Desmond
Child (born John Charles Barrett, October 28, 1953) is an American musician,
professional songwriter, and producer. He is a member of the Songwriters Hall
of Fame.
It was in Miami, that he formed the
group 'Desmond Child and Rouge' in 1973 with singers Maria Vidal and Diana
Grasselli. Soon after, he moved the group to New York City to pursue their musical dreams,
where they recruited another singer, Myriam Valle.
If the goal
of this self-titled debut album by Desmond Child & Rouge was to give the
listener a bittersweet tour of New
York's mean streets, they did a marvelous job. This
album paints a vivid picture of urban life, and the group brilliantly captures
the highs and lows of life in the big city. Both musically and lyrically, this
album is a gem. The group's soul-influenced style of pop/rock is quite
distinctive, and the characters in Child's songs are so New York inspired that some reviewers
compared him to Billy Joel. They had had a dance hit, "Our Love Is Insane",
but Child tends to have more of an inner-city influence on treasures like
"Westside Pow Wow" and "City in Heat" he speaks of gang
members and graffiti artists and describes inner-city life with the type of
insights you would expect from a hip-hopper. "Otti" is a poignant ode
to a 19-year-old street kid who is a master of skateboarding but unsuccessful
in romance, while "The Fight" (which Child co-wrote with David Landau
and Kiss' Paul Stanley) takes a look at the gritty world of boxing. And through
it all, Child's affection for New
York comes through even though he isn't blind to the
city's faults. Had justice prevailed, this LP would have been a major hit. But
it seemed like Desmond Child & Rouge was simply too creative, too visionary
for its own good.
01. Westside Pow Pow - 3:30
02. Our Love Is Insane - 5:18
03. Lovin' Your Love - 3:09
04. The Fight - 4:20
05. Main Man - 3:31
06. City In Heat - 3:52
07. Lazy Love - 3:27
08. Otti - 3:24
09. Givin' In To My Love - 2:55
Credits
Vocals – Maria Vidal, Diana Grasselli, Myriam Valle
Bass – John Siegler, Neil Jason
Drums – Alan Schwartzberg, John Susswell
Guitar – David Landau, Elliott Randall, Jeff Layton, Jeff Miranoff, Joe Caro, Larry Saltzman
Keyboards – Desmond Child, Paul Shaffer, Ralph Schucket
Arranged By – Charlie Calello
Mastered By – Ken Perry
Percussion – Jimmy Maeulen, Rubens Bassini
Photography By – Ciro Barbaro
Concertmaster – Gene Orloff
Engineer [Assistant] – Bill Stein, Larry Gates
Engineer [Camp Colomby] – Larry Rosen
Engineer [Media Sound] – Godfrey Diamond
Producer – Richard Landis
Remix – Michael De Lugg
Written-By – David Landau, Desmond Child, Paul Stanley
Notes
Genre: Pop, Disco
Recorded and remixed at: Media Sound, New York, NY / Camp Colomby Studio, New City, NY
Copyright © 1978 Desmobile Music Company / Managed Music / Kiss Music Publishing Company (ASCAP)
© 1979 Capitol Rec. Inc.
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