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vinyl LP front cover detail
cover design by Nick Egan
cover photo by Robert Erdmann
photo of album cover by Styrous®
The opera Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini had its world premiere at La Scala in Milan. on February 17, 1904. Eighty years later, disco had it's way with the world famous opera.
vinyl LP front cover
cover design by Nick Egan
cover photo by Robert Erdmann
photo of album cover by Styrous®
Fans is the second album by Malcolm McLaren, released in 1984. It was an attempt at fusing opera with 1980s R&B and contains adaptations of pieces from famous operas such as Madama Butterfly and Carmen. The opera recordings were made at the Unitarian Church, Belmont, Massachusetts by Stephen Hague and Walter Turbitt. Two singles were released from the album: Madame Butterfly (un bel dì vedremo) peaked at number 13 in the UK Singles Chart and Carmen (L'Oiseau Rebelle) reached number 79.
vinyl LP back cover
cover design by Nick Egan
photos by Robert Erdmann
photo of album cover by Styrous®
I
was still in the thralls of disco but on the verge of getting tired of
it when the album came out. The covers of the operas are quite
marvelous so it reignited the flame. The main title, Madama Butterfly, has stupendous vocals by Diane Garisto, Sheila Pate and Debbie Cole. The Boy's Chorus and Death Of Butterfly1 are more on the rock side; the latter an operatic wonder and heart-splitting cover of the Humming Chorus which makes me dissolve into tears with each hearing. There is a truly interesting piano duo with chorus by Greg Anderson & Elizabeth Roe that at one point has a jazzy edge of the melody (McLaren updated, so to speak) on YouTube (link below).
Malcolm McLaren was an English fashion designer and music manager. He was a promoter and a manager for punk rock and new wave bands such as New York Dolls, Sex Pistols, Adam & the Ants, and Bow Wow Wow, and was an early commercial architect of the punk subculture.
From 1974 to 1976 he operated the Chelsea boutique Sex with his girlfriend Vivienne Westwood, which helped shape early punk fashion and became an early hub for the subculture in London. After a period advising the New York Dolls in the United States, McLaren managed the Sex Pistols, for which he recruited frontman Johnny Rotten. The issue of a controversial record, God Save the Queen, satirizing the Queen's Jubilee
in 1977, was typical of McLaren's shock tactics, and he gained
publicity by being arrested after a promotional boat trip outside the Houses of Parliament.
detail photo by Styrous®
photo by Styrous®
Tracklist:
Side 1:
Side 1:
A1 - Madame Butterfly
Backing Vocals – Diane Garisto, Sheila Pate
Instruments – Hague*, Turbitt*
Producer – Stephen Hague, Walter Turbitt
Remix – Bradshaw Leigh, Robbie Kilgore
Vocals – Debbie Cole*1 - 6:32
A21 - Fans
Lead Vocals – Angie B.*
Piano [On Fans Reprise] – Timothy McFarland
Tenor Vocals – Michael Austin (4)1 - 3:50
A31 - Carmen
Classical Guitar – Craig Bihari
Guitar [Additional] – Jimi Tunnell
Soprano Vocals – Valerie Walters
Vocals – Angie B.*
Written-By – Bizet*1 - 4:55
Backing Vocals – Diane Garisto, Sheila Pate
Instruments – Hague*, Turbitt*
Producer – Stephen Hague, Walter Turbitt
Remix – Bradshaw Leigh, Robbie Kilgore
Vocals – Debbie Cole*1 - 6:32
A21 - Fans
Lead Vocals – Angie B.*
Piano [On Fans Reprise] – Timothy McFarland
Tenor Vocals – Michael Austin (4)1 - 3:50
A31 - Carmen
Classical Guitar – Craig Bihari
Guitar [Additional] – Jimi Tunnell
Soprano Vocals – Valerie Walters
Vocals – Angie B.*
Written-By – Bizet*1 - 4:55
Side 2:
B11 - Boy's Chorus
Guitar [Additional] – Jimi Tunnell1 - 4:30
B2 - Loretta
Vocals – Diane Garisto1 - 5:20
B3 - Death Of Butterfly1 - 4:58
Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Charisma Records Ltd.
Copyright © – Charisma Records Ltd.
Copyright © – Malcolm McLaren Songs Ltd.
Published By – Blackwood Music Inc.
Recorded At – Unique Recording
Mixed At – The Hit Factory
Mastered At – Sterling Sound
Lacquer Cut At – Specialty Records Corporation
Mastered At – Sheffield Lab Matrix
Pressed By – Allied Record Company
Distributed By – Atlantic Recording Corporation
Credits:
Adapted By – Malcolm McLaren, Robbie Kilgore
Conductor, Coordinator [Opera] – Timothy McFarland
Design [Cover] – Nick Egan
Engineer – Mike Finleyson*, Tom Lord-Alge
Engineer [Assistant] – Jeff Neiblum
Lyrics By – Malcolm McLaren
Photography By – Robert Erdmann
Photography By [Additional] – Bob Gruen
Producer – Malcolm McLaren (tracks: A2 to B3)
Producer, Instruments – Robbie Kilgore (tracks: A2 to B3)
Soprano Vocals – Betty Ann White (tracks: A1, B2, B3)
Written-By – Puccini* (tracks: A1 to A2, B1 to B3)
Notes:
Includes fold out lyric sheet with lyrics and opera notes.
Label: 90242-1
Spine: 7 90242-1
Matrix notes:
[STERLING] = the stamp of mastering studio Sterling Sound.
[SRC] = the stamp of Lacquer mastering plant Specialty Records Corporation.
"SLM" and "△ 0000 / △ 0000–X" numbers mean the metalwork was performed at Sheffield Lab Matrix.
"SPAR" and "B 00000" numbers mean the lacquer was cut at Specialty Records Corporation and the vinyl was pressed at Allied Record Company.
Barcode and Other Identifiers
Barcode (Text): 0 7567-90242-1
Barcode (Scanned): 07567902421
Rights Society: BMI
Matrix / Runout (Side A label): ST-IL-845601-AR
Matrix / Runout (Side B label): ST-IL-845602-AR
Matrix / Runout (Side A, etched): [STERLING] Ⓧ SP AR ST·IL 845601–A 1–2 B–20514-A SLM △ 8591 0-1 [SRC]
Barcode (Scanned): 07567902421
Rights Society: BMI
Matrix / Runout (Side A label): ST-IL-845601-AR
Matrix / Runout (Side B label): ST-IL-845602-AR
Matrix / Runout (Side A, etched): [STERLING] Ⓧ SP AR ST·IL 845601–A 1–2 B–20514-A SLM △ 8591 0-1 [SRC]
Malcolm McLaren – Fans
Label: Island Records – 90242-1, Island Records – 7 90242-1
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo, Allied pressing
Country: US
Released: 1984
Genre: Electronic, Classical
Style: Synth-pop, New Wave, Opera
Label: Island Records – 90242-1, Island Records – 7 90242-1
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo, Allied pressing
Country: US
Released: 1984
Genre: Electronic, Classical
Style: Synth-pop, New Wave, Opera
Viewfinder links:
Net links:
The Smart Set ~ A fan of Fans - Reconsidering McLaren's opera album
Sputnik Music ~ Malcolm McLaren – Fans (review)
YouTube links:
Madama Butterfly ~
Accent, Anderson & Roe ~ Humming Chorus
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