Showing posts with label Sheena Easton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sheena Easton. Show all posts

October 30, 2023

20,000 vinyl LPs 338: Anita Mui ~ 淑女 (Lady)

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vinyl LP front cover 
cover photo by 毛澤西 (Lü Houmin)
photo of cover by Styrous®


This month is the birthday of Hong Kong singer and actress Anita Mui. She made major contributions to the Cantopop music scene and received numerous awards and honours. She remained an idol throughout her career, and is regarded as a Cantopop diva. She was dubbed as the "daughter of Hong Kong" and is considered an iconic Cantopop singer. She once held a sold-out concert in Hammersmith, London, England, where she was dubbed the "Madonna of the East" (東方麥當娜), which brought her to further international fame. That title stayed with her throughout her career, in both Eastern and Western media.           
 
vinyl LP back cover 
photo by 毛澤西 (Lü Houmin)
photo of back cover by Styrous®
 
 
Anita Mui was born on the 10th of October in 1963 in Hong Kong; her brothers and sister were born in China. At the age of 15, due to the frequency of performances at different venues (up to six venues per day) her voice was affected due to the development of nodules on her vocal cords.She took a year off and when she started performing again discovered her voice  was lowered by an octave.           
 
Mui released 50 albums in total. Her best-selling album was the 1985 Bad Girl (壞女孩), which sold over 400,000 copies (platinum 8x by Hong Kong's standards). In 1994, she sold over 10 million albums. She was invited to sing at the 1988 Summer Olympics opening ceremony in Seoul together with Janet Jackson.         
 
Mui performed the song Bad Girl (a Cantonese cover of Strut by Sheena Easton) in Guangzhou, China, where it was banned, as it was considered pornographic in nature. The government authorities in Guangzhou were infuriated when she chose to sing the song on the last day of her concert.       
 
The album cover is has a gatefold format . . .      

vinyl LP gatefold cover 
cover & back photo by 毛澤西 (Lü Houmin)
photo of cover by Styrous®


vinyl LP gatefold interior
photo by 毛澤西 (Lü Houmin)
photos of cover interior by Styrous®




淑女 (Lady) opens the album and it, with 莫問一生 (Don't ask for a lifetime), are two of my favorite cuts; Lifetime is a rollicking gallop that rushes on at a furious pace brimming with cultural influences from the Middle Easter, South America, Indian, etc., from time to time. I've added YouTube links to them as well as other songs I've liked.           

Mui did a cover of a 1940 Mandarin popular song composed by Chen Gexin and first recorded by Yao Lee. An English-language version whose lyrics have little in common with the original Mandarin was later recorded by Frankie Laine in 1951 (links to both below). Her 淑女 (Lady) album is one of my "Desert Island" choices (link below).             
 
. . . and there is a magazine included with the album with images.      
 
 





Anita Mui never married and On 5 September 2003, Mui publicly announced that she had cervical cancer, from which her sister had also died. She held a series of eight shows at the Hong Kong Coliseum from 6–11 November and 14–15 November 2003, which were to be her last concerts before her death. She never married and her symbolic act was to "marry the stage", which was accompanied by her hit song Sunset Melody (夕陽之歌) as she exited the stage. The last song she performed on stage was Cherish When We Meet Again (珍惜再會時), a rendition of The Manhattans song, Kiss And Say Goodbye on November 15, 2003. She died on December 30, 2003 at 2:50 am Hong Kong Time.        
 




vinyl LP labels, side 1 & 2
photos by Styrous®


   
Tracklist:
       
Side 1:
        
A1 - 淑女, Lyrics By – 潘偉源, Producer, Music By, Arranged By – 鮑比達* - 3:35

A2 - 傲慢,Lyrics By – 林夕*, Producer, Music By, Arranged By – 徐日勤 - 4:56

A3 - 幾多個幾多, Lyrics By – 潘源良, Producer, Music By, Arranged By – 郭小霖* - 3:44

A4 - 轉走舊時夢, Lyrics By – 黎彼得, Producer, Music By, Arranged By – 黎小田* - 4:05

A5 - 朝朝暮暮, Lyrics By – 林夕*, Producer, Music By, Arranged By – 徐日勤 - 4:03
       
Side 2:
       
B1 - 黑夜的豹, Lyrics By – 林振強*, Producer, Music By, Arranged By – 倫永亮* - 4:45

B2 - 曾被我擁有, Lyrics By – 鄭國江, Producer, Music By, Arranged By – 郭小霖* - 4:30

B3 - 戀愛 Part-Time, Lyrics By – 陳少琪, Producer, Music By, Arranged By – 黎小田* - 3:06

B4 -  - cs By – 周禮茂, Producer, Music By, Arranged By – 倫永亮*, 3:41

B5 - 今夜只因你, Lyrics By – 潘偉源, Producer, Music By, Arranged By – 鮑比達* - 4:13
       
Companies, etc.
       
    Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Capital Artists Ltd.
    Copyright © – Capital Artists Ltd.
       
Credits:
       
    Art Direction – Kinson Chan
    Bass – Rudy*, 林志宏, 梅啟新
    Drums – 張健波, 陳偉強
    Guitar – Danny Leung, Dong Dong*, Joey*, 蘇德華
    Hair – Ben Lee (15)
    Keyboards – Alexander Dela Cruz*, 倫永亮*, 鮑比達*, 黎小田*, Siu Lam Kwok, 郭小霖*
    Mixed By – 倫永亮*, 鮑比達*, David Ling Jr., 黎小田*, 郭小霖*, Tom Brown (27), 徐日勤
    Percussion – 甘仕樑*
    Photography By – 毛澤西
    Programmed By – Martin*, 梁偉基
    Recorded By – David Ling Jr., Martin*, Philip Kwok, Tom Brown (27), Sum*, 黃紀華*
    Saxophone – Ding Basbas*
    Stylist – 劉培基
       
Notes:
       
Gatefold sleeve.        

梅艷芳* = Anita* – 淑女
Label:    華星唱片 – CAL-04-1079
Format:    Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: Hong Kong
Released: Feb 4, 1989
Genre: Rock, Pop
Style:Ballad, Cantopop, Pop Rock
       

         
Viewfinder links:        
          
Hue Lee ~ Rose, Rose, I Love You         
Frankie Laine        
Anita Mui       
        
YouTube links:        
        
Sheena Easton - Strut         
Frankie Laine ~ Rose, Rose, I Love You     
The Manhattans ~ Kiss and Say Goodbye       
Anita Mui ~             
     Bad Girl 壞女孩         
     淑女 (Lady)    
     傲慢 (Arrogant)      
         
        
        
        
Styrous® ~ Monday, October 30, 2023       
       
 
 






















June 20, 2018

20,000 Vinyl LPs 139: Prince ~ Batman

       ~        
         
        
       
        

photos by
Styrous®




vinyl LP album cover



Batman is the eleventh studio album by American recording artist Prince and the soundtrack album to the 1989 film by director Tim Burton, Batman. It was released almost thirty years ago on June 20, 1989 by Warner Bros. Records. Lord, I can't believe it's been thirty years! The album was No. 1 on the Billboard albums chart for six consecutive weeks. It has sold over eleven million copies worldwide. The film was a landmark cinematic release.       



vinyl LP album back cover


In a 2001 Rolling Stone interview, Prince revealed that the project was initially supposed to be a collaboration between himself and Michael Jackson:
"Did you know that the album was supposed to be a duet between Michael Jackson and me? He as Batman, me as the Joker?" 
Prince would have sung funk songs for the villains, while Michael Jackson would have sung ballads for the heroes. This never came to fruition as Jackson was busy with the Bad World Tour and signed with Epic Records, while the film was a Warner Bros. production.         

All dialogue sampled on the Prince Batman album is taken directly from a workprint of Batman and therefore lacks ADR and foley. This is especially noticeable in the beginning of the first track, The Future, with dialogue of Michael Keaton speaking as Batman.       



vinyl LP album back cover detail


Batman also marked a change in Prince's appearance; he switched out frilly clothing, polka dots, lace, and controversial attire for a much darker and simpler attire, usually donning dark blue/black clothing and "Batman" boots. The artist's hair was also completely straightened from wavy curls, as shown in the "Batdance" video (link below).                 

Ownership of the Batman franchise is complex. Prince had to agree to sign the publishing rights to the songs used in the film over to Warner Bros.; Prince's hit singles from this album were not permitted to appear on any of his hits compilations until the 2016 release of 4Ever, which included Batdance. Only the B-sides 200 Balloons, Feel U Up, and I Love U in Me appeared on his 1993 The Hits/The B-Sides collection.              



Prince ~ Batman
vinyl LP record sleeve


from the Princevault
Prince began recording songs for the album in mid-February 1989, immediately after returning from the Lovesexy Tour, and he previewed eleven songs in late February, including Rave Unto The Joy Fantastic and 200 Balloons, intended to replace 1999 and Baby I'm A Star respectively), and Batman Theme.    

He worked on the album further in March 1989, recording Partyman and Trust (to replace Rave Unto The Joy Fantastic and 200 Balloons respectively). Dance With The Devil was recorded for the album, but Prince considered the song to be too dark and replaced it with Batdance, which was the last song recorded for the album.      

While the bulk of the album was recorded between mid-February and the end of March 1989, Electric Chair was recorded in June 1988, and Scandalous in October 1988. In addition, Vicki Waiting was a revamped version of Anna Waiting, initially recorded in December 1988.    
  

Prince ~ Batman
vinyl LP record sleeve detail




Prince ~ Batman
vinyl LP record sleeve detail


According to Variety (link below), Michael Keaton may forever be associated with Prince in some fans’ minds because the movie star and the pop star both worked on 1989’s Batman — the actor starring as the caped crusader and the musician performing the song Batdance, which became a No. 1 hit.          

Prince ~ Batman
Lyrics
vinyl LP record sleeve 



Prince ~ Batman
Lyrics
vinyl LP record sleeve details



In 2016, film critic Matt Zoller Seitz praised Prince's songs and music videos for Batman, more so than the film itself, stating that his songs "suggest a goofy, perverse, sensuous, somewhat introverted Batman film that so far we've never gotten from anyone", and arguing that Prince's music videos "are more psychologically perceptive than any of the Batman films."       



Prince ~ Batman
vinyl LP record, side 1








Prince ~ Batman
vinyl LP record, side 2



         

Tracklist:

Side 1:
A1 - The Future - 4:08
A2 - Electric Chair, Mixed By Chris Lord-Alge - 4:13
A3 - The Arms Of Orion, Composed By, Performer – Prince, Sheena Easton Guest [Special Guest Presence] – Sheena Easton - 5:03
A4 - Partyman, Guest [Special Guest Presence] – Anna Fantastic, Femi Jiya - 3:11
A5 - Vicki Waiting - 4:47

Side 2:
B1 - Trust - 4:24
B2 - Lemon Crush - 4:15
B3 - Scandalous, Composed By John L. Nelson, Prince - 6:15
B4 - Batdance, Guest [Special Guest Presence] – Matthew Larson - 6:13

Companies, etc.
    Copyright (c) – DC Comics Inc.
    Record Company – Warner Bros.
    Record Company – Warner Communications
    Record Company – Warner Bros. Records Inc.
    Copyright (c) – DC Comics
    Phonographic Copyright (p) – Warner Bros. Records Inc.
    Phonographic Copyright (p) – WEA International Inc.
    Recorded At – Paisley Park Studios
    Mixed At – Paisley Park Studios
    Mixed At – The Grey Room
    Mastered At – Masterdisk
    Published By – Controversy Music
    Published By – Wb Music Corp.
    Published By – Skye Heart Music

Credits:
    Choir – The Sounds Of Blackness Choir*
    Design – Tom Recchion
    Executive-Producer [Album] – Jon Peters (2), Peter Guber
    Guest [Special Guest Presence], Voice – Jack Nicholson (tracks: A1, A4, A5, B4), Kim Basinger (tracks: A1, A4, A5, B4), Michael Keaton (tracks: A1, A4, A5, B4)
    Horns – Atlanta Bliss, Eric Leeds
    Illustration [Logo] – Anton Furst
    Instruments [All Other], Vocals [All Other Voices], Arranged By [All Other Instruments & Voices], Performer – Prince
    Lyrics By – Prince
    Mastered By [DMM] – HW*
    Orchestra – The Clare Fischer Orchestra
    Photography By [Prince] – Jeff Katz (2)
    Producer, Arranged By, Composed By, Performer – Prince
    Production Manager [Executive In Charge Of Album Production] – Gary LeMel
    Recorded By [Assistant], Mixed By [Assistant] – Chuck Zwicky, David Friedlander*, Eddie Miller, Heidi Hanschu
    Recorded By, Mixed By – Femi Jiya, Prince
    Sampler [Samples Re-Arranged & Performed] – Prince
    Supervised By [Music Supervisor] – Michael Dilbeck

Notes:
Soundtrack of the movie "Batman" directed by Tim Burton (1989).

Recorded and mixed at Paisley Park Studios.
'Electric Chair' mixed at the Grey Room.
Mastered at Masterdisk, New York.

Sheena Easton appears courtesy of MCA Records, Inc.

All songs published by Controversy Music/WB Music Corp. ASCAP
except A3 published by Controversy Music ASCAP/Skye Heart Music BMI
and B2 & B4 published by Controversy Music ASCAP

[Lyrics sheet] © 1989 Controversy Music/ASCAP

TM & © 1989 DC Comics Inc.

Warner Bros. A Warner Communications Company
© 1989 Warner Bros. Inc.

Warner Bros. Records Inc., a Warner Communications Company.
© 1989 DC Comics ℗ 1989 Warner Bros. Records Inc. for the U.S. and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the U.S.

A counterpart Batman (Original Motion Picture Score) was also released.
Barcode and Other Identifiers

    Barcode: 0 7599-25936-1 8
    Rights Society (All songs): ASCAP
    Rights Society (A3): BMI
    Matrix / Runout (Side A): 1-25936-A SRI-DMM SPI-I MASTERDISK DMM -HW
    Matrix / Runout (Side B): 1-25936-B SRI-DMM SPI-I MASTERDISK DMM -HW

Prince ‎– Batman™ Motion Picture Soundtrack
Label: Warner Bros. Records ‎– 9 25936-1, Warner Bros. Records ‎– 1-25936
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1989
Genre: Electronic, Rock, Funk / Soul, Stage & Screen
Style: Soundtrack, House, Pop Rock, Synth-pop, Funk

           
         


Viewfinder link:       
         
Prince articles/mentions       

Net links:       
         
MTV News ~ Prince Understood Batman Better Than Anyone    
Comics Alliance ~ Review Of Prince’s Batman         
PrinceVault ~ Batman        
Variety ~ Michael Keaton Remembers Prince     
AV/Music ~ Batman not the embarrassment it’s reputed to be
Pile Rats ~ That time Prince did the soundtrack for Tim Burton's Batman  
Mass Appeal ~    
        When Batman Swooped in to Help Prince’s Career         
We Minored In Film ~           
The Hollywood Reporter ~         
        Prince ~ 10 Memorable Movies Featuring His Songs   
Diffuser ~ 365 Prince Songs in a Year   
The Guardian ~  
        Clouds, Batman and high heels: proof that Prince had the look 

Youtube links:       
         
Batdance        
U Got The Look         
Partyman         
Scandalous       
The Arms Of Orion ~ Featuring Sheena Easton       
          
       
       
       
Styrous® ~ Wednesday, June 20, 2018        



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