''Raindancing'' is the second solo studio album by English singer
Alison Moyet, released on 6 April 1987 by
CBS Records CBS Records may refer to:
* CBS Records or CBS/Sony, former name of Sony Music, a global record company
* CBS Records International, label for Columbia Records recordings released outside North America from 1962 to 1990
* CBS Records (2006), founde ...
.
It reached 2 on the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...
and features the singles "
Is This Love?", "
Weak in the Presence of Beauty", "
Ordinary Girl" and "
Sleep Like Breathing". In the United States, ''Raindancing'' was released by
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 different cover art and a reordered track listing.
Largely produced by
Jimmy Iovine
James Iovine ( ; ; born March 11, 1953) is an American entrepreneur, record executive, and media proprietor best known as the co-founder of Interscope Records. In 2006, Iovine and rapper-producer Dr. Dre founded Beats Electronics, which produces ...
, the album includes contributions from various session musicians such as
T. M. Stevens
Thomas Michael "T. M." Stevens (born July 28, 1951) is an American bass guitarist from New York City. Stevens has worked with an array of rock, R&B, and pop acts as a session musician, and also leads his own groups and works as a solo performer ...
,
Omar Hakim
Omar Hakim (born February 12, 1959) is an American jazz, jazz fusion and pop music drummer, producer, arranger and composer. He has worked with Weather Report, David Bowie, Foo Fighters, Sting, Madonna, Dire Straits, Bryan Ferry, Journey, Kate ...
and
Herb Alpert
Herb Alpert (born March 31, 1935) is an American trumpeter who led the band Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in the 1960s. During the same decade, he co-founded A&M Records with Jerry Moss. Alpert has recorded 28 albums that have landed on the ...
.
A deluxe edition of ''Raindancing'' was released on 25 November 2016 by
BMG.
Background
Following the release of her successful debut album ''
Alf'', Moyet decided to move to Los Angeles, where she stayed for nearly a year. The move to the United States had been prompted by Moyet's manager, who himself had found work there for a year and suggested she relocate there too. Once settled in Los Angeles, Moyet's manager enlisted
Jimmy Iovine
James Iovine ( ; ; born March 11, 1953) is an American entrepreneur, record executive, and media proprietor best known as the co-founder of Interscope Records. In 2006, Iovine and rapper-producer Dr. Dre founded Beats Electronics, which produces ...
to produce the majority of the ''Raindancing'' album.
The majority of songs that would appear on the album had already been written back in England. For some of these songs, Moyet teamed up with guitarist Rick Driscoll and keyboardist Jess Bailey. "
Is This Love?" was co-written with
David A. Stewart
David Allan Stewart (born 9 September 1952) is an English musician, songwriter and record producer, best known for Eurythmics, his successful professional partnership with Annie Lennox. Sometimes credited as David A. Stewart, he won Best British ...
of
Eurythmics
Eurythmics were a British pop duo consisting of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart. They were both previously in The Tourists, a band which broke up in 1980. The duo released their first studio album, '' In the Garden'', in 1981 to little succ ...
while Moyet was living in Los Angeles. As a friend of Iovine's, Stewart had called into the studio to see Iovine, who suggested he and Moyet write a song together. To avoid problems with his publishers, Stewart's contribution was disguised under the pseudonym Jean Guiot.
"
Sleep Like Breathing" was written by
David Freeman and Joseph Hughes of
The Lover Speaks
The Lover Speaks were an English new wave duo consisting of David Freeman (vocals) and Joseph Hughes (arranger, composer). They wrote and sang the original version of the song " No More "I Love You's"", covered by Annie Lennox in 1995 on her ...
. The duo contributed three songs to the ''Raindancing'' sessions, though only "Sleep Like Breathing" would be included on the album. "
Weak in the Presence of Beauty" was written by Michael Ward and Rob Clarke, and originally recorded by their band
Floy Joy in 1986. Moyet chose to record her own version of the song for the album, but would later reveal that she only recorded it because she knew it would be a hit.
''Raindancing'' was released in April 1987. Continuing her success in the United Kingdom, the album reached No. 2 and remained on the chart for 53 weeks.
In America, the album peaked at No. 94, faring less well commercially than ''Alf''.
Across Europe and elsewhere, the album was a commercial success. It topped the charts in both New Zealand and Norway.
The album also spawned four singles. The lead single "Is This Love?" was released in November 1986 and reached No. 3 in the UK, while becoming a hit across Europe and beyond.
However, the single failed to chart in the US where it was released in March 1987. "Weak in the Presence of Beauty" was the album's second single, released in February 1987. It reached No. 6 in the UK and was also another hit elsewhere.
It was released as a single in America in August 1987 but failed to chart. "Ordinary Girl", the album's third single, was less successful commercially when released in May 1987, peaking at No. 43 in the UK and No. 22 in Ireland.
The final single was Sleep Like Breathing", a duet with
David Freeman. It peaked at No. 80 in the UK after being released in September 1987.
To promote the album, Moyet embarked on her only world tour. Although successful, Moyet would later describe the tour as "lack-lustre", while noting that it signalled her breakdown with her label CBS.
In 1988, the success of the album contributed to Moyet receiving her second Brit Award for Best British Female Solo Artist. Despite the success of ''Raindancing'', Moyet later revealed she was not happy with the album's American sound. Later recalling the album's period in 2007, Moyet felt that using an American producer and giving much control to engineers was a "bad move". Writing for her website, Moyet recalled: "I do like some of the songs but the conception of them was all wrong... what was written as jangly, English irony got the American session, pop treatment. I didn't involve myself in the 'sound'. I was driving on cruise control. It was made and not felt."
Critical reception
Upon release, ''
Smash Hits
''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand fo ...
'' said: "Ever since she made her first solo LP, ''Alf'', Alison Moyet has been slagging it off for being a bit of a middle-of-the-road coffee table record, so it's surprising that ''Raindancing'' isn't really that different. There's less roaring singing and less emphasis on being intensely 'soulful' but these are still 10 fairly polite pop songs. Not that it's bad – most of it is in the same chug-along vein as the two singles, but it'd be nice if it didn't all sound so safe and predictable. The best songs, 'Ordinary Girl' and 'Stay', are, oddly enough, the two which sound rather like Yazoo."
American magazine ''
Cash Box
''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...
'' commented: "Moyet's disarmingly plaintive vocals haunt this inviting Jimmy Iovine production."
Barry Walters of ''
Spin
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
'' wrote: "Enter the American mega-mainstream FM guru Jimmy Iovine to tip the scales on her new ''Raindancing''. Gone for most part are the R&B grooves. Although synths still rule, there's nothing remotely Yaz-tech about them. Even when funk occasionally surfaces, as on 'You Got Me Wrong,' it's hammered out with an American rock drum sound that's pure MTV. There's a tangible effort to push Moyet into the 'til Tuesday camp of semisweet pop, especially on 'Weak in the Presence of Beauty'. But most of the originals triumph through Moyet's intimate presence, both as an intelligent songwriter and an anguised voice one never tires of."
''
Musician
A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wri ...
'' stated: "Unlike its synth-smart predecessor, ''Raindancing'' lacks the instant appeal of Swain & Jolley's intellectualized dance music. But though the performances here take a bit more patience to appreciate, they're no less rewarding; if anything, Moyet's interpretive gifts have grown, and Jimmy Iovine's understated production takes pains not to get in the way. Which is why the likes of 'Sleep Like Breathing' or 'Weak in the Presence of Beauty' hold such lasting allure."
Jonathan Butler of ''
People
A person (plural, : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of pr ...
'' said: "Moyet's solo career has been like one of those baffling marriages in which you adore the wife but can't figure out what she sees in her oafish husband. It's hard to resist the British singer, who has a captivating voice, gracious, full-bodied and colored with a coppery glow. But it's easy to question some of her career choices. On both her solo records, her producers have dragged her out of her element and into the treacherous waters of corny pop sentiment. They mismatch her with too-fast beats that make Moyet sound frowsy and pedestrian."
''Bombay: The City Magazine'' stated: "''Alf'' saw the last trace of Vince Clark influence as ex-Yazoo vocalist Alison Moyet set out on her own. ''Raindancing'' turns to others like Paul Young and Pet Shop Boys, to provide some breath-taking moments as Moyet strikes a balance between stand-off chic and espresso-warm emotions. And if ''Raindancing'' is outstanding for other reasons, they are simple: It has nothing to do with Only You."
''
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 ...
'' stated: "New disk, laced with a high-gloss sheen by Iovine, may produce the knockout for her. Silken single, 'Is This Love?' shows off her robust pipes well, but radio should also pounce on 'When I Say (No Giveaway)' and 'Weak in the Presence of Beauty.'"
In a review of the 2016 deluxe edition of ''Raindancing'', Helena Adams of the music website Reflections of Darkness commented: "The purpose of ''Raindancing'' was clear: to establish Alison Moyet as the pop star across the big pond. ''Raindancing'' is a continuation of the 80s dance-disco beats that indeed, parades much more production that parlays with the synthetic. ''Raindancing'' fits the bar of commercial albums back then, the overproduction provides it with a poppy freshness that ''Alf'' lacked."
Josh Lee of ''
Attitude
Attitude may refer to:
Philosophy and psychology
* Attitude (psychology), an individual's predisposed state of mind regarding a value
* Metaphysics of presence
* Propositional attitude, a relational mental state connecting a person to a pro ...
'' stated: "Big choruses that demand to be sung along to don't come more insistent than "Is This Love?" and "Weak in the Presence of Beauty but their singer wasn't as enthralled by the album as her fans." ''
Gay Times
''Gay Times'' (stylized in all caps), also known as ''Gay Times Magazine'' and as ''GT'', is a UK-based LGBTQ+ media brand established in 1975. Originally a magazine for gay and bisexual men, the company now includes content for the LGBTQ+ commu ...
'' writer Darren Howard wrote: "It's not that it's a bad album, it's just not very 'Moyet' in places. Having said that, it does contain the almighty 'Is This Love' and the beautiful 'Ordinary Girl' which both show Alison at her best."
Track listing
Personnel
* See InfoBox for full producer listing
* Associate Producer:
Mike Shipley
Michael Shipley (6 October 1956 – 25 July 2013) was an Australian mixing engineer, audio engineer, and record producer. Shipley's music career spanned more than 30 years – mostly working in Los Angeles. At the Grammy Awards of 2012 he ...
* Recorded & Engineered By Joe Chiccarelli,
John Fryer John Fryer may refer to:
*John Fryer (physician) (died 1563), English physician, humanist and early reformer
*John Fryer (physician, died 1672), English physician
*John Fryer (travel writer) (1650–1733), British travel-writer and doctor
*Sir John ...
, Robert de la Garza & Mark Desisto
* Mixed By Jess Bailey, Alison Moyet,
Scott Litt
Scott Warren Litt (born March 10, 1954) is an American record producer who mostly works with artists in the alternative rock genre and is best known for producing six R.E.M. albums in the late 1980s and early to mid-1990s during the band's most su ...
, Mike Shipley &
Humberto Gatica
Humberto Gatica is a Chilean-born American recording engineer, mixing engineer and record producer, best known for his work with Celine Dion, Chicago, Michael Jackson, Barbra Streisand, Andrea Bocelli, Josh Groban and Michael Bublé. Gatica's inter ...
* Mastered By Vladimir "Vlado" Meller
* Richard Houghton – sleeve photography
* Rob O'Connor (
Stylorouge Stylorouge is a graphic design studio based in Yalding, Kent, formed in London by creative director Rob O'Connor in 1981.
Art work created by the studio has included record sleeve designs for bands such as Siouxsie and the Banshees for their 1981' ...
) – design, art direction
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
Bibliography
*
{{Authority control
1987 albums
Albums produced by David A. Stewart
Albums produced by Jimmy Iovine
Alison Moyet albums
CBS Records albums
Columbia Records albums