''Fight for Love'' is the fourth album by the Canadian band 54-40, released in 1989. The band supported the album with a Canadian tour.

Production

The album was coproduced by

Dave Ogilvie Dave "Rave" Ogilvie is a Canadian record producer, mixer, songwriter and musician. The former member of bands Skinny Puppy and Jakalope started his recording career in Vancouver working as an engineer at Mushroom Studios. He has been described by ...

and frontman Neil Osborne. The band used a mellotron that had belonged to

King Crimson King Crimson are a progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London, England. The band draws inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, industrial, electronic, experime ...

, loaned to them by

Bob Rock Robert Jens Rock (born April 19, 1954) is a Canadian record producer, sound engineer and musician, best known for producing rock bands and music artists such as Metallica, Mötley Crüe, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, The Tragically Hip, the Cult, 31 ...

. Some of the songs were inspired by Osborne's wife's drawings of Don Quixote.

Critical reception

The ''

Calgary Herald The ''Calgary Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Publication began in 1883 as ''The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate, and General Advertiser''. It is owned by the Postmedia Network. History ''The ...

'' deemed the album "a blend of guitar-driven rock numbers and lofty lyrics." ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'' wrote that "Osborne and co-producer David Ogilvie focus attention on the hopeful, even naive humanism of the songs and on the subtle but powerful interplay." The ''

Windsor Star The ''Windsor Star'' is a daily newspaper based in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Postmedia Network, it is published Tuesdays through Saturdays. History The paper began as the weekly ''Windsor Record'' in 1888, changing its name to the ''Bo ...

'' noted the "guitar-driven sound derived from late-1960s folk-rock." ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' labeled the album "Vancouver's entry in the R.E.M. sweepstakes," writing: "Sweetly melodic and—it almost goes without saying—jangly, ''Fight for Love'' also has some guts."

Track listing

*All songs written by 54-40 except where noted. # "Here in My House" – 3:49 # "Kissfolk" – 3:33 # "Over My Head" – 3:25 # "Miss You" – 4:34 (Neil Osborne, Phil Comparelli) # "Baby Have Some Faith" – 5:51 (Osborne, Comparelli) # "Fight for Love" – 2:55 (Osborne) # "Laughing" – 3:51 (Osborne) # "Walk Talk Madly" – 4:42 # "Where Is My Heart" – 3:25 # "Journey" – 7:44 (Osborne)

Personnel

*Neil Osborne: Vocals, Rhythm Guitar *Phil Comparelli: Lead and Lap Steel Guitars, Trumpet, Vocals *Brad Merritt: Bass *Matt Johnson: Drums, Percussion

Production

*Arranged by 54-40 *Executive Producer: Kevin Laffey *Produced by Dave Ogilvie and Neil Osborne *Recorded by Greg Reely *Mixed by James "Jimbo" Barton (tracks 1-3 and 5) and Greg Reely (all others) *Mastered by Stephen Marcussen *All songs published by Fifty Four Forty Music.

References

{{Authority control 54-40 albums 1989 albums