''North Coast'' is an album by the Cleveland based

Michael Stanley Band Michael Stanley (born Michael Stanley Gee; March 25, 1948 – March 5, 2021) was an American singer-songwriter, musician, radio and television personality. Both as a solo artist and with the Michael Stanley Band (MSB), his brand of heartland r ...

which was released in 1981. It reached No. 79 on the

Billboard charts The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in '' Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, p ...

and included the hit ''Falling in Love Again'' which reached No. 64 on the ''Billboard'' hot singles list. It was the second album for the group on

EMI America EMI America Records was started in 1978 by EMI as a second US label next to Capitol Records. It absorbed Liberty Records in 1984. In the late 1980s, EMI America was consolidated with Manhattan Records to form EMI Manhattan Records, which lat ...

. The album's title refers to Cleveland, Ohio's "North Coast", which is the city's lakefront district. Stanley also used the term to portray Cleveland as its own "coast," separate from the East Coast and West Coast of the U.S.

Album origin

Following the success of ''

Heartland Heartland or Heartlands may refer to: Businesses and organisations * Heartland Bank, a New Zealand-based financial institution * Heartland Inn, a chain of hotels based in Iowa, United States * Heartland Alliance, an anti-poverty organization i ...

'', the band gathered at the Suma Recording studios in Cleveland, Ohio to record another collection of "solid rock" tunes, as Stanley put it. The album was produced by

Eddie Kramer Edwin H. Kramer (born 19 April 1942) is a British recording producer and engineer. He has collaborated with several artists now in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, including Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, David Bowie, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin ...

, who worked with

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Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

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, and

the Jimi Hendrix Experience James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

, and was mixed at the

Electric Lady Studios Electric Lady Studios is a recording studio in Greenwich Village, New York City. It was commissioned by rock musician Jimi Hendrix in 1968 and designed by architect John Storyk and audio engineer Eddie Kramer by 1970. Hendrix spent only ten ...

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, New York City. Reviewers and Stanley himself claimed the album best approximated how the band sounds when it is performing in concert.

The songs

The album opens with ''In the Heartland,'' Stanley's ode to the life of a typical midwestern American. This was also a nod to the band's previous album,

. This was followed by keyboardist

Kevin Raleigh Kevin Raleigh is an American singer and keyboardist best known for his tenure with the Michael Stanley Band. History Born in Cleveland, Ohio, on February 27, 1952, Raleigh came to local prominence in 1969 with the band Paper Sun, later known as ...

's ''When Your Heart Says It's Right,'' Stanley/Pelander's ''Somewhere in the Night,'' and Stanley's ''Heaven and Hell,'' all of which became standards at the band's performances for sold out crowds in the midwest states. One of the most ambitious tracks on the record was the New Wave-sounding ''Chemistry.'' The sole hit was "Falling in Love Again" written by Michael Stanley and keyboardist

Bob Pelander Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to: Places *Mount Bob, New York, United States *Bob Island, Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica People, fictional characters, and named animals *Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters *Bob (surname) ...

. It reached No. 64 on the ''Billboard'' charts. The B-side was "Does It Hurt". The album concludes with another blue-collar rock anthem, "Let's Hear It."

Weekly charts

Track listing

Personnel

* Michael Stanley – guitar, vocals * Gary Markasky – lead guitar * Kevin Raleigh – keyboards, vocals * Michael Gismondi – bass guitar * Tommy Dobeck – drums * Bob Pelander – keyboards, vocals * Rick Bell – saxophone

References

{{Authority control Michael Stanley Band albums 1981 albums Albums produced by Eddie Kramer EMI America Records albums