''Fool Around'' is the debut album by American singer

Rachel Sweet Rachel Sweet (born July 28, 1962)
accessed May 2, 2014. is an American singer, television writer and actres ...

. It was first released in the United Kingdom on October 13, 1978 by

Stiff Records Stiff Records is a British independent record label formed in London, England, by Dave Robinson and Jake Riviera. Originally active from 1976 to 1986, the label was reactivated in 2007. Established at the outset of the punk rock boom, Stiff ...

. The album was released in the United States in July 1979, by Stiff and

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

, with a revised track listing.

Track listing

All tracks are written by

Liam Sternberg Liam Sternberg (born July 28, 1949 in Akron, Ohio) is an American songwriter and producer who wrote the Bangles hit "Walk Like an Egyptian". Sternberg first got noticed as part of the late 1970s "Akron Sound" which included Devo and the Waitresses. ...

, except where noted.

UK edition

Side one # "Just My Style" – 3:15 # "

B-A-B-Y "B-A-B-Y" is a 1966 song written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter. The song was first recorded in 1966 by Carla Thomas. Her version was released as the opening track of her album ''Carla'', and as a single by Stax Records. Chart performance In ...

" (

Isaac Hayes Isaac Lee Hayes Jr. (August 20, 1942 – August 10, 2008) was an American singer, actor, songwriter, and composer. He was one of the creative forces behind the Southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwri ...

, David Porter) – 3:08 # "Who Does Lisa Like?" – 2:58 # "Wildwood Saloon" – 3:58 # " Stay Awhile" (

Mike Hawker Mike Hawker (born June 25, 1956) was a Republican Party (United States), Republican member of the Alaska House of Representatives, representing the 28th District from 2003 to 2017. He served as Chair of the Legislative Council and the Legisla ...

Ivor Raymonde Ivor Raymonde (born Ivor Pomerance; 22 October 1926 – 4 June 1990) was a British musician, songwriter, arranger and actor, best known for his distinctive rock-orchestral arrangements for Dusty Springfield and others in the 1960s. Life and care ...

) – 3:03 # "Suspended Animation" – 3:19 Side two # "It's So Different Here" – 2:48 # "Cuckoo Clock" – 2:46 # "Pin a Medal on Mary" (

Will Birch Will Birch (born 12 September 1948) is an English people, English music journalist, songwriter, record producer and drummer. Career Birch was born in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. He played drums in various musical ensemble, bands in the Sout ...

, John Wicks) – 3:08 # "Girl with a Synthesizer" – 2:36 # " Stranger in the House" (

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in ...

) – 4:06

US edition

Side one # "B-A-B-Y" (Hayes, Porter) – 3:08 # "

I Go to Pieces "I Go to Pieces" is a song written by Del Shannon which became a Top Ten hit for Peter and Gordon on 20 February 1965. The duo's fourth single, it was their first not to be written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Del Shannon Del Shannon had ...

" (

Del Shannon Charles Weedon Westover (December 30, 1934 – February 8, 1990), better known by his stage name Del Shannon, was an American musician, singer and songwriter, best known for his 1961 number-one '' Billboard'' hit " Runaway". In 1999, he was ind ...

) – 2:43 # "Who Does Lisa Like?" – 2:58 # "Wildwood Saloon" – 3:58 # "Stay Awhile" (Hawker, Raymonde) – 3:03 # "Suspended Animation" – 3:19 Side two # "Sad Song" (Mark Middler, Peter Mason) – 2:53 # "It's So Different Here" – 2:48 # "Cuckoo Clock" – 2:46 # "Pin a Medal on Mary" (Birch, Wicks) – 3:08 # "Stranger in the House" (Costello) – 4:06

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. Musicians * Rachel Sweet – lead vocals, backing vocals * Ray Beavis –

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...

* Charley Charles – drums on "B-A-B-Y", "Stay Awhile", "Pin a Medal on Mary" and "Stranger in the House" *

Simon Climie Simon Climie (born 7 April 1957) is an English songwriter/producer and the former lead singer of the UK duo Climie Fisher. Biography Climie was born in London. Beginning his career primarily as a songwriter/session musician, Climie found him ...

–

finger snapping Snapping (or clicking) one's fingers is the act of creating a snapping or clicking sound with one's fingers. Primarily this is done by building tension between the thumb and another ( middle, index, or ring) finger and then moving the other fin ...

, hand

clapping A clap is the percussive sound made by striking together two flat surfaces, as in the body parts of humans or animals. Humans clap with the palms of their hands, often quickly and repeatedly to express appreciation or approval (see applause), b ...

, percussion * John "Irish" Earle –

baritone saxophone The baritone saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of instruments, larger (and lower-pitched) than the tenor saxophone, but smaller (and higher-pitched) than the bass. It is the lowest-pitched saxophone in common use - the bass, contra ...

Mickey Gallagher Michael William Gallagher (born 29 October 1945) is an English Hammond organ player best known as a member of Ian Dury and the Blockheads and for his contributions to albums by the Clash. He has also written music for films such as ''Extremes' ...

– piano on "B-A-B-Y", "Stay Awhile", "Pin a Medal on Mary" and "Stranger in the House" * Paul Gillieron –

soprano saxophone The soprano saxophone is a higher-register variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument invented in the 1840s. The soprano is the third-smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists (from smallest to largest) of the soprillo, sop ...

penny whistle The tin whistle, also called the penny whistle, is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. It is a type of fipple flute, putting it in the same class as the recorder, Native American flute, and other woodwind instruments that meet such criteria. ...

* Chris Gower – trombone * Dick Hanson – trumpet *

Lene Lovich Lene Lovich (; born Lili-Marlene Premilovich; March 30, 1949) is an English-American singer, songwriter and musician. She first gained attention in 1979 with the release of her hit single "Lucky Number", which peaked at number 3 on the UK Single ...

– backing vocals on "Just My Style" and "Cuckoo Clock" *

Brinsley Schwarz Brinsley Schwarz were a 1970s English pub rock band, named after their guitarist Brinsley Schwarz. With Nick Lowe on bass and vocals, keyboardist Bob Andrews and drummer Billy Rankin, the band evolved from the 1960s pop band Kippington Lod ...

–

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

on "B-A-B-Y" and "Stranger in the House" *

(credited as "Pietro Nardini") – bass guitar, guitar, keyboards * Stiff Chorus – vocals on "Girl with a Synthesizer" * Mark Sugden – drums, percussion * Leah Sweet – finger snapping, hand clapping, percussion *

Norman Watt-Roy Norman Joseph Watt-Roy (born 15 February 1951) is an English musician, arranger and composer. Watt-Roy's music career spans more than 40 years. He came to prominence in the late 1970s, during the punk and new wave era of rock music as the bass ...

– bass guitar on "B-A-B-Y", "Stay Awhile", "Pin a Medal on Mary" and "Stranger in the House" Production * Roger Béchirian – mixing,

recording A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, ...

* Guy Bidmead – mixing, recording * Barrie Guard – mixing and

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

on "I Go to Pieces" and "Sad Song" * David Mackay – production on "I Go to Pieces" and "Sad Song" * Bob Painter – recording *

Peter Solley Peter Solley (born 19 October 1948, London) is an English musician and record producer. He has recorded with Eric Clapton, Al Stewart and Whitesnake as well as producing records for Ted Nugent, Oingo Boingo, Motörhead, The Romantics, Jo Jo Z ...

–

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

ing on US edition * Liam Sternberg – production

Charts

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1978 debut albums Albums produced by David Mackay (producer) Stiff Records albums Columbia Records albums