Belinda (Belinda Carlisle Album)

''Belinda'' is the debut studio album by American singer Belinda Carlisle. It was released on May 19, 1986 by I.R.S. Records. Carlisle began work on the album in 1985 following the breakup of the Go-Go's, for whom she was the lead singer. The album was supported by four singles, with lead single " Mad About You" peaking at number 3 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 1 in Canada.

Background and writing

Some of the songs on ''Belinda'' were written by Carlisle's former bandmates in the Go-Go's Charlotte Caffey and Paula Jean Brown while the rest of the tracks were written by other songwriters such as the Bangles' Susanna Hoffs. Carlisle has a single co-writing credit on one track ("Gotta Get to You"). " Band of Gold" was a hit song for Freda Payne in 1970. Payne provided background vocals on the dance mixes of Carlisle's version of the song, which would later appear as bonus tracks on the 2003 re-release of the album.

"I Need a Disguise" was written by the team of Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg who co-wrote the song with Susanna Hoffs as it was originally intended for use by the Bangles. Kelly and Steinberg also co-wrote another song for Carlisle called "Dancing in the City", which she would eventually record and would later appear on the soundtrack for the 1987 movie '' Burglar''. "Stuff and Nonsense" is a cover of Tim Finn's song originally performed by his band Split Enz on their 1979 album '' Frenzy''. The song "Shot In the Dark" was used as part of the '' Out of Bounds'' soundtrack.

Reception

Upon release, ''Belinda'' was met with mixed reviews from critics. Mark Coleman of '' Rolling Stone'' wrote "The problem with ''Belinda'' is that all the ingredients are there, but the end result just doesn't feel right." Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic commented retrospectively that "The pop on ''Belinda'' may not be as infectious as the Go-Go's' finest singles, yet it fit in well with the slick formats of mid-'80s radio and managed to be more memorable than many of the mainstream hits of the time, as the ingratiating hit "Mad About You" proves."

Commercial performance

The album was successful in North America peaking at No. 13 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and at number 24 on the Canadian Albums chart. It was moderately successful in Australia, where it peaked at number 42 and charted for 12 weeks. ''Belinda'' was certified Gold in the US and Platinum in Canada, selling over one million copies worldwide.

Track listing

Album credits

Personnel

* Belinda Carlisle – lead vocals, backing vocals
* Jim Cox – keyboards, synthesizer
* Claude Gaudette – keyboards, synthesizer
* Nicky Hopkins – keyboards, synthesizer
* Michael Lloyd – keyboards, synthesizer
* Bobby Martin – keyboards, synthesizer, saxophone (6)
* John Philip Shenale – keyboards, synthesizer
* Charlotte Caffey – guitars, backing vocals
* Laurence Juber – guitars
* Andy Taylor – guitars, guitar solo (1)
* David Lindley – guitars
* Paula Brown – bass guitar, backing vocals
* Dennis Belfield – bass guitar
* Paul Leim – drums
* Paulinho da Costa – percussion
*John Rosenberg – trumpet (10)
* John D'Andrea – string arrangements (3, 6, 10)
* Sid Sharp – string direction (3, 6, 10)
* Susanna Hoffs – backing vocals
* Tom Kelly – backing vocals
* Billy Steinberg – backing vocals
* Nathan Lam – backing vocals
* Jane Wiedlin – backing vocals
* Elisa Fox – backing vocals
* The Waters – backing vocals

Production

* Producer and Arrangements –Michael Lloyd
* Associate Producer – Nathan Lam
* Additional Vocal Production – Ellen Shipley and Robert Feist
* Engineer – Carmine Rubino
* Assistant Engineer – Dan Nebenzal
* Remixing – William Orbit
* Remix Assistant – Tania Hayward
* Recorded and Mixed at Guerilla Studios (North London, England).
* Musical Instruments by Don Griffin
* Cover Photo – Matthew Rolston
* Sleeve Photos – Bradford Bramson
* Art Direction and Design – Belinda Carlisle and Carl Grasso
* Management – Danny Goldberg and Ron Stone

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

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1986 debut albums
Albums produced by Michael Lloyd (music producer)
Belinda Carlisle albums
I.R.S. Records albums