''I Am a Photograph'' is the debut

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

singer Amanda Lear, released in 1977 by

West German West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

label

Ariola Records Ariola (also known as Ariola Records, Ariola-Eurodisc and BMG Ariola) is a German record label. In the late 1980s, it was a subsidiary label of the Bertelsmann Music Group, which in turn has become a part of the international media conglomerat ...

. The album was a success on the European market and spawned Lear's first disco hit singles "

Blood and Honey "Blood and Honey" is a song performed by French singer Amanda Lear, released as a single in 1976 by Ariola Records and later included on her debut album '' I Am a Photograph''. The song was a chart success in Europe and now remains one of Lear's t ...

", " Tomorrow" and "

Queen of Chinatown "Queen of Chinatown" (also typed "Queen of China-Town") is a song by French singer Amanda Lear, released in 1977 by Ariola Records. It met with a big chart success and remains one of Lear's biggest hits to date. The song's lyrics were written by Le ...

", the latter available only on the album's re-issue. ''I Am a Photograph'' was officially re-released on CD in 2012.

Background

Amanda Lear's first album, called ''I Am a Photograph'' in reference to her former modelling career, was recorded in Munich with a German producer

Anthony Monn Anthony Monn (also known as Tony Monn, born March 17, 1944) is a German singer, composer, and record producer. Biography Monn started his career as a singer in the German schlager genre in the early 1970s. Among his best-known songs from tha ...

, and consisted of mainstream

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

material, with majority of lyrics written by Amanda Lear herself. In addition to original songs composed by Anthony Monn and

Rainer Pietsch Rainer may refer to: People * Rainer (surname) * Rainer (given name) Other * Rainer Island, an island in Franz Josef Land, Russia * 16802 Rainer, an asteroid * Rainer Foundation, British charitable organisation See also * Rainier (disambiguation ...

, the album included a number of covers: Nancy Sinatra's " These Boots Are Made for Walkin'", "

Blue Tango "Blue Tango" is an instrumental composition by Leroy Anderson, written for orchestra in 1951 and published in 1952. It was later turned into a popular song with lyrics by Mitchell Parish. Numerous artists have since covered "Blue Tango". Song his ...

", paired with Lear's self-penned lyrics and a French-language version of

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

's "

Trouble Trouble may refer to: Film and television * ''Trouble'' (1922 film), an American silent comedy-drama film directed by Albert Austin * ''Trouble'' (1933 film), a British comedy film * ''Trouble'' (1977 film), a Soviet drama film * ''Trouble'' ...

". In addition, "

Alphabet An alphabet is a standardized set of basic written graphemes (called letters) that represent the phonemes of certain spoken languages. Not all writing systems represent language in this way; in a syllabary, each character represents a syll ...

" largely incorporated excerpts from

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

's ''

The Well-Tempered Clavier ''The Well-Tempered Clavier'', BWV 846–893, consists of two sets of preludes and fugues in all 24 major and minor keys for keyboard by Johann Sebastian Bach. In the composer's time, ''clavier'', meaning keyboard, referred to a variety of in ...

''. The artwork is credited to Ariola-Eurodisc Studios. The front cover of the first pressing pictures a photograph of Amanda Lear taken from the ''

Bravo Bravo(s) or The Bravo(s) may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Groups and labels *Bravo (band), a Russian rock band * Bravo (Spanish group), represented Spain at Eurovision 1984 *Bravo Music, an American concert band music publishing company ...

'' magazine and stuck on a wooden garage door, between various photographs of motorcycles, a mirror, a crucifix as well as the American, Swedish and Dutch flags. The second pressing featured a cropped nude picture of Amanda Lear, taken by

Christa Peters Christa Peters (1933–1981) was a German fashion photographer. Peters worked for many magazines, including ''Twen ''Twen'' was a West German magazine that was published from 1959 to 1971, and known for its innovative design and typography. ...

for the ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. K ...

'' magazine. German editions came with the full-size poster of the topless cover picture. French and Italian pressings of the album used an alternative photograph from the ''Playboy'' shoot on the cover. The cover of Presley's "Trouble" was released as Lear's debut single in 1975. The French-language version of the song, "La Bagarre", met with a modest success in Germany in 1976, followed by "

" later the same year, which met with a major commercial success and was an international breakthrough for Lear in 1977. " Tomorrow" subsequently became a number 1 single in Italy and a trademark hit. "Blue Tango" and "Alphabet" were released in certain territories, but did not chart. Later in 1977, "

" was released as a single from the second edition of the album, becoming a hit in Europe and Lear's greatest chart success up to that point. The album's promotional campaign was based on Amanda's "scandalous sex-symbol personality", surrounded by gossips regarding her alleged transsexualism, place of birth, which at the time was believed to be

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

, and her relationships with

Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (; ; ; 11 May 190423 January 1989) was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarr ...

and

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

. A small concert tour was also arranged in Italy. It became a commercial success in Europe, especially in Italy, where it reached top 10. ''I Am a Photograph'' was re-issued with alternative track listings and covers. The second West German pressing replaced "La Bagarre" with "She's Got the Devil in Her Eyes", which was an instrumental version of "Blood and Honey". On the following edition, "La Bagarre" was omitted in favour of the new recording, "Queen of Chinatown". American edition included an extended version of "Blood and Honey" while the 1978 East German release featured "Mother, Look What They've Done to Me", a '' Sweet Revenge'' album track. The album was released as ''Tomorrow'' in Brazil, yet again with re-arranged track listing, and as ''Pretty Boys'' in Zimbabwe and South Africa. In Argentina, the album was distributed as ''Soy una fotografía'' in 1979. The official CD re-release did not take place until 2012, when Gold Legion released the album in three different versions of the front cover, including the original topless poster in chosen editions. All three editions retained the track listing of the original LP release, adding four bonus tracks, including "Queen of Chinatown". The material has been

remaster Remaster refers to changing the quality of the sound or of the image, or both, of previously created recordings, either audiophonic, cinematic, or videographic. The terms digital remastering and digitally remastered are also used. Mastering A ...

ed from original

master tapes Mastering, a form of audio post production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the Audio mixing (recorded music), final mix to a data storage device (the master), the source from which all cop ...

. In August 2014, the album was officially released on digital music platforms. The 1978 ''

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 ...

'' review praised the album's "catchy" melodies and lyrics, and described Amanda's vocal delivery as "unique" and "intriguing". Contemporary music critic Michael Freedberg gave ''I Am a Photograph'' a four-star rating on

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, praising its arrangements and calling it "an album not to be missed". However, John C. Hughes of Popdose.com referred to the album as "nearly unlistenable", critically reflecting on Amanda's vocal performance.

Commercial performance

In 1978 Amanda Lear received a gold disc for cumulatives sales of one million units in Italy of singles "Tomorrow" and "Queen of China Town" and the album "I am a Photograph".

Track listing

Original release

;Side A # "

" (

, Amanda Lear) – 4:50 # " Alphabet (Prelude in C by J. S. Bach)" (

Charly Ricanek ''Charly'' (marketed and stylized as ''CHAЯLY'') is a 1968 American drama film directed and produced by Ralph Nelson and written by Stirling Silliphant. It is based on '' Flowers for Algernon'', a science-fiction short story (1958) and subse ...

, Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 4:00 # " These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" ( Lee Hazlewood) – 3:18 # " Tomorrow" (

, Amanda Lear) – 4:10 # "Pretty Boys" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 2:55 ;Side B # "Alligator" (Rainer Pietsch, Amanda Lear) – 4:35 # "The Lady in Black" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 3:30 # "I Am a Photograph" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 4:25 # " La Bagarre" ( Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) – 3:27 # "

" (

Leroy Anderson Leroy Anderson ( ) (June 29, 1908 – May 18, 1975) was an American composer of short, light concert pieces, many of which were introduced by the Boston Pops Orchestra under the direction of Arthur Fiedler. John Williams described him as ...

, Amanda Lear) – 2:40

Second German edition

;Side A # "

" (

, Amanda Lear) – 4:50 # " Alphabet (Prelude in C by J. S. Bach)" (

, Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 4:00 # " These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" ( Lee Hazlewood) – 3:18 # " Tomorrow" (

, Amanda Lear) – 4:10 # "Pretty Boys" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 2:55 ;Side B # "Alligator" (Rainer Pietsch, Amanda Lear) – 4:35 # "The Lady in Black" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 3:30 # "I Am a Photograph" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 4:25 # "She's Got the Devil in Her Eyes" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 3:05 # "

" (

, Amanda Lear) – 2:40

Third German edition

;Side A # "

" (

, Amanda Lear) – 4:50 # " Alphabet (Prelude in C by J. S. Bach)" (

, Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 4:00 # " These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" ( Lee Hazlewood) – 3:18 # " Tomorrow" (

, Amanda Lear) – 4:10 # "Pretty Boys" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 2:55 ;Side B # "

Queen of China-Town "Queen of Chinatown" (also typed "Queen of China-Town") is a song by French singer Amanda Lear, released in 1977 by Ariola Records. It met with a big chart success and remains one of Lear's biggest hits to date. The song's lyrics were written by L ...

" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 4:15 # "Alligator" (Rainer Pietsch, Amanda Lear) – 4:35 # "The Lady in Black" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 3:30 # "I Am a Photograph" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 4:25 # "

" (

, Amanda Lear) – 2:40

American edition

;Side A # "

" (

, Amanda Lear) – 7:14 # " Alphabet (Prelude in C by J. S. Bach)" (

, Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 3:58 # " These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" ( Lee Hazlewood) – 3:18 # " Tomorrow" (

, Amanda Lear) – 4:10 # "Pretty Boys" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 2:54 ;Side B # "

" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 4:15 # "Alligator" (Rainer Pietsch, Amanda Lear) – 4:31 # "The Lady in Black" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 3:38 # "I Am a Photograph" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 4:24 # "

" (

, Amanda Lear) – 2:44

East German edition

;Side A # "

" (

, Amanda Lear) – 4:50 # " Alphabet (Prelude in C by J. S. Bach)" (

, Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 4:00 # " These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" ( Lee Hazlewood) – 3:18 # " Tomorrow" (

, Amanda Lear) – 4:10 # "Pretty Boys" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 2:55 ;Side B # "Mother, Look What They've Done to Me" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 4:25 # "Alligator" (Rainer Pietsch, Amanda Lear) – 4:35 # "The Lady in Black" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 3:30 # "I Am a Photograph" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 4:25 # "

" (

, Amanda Lear) – 2:40

Brazilian edition

;Side A # " Tomorrow" (

, Amanda Lear) – 4:10 # " Alphabet (Prelude in C by J. S. Bach)" (

, Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 4:00 # " These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" ( Lee Hazlewood) – 3:18 # "

" (

, Amanda Lear) – 4:50 # "Pretty Boys" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 2:55 ;Side B # "

" (

, Amanda Lear) – 2:40

CD re-issue

# "

" (

, Amanda Lear) – 4:50 # " Alphabet (Prelude in C by J. S. Bach)" (

, Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 3:56 # " These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" ( Lee Hazlewood) – 3:18 # " Tomorrow" (

, Amanda Lear) – 4:10 # "Pretty Boys" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 2:55 # "Alligator" (Rainer Pietsch, Amanda Lear) – 4:35 # "The Lady in Black" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 3:36 # "I Am a Photograph" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 4:25 # " La Bagarre" ( Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) – 3:27 # "

" (

, Amanda Lear) – 2:43 # "

" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 4:15 # "Blood and Honey" (12" Version) (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 8:55 # "She's Got the Devil in Her Eyes" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 3:05 # "Lethal Leading Lady" (Amanda Lear,

La Bionda La Bionda were an Italian disco duo consisting of siblings Carmelo (1949–2022) and Michelangelo La Bionda (born 1952). They are considered among the pioneers of the Italo disco music genre. The siblings were born in Ramacca, Sicily and moved ...

, Malachy) – 2:52

Personnel

* Amanda Lear –

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

* Bavarian Strings –

strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

* Mats Björklund –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

* Hermann Breuer – horns * Harold Faltermeyer – keyboards,

Moog synthesizer The Moog synthesizer is a modular synthesizer developed by the American engineer Robert Moog. Moog debuted it in 1964, and Moog's company R. A. Moog Co. (later known as Moog Music) produced numerous models from 1965 to 1981, and again from 20 ...

* Rudi Fuessers – horns * Lee Harper – horns * Martin Harrison –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

* Howard Katz – horns * Peter Lüdermann – sound engineer * Renate Maurer –

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...

–

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

, musical arranger * Paul Niezgoda – horns *

– musical arranger (tracks: A1, A2, A5, B1, B4),

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

* Claudia Schwarz – backing vocals * Giuseppe Solera –

horns Horns or The Horns may refer to: * Plural of Horn (instrument), a group of musical instruments all with a horn-shaped bells * The Horns (Colorado), a summit on Cheyenne Mountain * ''Horns'' (novel), a dark fantasy novel written in 2010 by Joe Hill ...

* Pit Troja –

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

* Gary Unwin –

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

* Gitta Walther – backing vocals

Charts

Release history

References

External links

''I Am a Photograph''
at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

''I Am a Photograph''
at

Rate Your Music Rate Your Music (often abbreviated to RYM) is an online collaborative database of music releases and films. Users can catalog items from their personal collection, review them, and assign ratings in a five-star rating system. The site also fea ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:I Am A Photograph 1977 debut albums Amanda Lear albums