''The Official Secrets Act'' is
M's second album, released in 1980 on
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 Gottehre ...
. The track "Official Secrets" was released as a single and charted in the
UK at No. 64 in November 1980. The follow-up single was "Keep It To Yourself". The track "Maniac" featured
Level 42
Level 42 is an English jazz-funk band formed on the Isle of Wight in 1979. They had a number of UK and worldwide hits during the 1980s and 1990s.
Their highest-charting single in the UK was " Lessons in Love", which reached number three on th ...
members
Phil Gould on drums and
Mark King on bass.
The album title is a reference to the various UK
Official Secrets Acts.
Track listing
LP: MCF 3085
Side one
# "Transmission (The World Is at Your Fingertips)" – 4:30
# "Join the Party" – 3:39
# "Working for the Corporation" – 3:35
# "Your Country Needs You" – 3:20
# "M'aider" – 5:26
Side two
# "Relax" – 3:42
# "Maniac" – 3:22
# "Keep it to Yourself" – 3:34
# "Abracadabra" – 2:51
# "Official Secrets" – 6:03
1997 Westside CD Reissue: WESM 502
# "Transmission" – 4:30
# "Join the Party" – 3:39
# "Working for the Corporation" – 3:35
# "Your Country Needs You" – 3:20
# "Mayday" – 5:26
# "Relax" – 3:42
# "Maniac" – 3:22
# "Keep it to Yourself" – 3:34
# "Abracadabra" – 2:51
(1)
# "Official Secrets" – 6:03
# "Abracadabra (Sunset–Sunrise Mix) – 2:51
# "Danube" – 3:33
(1)
# "The Wedding Dance" – 3:37
(1)
# "Mambo La" – 2:29
(2)
# "Don't Believe What the Papers Say" – 1:12
# "The Bride of Fortune" – 4:20
(3)
All tracks written by Robin Scott except,
(1) "Abracadabra", "Danube" & "The Wedding Dance" written by Scott/Novik
(2) "Mambo La" written by Unknown
(3) "The Bride of Fortune" written by Scott/Westwood
Personnel
*Robin Scott - vocals, guitar
*Brigit Vinchon - vocals
*David Vorhaus,
Wally Badarou
Waliou Jacques Daniel Isheola "Wally" Badarou (born 22 March 1955) is a French musician. Born in France with ancestry from Benin, West Africa, Badarou is known for his close association with the English group Level 42, and for his prolific work ...
- synthesizer
*Julian Scott - bass guitar
*
Philip Gould
Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...
- drums
*
Mark King - guitar, drums; bass on "Maniac"
*
Gary Barnacle
Gary Barnacle (born 1959 in Dover, England) is an English saxophonist, flautist, brass instrument arranger, composer, and producer. Barnacle is primarily noted for his session work and live work, including various Prince's Trust concerts a ...
- saxophone
with:
*Paddy Keenan - Uilleann pipes on "Keep It to Yourself"
*
Dónal Lunny
Dónal Lunny (born 10 March 1947) is an Irish folk musician and producer. He plays left-handed guitar and bouzouki, as well as keyboards and bodhrán. As a founding member of popular bands Planxty, The Bothy Band, Moving Hearts, Coolfin, Mozai ...
- arrangement on "Keep It to Yourself"
*
Bill Whelan
Bill Whelan (born 22 May 1950 in Limerick, Ireland) is an Irish composer and musician. He is best known for composing a piece for the interval of the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest. The result, ''Riverdance'', was a seven-minute display of tradi ...
- arrangements on "Relax" and "Official Secrets"
*The Dublin Symphony Orchestra - orchestra on "Relax" and "Official Secrets"; Audrey Parkes - leader
*Billy Brown, Brigit Vinchon, Deidre Costello, Denis Blackham, Des Smith, John Keogh, Mog Aherne, Robin Scott - vocals and whistling on "Working for The Corporation"
;Technical
*Dave Aston, Denis Blackham, Philip Begley - engineer
*
Peter Ashworth
Peter Ashworth is an English photographer. Ashworth initially specialized in music photography, between 1979 and 2000. In the 1980s, he worked with many UK artists including The Smiths, Depeche Mode, Eurythmics, Soft Cell, Jimmy Page and The A ...
- front cover photography
References
1980 albums
M (band) albums
MCA Records albums
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