''On the Air'' is the sixteenth studio album by American musician
Billy Preston, released on February 18, 1984 by
Megatone Records
Megatone Records was an independent music label specializing in disco and created in San Francisco in 1981 by Patrick Cowley and Marty Blecman. The label name was derived from Cowley's 1981 high energy disco song, " Megatron Man". In 1983, music ...
. This album marks the return of Preston to music.
Track listing
#"And Dance
xtended (Billy Preston,
Bruce Fisher) – 6:01
#"Kick-It" (Preston, Ralph Benatar) – 5:47
#"Come to Me Little Darlin'" (Benatar, Enzo Bilinelli, Preston, Galen Senogles) – 3:43
#"Beatle Tribute" (Benatar, Preston, Senogles) – 3:21
#"If You Let Me Love You" (Benatar, Bilinelli, Fisher, Preston, Senogles) – 4:23
#"You Can't Hide from Love" (Preston, Fisher) – 3:35
#"Oh Jamaica" (Benatar, Ken Lazarus, Preston, Senogles) – 3:49
#"
Here, There and Everywhere
"Here, There and Everywhere" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1966 album '' Revolver''. A love ballad, it was written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. McCartney includes it among his personal favo ...
" (
John Lennon, Paul McCartney) – 4:03
#"And Dance" (Preston, Fisher) – 5:43
Personnel
* Billy Preston – vocals, keyboards, backing vocals, arrangements
* Ralph Benatar – acoustic guitars,
flute, saxophones, arrangements
* Larry Lingle – electric guitars
* James "Tip" Wirrick – scratching
*
Keni Burke
Kenneth M. "Keni" Burke (born September 28, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist who began his career with four siblings in the 1970s band the Five Stairsteps.
Biography Five Stairsteps
As a member ...
–
electric bass
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 s ...
* Bobby Vega – electric bass
*
Paulinho da Costa – percussion
*
Merry Clayton
Merry Clayton (born December 25, 1948) is an American soul and gospel singer. She provided a number of backing vocal tracks for major performing artists in the 1960s, most notably in her duet with Mick Jagger on the Rolling Stones song " Gimme S ...
– backing vocals
*
Doug Gibbs
Douglas Burnett Gibbs is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and session musician, who had a hit on the '' Billboard'' soul chart in 1972 with " I'll Always Have You There". He had also done work with Little Richard, Billy Preston ...
– backing vocals
*
Joe Greene
Charles Edward Greene (born September 24, 1946), better known as "Mean" Joe Greene, is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) from 1969 to 1 ...
– backing vocals
*
Jesse Kirkland
Jesse Kirkland (born January 22, 1988) is a Bermudian competitive sailor. He is also a professional sports team owner of Futbol Longshots, a San Francisco based fantasy football franchise. Futbol Longshots are the current champions of the Boats ...
– backing vocals
*
Gloria Jones
Gloria Richetta Jones (born October 19, 1945) is an American singer and songwriter who first found success in the United Kingdom, being recognized there as "The Queen of Northern Soul". She recorded the 1965 hit song " Tainted Love" and has w ...
– backing vocals (6)
* Frankie K. Springs – backing vocals (6)
*
Sondra "Blinky" Williams – backing vocals (6)
Production
* Enzo Billinelli – executive producer
* Ralph Benatar – producer
* Billy Preston – producer
* Galen Senogles – producer, recording engineer, mixing (5-8)
* Ken Kessie – engineer (1-4), mixing (1-4)
* Marty Blecman – mixing (1-4)
* Maureen Drowny – second engineer (1-4)
* Rob Klein – recording assistant, mix assistant (5-8)
* Jose Rodriguez – mastering at Sterling Sound (New York City, New York)
* Jim Saunders – album graphics, design
* Garry Gay – photography
* David Willers – lithography
* Barbara McGee – make-up
* Sahara – hair stylist
References
{{Authority control
Billy Preston albums
1984 albums
Albums produced by Billy Preston
Megatone Records albums