''Stop!'' is the debut studio album by the English singer-songwriter
Sam Brown, released on 8 June 1988 by
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and functions as a branch of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Interscope-Geffen-A&M. Established in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, the label initially operated independent ...
.
It includes Brown's biggest and best-known single, the title track "
Stop!".
Background
Produced by Sam Brown, her brother Pete Brown, Pete Smith, Danny Schogger, and John Madden, the album was recorded at the
Power Plant in London, with then-
Pink Floyd member
David Gilmour's guitar parts on "
This Feeling" and "I'll Be in Love" being recorded at Greene Street Studios in New York City. The track "Merry Go Round" has lyrics slightly adapted from
W. H. Davies poem "
Leisure
Leisure (, ) has often been defined as a quality of experience or as free time. Free time is time spent away from business, Employment, work, job hunting, Housekeeping, domestic chores, and education, as well as necessary activities such as ...
". The CD edition of the album includes cover versions of
Marvin Gaye's "
Can I Get a Witness" and
Ike & Tina Turner
Ike & Tina Turner was an American musical duo consisting of husband-and-wife Ike Turner and Tina Turner. From 1960 to 1976, they performed live as the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, supported by the Kings of Rhythm and backing vocalists, the Ikettes. ...
's "
Nutbush City Limits".
Release
On release, the album was received favourably by the majority of music critics. Brown's most commercially successful album, it went on to peak at number four on the
UK Albums Chart and reached number 13 on the Australian
ARIA Charts
The ARIA Charts are the main Australian record chart, music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA beca ...
. The album also reached the top 10 in countries such as Austria, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. The album spawned three charting singles in the United Kingdom. "
Stop!" peaked at number four on the
UK Singles Chart; "This Feeling" peaked at number 91; "
Can I Get a Witness" at number 15. The album has sold over two and a half million copies worldwide.
The album has been certified gold by the
British Phonographic Industry
BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...
(BPI) and platinum by
Music Canada.
Critical reception
''
Billboard'' noted that "in a year already jammed with fine debuts by distinctive female writer/singers, here comes another one. Brown has a strong, bluesy voice, and the string settings often lend
fascinating counterpoint. The title track is an absolutely stunning blues - drenched number."
''
Cashbox'' stated "what a year this is for distinctive female voices! Sam Brown is a British export with a soulful set of pipes that can go from a whisper to a keening lament to a growl, all within the same bar. Her artfully textured, jazzified funk shares some of the same turf as Rickie Lee Jones and Kate Bush, but
she's a huge talent in her own right and likely to set a standard by which others are compared for years to come."
In their review ''
Music & Media
''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later m ...
'' called the album "rather old-fashioned poprock that nevertheless is more than just another record. Brown's voice is strong and expressive and her songs are largely excellent...both the material and Brown's voice am reminiscent of Kate Bush's first album. The songs vary from the sub PM grind of "Walking Back To Me" to the African influenced "Your Love Is All" and the excellent single "Stop".
Track listing
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.
;"Walking Back to Me"
*
Sam Brown –
lead vocals;
piano
A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...
*Pete Brown – lesley
guitar
The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...
;
backing vocals
*Paul Bangash – guitar
*Richard Newman –
drums
The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...
*
Jim Leverton –
bass guitar
The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...
*Danny Schogger –
keyboards
*Phil Saatchi – backing vocals
;"Your Love Is All"
*Sam Brown – lead vocals
*
Jakko Jakszyk – guitar; backing vocals
*
Gavin Harrison – drums;
percussion
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...
*Ed Poole – bass guitar
*
Pandit Dinesh – Indian percussion
*
Andy Price – 1st
violin
The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...
*Mark Watson – 2nd violin
*Kate Musker –
viola
*Peter Esswood –
cello
The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...
*
Vicki Brown – backing vocals
*Pete Brown – backing vocals
*Kevin Malpass –
string arrangements
;"Stop!"
*Sam Brown – lead vocals; string arrangements
*Jakko Jakszyk – guitar
*Gavin Harrison – drums
*Ed Poole – bass guitar
*Kevin Malpass –
Hammond organ; string arrangements
*
Bob Andrews – Hammond organ solo
*Andy Price – 1st violin
*Mark Walton – 2nd violin
*Kate Musker – viola
*Peter Esswood – cello
*Vicki Brown – backing vocals
*
Margo Buchanan – backing vocals
;"It Makes Me Wonder"
*Sam Brown – lead vocals
*
Phil Palmer – guitars
*Roland Kerridge – drums
*Ian Maidman – bass guitar
*Paul Fishman – keyboards
*Danny Cummings – percussion
*Vicki Brown – backing vocals
*Margo Buchanan – backing vocals
*Phil Saatchi – backing vocals
*Helen Chappelle – backing vocals
*Pete Smith – backing vocals
;"This Feeling"
*Sam Brown – lead vocals
*
David Gilmour – guitar
*Richard Newman – drums
*Jim Leverton – bass guitar
*Danny Schogger – piano; keyboards;
piano accordion
*Pete Brown –
acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked, its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...
s
*Vicki Brown – backing vocals
;"Tea"
*Sam Brown – lead vocals
*Danny Schogger – all keyboards
;"Piece of My Luck"
*Sam Brown – lead vocals
*Jakko Jakszyk – acoustic guitar
*Gavin Harrison – drums
*
Danny Thompson –
double bass
The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions ...
*
Bobby Valentino – violin
*Julian Stringle –
clarinet
The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell.
Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...
*Alan Wickham –
trumpet
The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...
*Rex O'Dell –
trombone
*Pete Brown – backing vocals
*Richard Newman – backing vocals
;"Ball and Chain"
*Sam Brown – lead vocals
*Jakko Jakszyk – guitar
*Gavin Harrison – drums
*Ed Poole – bass guitar
*Bob Andrews – Hammond organ
*Danny Schogger – keyboards
*Vicki Brown – backing vocals
;"Wrap Me Up"
*Sam Brown – lead vocals
*Jakko Jakszyk – guitars
*Paul Bangash – guitar solo
*
Charlie Morgan – drum programming
*Richard Newman – hooligan drums
*Danny Schogger – keyboards
*Pete Brown – backing vocals
;"I'll Be In Love"
*Sam Brown – lead vocals
*David Gilmour – guitar
*Danny Schogger – all keyboards;
programming;
arrangements
;"Merry Go Round"
*Sam Brown – lead vocals; all other keyboards
*Danny Schogger – keyboard effects
*Paul Bangash – guitar
*Pete Brown – programming
*
Jim Abbiss – programming; Russian strings
;"Sometimes You Just Don't Know"
*Sam Brown – lead vocals; piano
*Jakko Jakszyk – guitar; backing vocals
*Pete Brown – guitar; backing vocals
*Danny Schogger – keyboards
*Gavin Harrison – drums
*Ed Poole – bass guitar
*Paul Bangash – backing vocals
;"Can I Get a Witness"
*Sam Brown – lead vocals
*
Joe Brown –
lead guitar
*Phil Palmer –
rhythm guitar
*Roland Kerridge – drums
*Ian Maidman – bass guitar
*Kenny Craddock – Hammond organ
*Danny Cummings – percussion
*Stuart Brooks – trumpet
*John Huckridge – trumpet
*Dave Hancock – trumpet
*
Chris Pyne – trombone
*Pete Smith – trombone
*Chris Dean – trombone
*
Stan Sulzmann –
saxophone
*
Jamie Talbot – saxophone
*Jeff Daly – saxophone
*Vicki Brown – backing vocals
*Margo Buchanan – backing vocals
*Phil Saatchi – backing vocals
*Helen Chappelle – backing vocals
*Pete Smith – backing vocals
*Billy Vanderpuye – backing vocals
;"High as a Kite"
*Sam Brown – lead vocals
*Jakko Jakszyk – guitars
*Gavin Harrison – drums;
marimba
*Ed Poole – bass guitar
*Danny Schogger – piano; keyboards
*Andy Price – 1st violin
*Mark Walton – 2nd violin
*Kate Musker – viola
*Peter Esswood – cello
*Vicki Brown – backing vocals
*Margo Buchanan – backing vocals
*Kevin Malpass – string arrangements
;"Nutbush City Limits"
*Sam Brown – lead vocals
*Joe Brown – rhythm guitar
*Paul Bangash –
wah-wah guitar
*Richard Newman – drums
*Jim Leverton – bass guitar
*Danny Schogger – keyboards
*
Steve Sidwell – trumpet
*Simon Gardner – trumpet
*Pete Beachill – trombone
*Jamie Talbot – tenor saxophone
*Dave Bishop – baritone saxophone
*
Martin Ditcham – percussion
*Vicki Brown – backing vocals
*Andy Caine – backing vocals
*Kevin Malpass – brass arrangement
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stop! (Album)
1988 debut albums
A&M Records albums
Sam Brown (singer) albums