''Just a Boy'' is the second album by English singer-songwriter,

Leo Sayer Gerard Hugh "Leo" Sayer (born 21 May 1948) is an English-Australian singer and songwriter whose singing career has spanned five decades. He has been an Australian citizen and resident since 2009. Sayer launched his career in the United Kingdom ...

, and was released in 1974. It features his interpretations of two songs ("One Man Band" and "Giving It All Away") written by Sayer and David Courtney for

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

's lead vocalist

Roger Daltrey Roger Harry Daltrey (born 1 March 1944) is an English singer, musician and actor. He is a co-founder and the lead singer of the Rock music, rock band The Who. Daltrey's hit songs with The Who include "My Generation", "Pinball Wizard", "Won't Ge ...

's debut album, '' Daltrey''. Sayer's singles "One Man Band" and " Long Tall Glasses" both hit the charts in the U.K. and around the world. Leo Sayer was now popular in Europe and made many promotional appearances there. He headlined in Paris at The Theatre D’ Champs Elysees, the theatre known as the home of his then-hero, mime artist

Marcel Marceau Marcel Marceau (; born Marcel Mangel; 22 March 1923 – 22 September 2007) was a French actor and mime artist most famous for his stage persona, "Bip the Clown". He referred to mime as the "art of silence", and he performed professionally worldw ...

Album cover artwork

The cover is a painting by Humphrey Butler-Bowden. It is a tribute to

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger, comte de Saint-Exupéry, simply known as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (, , ; 29 June 1900 – 31 July 1944), was a French writer, poet, aristocrat, journalist and pioneering aviator. He became a laureate of s ...

's artwork for his famous novella ''

The Little Prince ''The Little Prince'' (french: Le Petit Prince, ) is a novella by French aristocrat, writer, and military pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It was first published in English and French in the United States by Reynal & Hitchcock in April 1943 an ...

''. The album's back cover pointedly depicted a group of new Sayers giving

Pierrot Pierrot ( , , ) is a stock character of pantomime and '' commedia dell'arte'', whose origins are in the late seventeenth-century Italian troupe of players performing in Paris and known as the Comédie-Italienne. The name is a diminutive of ''P ...

the elbow.

Recording

Adam Faith, David Courtney and Sayer had already started work on the album, cutting "One Man Band" while Sayer was on an American tour. More recording took place in London. This time the recording went smoothly and the right results were quickly accomplished. Some of the songs, like "Long Tall Glasses", were written in the studio. Roger Daltrey had first recorded Sayer's songs, "One Man Band" and "Giving It All Away" on his 1973 debut solo album, ''Daltrey''. A cover of the song "I Can Dance (Long Tall Glasses)" by the Canadian band

Shooter Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, Bow and arrow, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or Blowgun, blowpipe). Even the acts of launching Flamethrower, flame, artillery, Dart (missile), darts, ha ...

hit the Canadian charts the same week as the Sayer original. The Sayer version reached No. 18, where the Shooter version reached No. 22, both on 3 May chart.

Track listing

All lyrics by

and music by

David Courtney David Courtney (born David Cohen, 1950, Brighton, East Sussex) is a British singer, songwriter and record producer. Courtney's first big break was as a songwriter with Adam Faith and Leo Sayer; Courtney co-wrote several hit songs with them (incl ...

Side one

#"Telepath" – 3:12 #"Train" – 4:25 #"The Bells of St Mary's" – 3:36 #"One Man Band" – 3:35 #"In My Life" – 3:23

Side two

#"When I Came Home This Morning" – 5:17 #" Long Tall Glasses (I Can Dance)" – 3:19 #"Another Time" – 3:26 #"Solo" – 3:59 #"

Giving it All Away "Giving It All Away" is the debut solo single by Roger Daltrey, the lead singer of The Who. The song was written by the then unknown Leo Sayer with David Courtney. Adam Faith and David Courtney produced the track. The song was the first sing ...

" – 3:52

Personnel

* Leo Sayer – vocals *

– acoustic piano (1, 8, 10) * Cliff Hall – acoustic piano (2, 3, 7, 9) * David Rose – acoustic piano (4, 5, 6) *

John Mealing John Mealing (born 5 April 1942 in Yeovil, Somerset) is a British keyboardist, composer and arranger. After leaving the Don Rendell-Ian Carr Quintet in the late sixties,organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

(5) * Paul Keogh – guitars (2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9) *

James Litherland James Litherland (born 6 September 1949) is an English singer and guitarist best known as a founding member of the progressive rock band Colosseum. He was born in Salford, Lancashire, England. He is the father of singer and producer James Blak ...

– guitars (4, 5, 6) * Keith Nelson –

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 ...

(7) * Dave Markee – bass (2, 3, 7, 8, 9) * Bill Smith – bass (4, 5, 6) * Theo Thunder – drums (2-7, 9) *

Michael Giles Michael Rex Giles (born 1 March 1942) is an English drummer, percussionist, and vocalist, best known as one of the co-founders of King Crimson in 1969. Prior to the formation of King Crimson, he was part of the eccentric pop trio Giles, Giles a ...

– drums (8) *

Andrew Powell Andrew Powell (born 18 April 1949) is an English musical composer, arranger and performer, born of Welsh parents. He himself moved to Wales in 2003. Early life Powell was born Surrey, England. He began piano lessons at the age of four and late ...

– string, woodwind and brass arrangements * Jeanie Greene – backing vocals * Barry St. John – backing vocals (5) * Liza Strike – backing vocals (5) * Lucas Piccoli – inspiration

Production

* David Courtney – producer *

Adam Faith Terence Nelhams Wright (23 June 1940 – 8 March 2003), known as Adam Faith, was an English singer, actor, and financial journalist. A teen idol, he scored consecutive No. 1 hits on the UK Singles Chart with "What Do You Want?" (1959) and "Poo ...

– producer * Louis Austin – engineer *

Martin Birch Martin Birch (27 December 19489 August 2020) was a British music producer and sound engineer. He became renowned for engineering and producing albums recorded predominantly by British rock bands, including Deep Purple, Rainbow, Fleetwood Mac, W ...

– engineer * George Sloan – tape operator * Paul "Chas" Watkins – tape operator * Terry O'Neill – photography, back cover conception * Humphrey Butler-Bowdon – cover painting Allmusic album credits/ref>

Production

*Producers: David Courtney, Adam Faith

Charts

Year-end charts

Singles

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1974 albums Chrysalis Records albums Leo Sayer albums Warner Records albums