''Secret Secrets'' is the ninth studio album by British singer-songwriter

Joan Armatrading Joan Anita Barbara Armatrading, (, born 9 December 1950) is a Kittitian-English singer-songwriter and guitarist. A three-time Grammy Award nominee, Armatrading has also been nominated twice for BRIT Awards as Best Female Artist. She received ...

, released on 4 February 1985 by A&M (AMA 5040). The album was recorded and mixed at Battery Studios (previously known as

Morgan Studios Morgan Studios (founded as Morgan Sound Studios) was an independent recording studio in Willesden in northwest London. Founded in 1967, the studio was the location for recordings by such notable artists as Jethro Tull, the Kinks, Paul McCartney, ...

), in

Willesden Willesden () is an area of northwest London, situated 5 miles (8 km) northwest of Charing Cross. It is historically a parish in the county of Middlesex that was incorporated as the Municipal Borough of Willesden in 1933, and has formed ...

, London. It reached number 14 on the UK Album Chart and was certified Silver by the

British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with th ...

for sales in excess of 60,000 copies. The album peaked at number 18 in Australia. The album had little success with singles, with its only charting hit, "Temptation", stalling at no.65 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

Background

The producer for ''Secret Secrets'' was

Mike Howlett Michael John Gilmour Howlett (born 27 April 1950) is a record producer and teacher based in the United Kingdom and Australia. Career In the late 1960s, Howlett was the bassist in Sydney pop band the Affair, which included vocalist Kerrie Bidde ...

, who had previous success producing for bands such as OMD,

China Crisis China Crisis are an English new wave and synth-pop band. They were formed in 1979 in Kirkby, near Liverpool, Merseyside with a core of lead vocalist and keyboardist Gary Daly and guitarist Eddie Lundon. Initially a politically charged post-pun ...

and

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

Alex Sadkin Alex Sadkin (April 9, 1949July 25, 1987) was an American record producer, engineer, mixer and mastering engineer. Sadkin grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida across the street from Bennett Elementary School, and played saxophone in Sunrise Junio ...

, who had produced three albums with

Grace Jones Grace Beverly Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a model, singer and actress. Born in Jamaica, she and her family moved to Syracuse, New York, when she was a teenager. Jones began her modelling career in New York state, then in Paris, working for ...

, was approached but he was not available at the time.Mayes, p. 133 ''Secret Secrets'' was the last album for which Armatrading worked with a producer as she has produced all subsequent albums herself. At the time of this album's release, Armatrading was having her own studio built in the grounds of her home, and she eventually named it Bumpkin Studio. Armatrading arranged all the songs on this album herself, since during this time she was increasingly taking control of most aspects of her music. Howlett felt that Armatrading did not in fact really need a producer, except in the area of recording vocals, as this was "always a difficult process to do oneself". In ''The Faber Companion to 20th Century Popular Music'', Phil Hardy and Dave Laing commented that the album showed "a stronger rock influence" than many of her previous ones, particularly on tracks like "Persona Grata", and this is unsurprising given the involvement of Howlett. Originally, Howlett had wanted Armatrading "to head much more back towards ''

'' – her third studio album and a much more

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

and

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

influenced one, and an album which he described as his "favourite". The musicians for ''Secret Secrets'' were chosen by Armatrading and Howlett, and the idea to have a brass section on the album came from Joe Jackson, another A&M artist who was brought in to play on the track "Love By You". The album's photography was done by "celebrated New York photographer"

Robert Mapplethorpe Robert Michael Mapplethorpe (; November 4, 1946 – March 9, 1989) was an American photographer, best known for his black-and-white photographs. His work featured an array of subjects, including celebrity portraits, male and female nudes, self-p ...

and shows Armatrading wearing a dress for the first time. Allmusic's Dave Connolly notes that using Mapplethorpe for the cover photograph "took some guts on Armatrading's part".

The songs

According to Armatrading's unofficial biographer Sean Mayes, "Persona Grata" is reminiscent of "some of the rock epics of the Seventies"Mayes, p. 134 – a big, melodic and fully orchestrated song, showcasing Armatrading's vocals. "Temptation" (released in February 1985) and "Thinking Man" (released in May 1985) came out as singles but did not reach the Top 40, though in the opinion of Allmusic's Dave Connolly they are "as catchy as "

Drop the Pilot "Drop the Pilot" is a song written and originally performed by Joan Armatrading. It was the first single to be released from Armatrading's 1983 album '' The Key'', and was her third and (to date) final UK top 40 hit. It reached number 11 in the ...

" her Top 20 hit from her previous album '' The Key''. "Moves" features a rare piece of blues harmonica playing from Armatrading. "Talking to the Wall" is a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

influenced song, and Armatrading said of it: "I wanted to create something romantic … that you can close your eyes to and just listen." The ballad "Love By You" featured piano by Joe Jackson, as Armatrading chose not to play piano herself on this album. The songs "One Night" and "Strange" are slow-tempo ballads, "Strange" being described by Dave Connolly as "luminous". The title song "Secret Secrets" has influences of

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

and Armatrading admitted to her biographer

Sean Mayes Charles Thomas Sean Mayes (17 March 1945 – 12 July 1995) was a British pianist and writer. Born in Stone Allerton, Somerset, Mayes was schooled in Bristol. He won a place at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he obtained a degree in philosophy. ...

that the song was about her.

Reception

The album was a commercial success for Armatrading – making it to number 14 in the UK album chart and number 73 in the US, though it produced no hit singles. Some critics praised many of the songs featured on the album but were of the opinion that the album as a whole marked a slight downturn from Armatrading's previous work, citing "over-production" as one of the reasons. Dave Connolly of

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 ...

described the album as "very good … nd… more mature and upbeat". He gave the album a star rating of 3 out of 5. The album received a star rating of 4 out of 5 on discogs Eleanor Levy, in a 1985 review for ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the ''NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in ''Re ...

'', noted that the album's lyrics "touch on the deep emotional nerve we all have hiding away", that ''Secret Secrets'' is "a cleanly produced, lovingly created album" and that Armatrading "sings like she means it". Hugh Fielder, in a 1985 review for ''

Sounds In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...

'' magazine, referred to the album as " a consummate, sensitive offering" and noted that there were "moments when the piercing shafts of lyrical insight make you shiver with discomfort". He singled out the "mature anguish" of the ballads "One Night" and "Love By You" for particular mention, noting that Armatrading's lyrics "still burn".

Tour

While making the album, Armatrading and Howlett auditioned musicians for the tour. The eventual line-up was Steve Greetham (bass), Les Davison (guitar), Alex White (keyboards), Jim Ross (saxophone, guitar and vocals), Ted Emmett (trumpet) and Mark Parnell (drums). Armatrading and her band appeared on ''Into the Music'' on both BBC2 and Radio 1 on 4 April 1985, performing songs from the album. Armatrading and her band toured for three weeks in the UK, beginning on 10 February 1985 and appearing at

Hammersmith Odeon The Hammersmith Apollo, currently called the Eventim Apollo for sponsorship reasons, and formerly known as the Hammersmith Odeon, is a live entertainment performance venue, originally built as a cinema called the Gaumont Palace. Located in Ha ...

from 1 to 6 March. The European tour began on 9 March and lasted a month. The US tour began on 1 May and included two sold-out nights at

Radio City Music Hall Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Nicknamed "The Showplac ...

and concerts at

Red Rocks Amphitheatre Red Rocks Amphitheatre (also colloquially as simply Red Rocks) is an open-air amphitheatre built into a rock structure in the Western United States, western United States, near Morrison, Colorado, west of Denver. There is a large, tilted, flyi ...

and the Ritz. The band then toured Australia for three weeks, commencing 7 June, and ended in Sydney, Australia, where Armatrading performed for six nights at the

Sydney Entertainment Centre Sydney Entertainment Centre (later known as Qantas Credit Union Arena) was a multi-purpose arena located in Haymarket, Sydney, Australia. It opened in May 1983, to replace Sydney Stadium, which had been demolished in 1970 to make way for the E ...

and was given the

key to the city The Freedom of the City (or Borough in some parts of the UK) is an honour bestowed by a municipality upon a valued member of the community, or upon a visiting celebrity or dignitary. Arising from the medieval practice of granting respected ...

.Mayes, p. 138 One of the shows was filmed and televised on BBC TV on 3 August 1985. In 1990 Australia was described as "Joan's favourite country, and one where she is adored". In September 1985 the band did a one-off live, open-air concert in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

. Armatrading and the band had been asked to perform at the 1985

Live Aid Live Aid was a multi-venue benefit concert held on Saturday 13 July 1985, as well as a music-based fundraising initiative. The original event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise further funds for relief of the 1983–1985 fami ...

concert but had been double-booked and so could not do it. Steve Greetham commented in 1990: "some of the shows I did with Joan were among the best shows I've ever done with anybody in my whole life",Mayes, p. 137 citing the concerts at Red Rocks and Tel Aviv as "really memorable".

Track listing

All songs written and arranged by Joan Armatrading.

Side 1

#"Persona Grata" – 4:44 #"Temptation" – 4:03 #"Moves" – 4:12 #"Talking to the Wall" – 4:31 #"Love By You" – 3:13

Side 2

#"Thinking Man" – 4:05 #"Friends Not Lovers" – 4:00 #"One Night" – 4:59 #"Secret Secrets" – 3:28 #"Strange" – 3:52

Personnel

Musicians

*Joan Armatrading – vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica * David Rhodes – acoustic and electric guitar *

Alan Murphy Alan Murphy (18 November 1953 – 19 October 1989) was a British rock session guitarist, best remembered for his collaborations with Kate Bush and Go West. In 1988, he joined the jazz-funk band Level 42 as a full-time band member, and played wi ...

– rhythm guitar *

Pino Palladino Giuseppe Henry "Pino" Palladino (born 17 October 1957) is a Welsh musician, songwriter, and record producer. A prolific session bassist, he has played bass for acts such as The Who, the John Mayer Trio, Nine Inch Nails, Gary Numan, Jeff Beck ...

– bass guitar * Joe Jackson – piano *Nick Plytas – keyboards, synthesizers *

Adrian Lee Adrian Lee (born 9 September 1957, London, England) is an English musician, known especially for his brass instrumentation work with several well-known acts of the 1980s. Career Lee was first signed to Phonogram Records in the late 1970s as g ...

– synthesizers *David Bitelli – saxophone *Wesley Magoogan – saxophone *

Steve Sidwell Steven James Sidwell (born 14 December 1982) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Sidwell was a product of the Arsenal academy, and after winning two FA Youth Cups, he had constructive loan spells at Bren ...

– trumpet, flugelhorn *Paul Spong – trumpet *Rick Taylor – trombone *Raul D'Oliveira – flugelhorn lead *

Mel Gaynor Mel George Gaynor (born 29 May 1959) is a British drummer, best known as the longtime drummer for the rock band Simple Minds. Biography Gaynor was born to a Jamaican father and an Afro-Brazilian mother. He began drumming at age 11 and had ...

– drums & timpani

Production Team

*Producer: Mike Howlett *Engineer: Bryan "Chuck" New *Assistant Engineers: Jon Hallett & Stephen McLaughlin *Strings and horns arranged by Joan Armatrading *Strings orchestrated by

Fiachra Trench Fiachra Terence Wilbrah Trench (born 7 September 1941, in Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland) is an Irish musician and composer from Drogheda, County Louth, Ireland. Trench first studied Chemistry at Trinity College, Dublin, before moving on to t ...

*Horns scored by Dave Bitelli *Art Direction: Michael Ross *Design: Moira Bogue *Photography:

*Co-ordination & assistance: Tessa Pacey *Sales Representative: Mike Noble *Food: Rebecca *Management: Running Dog Management Ltd

Notes

References

*Sleeve notes: Secret Secrets, 1985, A&M Records (AMLH 64732) *Fielder, Hugh (16 February 1985) ''

'', Spotlight Publications, London *Hardy, Phil, Laing, Dave, (1990) ''The Faber Companion to 20th Century Popular Music'', Faber & Faber, London. *Levy, Eleanor (2 February 1985) ''

'', Spotlight Publications, London * Mayes, Sean (1990). ''Joan Armatrading – A Biography (unauthorised)''. Weidenfeld and Nicolson. . {{Authority control 1985 albums Joan Armatrading albums Albums produced by Mike Howlett A&M Records albums Albums recorded at Morgan Sound Studios