Riptide (album)
Riptide | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by Robert Palmer | ||||
Released | November 1985 | |||
Recorded | July-September, 1985 | |||
Studio | Compass Point Studios, Nassau, Bahamas | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 34:55 | |||
Label | Island | |||
Producer | Bernard Edwards | |||
Robert Palmer chronology | ||||
|
Professional ratings | |
---|---|
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Robert Christgau | C+[2] |
Riptide is the eighth solo studio album by the British singer Robert Palmer. It was originally released in November 1985. The album was recorded over a period of three months in 1985, at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas. The album charted at number 8 in the US and No. 5 in the UK. It was certified double platinum in the US by the RIAA in March 1996 and certified gold in the UK by BPI in August 1986. It featured the songs "Addicted to Love", "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On", "Discipline of Love", and "Riptide" which were all released as singles.[3][4] The single "Addicted to Love" was accompanied by a memorable and much-imitated music video, directed by Terence Donovan, in which Palmer is surrounded by a bevy of near-identically clad, heavily made-up (and appropriately pouty) female "musicians," either mimicking or mocking the painting style of Patrick Nagel.[5] In September 1986, Palmer performed "Addicted to Love" at the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles.[6] In 1987, he won the Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance for "Addicted to Love". At the 1987 Brit Awards, Palmer received his first nomination for Best British Male.[7]
Another single from Riptide, his cover of Cherrelle's "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On", also performed well (US#2, UK#9).[5] Another song, "Trick Bag," was written by one of his major influences, New Orleans jazz artist Earl King.
For the album, Palmer collaborated with two former members from The Power Station, guitarist Andy Taylor and drummer Tony Thompson. The Power Station's producer Bernard Edwards also played bass and produced the album. The album also features contributions from American Singer-songwriter Chaka Khan, Level 42's keyboardist Wally Badarou, and session musicians Guy Pratt, Jeff Bova, Eddie Martinez, and Jack Waldman (who died a year after the album's release[8]).
2013 reissue
Riptide was reissued on 30 April 2013 by Culture Factory USA, an independent label that specialises in cult artists. The reissue CD was packaged in a miniature replica of the original quality vinyl packaging complete with an inner sleeve that features the original lyrics, photographs of Palmer and credits for the album. The label side of the CD features a replica of what the original Island label looked like at the time of issue and even features "grooves" as if the black CD is made of vinyl.
The reissues did not have any additional outtakes or bonus tracks.[9]
Critical reception
In a contemporary review music critic Robert Christgau gave the album a "C+" and panned it as "his pop breakthrough" and added that "what makes him barely listenable is his holdings in r&b."[2]
In a retrospective review, an anonymous critic for AllMusic gave the album four and a half out of five stars and wrote that "Riptide packages Robert Palmer's voice and suave personality into a commercial series of mostly rocking songs that seem custom-tailored to be chart hits."
Track listing
Side one
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Riptide" (Walter Donaldson, Gus Kahn) | 2:24 |
2. | "Hyperactive" (Tony Haynes, Dennis Nelson, Robert Palmer) | 5:08 |
3. | "Addicted to Love" (Palmer) | 6:01 |
4. | "Trick Bag" (Earl King) | 3:01 |
Side two
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
5. | "Get It Through Your Heart" (Palmer) | 2:49 |
6. | "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On" (James Harris III, Terry Lewis) | 3:43 |
7. | "Flesh Wound" (Frank Blair, Palmer) | 3:43 |
8. | "Discipline of Love" (David Batteau, Don Freeman) | 6:06 |
9. | "Riptide (Reprise)" (Walter Donaldson, Gus Kahn) | 2:00 |
Total length: | 34:55 |
- Additional tracks
Bonus tracks on 2013 release | |
---|---|
|
In popular culture
- The track "Hyperactive" was used in the 1987 film The Bedroom Window.
Personnel
- Robert Palmer – vocals, bass, guitar, drums, keyboards
- Tony Thompson – drums
- Dony Wynn – drums (tracks 5, 8)
- Bernard Edwards – bass, production
- Eddie Martinez – guitar
- Andy Taylor – guitar (track 3)
- Guy Pratt - bass (track 8)
- Lenny Pickett – saxophone
- Benny Diggs – backing vocals (track 3)
- Fonzi Thornton – backing vocals (track 3)
- Wally Badarou – keyboards
- Jeff Bova – keyboards
- Jack Waldman – keyboards
- Chaka Khan – vocal arrangement (track 3)
- Jason Corsaro - engineer
- Jack Skinner - mastering
- Barry Diament - CD mastering
Chart performance
Chart (1985–86) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canadian Albums Chart[10] | 2 |
New Zealand Albums Chart[11] | 13 |
UK Albums Chart[12] | 5 |
US Billboard 200[13] | 8 |
Release history
Label | Cat. No. | Format | Date | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Island | 90471-1, 7 90471-1 | US | Vinyl | 1985[14] |
Island | 7 90471-4 | US | Cassette | 1985[15] |
Island | 610 541-222, CID 130, 90471-2 | GE | CD | 1985[16] |
Island | ICT 9801 | UK | Cassette | 1985[17] |
Island | 407 083-630, 407 083 | GE | Cassette | 1985[18] |
Island | ZCI-9801 | UK | Cassette | 1985[19] |
Island | A4-90471, A4 90471 | US | Cassette | 1985[20] |
Island | ISLC-1066, ISLC 1066 | CA | Cassette | 1985[21] |
Island | ILPS 9801 | UK, IRE, PO, SC | Vinyl | 1985[22][23][24][25] |
Island | R25D-2014 | JP | Vinyl | 1985[26] |
Island | ISL 1066 | CA | Vinyl | 1985[27] |
Island | 7 90471-2 | US | CD | 1986[28] |
Island | P35D 20010 | JP | CD | 24 April 1987[29] |
Island, Island Masters | 826 463-2, IMCD 25 | EU | CD | 1989[30] |
Island Masters | PSCD-1152 | JP | CD | 25 November 1991[31] |
Island Masters | UICY-6600 | JP | CD | 22 November 2006[27] |
Culture Factory | 782026 | FRA | CD | 30 April 2013[32] |
See also
References
- 1 2 "Riptide" on All Music Guide. Retrieved on 13 August 2009
- 1 2 http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=Robert+Palmer
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2006). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits. Billboard Books
- ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums. London: Guinness World Records Limited
- 1 2 Strong, Martin C. (2014). The Great Rock Discography (5th ed.). Mojo Books. pp. 2–3. ISBN 1-84195-017-3.
- ↑ 1986 MTV Video Music Awards MTV.com. Retrieved 5 December 2011
- ↑ BRITs Profile: Robert Palmer. Brits.co.uk. Retrieved 14 April 2012
- ↑ http://www.artistswithaids.org/national/registry.html#musicians
- ↑ "Home". Culturefactoryusa.com. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
- ↑ "LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
- ↑ Steffen Hung. "New Zealand charts portal". charts.org.nz. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
- ↑ "UK Singles & Albums Chart Archive". Chart Stats. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
- ↑ "Music News, Reviews, Articles, Information, News Online & Free Music". Billboard.com. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
- ↑ "Riptide 1". Discogs. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
- ↑ "Riptide 2". Discogs. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
- ↑ "Riptide 3". Discogs. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
- ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Robert-Palmer-Riptide/release/4147601
- ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Robert-Palmer-Riptide/release/1974994
- ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Robert-Palmer-Riptide/release/3013373
- ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Robert-Palmer-Riptide/release/395015
- ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Robert-Palmer-Riptide/release/5898374
- ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Robert-Palmer-Riptide/release/471426
- ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Robert-Palmer-Riptide/release/3708936
- ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Robert-Palmer-Riptide/release/5688329
- ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Robert-Palmer-Riptide/release/1450918
- ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Robert-Palmer-Riptide/release/1623211
- 1 2 http://www.discogs.com/Robert-Palmer-Riptide/release/4022055
- ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Robert-Palmer-Riptide/release/2369965
- ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Robert-Palmer-Riptide/release/5937877
- ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Robert-Palmer-Riptide/release/2852675
- ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Robert-Palmer-Riptide/release/3302652
- ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Robert-Palmer-Riptide/release/5315467