October 05, 2024

Giorgio Moroder & Joe Esposito - Solitary Men (1983) (Reissue 2013)

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This is a great album. A great collaboration between Giorgio Moroder and Joe Esposito. Joe Esposito had an amazing voice. 
Favourite songs on this album are My Girl, lady, Lady, Face to Face, to Turn the Stone(which I’d never heard before), and I love his rendition of Nights in white Satin.

This elusive 1983 title from one of the music industry's most celebrated European synth guru and pop's (way underrated) male vocalist capture the solid pop rock atmosphere of the 80's. 
Despite the liner notes and essay inside the cd jacket this is by no means a "disco" project. The project harkens a strong resemblance to the Flashdance sound that was popular in its hey day. After all Moroder was the driving force behind that soundtrack.
Gone are the wah-wah disco sounding guitar ingredients of Love to Love You Baby or I Feel Love.In place is a more refined solid synth rock sound without sounding cheaply contrived for even the flashy 80's. 
The so-called typical computerized auto pilot sound found on so many similar artists' records of that era is absolutely absent here; it's all rock and soul. In addition, the soulful throaty and smokey r&b lead vocals by Joe "Bean" Esposito are undeniably his, yet,sound like a cross between Benny Mardones(Into the Night) and a hint of Michael McDonald (blue-eyed soul sound)!
the strongest tracks are Solitary Man, Show Me the Night, Too Hot To Touch,Lady,Lady,Lady (from Flashdance) and to Turn the Stone (originally performed by Donna Summer and Abba's Frida). 
The bonus tracks are nothing spectacular, but hey they're included for free. The re-make of Moroder's Chase theme from Midnight Express has been given a pre-techno (1985) re-working...
This is the album where Moroder demonstrated that he could leave the disco production tag behind and move into the 80's. This is truly an 80's treasure find...


Tracklist

1.  Solitary Man - 3:50
2.  Show Me The Night - 3:52
3.  My Girl - 3:54
4.  Too Hot To Touch - 3:29
5.  Diamond Lizzy - 3:22
6.  Washed In The Neon Light - 4:09
7.  A Love Affair - 3:49
8.  Nights In White Satin - 4:03
9.  Lady, Lady - 4:13
10.  White Hotel - 4:33
11.  To Turn The Stone - 3:13
12.  Face To Face  (Bonus Track) - 3:56
13.  Chase  (Remix 1985) - 4:22
14.  Valley Of The Dolls  (Bonus Track) - 10:36


Companies, etc.
Credits

Notes
Released: 1983 (2013 Reissue, Remastered)
Genre:  Electronic, Pop
Style:  Synth-pop, Disco
Runtime:  100:59

Label - Repertoire Records

October 04, 2024

Adam Ant - Vive Le Rock (1985)

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Vive Le Rock is the third solo album by Adam Ant, released in September 1985, which contained two versions of Ant's 1984 song "Apollo 9". 
Producer Tony Visconti, famous for his 1970s work with Ant's heroes Marc Bolan and David Bowie, commented on his work with Ant on Vive Le Rock: "What a creative ball of energy! 
He was great to work with. He's very opinionated and knows what he wants. We didn't quite agree during the mixes, he kind of wanted everything very trebly and I'm a bassey kind of producer."

Adam Ant adopted a '50s-style rock & roll sound for his third solo album, achieving a pastiche with some of the effervescence, but none of the definition (or popularity), of Elton John's "Crocodile Rock." 
Producer Tony Visconti tried to give him some of the plastic rock legitimacy of Ziggy Stardust-era David Bowie, but Ant was even goofier, and especially with his vocals smothered in harmony and echo and buried in the mix, he wasn't so much transformed into a rocker manque as rendered anonymous on his own record. 
The best track was the year-old U.K. Top 40 hit "Apollo 9," which had some of the manic energy of the Adam and the Ants hits. 
If the rest of the album had recreated its dizzy spirit, Ant might have made the comeback he needed with Vive Le Rock. Or maybe not--it's possible that his moment simply had passed. 
In any case, the album flopped on both sides of the Atlantic, Ant was dropped by his record label, and he didn't make another album for more than four years. 


Tracklist

1.  Vive Le Rock - 3:39 
2.  Miss Thing - 3:08 
3.  Razor Keen - 3:49 
4.  Rip Down - 3:23 
5.  Scorpio Rising - 4:04 
6.  Apollo 9 - 3:22 
7.  Hell's Eight Acres - 3:51 
8.  Mohair Lockeroom Pin-Up Boys - 3:14 
9.  No Zap - 3:14 
10.  P.O.E. - 3:24 
11.  Apollo 9 (A cappella Reprise) - 1:32 

All tracks are written by Adam Ant & Marco Pirroni


Personnel
    Technical
    Notes
    Released: 2 September 1985 
    Recorded:  January–March 1985 Studio Good Earth Studios, Soho, London 
    Genre:  Rock 
    Length: 36:40 
    Producer: Tony Visconti 

    Label - CBS Records

    Katrina And The Waves - Katrina And The Waves 2 (1984) (2010 Reissue)

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    Katrina and the Waves 2 is the second album by new wave band Katrina and the Waves, released in 1984. The album was originally only released in Canada on the Attic Records label. 
    It was included on the 2003 compilation The Original Recordings 1983–1984, and also re-released with five bonus tracks in 2010 through the CGB label. 
    Six of the album's songs would be reworked for the band's major label debut Katrina and the Waves.

    After cutting their first two 12" releases on the cheap, Katrina & the Waves enjoyed some welcome success with their self-titled 1983 album (which became a hit in Canada), and the follow-up, boldly titled Katrina and the Waves 2, found them adding a dollop of studio polish to their sound. 
    This was a good and a bad thing; the glossier production allows some of the finer details of Kimberley Rew's songwriting and guitar work to come to the surface, but the additional backing vocals, keyboards, and horns also clutter arrangements that had been lean and straightforward on their earlier recordings, and drummer Alex Cooper was asked to share percussion duties with a Linn Drum here, and as a result the music sounds stiffer and less energetic. 
    It doesn't help that bassist Vince de la Cruz began stepping up as a songwriter on this album, and while his three contributions aren't bad, they're derivative and don't hold a candle to Rew's best stuff. 
    But Katrina Leskanich is a significantly better controlled and more engaging lead singer here than on Katrina & the Waves' previous album, and "Cry for Me" and "The Game of Love" find Rew exploring a retro-styled pop sound that gave the recording a new twist. 
    (Rew also found room to revel in his eccentricities on "Maniac House," and "Red Wine and Whiskey" is strong enough to rise above its over-production.) 
    Katrina & the Waves would find out what a really slick production was like with their next album; after they signed with Capitol Records, they re-recorded highlights from their first two albums under far glossier conditions, and it's oddly quaint to compare the simple over-production of Katrina and the Waves 2 with the big-league variations of the Capitol sessions (though the bigger and horn-infused "Walking on Sunshine" was actually an improvement on the version from their first full-length LP).

    Katrina and the Waves 2 was reissued in 2010 on the CGB label in a limited edition of 1000 copies, each individually numbered. 
    It includes previously unreleased material and all tracks have been remastered from the original master tapes. 
    The booklet includes detailed recording credits, band interviews, rare photos, and liner notes by former Attic Records employee Ralph Alfonso, who got the band signed to the label in 1983.


    Tracklist

    1.  Do You Want Crying  (Vince de la Cruz) - 4:02 
    2.  Maniac House - 4:08 
    3.  She Loves to Groove - 2:55 
    4.  Cry for Me - 3:58 
    5.  Red Wine and Whisky - 3:15 
    6.  Mexico  (de la Cruz) - 2:50 
    7.  One Woman  (de la Cruz) - 3:35 
    8.  The Sun Won't Shine Without You - 3:54 
    9.  He's a Charmer - 3:16 
    10.  The Game of Love - 3:18 

    2010 reissue bonus tracks
    11.  Wild Thing  (Chip Taylor Album outtake; previously unreleased) - 2:28 
    12.  River Deep, Mountain High  (Phil Spector, Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich Album outtake; The Original Recordings 1983–1984, 2003) -  3:04 
    13.  Plastic Man  (Single version)   (Non-album single, 1984) - 3:32 
    14.  That's Just the Woman in Me   (Album outtake; The Original Recordings 1983-1984) - 4:15 
    15.  Yes Agatha  (1991 recording; previously unreleased) - 2:14

    All tracks are written by Kimberley Rew, except where noted.

    The album outtake "That's Just the Woman in Me" was covered by Celine Dion in 2007 on her Taking Chances album.

    "Yes Agatha" was recorded at Kimberley Rew's Remote Farm Studios, Cambridge in 1991. According to Rew, "recorded in what seemed like a novelty style at the time, but which actually makes it sound more like the earlier stuff."


    Katrina and the Waves
    Additional musicians
    • Nick Glennie-Smith – organ
    • Alan Chaney – organ
    • Eamon Fitzpatrick – brass
    • Ed Briant – brass
    • Chris Clarke – brass
    • David Land – brass
    • Wendy Nicholl – background vocals
    Technical
    • Pat Collier – producer, engineer (1-14)
    • Katrina and the Waves – producer (1-12, 14)
    • Steve Stewart – engineer (15)
    • John de la Cruz – photography
    • Randy Merrill – mastering (2010 reissue; at Masterdisk, March 2010)
    Notes
    Released:  1984 - 2010 Reissue 
    Recorded:  1984 Studio Greenhouse Alaska (London)
    Genre:  New wave, Rock 
    Length:  50:44 
    Producer(s):  Pat Collier, Katrina and the Waves

    Label - Attic Records 

    October 03, 2024

    Crusaders - Standing Tall (1981)

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    posted by all-musicrecords

    The peak of the group's commercial success came with 1979's Street Life, with Randy Crawford as featured singer.  
    Later albums by the group featured singers Bill Withers and Joe Cocker.
    Standing Tall is an album by the jazz group the Crusaders, their third studio album with MCA Records. 
    It features singer Joe Cocker as guest artist on two tracks: the 1981 Grammy-nominated song "I'm So Glad I'm Standing Here Today" and "This Old World's Too Funky for Me".
    This is their best if not the best ever band release, the Joe Cocker vocal contribution is phenomenal, my Favorite Crusaders album of all time.
    It is a unique jazz album, all tacks are great, meticulously arranged, played and produced, five stars no doubt, no need to do any musical analysis or using fancy words or jargons, simply good music.
    Production is great, solid funk record, if you're a fan of Joe Sample's key work you'll love this album. 
    Plenty of funky Fender Rhodes, Clavinet, and B3. Overall great easy listening, I recently rediscovered this album in my collection and I think it makes great Saturday morning coffee music.


    Track listing
    1. "Standing Tall"  (Stix Hooper) - 6:46
    2. "I'm So Glad I'm Standing Here Today"  (Joe Sample, Will Jennings) - 5:02
    3. "Sunshine in Your Eyes"  (Sample) - 6:11
    4. "This Old World's Too Funky For Me"  (Sample, Jennings) - 5:25
    5. "Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)"  (Chips Moman, Bobby Emmons) - 4:23
    6. "The Longest Night" (Sample) - 6:24
    7. "Reprise (I'm So Glad I'm Standing Here Today)  (Instrumental)"  (Sample. Jennings) - 2:59

    Companies, etc.

    Credits

    Notes
    Released: 1981
    Genre:  Smooth Jazz, Soul
    Runtime:  35:42
    Producer(s):  Wilton Felder, Stix Hooper, Joe Sample

    Label - MCA Records

    Kraftwerk - Schöne Neue Welt (Remix, Remodel) (1997)

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    posted by all-musicrecords












    Tracklist

    1.  Electric Cafe (Mixx-It-Remix) - 5:05
    2.  Die Roboter (US Rap Mix) - 5:34
    3.  Sex Objekt (Demo Mix) - 4:18
    4.  Computerwelt (US DJ Promo Mix by Razormaid) - 10:01
    5.  Powerwork Megamix - 9:10
    6.  Telephone-Mix - 10:00
    7.  Re-Worked (Music Factory Mastermix) - 4:41
    8.  Razormaid / Gridlock Mixmedley - 13:25
    9.  Sex Objekt (US DJ Promo Mix by Razormaid) - 7:35
    10.  Housephone - 4:56
    11.  The Telephone Call (Remix) - 3:47 

    This Compilation is NOT authorized by the artists!

    ...Contains fragments of tracks by Nitzer Ebb + Depeche Mode


    Notes
    Released: 1997
    Genre:  Electronic 
    Runtime:  1:18:36

    Label - Not On Label (Kraftwerk)

    October 02, 2024

    ,

    Skin, Flesh & Bones - Dub In Blood (1976)

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    posted by all-musicrecords

    Band formed by bass player Lloyd Parks that featured many of the players who would go to form Revolutionaries.
    Chef, singer, record producer, owner of 10 record labels and father of 17 children, Phil Pratt is one of the more unusual and elusive characters in Jamaican music. 
    Responsible for some crucial rocksteady sides in the ‘60s, Phil went on to produce some of the best roots music to come out of Jamaica, including huge hits like Artibella and My Heart Is Gone. 
    But since relocating from Kingston, his focus has mostly been on cooking, and his headquarters has been the Scandal restaurant in West London, where his signature dishes are Oxtail Stew and Lobster Curry.
    On the menu with 'Dub in Blood' we have some top draw versions mixed at Channel One. 

    "Dub In Blood" is one of the rarest Dub albums ever released. Originally issued on Phil Pratt's Sunshot label (also issued in England with different track titles and called "The Best Dub Album In The World") in very small quantities, this CD reissue is a welcome addition for Dub fans.
    The band on this album--Skin, Flesh and Bones, was more of a live band rather than a studio group, centered around "Sly" Dunbar. 
    Other musicians include Robbie Shakespeare, Earl "Chinna" Smith, "Horsemouth", Ansell Collins, Ossie Hibbert, "Family Man", and a few others. Pratt recorded a lot of Dub music and this set is one of his best. 
    The rhythms he used are deep and organic sounding. 
    The track titles don't tell the story of just how good this set is. Dub fans should check this out--not only because of it's rarity, but because this is prime Dub music from the era when this type of music was heard all over Jamaica.


    Tracklist
                                           
    1.   Dub In Blood - 3:07
    2.   Skin Dub - 2:58
    3.   Flesh Dub - 3:08
    4.   Bones Dub - 3:04
    5.   Heart Dub - 2:57
    6.   Dub To The Vein - 3:35
    7.   Injection In Dub - 3:59
    8.   Syring Dub - 2:17
    9.   Doctor Dub - 2:52
    10.   Medicine Dub - 3:02


    Companies. etc.
    Credits
    Notes
    Released: 1976
    Genre:  Reggae
    Style:  Dub
    Runtime:  30:59

    Label - Sunshot Records

    September 24, 2024

    Toni Tennille - All Of Me (1987)

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    posted by all-musicrecords

    Cathryn Antoinette "Toni" Tennille (born May 8, 1940) is an American singer-songwriter and keyboardist. A contralto, she is best known as one-half of the 1970s duo Captain & Tennille with her former husband Daryl Dragon; their signature song is "Love Will Keep Us Together". 
    Tennille also did musical work independently of Dragon, including solo albums and session work. 

    Before you even open "All Of Me", Toni Tennille's sophomore solo set, you'll be dazzled by the cover art--especially if you are fortunate enough to nab it in LP form. 
    Tennille never looked sexier, more gorgeous, or more "come-hither-y" than she does here (don't miss the back cover of Toni in leather and stiletto heels). And what's behind that cover does not disappoint.
    "All Of Me" is essentially "More Thank You Know, Book 2". It blasts out of the chute like a bucking bronco with her rendition of "How High The Moon", Andrews Sisters-style, and never looks back. 
    The only thing I didn't love about this album was "Dream". I know--this version is much more true to the original in tempo and styling than C&T's version on their album of the same name... but wasn't that a luscious way to end that album? Truth be told, "All Of Me" would have garnered 5 stars had its predecessor not been as amazing as it was. A definite "must" for Tennille-philes!


    Tracklist

    1.  How High The Moon - 2:20
    2.  Easy Street - 3:32
    3.  Moon Glow - 4:00
    4.  The Very Thought Of You - 3:50
    5.  They All Laughed - 3:17
    6.  Happiness Is Just A Thing Called Joe - 3:50
    7.  All Of Me - 3:24
    8.  Honeysuckle Rose - 3:00
    9.  Nature Boy - 2:40
    10.  Then I'll Be Tired Of You - 4:14
    11.  Dream - 4:05


    Companies, etc.


     Credits


    Notes
    Released: 1987 
    Genre:  Pop 
    Length:  38:20

    Label - Gaia Records

    The Star Sisters - Danger (1985+1998 Bonus Tracks)

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    The Star Sisters was een Nederlandse meidengroep die zeer populair was gedurende de jaren 80. 
    De groep werd bij wijze van grap opgericht in 1983 en bestond aanvankelijk uit Patricia Paay, Yvonne Keeley en hun moeder Alice Paay. 
    Laatstgenoemde werd vervangen door Sylvana van Veen vanaf het moment dat de groep professionele vorm ging krijgen.
    The Star Sisters waren onderdeel van een langlopend project van Jaap Eggermont, die voor Stars on 45 medleys samenstelde van oude sterren zoals de Andrews Sisters (aldus uitgevoerd door The Star Sisters) en The Beatles.
    Na vermeende onenigheid besloot Van Veen de groep te verlaten; een opvolgster werd gevonden in de persoon van Ingrid Ferdinandusse. 
    Vanaf dat moment is de muziek van The Star Sisters modern. Ze brengen in deze stijl hun eerste single Danger uit, afkomstig van het gelijknamige album uit 1985. Naast Danger brengen zij van dit album ook de singles He's the 1 (I love), Just another night (in New York City) en The duke of dance uit.
    Danger was in 1985 derde en laatste muziekalbum van The Star Sisters. Anders dan de vorige twee werd deze niet door Jaap Eggermont maar door Fluitsma & Van Tijn geprodoceerd.
    Het album werd ook gepromoot in Duitsland, in de hoop internationaal door te breken. Het bereikte nummer 41 in de Nederlandse Album charts.
    In 1998 wordt het album opnieuw uitgebracht met een aantal bonus tracks, zoals de "Bad Girls" medley en de Maxi versies van de nummers: " Are You Ready", "The Duke Of Dance" en "Danger".


    Tracklist

    1.  Danger - 4:21
            Written-By – B. Hart, D. Eastman, R. Nevil
    2.  He's The 1 (I Love) - 4:00
            Written-By – Eric van Tijn/Jochem Fluitsma
    3.  You Make Me Feel Alive - 4:22
            Written-By – Eric van Tijn/Jochem Fluitsma
    4.  Just Another Night - 3:42
            Written-By – Barry Di Biasi
    5.  Skin On Skin - 4:02
            Written-By – Gary Osborne, Johnny Warman
    6.  Dancing In The Street - 3:53
            Written-By – Marvin Gaye, William Stevenson
    7.  The Duke Of Dance - 3:58
            Written-By – G. Elias
    8.  You're My First, You're My Last - 3:50
            Written-By – Eric van Tijn/Jochem Fluitsma
    9.  Baby Love - 3:17
            Written-By – Mary Kessler, Regina Richards, Steve Bray
    10.  Cold As Ice - 3:45
              Written-By – D. Van Passel, E. Van Passel, G. Elias, P. Schön


    Bonus Tracks

    11.  Bad Girls (Mix) (12 Inch) - 7:56
            (a) Do Ya' Think I'm Sexy - 0:20
            (b) Bad Girls - 0:24
            (c) Do Ya' Think I'm Sexy - 0:15
            (d) Hot Stuff - 0:35
            (e) Voulez-Vous Coucher Avec Moi Ce Soir ? - 0:43
            (f) Sex And Drugs And Rock 'N' Roll - 0:16
            (g) Let's Talk (About Sex) - 0:16
            (h) We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off - 0:33
            (i) Love To Love You - 0:19
            (j) Kiss You All Over - 0:20
            (k) Kiss - 0:02
            (l) I Feel Love - 1:12
            (m) Passion - 0:39
            (n) Gimme All Your Lovin' - 0:23 
            (o) Kiss - 0:02
            (p) I Was Made For Loving You - 0:36
            (q) Do Ya' Think I'm Sexy - 0:35
    12.  Are You Ready (12 Inch) - 7:11
              Written-By – D. Van Passel, E. Van Passel, P. Schön
    13.  Duke Of Dance  (12 Inch) - 6:17
              Written-By – G. Elias
    14.  Danger  (12 Inch) - 6:13
              Written-By – B. Hart, D. Eastman, R. Nevil


    Companies, etc.

    Credits

    Notes
    Released: 1998 
    Genre: Europop, Vocal, Disco 
    Tijdsduur: 

    Label - Red Bullet 

    September 23, 2024

    Frankie Valli - Closeup (1975)

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    posted by all-musicrecords

    Closeup is an album by Frankie Valli, released in February 1975 on the Private Stock label.
    It had been seven years since his prior album, and afforded Valli his first of two number-one solo hits in the US (in addition to five as lead singer of The Four Seasons).
    The LP reached number 51 on the U.S. Billboard albums chart.
    The album contains two hit singles: “My Eyes Adored You” (US No. 1) and “Swearin’ to God” (US No. 6).It also contains Valli’s original version of “I Can’t Live a Dream,” which became a hit for the Osmond Brothers in late 1976.

    Closeup is singer Frankie Valli again finding the magic without his Four Seasons, this time in the ’70s with two big hits in two different genres.
    The album is very, very good, and in a roundabout way is a great example of why Clive Davis worked wonders with Bell Records when he turned it into Arista. Former Bell president Larry Uttal had it all in this project, and it should have been much, much bigger — it should have been the album to firmly establish Private Stock Records as a major player.
    But for all the incredible cast members and all the artistry here — Jim Keltner on drums, Bobbye Hall on conga, Clydie King and Patti Austin on backing vocals (seven years before Austin’s own number one hit), and the brilliant idea of having Four Season Bob Gaudio producing half the album in Los Angeles with Val Garay engineering while Bob Crewe produced the hits in New York City with Michael Delugg on the boards (and Charles Calelo arranging on both coasts) — it is all packaged with a cover that looks like it was thought up at the budget label Pickwick International, and with only eight songs it just feels on the surface like less than what it actually is.
    The ten-minute version of “Swearin’ to God” is certainly fun, but the 18 minutes for three songs on side two go by too quickly.
    They are also the best songs on the album, all produced by Crewe. A couple of additional titles, perhaps a special remake or two, could have made this album so much more for the artist, for the label, for the fans. “My Eyes Adored You” was the first number one solo hit for Valli, and hard to believe it came eight years after “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.”
    That 1967 hit just missed the number one spot, and a new rendition for this album would actually have been a very wise move.
    All of Valli’s first six Top 40 solo hits were produced by Crewe, and hearing the different sounds he and Gaudio came up with for the veteran singer is half the fun of the album. “In My Eyes” is just an excellent album track, unmatched by anything on the first side.
    Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell, producers of the Toys, show up here as songwriters, as does Kenny Nolan, on an album where easy listening ballads meet disco. The song “Why” is producer Gaudio’s best moment, followed by “He Sure Blessed You,” another decent middle-of-the-road album track. Gaudio should have come up with a couple more. [Closeup Review by Joe Viglione]



    Tracklist

    A1. I Got Love For You, Ruby - 3:22
             Producer – Bob Gaudio
             Written-By – Sandy Linzer
    A2. Why - 2:44
             Producer – Bob Gaudio
             Written-By – Bob Gaudio, Judy Parker
    A3. He Sure Blessed You - 3:27
             Producer – Bob Crewe
             Written-By – Bob Crewe, Judy Parker
    A4. Waking Up To Love - 4:30
             Producer – Bob Crewe
             Written-By – Bob Crewe, Kenny Nolan
    A5. I Can't Live A Dream - 3:15
             Producer – Bob Gaudio
             Written-By – Arnold Capitanelli

    B1. My Eyes Adored You - 3:33
             Producer – Bob Crewe
             Written-By – Bob Crewe
    B2. In My Eyes - 4:21
             Producer – Bob Crewe
             Written-By – Bob Crewe, Kenny Nolan
    B3. Swearin' To God - 10:09
             Producer – Bob Crewe
             Written-By – Bob Crewe, Denny Randell



    Companies, etc.


    Credits

    Technical

    Notes
    Released:   February 1975
    Recorded:  1974 Studio Mediasound (New York)Sound Factory (Hollywood)
    Genre:  Funk, soulpop
    Length:  36:07
    Producer(s):   Bob Crewe, Bob Gaudio

    Label - Private Stock