''Eyes That See in the Dark'' is the 15th studio album by
Kenny Rogers
Kenneth Ray Rogers (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particularly popular with country audiences but also charted mo ...
, first released by
RCA Nashville
RCA Nashville is an American country music record label based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is distributed by Sony Music Nashville which is part of Sony Music.
Current artists
*Kane Brown
*Andrew Jannakos
*Miranda Lambert
*Niko Moon (RCA/River Hou ...
in August 1983.
Background
''Eyes That See in the Dark'' marks Barry Gibb's third production project of the 1980s outside of
the Bee Gees
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
. Gibb wrote most of the songs that were more reminiscent of Rogers's days with
the First Edition.
Just after Barry Gibb contributed producing Dionne Warwick's ''
Heartbreaker
Heartbreaker(s) or The Heart Breaker(s) may refer to:
Film and television
*''The Heart Breakers'', a 1916 film starring Andrew Arbuckle
*''The Heart Breaker'', a 1925 film directed by Benjamin Stoloff
* ''Heartbreaker'' (1983 film), an American f ...
'' album, he and Rogers met later in the year and it was then that Rogers asked about some songs, and one of those songs was the
title track
A title track is a song that has the same name as the album or film in which it appears. In the Korean music industry, the term is used to describe a promoted song on an album, akin to a single, regardless of the song's title.
Title track may a ...
. The other songs in this album were written in late 1982 and recorded in early 1983. Gibb recorded demos for Rogers while working with the
Bee Gees
The Bee Gees
were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio were especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in the disco music era in ...
for the 1983 film ''
Staying Alive'' until April 1983, as Rogers started to record this album in May the same year.
The album, Rogers's first for
RCA Nashville
RCA Nashville is an American country music record label based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is distributed by Sony Music Nashville which is part of Sony Music.
Current artists
*Kane Brown
*Andrew Jannakos
*Miranda Lambert
*Niko Moon (RCA/River Hou ...
, was issued while his previous effort on
Liberty Records
Liberty Records was a record label founded in the United States by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revival ...
''
We've Got Tonight
"We've Got Tonite" is a song written by American rock music artist Bob Seger, from his album '' Stranger in Town'' (1978). The single record charted twice for Seger, and was developed from a prior song that he had written. Further versions char ...
'' was still in the charts and had to compete with singles from that still being issued by his previous label.
Recording
The finished instrumental tracks were dubbed onto the demos, and some of the guitar, bass, and synthesizer on the demos are heard in the completed mix. Ron Ziegler had to dub drums exactly in time with the drum machine used on the demos. Some of the musicians had also played on all of
Andy Gibb
Andrew Roy Gibb (5 March 1958 – 10 March 1988) was an English singer, songwriter, and actor. He was the younger brother of Barry Gibb, Barry, Robin Gibb, Robin and Maurice Gibb, Maurice, who went on to form the Bee Gees.
Gibb came to pr ...
's albums,
Tim Renwick
Timothy John Pearson Renwick (born 7 August 1949) is an English guitarist. He is best known for his association with Al Stewart in his early career and for his long-standing role as lead guitarist for the Sutherland Brothers & Quiver. His single ...
,
George Terry, and Ron Ziegler. Barry and Maurice Gibb with
Albhy Galuten
Albhy Galuten (born Alan Bruce Galuten; December 27, 1947) is an American technology executive and futurist, Grammy Award-winning record producer, composer, musician, orchestrator and conductor. He has numerous inventions and has produced 18 ...
appear both from the demo tracks and new recordings. "
Islands in the Stream" was not a duet and Rogers was not happy with the recording. Only after
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...
was brought in and recorded the song as a duet did it take off.
The producers at the vocal dub sessions were surprised by Rogers's laid-back approach. He had kept the song demos in his possession for a period of time, but still needed to read lyric sheets while singing. He also, in Galuten's opinion, was just copying Barry's vocals instead of making the songs his own, a comment for which Galuten was banished from the rest of the vocal dub sessions. Kenny recalls it differently, that the producers urged him to sing them like Barry. At any rate, his vocals do follow Barry's closely.
The Gatlin Brothers
Larry Wayne Gatlin (born May 2, 1948) is an American country and Southern gospel singer and songwriter. As part of a trio with his younger brothers Steve and Rudy, he achieved considerable success within the country music genre, performing on 3 ...
contributed background vocals on "
Buried Treasure
Buried treasure is a literary trope commonly associated with depictions of pirates, criminals, and Old West outlaws. According to popular conception, these people often buried their stolen fortunes in remote places, intending to return to them ...
" and "
Evening Star", though Barry and Maurice Gibb's backing vocals can be heard, as the demo was mixed into the final version. While the three members of the Bee Gees:
Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb
The Bee Gees
were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio were especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in the disco music era in ...
did the same on "Living with You".
Release
"
Islands in the Stream" became a major hit, reaching #1 on the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' pop, country and adult contemporary charts. It turned out to be the #1 country chart song of 1983.
Elsewhere on the album are "
Buried Treasure
Buried treasure is a literary trope commonly associated with depictions of pirates, criminals, and Old West outlaws. According to popular conception, these people often buried their stolen fortunes in remote places, intending to return to them ...
", a single which was a top 3 country hit; the track "
This Woman", which reached the top 20 on both the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' pop and country charts, and the title cut, "
Eyes That See in the Dark
''Eyes That See in the Dark'' is the 15th studio album by Kenny Rogers, first released by RCA Nashville in August 1983.
Background
''Eyes That See in the Dark'' marks Barry Gibb's third production project of the 1980s outside of the Bee Gees. Gi ...
", which charted on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
, spending six weeks in the top 100.
Copyright of this album later passed to Kenny Rogers's self-owned label Dreamcatcher Records, and was licensed to
Castle/Sanctuary. Under that license, this album was reissued on CD in
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
.
Copyright is currently owned by
Capitol Records Nashville
Capitol Records Nashville is a major United States-based record label located in Nashville, Tennessee operating as part of the Universal Music Group Nashville. From 1991 to 1995, Capitol Nashville was known as Liberty Records, before returning ...
, which released it digitally; this version omits "
Islands in the Stream", the most successful single from this album, for which copyright is still owned by
Sony Music
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...
, current owner of RCA Records.
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...
, owner of Capitol Records, did not obtain a license from Sony Music to include this song on that release, though this track can be purchased as a single track independent of the album (it mostly appears in compilations of
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...
songs from Sony Music).
Track listing
* All tracks were written by
Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb
The Bee Gees
were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio were especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in the disco music era in ...
except where noted.
Notes
The song "I Will Always Love You" featured on this album was written by Barry and Maurice Gibb, and is not the same as the
more famous song of the same name, which was written by Dolly Parton. Kenny Rogers would later record a rendition of the Dolly Parton song, for his 1996 covers album ''
Vote for Love''.
The song "Buried Treasure" is not to be confused with Rogers's 1978 song "Buried Treasures", which appears on his album ''
Love or Something Like It
''Love or Something Like It'' is the fifth studio album by country music superstar Kenny Rogers, released in 1978. It was Rogers' fourth #1 hit album.
Overview
The album's title cut (" Love or Something Like It") also topped the charts. Though th ...
''. "Buried Treasures" had not been released as a single.
Personnel
*
Kenny Rogers
Kenneth Ray Rogers (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particularly popular with country audiences but also charted mo ...
– lead vocals
*
Albhy Galuten
Albhy Galuten (born Alan Bruce Galuten; December 27, 1947) is an American technology executive and futurist, Grammy Award-winning record producer, composer, musician, orchestrator and conductor. He has numerous inventions and has produced 18 ...
– acoustic piano, electric piano, synthesizers, arrangements, conductor
* George Bitzer – acoustic piano, electric piano, synthesizers
* John Hobbs – acoustic piano (6)
*
Maurice Gibb
Maurice Ernest Gibb (; 22 December 1949 – 12 January 2003) was a British musician. He achieved fame as a member of the pop group Bee Gees. Although his elder brother Barry Gibb and fraternal twin brother Robin Gibb were the group's main le ...
– synthesizers, guitar, bass, backing vocals
*
Barry Gibb
Sir Barry Alan Crompton Gibb (born 1 September 1946) is a British musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. He rose to worldwide fame as a member of the Bee Gees, one of the most commercially successful groups in the history of popul ...
– guitar, backing vocals, arrangements
*
Tim Renwick
Timothy John Pearson Renwick (born 7 August 1949) is an English guitarist. He is best known for his association with Al Stewart in his early career and for his long-standing role as lead guitarist for the Sutherland Brothers & Quiver. His single ...
– guitar
*
George Terry – guitar
* Larry McNeely –
banjo
The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...
* Mitch Holder – guitar (6)
*
Fred Tackett
Fred Tackett (born August 30, 1945) is an American songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Originally a session player on guitar, mandolin, and trumpet, he is best known as a member of the band Little Feat.
In addition to his work with Little F ...
– guitar (6)
* Ron Ziegler – drums
*
Paul Leim
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
*Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
* Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...
– drums (6)
*
Joe Lala
Joseph Anthony Lala (November 3, 1947 – March 18, 2014) was an American musician and actor. In 1966, he co-founded the rock band Blues Image.
Life and career
Lala was born in Ybor City, Tampa, Florida, to parents from Contessa Entellina (an e ...
– percussion
* Neal Bonsanti – saxophones (2, 4)
* Whit Sidener – saxophones (2, 4)
* Peter Graves – trombone (2, 4)
* Ken Faulk – trumpet (2, 4)
*
Jimmie Haskell
Jimmie Haskell (born Sheridan Pearlman, November 7, 1926 – February 4, 2016) was an American composer and arranger for motion pictures and a wide variety of popular artists, including Elvis Presley, Neil Diamond, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Steely Da ...
– string arrangements (7)
* Sid Sharp – concertmaster
* Denise Decaro – backing vocals (1, 4, 7, 9, 10)
* Myrna Mathews – backing vocals (1, 4, 7, 9, 10)
* Marti McCall – backing vocals (1, 4, 7, 9, 10)
*
Larry Gatlin
Larry Wayne Gatlin (born May 2, 1948) is an American country and Southern gospel singer and songwriter. As part of a trio with his younger brothers Steve and Rudy, he achieved considerable success within the country music genre, performing on 3 ...
– backing vocals (3, 6)
* Rudy Gatlin – backing vocals (3, 6)
* Steve Gatlin – backing vocals (3, 6)
*
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...
– lead and harmony vocals (4)
*
Robin Gibb
Robin Hugh Gibb (22 December 1949 – 20 May 2012) was a British singer and songwriter. He gained worldwide fame as a member of the Bee Gees pop group with elder brother Barry and fraternal twin brother Maurice. Robin Gibb also had his o ...
– backing vocals (5)
Production
* Producers – Barry Gibb, Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson.
* Engineers – Karl Richardson and Steve Klein
* Assistant engineers – David Egerton, Tom Fouce, Neal Kent,
Al Schmitt
Albert Harry Schmitt (April 17, 1930 – April 26, 2021) was an American recording engineer and record producer. He won twenty Grammy Awards for his work with Henry Mancini, Steely Dan, George Benson, Toto, Natalie Cole, Quincy Jones, and other ...
and Samii Taylor.
* Technical supervision – Dale Peterson and Larry Janus
* Mastered by Mike Fuller at
Criteria Studios
Criteria Studios is a recording studio in North Miami, Florida, founded in 1958 by musician Mack Emerman. Hundreds of gold, platinum, and diamond singles and albums have been recorded, mixed or mastered at Criteria, for many notable artists and ...
(Miami, Florida)
* Art direction – John Coulter
* Photography – Greg Gorman, David Jacobson and Steve Schapiro
* Project coordinators – Marge Meoli, Nancy Barney, Randy Kessler, Peggy Needleman, Dick Ashby, Eddie Choran, Scott Sands, Tom Kennedy, Michael Branch and Sandie Campbell
* Management – Ken Kragen
* Transport – Bonnie Tobias and Pete Wagner
* Make-up – Robert Norin
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
''The Eyes That See in the Dark Demos''
Barry Gibb originally recorded the songs for Kenny Rogers on his album, the songs recorded from August 1982 to January–April 1983. Gibb's version of the songs was released officially in October 2006 on
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
.
References
{{Authority control
Kenny Rogers albums
1983 albums
RCA Records albums
Albums produced by Barry Gibb
Albums arranged by Barry Gibb
Canadian Country Music Association Top Selling Album albums