the pop and pop/rock genre in her late teens, from 1977 through 1981 under her full name...
) - Fire in the Morning (Gary Harju, Larry Helbstritt, Steve Dorff)
- Don't Want a Heartache (Gerard Cohen, Jason Darrow)
- When We Loved (Mickey Buckens, Randy McCormick)
- It's All in the Sky Above (Carole Bayer SagerCarole Bayer SagerCarole Bayer Sager is an American lyricist, songwriter, singer, and painter.-Introduction:Born in New York City, Sager graduated from New York University, where she majored in English, dramatic arts and speech...
, Melissa Manchester) - How Does It Feel Right Now (Carole Bayer SagerCarole Bayer SagerCarole Bayer Sager is an American lyricist, songwriter, singer, and painter.-Introduction:Born in New York City, Sager graduated from New York University, where she majored in English, dramatic arts and speech...
, Melissa Manchester) - Whenever I Call You Friend (Kenny LogginsKenny LogginsDuring the next decade, Loggins recorded so many successful songs for film soundtracks that he was referred to as, King of the Movie Soundtrack.He began with "I'm Alright" , "Mr. Night", and "Lead the Way" from Caddyshack...
, Melissa Manchester) - Holdin' on to the Lovin' (Allee WillisAllee WillisAllee Willis is an American songwriter, artist, set designer, multimedia artist, writer, collector and director.-Overview:...
, Deniece WilliamsDeniece WilliamsJune Deniece Chandler known by her stage name Deniece Williams is an American Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and record producer who achieved success in the 1970s and 1980s...
) - I Know Your Love Won't Let Me Down (Adrienne Anderson, Melissa Manchester)
- Lights of Dawn (Melissa Manchester)
- We Had This Time (Larry Weiss, Melissa Manchester)
- Nice Girls (Jan Buckingham, Mark Grey, Steve BuckinghamSteve Buckingham (record producer)Steve Buckingham is an American record producer, and four-time Grammy winner with 27 number one singles to his credit. He has been awarded 11 Platinum and 19 Gold albums...
) - O Heaven (How You've Changed Me) (Melissa Manchester)