Small Change (Prism album)
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''Small Change'' is the fifth
studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
by Canadian
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band
Prism Prism usually refers to: * Prism (optics), a transparent optical component with flat surfaces that refract light * Prism (geometry), a kind of polyhedron Prism may also refer to: Science and mathematics * Prism (geology), a type of sedimentary ...
, released in December 1981 by
Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...
. It was the first of two Prism studio albums with lead vocalist Henry Small, who had replaced Ron Tabak after his forced departure and the last studio album to feature guitarist and founding member
Lindsay Mitchell Lindsay Christopher Mitchell (born 28 May 1949) is an English-born Canadian musician and songwriter who achieved success as the guitarist and founder of the Canadian rock band Prism. Early life Born on May 28, 1949 in North London, England, Mit ...
. The album is generally regarded as the genesis of the smoother, more adult-oriented sound of the band's later work. The album peaked at No. 53 on the ''
Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of art ...
''. On release, the album was received favorably by the majority of music critics, although it was criticized for being too commercial. This was a departure from the band's early
arena rock Arena rock (also known as AOR, melodic rock, stadium rock, anthem rock, pomp rock, corporate rock and dad rock; ; ) is a style of rock music that originated in the mid-1970s. As hard rock bands and those playing a softer yet strident kind of po ...
roots and opinions became much more negative in subsequent decades. Regardless of the criticism, ''Small Change'' became Prism's most commercially successful studio album on the ''Billboard 200'' and it was their first and only album to the make the Top 100. The lead single, " Don't Let Him Know", inspired by the
Kim Carnes Kim Carnes (; born July 20, 1945) is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, she began her career as a songwriter in the 1960s, writing for other artists while performing in local clubs and working as a sess ...
song "
Bette Davis Eyes "Bette Davis Eyes" is a song written and composed by Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon in 1974. It was originally recorded by DeShannon in that year for her album '' New Arrangement'' but it was made popular by American singer Kim Carnes in 1981 wh ...
", was written by
Jim Vallance James Douglas Vallance (born May 31, 1952) is a Canadian songwriter, arranger and producer. He is best known as the songwriting partner of Canadian musician Bryan Adams. Vallance began his professional career as the original drummer and main song ...
, using his real name instead of the pseudonym Rodney Higgs that he used on previous Prism studio albums, and
Bryan Adams Bryan Guy Adams (born 5 November 1959) is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, composer, and photographer. He has been cited as one of the best-selling music artists of all time, and is estimated to have sold between 75 million and mor ...
. It became Prism's first and only Top 40 hit in the US and went on to peak at number-one on the ''Billboard''
Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock is a music chart in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in Ma ...
chart in 1982. It stayed in the charts for just over four months. The follow-up single, " Turn On Your Radar", was their fifth and final single to chart, peaking at No. 64 on the ''
Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...
''. ''Small Change'' went on to achieve Gold status in Canada (in excess of 50,000 copies sold).


Cover artwork

The album cover depicts
Norman Rockwell Norman Percevel Rockwell (February 3, 1894 – November 8, 1978) was an American painter and illustrator. His works have a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of Culture of the United States, the country's culture. Roc ...
's 1954 painting, ''Girl at Mirror''. Additionally, the single releases of the songs "Don't Let Him Know" and "Turn On Your Radar" used the same image of the painting.


Background

As the band were thinking about recording their follow-up to the poorly received commercial disappointment '' Young and Restless'' in December 1980, Ron Tabak was fired. Various reasons have been cited, including his conflicts with other band members, several run-ins with the law and/or a lack of songwriting ability. A new lead vocalist Henry Small was brought in and the new four-piece line-up (Small/Mitchell/Harlow/Norton) recorded the album ''Small Change'' in the summer of 1981, which was released later in the year. Keyboardist John Hall departed the band early on during the sessions for the album. By the beginning of 1982, Mitchell, Harlow and Norton had left Prism. With Mitchell's departure, Prism now had no original members left.


Critical reception

Reviewing retrospectively for
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 ...
, critic Mike DeGagne wrote of the album "Prism substituted its vigorous rock & roll sound for a more refined blend of soft rock amiability, which paid off to some extent." He added that "The vocals are toned down, the extravagance of the horns and synthesizers are absent and the songs reflect a more adult-oriented feel."


Track listing


Personnel

Credits are adapted from the ''Small Change'' liner notes. Prism * Henry Small –
lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...
*
Lindsay Mitchell Lindsay Christopher Mitchell (born 28 May 1949) is an English-born Canadian musician and songwriter who achieved success as the guitarist and founder of the Canadian rock band Prism. Early life Born on May 28, 1949 in North London, England, Mit ...
 –
guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
* Rocket Norton –
drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
* Al Harlow –
bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...
Additional musicians * Jimmy Phillips –
keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...
*
Randy Hansen Randy Hansen (born December 8, 1954) is an American guitarist best known for his "Rock Tribute Act" honoring Jimi Hendrix.Norton Buffalo Phillip Jackson (September 28, 1951 – October 30, 2009), best known as Norton Buffalo, was an American singer-songwriter, country and blues harmonica player, record producer, bandleader and recording artist who was a versatile proponent of ...
 –
harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...
* Alvin Taylor – drums,
percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...
*
Reggie McBride Reggie McBride (born September 17, 1954) is an American bass player. Biography McBride was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, United States; listening to Motown records, he began to play bass at the age of 8. At the age of 14, he played in ...
 – bass guitar * Don Francisco –
backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...
*
Shirley Matthews Shirley Matthews (1942 – January 2013) was a Canadian pop singer. Matthews sang in a church choir and at high school dances prior to embarking on a career in music. She worked in a Bell Telephone office while singing nights at the Club Bluenot ...
 – backing vocals * Paulette Brown – backing vocals * Cleopatra Kennedy – backing vocals Production and artwork * John S. Carter – producer * Warren Dewey –
engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...
* Roy Kohara –
art direction Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and unify the visi ...
* James O'Mara –
photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employed ...


Sales chart performance

Album – ''
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 ...
'' (North America) Singles – ''Billboard'' (North America)


References

* https://musiccanada.com/gold-platinum/?_paged=772


External links

* {{Authority control 1981 albums Albums with cover art by Norman Rockwell Prism (band) albums Capitol Records albums