''Chér'' is the third studio album by American singer-actress

Cher Cher ( ; born Cheryl Sarkisian, May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Goddess of Pop", she is known for her Androgyny, androgynous contralto voice, Music an ...

, released on September 5, 1966 by Imperial. Cher collaborates again with

Sonny Bono Salvatore Phillip "Sonny" Bono ( ; February 16, 1935 – January 5, 1998) was an American singer, songwriter, actor, and politician. In partnership with his second wife, Cher, he formed the singing duo Sonny & Cher. A member of the Republican Pa ...

, with Harold Battiste and with Stan Ross. The album is by-and-large a covers album and contains only one song written by Bono. This album was a moderate commercial success, peaking at number 59 on the ''Billboard'' 200.

Album information

''Chér'' was released in 1966, produced by

and issued by the

Liberty Records Liberty Records was a record label founded in the United States by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Alvin Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous rev ...

subsidiary,

Imperial Records Imperial Records is an American record company and label started in 1947 by Lew Chudd. The label was reactivated in 2006 by EMI, which owned the label and back catalogue at the time. Imperial is owned by Universal Music Group. Early years to ...

. The album again follows the same formula of the two previous albums, with rearranged covers and new songs written by Bono exclusively for her. There's more French influence in the record and more folk. The only hit in Europe generated from this album was her version of

Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; May 12, 1928 – February 8, 2023) was an American composer, songwriter, record producer, and pianist who is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential figures of 20th-century popular music. Start ...

's " Alfie" from the

Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, 14 March 1933) is a retired English actor. Known for his distinct Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films over Michael Caine filmography, a career that spanned eight decades an ...

movie A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

. Although her version was on the film's soundtrack, it didn't fare nearly as well as the

Dionne Warwick Marie Dionne Warwick ( ; born Marie Dionne Warrick; December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host. During her career, Warwick has won many awards, including six Grammy Awards. She has been inducted into the Hollywood Wa ...

version—now considered definitive. Despite the lack of impact it had on the market there were three singles released: the ballad "Alfie", "I Feel Something in the Air" and "Sunny". In this year Cher recorded also three other songs: "She's No Better Than Me" released on the b-side of the "Alfie" single, "Ma Piano (Per Non Svegliarmi)" and "Nel Mio Cielo Ci Sei Tu", an Italian version of "I Feel Something in the Air" released on the b-side of "Ma Piano (Per Non Svegliarmi)". Though not as successful as the two records preceding it, ''Chér'' did manage to score a European top ten hit with " Sunny". " Alfie" and "I Feel Like Something's In The Air" also charted, but only peaked at #26 in Canada, #32 in the United States; and 43 in the United Kingdom respectively. In December 2005, this album and Cher's next album ''With Love, Chér'' were reissued on one CD called ''Chér/With Love'' which featured all the tracks from both.

Track listing

Personnel

*Cher -

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 the ...

*Sonny Bono - producer *

Carol Kaye Carol Kaye (née Smith; born March 24, 1935) is an American musician. She is one of the most prolific recorded bass guitarists in rock and pop music, playing on an estimated 10,000 recordings in a career spanning over 65 years. Kaye began play ...

, Don Peake, Dr. John - guitar *David Cohen,

Mike Post Mike Post (born Leland Michael Postil; September 29, 1944) is an American composer, best known for his television theme music for various shows, including '' The White Shadow''; ''Law & Order''; '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''; ''The A-Tea ...

- 12-string guitar *

Lyle Ritz Lyle Joseph Ritz (January 10, 1930 – March 3, 2017) was an American musician, known for his work on ukulele and bass (both double bass and bass guitar). His early career in jazz as a ukulele player made him a key part of the Hawaii music scene ...

- electric bass guitar *Cliff Hills - upright bass * Gabriel Mekler - piano *

Michel Rubini Michel Rubini (born December 3, 1942) is an American musician, conductor, arranger, producer, songwriter and composer. A professional classical pianist since early childhood, he was a prolific session musician of the 1960s and '70s, part of a grou ...

- harpsichord * Frank Capp - drums *Gene Estes, Jim Gordon, Jungle Geno - percussion *George Poole - violin, flute *

Harold Battiste Harold Raymond Battiste Jr. (October 28, 1931 – June 19, 2015) was an American music composer, arranger, performer, and teacher. A native of, and later community leader in, New Orleans, he is best known for his work as an arranger on record ...

musical arranger In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestratio ...

musical conductor Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance, such as an orchestral or Choir, choral concert. It has been defined as "the art of directing the simultaneous performance of several players or singers by the use of gesture." The primary d ...

;Technical *Stan Ross -

sound engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a sound recording, recording or a Concert, live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization (audio), equalization, Dynamic range ...

*Woody Woodward - art direction

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cher 1966 albums Cher albums Liberty Records albums EMI Records albums Imperial Records albums Albums produced by Sonny Bono Albums conducted by Harold Battiste Albums arranged by Harold Battiste Albums recorded at Gold Star Studios