''Lullaby'' is the second studio album by American
synth-pop
Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...
band
Book of Love, released on June 21, 1988, by
Sire Records
Sire Records (formerly Sire Records Company) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Records.
History Beginnings
The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer ...
.
History
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
-based synthpop quartet
Book of Love released their follow up record two years after their eponymous debut ''
Book Of Love''. Promotional duties and non-stop touring in support of
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in Basildon, Essex, in 1980. The band currently consists of Dave Gahan (lead vocals and co-songwriting) and Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, co-lead vocals and main songwriting).
Depeche ...
's
Black Celebration Tour
The Black Celebration Tour was a 1986 concert tour by English electronic group Depeche Mode in support of the act's fifth studio album, ''Black Celebration'', which was released in March 1986.
The tour began with a European leg, starting in ...
had kept Book of Love from entering the studio to lay down ideas for their second record.
In a 2009 interview, Ted Ottaviano stated, "It's the classic story. We weren't quite sure where the first album would take us, and it ended up taking us on a ride. But then we had to turn right around and write and record songs for the follow-up. I'm not sure we had enough distance, enough time, to fully grasp what this meant or entailed."
In the spring of 1987, the band was finally able to lay down some demos for the next record, writing the new songs between March through August.
In late September 1987, the band eventually convened at D+D Recording and
Unique Recording Studios
Unique Recording Studios was a five-room recording studio operating near Times Square in New York City from 1978 until 2004. Founders and co-owners Bobby Nathan and Joanne Georgio-Nathan installed the first Otari 24-track tape deck in New York. ...
in New York to record with esteemed producer Mark Ellis, aka
Flood
A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...
(Depeche Mode, Erasure, Nitzer Ebb, Nine Inch Nails), who had just produced
Erasure
Erasure () is an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1985, consisting of lead vocalist and songwriter Andy Bell with songwriter, producer and keyboardist Vince Clarke, previously known as co-founder of the band Depeche Mode and a membe ...
's ''
The Circus'' the previous year, along with engineering on
U2's ''
The Joshua Tree
''The Joshua Tree'' is the fifth studio album by Irish rock band U2. It was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and was released on 9 March 1987 on Island Records. In contrast to the ambient experimentation of their 1984 release, ''T ...
''.
Flood
A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...
co-produced the record with Ted Ottaviano. Reflecting on the recording in 2009, Susan Ottaviano stated, "It was great to be part of some of Ted's Cecil B. DeMille-styled productions. We had a full orchestra and a bagpipe player wearing a kilt for the song "
Lullaby
A lullaby (), or cradle song, is a soothing song or piece of music that is usually played for (or sung to) children (for adults see music and sleep). The purposes of lullabies vary. In some societies they are used to pass down cultural knowled ...
". We also recorded the organ at
Cathedral of St. John the Divine (NYC) for "With A Little Love". It was such an amazing experience."
The cathedral organ drenched, "With A Little Love", marked the first Book Of Love song to feature Ted Ottaviano on lead vocals. On recording with
Flood
A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...
, Ted Ottaviano stated, "We spent one night there, from about 10 pm to 6 am. Flood miked the entire cathedral. He was totally game for what we wanted to do."
Recording in New York ended on December 18, 1987, with the band reuniting with
Flood
A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...
on January 1, 1988 to record vocals at the Great Hall at
Hansa Tonstudio
Hansa Tonstudio is a recording studio located in the Kreuzberg district of Berlin, Germany. The studio, famous for its Meistersaal recording hall, is situated approximately 150 metres from the former Berlin Wall, giving rise to its former nickna ...
s Berlin.
[ ]Flood
A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...
mixed "Melt My Heart" and "Champagne Wishes" and the recording of the album was finished.[ The remaining eight tracks were mixed by Alan Meyerson in L.A. in February, and the album mastered in March at ]Sterling Sound
George Marino (April 15, 1947 – June 4, 2012) was an American mastering engineer known for working on albums by rock bands starting in the late 1960s.
Biography
Marino was born on April 15, 1947, in the New York City borough The Bronx. He at ...
.[
Preceding the album, the first single, " Pretty Boys And Pretty Girls" was released on May 24, 1988.] " Pretty Boys And Pretty Girls" became one of the first songs ever to address the issue of the AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...
epidemic with its lyric of "Strangers in the night exchanging glances, but sex is dangerous, I don't take my chances...safe sex, safe sex." The song became the band's highest charting single at no. 90 in the Billboard Hot 100, and the only moment crossing over into mainstream pop. In the dance clubs, the song was a smash, and made it to no. 5 on the Hot Dance Club Play Chart, spending 11 weeks on the chart. A music video for "Pretty Boys And Pretty Girls" was shot by director Carlos Grosso and released to promote the new album.
Book of Love's second album ''Lullaby'' was released on June 21, 1988, and spent ten weeks on the ''Billboard'' 200, peaking at No. 156, the highest album placement of their career. The album cover artwork features a photograph from 1872, titled "Cupid Considering", by Julia Margaret Cameron
Julia Margaret Cameron (''née'' Pattle; 11 June 1815 – 26 January 1879) was a British photographer who is considered one of the most important portraitists of the 19th century. She is known for her soft-focus close-ups of famous Victorian m ...
, "a photograph study of Rachel Gurney with wings both arms folded over each other leaning on ledge", from the International Museum of Photography at George Eastman House
The George Eastman Museum, also referred to as ''George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography and Film'', the world's oldest museum dedicated to photography and one of the world's oldest film archives, opened to the public in 1949 in ...
. The band continued the tradition of using Roman numerals to denote the release year, MCMLXXXVIII (1988), this time appearing vertically on the album cover.
Opening the album is a cover of Mike Oldfield
Mike may refer to:
Animals
* Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum
* Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off
* Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and documen ...
's "Tubular Bells", originally made famous as the theme from the horror movie ''The Exorcist
''The Exorcist'' is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin and written for the screen by William Peter Blatty, based on his 1971 novel of the same name. It stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty W ...
''. For the track, the band sampled Lauren Roselli channeling Linda Blair's role as Regan, crying "Mother, make it stop!" It flows seamlessly into the second track on the album, the first single, " Pretty Boys And Pretty Girls". The two tracks were also remixed into a 14:25 minute extended medley version for the single.
The second single was the album's title track, "Lullaby
A lullaby (), or cradle song, is a soothing song or piece of music that is usually played for (or sung to) children (for adults see music and sleep). The purposes of lullabies vary. In some societies they are used to pass down cultural knowled ...
", featuring a galloping bassline, bagpipe drones and solo, lullaby vocal harmonies, and lush strings by a string section of 20 Juilliard
The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...
students. The song peaked at no. 27 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Chart and spent seven weeks on the chart. Over time, the track has become one of Book of Love's signature songs among their catalogue.
The band had intended to tour in the fall of 1988, but the illness of a band member delayed the tour until 1989. In late December 1988, the band played several warm up shows including N.Y.C., five dates in Texas, and Norman, Oklahoma on January 2, 1989.[
To promote ''Lullaby'', the band headlined their own Lullaby Tour of clubs in the spring of 1989 with various local acts opening in each city. The band's U.S. tour lasted for four months, with dates spanning February 23 through June 29, 1989. The band took two weeks out of their tour schedule in mid-April to remix the track "Witchcraft", and another week in May to edit the song for the next single.]
The third and final single taken from the album was "Witchcraft
Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...
" and released July 15, 1989. It was the only single from the album that failed to make the Billboard charts. The track samples the classic 60's TV series ''Bewitched
''Bewitched'' is an American fantasy sitcom television series that originally aired for eight seasons on ABC from September 17, 1964, to March 25, 1972. It is about a witch who marries an ordinary mortal man and vows to lead the life of a typic ...
'', and also contains a chant of names of the witches/characters from the show..."Enchantra, Endora, Tabitha, Esmerelda, Clara, Hagatha". The song features quirky deadpan rap-style vocals from Susan Ottaviano, Jade Lee, and Lauren Roselli, incanting the ingredients for a love potion. When performing the song on the Lullaby Tour, the band donned witches' hats, making it a fan favorite of the band's live shows.
In 1990, the album track "With A Little Love" was re-recorded and remixed by Ben Grosse
Ben Grosse is an American record producer and mixer, known for his signature sound involving metal and hard rock music. Grosse has mixed and produced numerous albums for popular artists such as Dream Theater, Marilyn Manson, Sevendust, Disturbe ...
, and released on the "Alice Everyday" single as the '1990 Version'. The new version is more synthesized, and omits the cathedral organ altogether, as well as the female vocal part of "love, love, love" in the midsection.
Reflecting on the album in 2009, Ted Ottaviano stated, "Everyone deems our first album as 'our moment', but ''Lullaby'' was our only CHR record. We had the most fanfare with our second album as well as our biggest tour. Our own tour, in fact."..."I remember the plane ride home from Berlin to New York, after having mixed the album at Hansa, after six months of being in this ''Lullaby''-bubble, working on the album day and night. I was sitting there in my seat, listening to the finished album on my Walkman
Walkman, stylised as , is a brand of portable audio players manufactured and marketed by Japanese technology company Sony since 1979. The original Walkman was a portable cassette player and its popularity made "walkman" an unofficial term for ...
, thinking, 'I'm not sure if we got it.' There was something so unbelievably pure and instinctually simple about the first album. There were growing pains with ''Lullaby''."
In 2009, ''Lullaby'' was remastered and reissued by Collector's Choice/Noble Rot Records. The reissue featured five bonus rare remixes (most appearing on CD for the first time): "Pretty Girls And Pretty Boys" (Extended Mix), "Tubular Bells"/" Pretty Boys And Pretty Girls" (Regan's House Medley), "Lullaby
A lullaby (), or cradle song, is a soothing song or piece of music that is usually played for (or sung to) children (for adults see music and sleep). The purposes of lullabies vary. In some societies they are used to pass down cultural knowled ...
" (Pleasant Dream Mix), "Witchcraft
Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...
" (Extended Mix), and "Enchantra" (a b-side utilizing vocal parts from "Witchcraft").
Release and reception
''Lullaby'' was released on June 21, 1988, with ten tracks, featuring "a polished collection of well-crafted pop songs". ''Lullaby'' spent ten weeks on the ''Billboard'' 200, peaking at No. 156, the highest album placement of their career. Three singles were culled from the album: " Pretty Boys And Pretty Girls" in 1988, and "Lullaby
A lullaby (), or cradle song, is a soothing song or piece of music that is usually played for (or sung to) children (for adults see music and sleep). The purposes of lullabies vary. In some societies they are used to pass down cultural knowled ...
" and "Witchcraft
Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...
" in 1989.
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 ...
gave the album an editor rating of 2.5 stars out of 5, with William Ruhlmann's critique on the choice of producer, "Producer Flood (of Depeche Mode fame) brought his ominous, beat-heavy approach to the group's already street-smart disco persona, with the result that tracks like " Pretty Boys And Pretty Girls" had an urgency lacking on the more pop-oriented debut. This was not, however, the way to break Book of Love beyond the dance clubs, and ''Lullaby'' did little to advance their career."[
'']PopMatters
''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...
'' gave the reissue of ''Lullaby'' a 7/10, a tie score with their eponymous debut, ''Book of Love''. Associate Music Editor Christel Loar noted, "By the release of 1988’s ''Lullaby'', Book of Love’s signature sound had been distilled into pure sonic silver, and nowhere was this more apparent than on the opening track, a remake of “Tubular Bells”, the theme from ''The Exorcist
''The Exorcist'' is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin and written for the screen by William Peter Blatty, based on his 1971 novel of the same name. It stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty W ...
''."[
]
Track listing
Personnel
* Jade Lee – Keyboards, percussion, vocals
* Susan Ottaviano – Vocals
* Ted Ottaviano – Keyboards, programming, vocals (lead vocals on "With A Little Love")
* Lauren Roselli – Keyboards, vocals
Additional personnel:
* Produced by Flood
A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...
& Ted Ottaviano
* Mixed by Alan Meyerson
* "Melt My Heart" & "Champagne Wishes" mixed by Flood
A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...
* Mastered by Jack Skinner at Sterling Sound
* Engineers: Mike Rogers, MacDonald Quayle, Jeff Lord-Alge
* Assistant Engineers: Kieran Walsh, Bill Mansfield, Moses Schneider, Claudio Ordenes
* Recorded at D+D Recording and Unique Recording, NYC, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, NYC
* Mixed at Hansa Tonstudio
Hansa Tonstudio is a recording studio located in the Kreuzberg district of Berlin, Germany. The studio, famous for its Meistersaal recording hall, is situated approximately 150 metres from the former Berlin Wall, giving rise to its former nickna ...
s, Berlin and Ground Control, Los Angeles
* Bagpipes on "Lullaby" by Roger Parsons
* Strings on "Lullaby" conducted by Michelle DiBucci
* Art Direction and Design: Nick Egan
Nick Egan (born 4 July 1957 in London, England) is a visual design artist and director of music videos, commercials and film. He graduated from the Watford College of Art and Design with a DGA in 1976. While attending college, he created cover ...
assisted by Tracy Veal
* Cover Photograph: "Cupid Considering" by Julia Margaret Cameron, 1872. International Museum of Photography at George Eastman House
The George Eastman Museum, also referred to as ''George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography and Film'', the world's oldest museum dedicated to photography and one of the world's oldest film archives, opened to the public in 1949 in ...
* Book Of Love photographed by David LaChappelle
David LaChapelle (born March 11, 1963) is an American photographer, music video director and film director. He is best known for his work in fashion, photography, which often references art history and sometimes conveys social messages. His pho ...
* Clothing by Jeffrey Costello
Reissue credits:
*Reissue Executive Producer: Gordon Anderson
*Liner Notes: Michael Paoletta
*Mastered by: Bob Fisher
*Thanks to: Mark Pinkus and Dave Kapp
*Management: Michael Pagnotta for Reach Media
Chart positions
Album
Singles
"—" denotes a release that did not chart.
References
External links
*
*
*
Official Book of Love discography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lullaby (Book of Love album)
1988 albums
Book of Love (band) albums
Sire Records albums