''Whatever's for Us'' is the debut album of 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 ...

. The album was a collaboration between Armatrading and singer-songwriter Pam Nestor. At the time the two were musical partners and wrote over a hundred songs together. Armatrading sings lead vocals and plays piano and acoustic guitar, while Nestor co-wrote most of the songs.

Background

''Whatever's For Us'' was produced by

Gus Dudgeon Angus Boyd "Gus" Dudgeon (30 September 1942 – 21 July 2002) was an English record producer, who oversaw many of Elton John's most acclaimed recordings, including his commercial breakthrough, "Your Song". Their collaboration led to seven US No ...

and was recorded over two weeks at

Château d'Hérouville The Château d'Hérouville is a French 18th century château located in the village of Hérouville, in the Val d'Oise département of France, near Paris. The château was built in 1740 by "Gaudot", an architect of the school of Rome, from the re ...

studios (then called Strawberry Studios), in the Oise valley, near Paris, and then at

Trident Studios Trident Studios was a British recording facility, located at 17 St Anne's Court in London's Soho district between 1968 and 1981. It was constructed in 1967 by Norman Sheffield, drummer of the 1960s group the Hunters, and his brother Barry. ...

London and

Marquee Studios The Marquee Club was a music venue first located at 165 Oxford Street in London, when it opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts. Its most famous period was from 1964 to 1988 at 90 Wardour Street in Soho, and it finally closed wh ...

, also in London. It was originally released in November 1972 by

Cube Records Cube Records was launched on 26 May 1972 by independent music publisher David Platz, and was based at his UK offices for Essex Music. History Platz had entered the arena of record production in the early 1960s, and having had a string of hit ...

(HIFLY 12). Cube originally intended to call the album ''Joan Armatrading'', but Pam Nestor fought against this, as she had worked on over 100 songs for the album over a period of two to three years, playing piano and singing on many of them, and at the time of the album's recording, the two writers considered themselves a duo. Armatrading later said: "Pam and I worked very hard on the music and the songs for this album". In the event, none of the songs featuring Pam Nestor playing or singing were chosen for the album, as Cube wanted to promote Joan Armatrading as a solo artist.

Davey Johnstone David William Logan Johnstone (born 6 May 1951) is a British rock guitarist and vocalist, best known for his long-time collaboration with Elton John as a member of the Elton John Band. Career Johnstone's first work was with Noel Murphy in 1 ...

Gerry Conway Gerard Francis Conway Thomas, Roy. "Roy's Rostrum" ("Bullpen Bulletins") in '' Marvel Super-Heroes'' #43 and other Marvel Comics cover-dated May 1974. (born September 10, 1952) is an American comic book writer, comic book editor, screenwriter, t ...

and

Ray Cooper Raymond Cooper (born 19 September 1947) is an English musician who has worked as a session and road-tour percussionist. During his career, Cooper has worked and toured with numerous musically diverse bands and artists including Elton John (as ...

, who performed on the album, were also working at the time with

Cat Stevens Yusuf Islam (born Steven Demetre Georgiou; ), commonly known by his stage names Cat Stevens, Yusuf, and Yusuf / Cat Stevens, is a British singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. His musical style consists of folk, pop, rock, and, later in ...

and

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

, both of whom also recorded at the Château d'Hérouville studios. The album was re-released by A&M in 1974 when Armatrading signed for the label, and was then released as a CD in 1988 by Castle Communications, and released again in CD format in 2001, (the Metro re-master) with two bonus tracks: "Lonely Lady" and "Together in Words and Music", both written by Armatrading and Nestor and produced by Gus Dudgeon. The two songs were released as a single in June 1973 (BUG31). The album was most recently re-released by

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...

on 2 October 2001 and 27 April 2004 under the title ''Joan Armatrading: Singer Songwriter''.

The album

''Whatever's for Us'' was the only album recorded by Joan Armatrading and Pam Nestor, and the first recorded example of Armatrading’s playing and singing, aside from demo tapes. Cube records released the album as a Joan Armatrading effort and gave little credit to Nestor, and this caused difficulties between the two writers. Armatrading set about releasing herself from her obligations to Cube and within a short time had signed to

A&M Records A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...

instead. The Cube label did not last much longer and folded in the mid 1970s, becoming absorbed into Electric Records. ''Whatever's for Us'' has traces of the hippie ethos which existed at the time, and many of the songs are influenced by folk music. The front cover, designed and drawn by the artist Sumiko, (now known as Sumiko Davies) shows an idyllic multiracial pastoral scene, complete with long hair, patterned skirts, flowers and psychedelia. It also features drawings of Pam Nestor and Joan Armatrading, with Armatrading holding a Father Christmas mascot that had been given to her by Nestor. Demos for the album were recorded earlier in 1972 by Gus Dudgeon at the Marquee Studios, with Larry Steele on bass,

Caleb Quaye Caleb Quaye (born 9 October 1948), is an English rock guitarist and studio musician best known for his work in the 1960s and 1970s with Elton John, Mick Jagger, Pete Townshend, Paul McCartney, Hall & Oates and Ralph McTell, and also toured with ...

on guitar and Roger Pope on drums.Mayes, p. 165 '"It Could Have Been Better" is said to have been one of

's favourite songs at that time. The song was used in the film ''

Kill List ''Kill List'' is a 2011 British psychological horror crime film directed by Ben Wheatley, co-written and co-edited with Amy Jump, and starring Neil Maskell, MyAnna Buring and Michael Smiley. When a British soldier returns home from Kyiv, h ...

'' in 2011, and in February 2012 it was also played as part of the Burberry Prorsum Women’s Wear Autumn/Winter 2012 fashion show in London. The song has also been praised by the broadcaster and writer

Paul Gambaccini Paul Matthew Gambaccini (born April 2, 1949) is an American-British radio and television presenter and author in the United Kingdom. He has dual United States and British nationality, having become a British citizen in 2005. Known as "The Grea ...

, who refers to it as "outstanding" and "beautiful". He also notes that at the time of the album's release: "critics were in awe of her (Armatrading's) compositional and vocalising skills". "Visionary Mountains" was later covered by

Manfred Mann's Earth Band Manfred Mann's Earth Band are an English rock band formed by South African musician Manfred Mann (musician), Manfred Mann. Their hits include covers of Bruce Springsteen's "For You (Bruce Springsteen song), For You", "Blinded by the Light" an ...

on the album ''

Nightingales & Bombers ''Nightingales & Bombers'' is an album released in 1975 by Manfred Mann's Earth Band. "The title of this album was inspired by a recording made in Surrey, England during the Second World War, by an ornithologist intending to record nightingales ...

'' in 1975. "My Family" was covered by New York rock group and art/performance collective MEN in 2011. It was also used in a

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

drama in 2011. "City Girl" was written by Armatrading about Pam Nestor. The song "All The King's Gardens" was one that had caught the eye of Gus Dudgeon when he was looking through the demo tapes. The title had intrigued him as it was the address where he had been living in

West Hampstead West Hampstead is an area in the London Borough of Camden in north-west London. Mainly defined by the railway stations of the same name, it is situated between Childs Hill to the north, Frognal and Hampstead to the north-east, Swiss Cottage to ...

at the time. Armatrading had seen the sign from a bus and had asked Nestor to write lyrics with that title, which she did. "Head of the Table" is a song about interracial relationships and was based on Nestor’s experiences of the family of a white boyfriend she had at the time. The first song Armatrading and Nestor ever wrote together was called "Darkness", but it didn’t make it onto the final album. The songs "My Family", "City Girl", "Whatever’s for Us, for Us", "Visionary Mountains", "It Could Have Been Better" and "Alice" later appeared on several of Armatrading’s compilation albums.

Post release and reception

The album was critically well received, although not a commercial success.

Penny Valentine Penelope Ann Valentine (13 February 1943 – 9 January 2003) was a British music journalist, rock critic, and occasional television personality. Biography Penny Valentine was born in London, of Jewish and Italian ancestry. In 1959 she became ...

, of ''

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 ...

'', commented: "''Whatever's for Us'' is a brilliant, crushing album – the kind of collection that you may have despaired of ever hearing from anyone in England." Derek Jewell, writing in the ''

Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...

'' in 1972 commented: "this country has produced at last, from the new generation, a black singer of total individuality. Her name, Joan Armatrading, her first album, Whatever’s for Us, is sizzling." Mark Plummer of ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...

'' commented that: "her voice is powerful, something like Nina Simone's", and "what hits you are the earthy songs written by Joan and Pam Nestor" and that the album "has quality stamped all over it". Armatrading’s first public appearance, performing songs from the album, was at Ronnie Scott’s in late 1972. She performed with Joe Partridge on guitar, Larry Steele on bass and Henry Spinetti on drums. On 7 December 1972 she opened for JSD, a folk band, at the

Fairfield Halls Fairfield Halls is an arts, entertainment and conference centre in Croydon, London, England, which opened in 1962 and contains a theatre and gallery, and a large concert hall regularly used for BBC television, radio and orchestral recordings. Fa ...

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...

. In early 1973 she embarked on a European tour, supporting

José Feliciano José Montserrate Feliciano García (born September 10, 1945) () is a Puerto Rican musician, singer and composer. He recorded many international hits, including his rendition of the Doors' "Light My Fire" and his self-penned Christmas song " ...

, and this was followed by a two-week residency at Ronnie Scott’s in April 1973. Later in 1973 she undertook a solo tour of USA folk clubs. Armatrading later commented that she was glad the album hadn’t been a success, as she felt she "wouldn’t have been able to cope with it" at the time.

Track listing

All tracks composed by Joan Armatrading and Pam Nestor, except where indicated.

Side 1

1 "My Family" 3:08 * ''Joan Armatrading - vocals, piano, harmonium'' * ''Davey Johnstone - acoustic guitars'' * ''Larry Steele - bass'' 2 "City Girl" (Armatrading) 3:58 * ''Joan Armatrading - vocals, acoustic guitars'' * ''Davey Johnstone - acoustic guitars'' * ''Larry Steele - bass'' * ''Gerry Conway - drums'' * ''Strings arranged by Del Newman'' 3 "Spend a Little Time" (Armatrading) 2:23 * ''Joan Armatrading - vocals, piano, acoustic guitar'' * ''Davey Johnstone - electric guitar'' * ''Larry Steele - bass'' * ''Gerry Conway - drums'' * ''Ray Cooper - percussion'' 4 "Whatever's for Us, for Us" 2:11 * ''Joan Armatrading - vocals, acoustic guitars'' 5 "Child Star" 2:31 * ''Joan Armatrading - vocals, acoustic guitars'' 6 "Visionary Mountains" 1:49 * ''Joan Armatrading - vocals, piano'' * ''Davey Johnstone - sitar'' 7 "It Could Have Been Better" 4:19 * ''Joan Armatrading - vocals, piano'' * ''Larry Steele - bass'' * ''Gerry Conway - drums'' * ''Strings and French horns arranged by Del Newman''

Side 2

1 "Head of the Table" 2:30 * ''Joan Armatrading - vocals, piano'' * ''Davey Johnstone - acoustic guitar'' * ''Larry Steele - bass'' * ''Ray Cooper - percussion'' * ''Gerry Conway - drums'' 2 "Mister Remember Me" 2:15 * ''Joan Armatrading - vocals, piano'' * ''Jean Roussel - organ'' * ''Davey Johnstone - acoustic guitars'' * ''Larry Steele - bass'' * ''Henry Spinetti - drums'' 3 "Gave It a Try" 2:08 * ''Joan Armatrading - vocals, acoustic guitars'' * ''Strings arranged by Del Newman'' 4 "Alice" 3:29 * ''Joan Armatrading - vocals, piano, harmonium'' * ''Davey Johnstone - acoustic & electric guitars'' * ''Ray Cooper - vibes'' * ''Larry Steele - bass'' * ''Gerry Conway - drums'' 5 "Conversation" (Armatrading) 2:15 * ''Joan Armatrading - vocals, piano'' * ''Davey Johnstone - acoustic guitar'' * ''Ray Cooper - bell trees'' 6 "Mean Old Man" 2:33 * ''Joan Armatrading - vocals, acoustic guitar'' * ''Davey Johnstone - electric guitar'' * ''Larry Steele - bass'' * ''Gerry Conway - drums'' * ''Ray Cooper - percussion'' * ''Brass arranged by Chris Hughes'' 7 "All the King’s Gardens" 2:58 * ''Joan Armatrading - vocals, acoustic guitars'' * ''Davey Johnstone - acoustic guitar'' * ''Larry Steele - bass'' * ''Gerry Conway - drums'' * ''Ray Cooper - percussion'' * ''Brass by Chris Hughes''

Personnel

Musicians

*Joan Armatrading - vocals, piano, acoustic guitar, harmonium *

- acoustic guitar, electric guitar, sitar *Larry Steele - bass guitar *Chris Hughes - saxophone *

Jean Alain Roussel Jean Alain Roussel (born 1951 in Port Louis Port Louis (french: Port-Louis; mfe, label= Mauritian Creole, Polwi or , ) is the capital city of Mauritius. It is mainly located in the Port Louis District, with a small western part in the B ...

- organ *

- drums *

Henry Spinetti Enrico Antonio Giorgio Spinetti (born 31 March 1951) is a Welsh session drummer whose playing has featured on many prominent rock and pop albums. Career Spinetti was born in Cwm, near Ebbw Vale, Monmouthshire, Wales. His first band, aged about ...

- drums *

- percussion, vibraphone

Production team

*Producer:

*Engineers: Robin Geoffrey Cable,

Ken Scott Ken Scott (born 20 April 1947) is a British record producer and engineer known for being one of the five main engineers for the Beatles, as well as engineering Elton John, Pink Floyd, Procol Harum, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Duran Duran, the Jef ...

, Roy Baker, Phil Dunne. *String and horns arrangements:

Del Newman Derrick Martin "Del" Newman (5 October 1930 – 10 August 2020) was a British conductor, orchestral arranger and music producer. His orchestral arrangements appeared on songs by many rock and pop artists from the 1960s to the 1990s, including Ca ...

*Brass arrangements: Chris Hughes *Art Direction: John Hays *Cover design: Sumiko Davies *Photography: Derek Davies *Songs published by Essex Music International Ltd

References

Other sources

* Sleeve notes: Whatever’s For Us, 1972, Cube Records (HIFLY12) * Gambaccini, Paul. Joan Armatrading: Starlight Tour 2012 – official programme * Gaar, Gillian G (1993) ''She's A Rebel: The History of Women in Rock and Roll'', Blandford * Irwin, Colin (15 July 1978). ''Joan Flies With The Wild Geese'', Melody Maker, pages 32 & 33, IPC Press, London. * Plummer, Mark (25 November 1972) ''’ark at Joan'', Melody Maker, pages 13 & 14, IPC Press, London. * Mayes, Sean (1990). ''Joan Armatrading – A Biography'' (unauthorised). Weidenfeld and Nicolson. .

External links

Review by Dave Connolly
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whatever's For Us Joan Armatrading albums Albums produced by Gus Dudgeon Albums recorded at Trident Studios 1972 debut albums A&M Records albums Albums recorded in a home studio