Action Replay | ||||
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EP by | ||||
Released | 1986 | |||
Genre | Pop, new wave | |||
Label | Elektra | |||
Producer | Rupert Hine (tracks 2-4, 6) Phil Collins and Hugh Padgham (track 1) Howard Jones (track 5) | |||
Howard Jones chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Action Replay is a special six-song EP[ clarification needed ] by British pop musician Howard Jones. It was released only in the United States and Canada to support the single version of Jones' hit "No One Is to Blame". Other songs on this release include tracks previously only available in the UK, and a handful of extended remixes. The EP was a substantial hit in North America and on import in Europe.
Action Replay was remastered and released on CD for the first time in 2011.
Side A:
Side B:
Chart (1986) | Peak position |
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US Billboard 200 [2] | 34 |
The twelve-inch single is a type of vinyl gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a "single" or a few related sound tracks on each surface, compared to LPs which have several songs on each side. It is named for its 12-inch (300 mm) diameter. This allows for louder levels to be cut on the disc by the mastering engineer, which in turn gives a wider dynamic range, and thus better sound quality. This record type is commonly used in disco and dance music genres, where DJs use them to play in clubs. They are played at either 33+1⁄3 or 45 rpm. The conventional 7-inch single usually holds three or four minutes of music at full volume. The 12-inch LP sacrifices volume for extended playing time.
John Howard Jones is a British musician, singer and songwriter. He had ten top 40 hit singles in the UK between 1983 and 1986, six of which reached the top ten, including "Like to Get to Know You Well", "What Is Love?", "New Song", and "Things Can Only Get Better". His 1984 album Human's Lib reached number one on the UK Albums Chart. Around the world, Jones had 15 top 40 hit singles between 1983 and 1992. The 1986 hit single "No One Is to Blame" reached No. 4 on the US charts. Four others placed in the US top 20.
"Nathan Jones" is a song by American girl group the Supremes from their twenty-third studio album, Touch (1971). It was released on April 15, 1971, as the album's lead single. Produced by Frank Wilson and written by Kathy Wakefield and Leonard Caston, "Nathan Jones" was one of eight top-40 entries the Supremes recorded after its original frontwoman, Diana Ross, left the group for a solo career.
The 12″ Album is an album of 12-inch mixes by singer and musician Howard Jones, released in November 1984. It was released between the first two studio albums Human's Lib and Dream into Action and at the time was the only album to feature the single "Like to Get to Know You Well", which had been a hit four months earlier.
Dream into Action is the second studio album by British pop musician Howard Jones. It was released in March 1985 and reached No. 2 in the UK Album Charts. The album also reached the top ten in the U.S. The album achieved a gold certification in the UK and platinum status in the US and Canada.
"Only Love Can Break Your Heart" is a song written by Canadian-American singer-songwriter, musician, and activist Neil Young. It has been covered by many bands.
"Roman P" is a song by Psychic TV about director Roman Polanski.
"Pull Up to the Bumper" is a 1981 song by Jamaican singer Grace Jones, released as the third single from her fifth album, Nightclubbing (1981). Sonically, it is an uptempo electro-disco, post-punk, dance-pop and reggae-disco song with dub production, "pulsing drums and chic new-wave licks", as well as elements of funk and R&B music. Its lyrics were written by Jones alone, while she, along with Kookoo Baya and Dana Manno, are credited as its composers. The song's instrumental part was originally recorded in 1980 during the Warm Leatherette sessions; however, it did not make the album as Chris Blackwell found its sound not fitting in the rest of the material. It was completed for the 1981 critically acclaimed Nightclubbing album and became its third single in June 1981. The song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart in the US and number 53 in the UK. When re-released in 1986, it peaked at number 12 in the UK. The track has come to be one of Jones' signature tunes and her first transatlantic hit.
"New Song" is the debut single by musician Howard Jones, released in August 1983. The single reached number three on the UK Singles Chart, spending 20 weeks in the Top 75. On the UK seven-inch single, the song's lyrics are printed in a spiral on the A-side label, with all the credits printed on the B-side. It was released in the US in early 1984, peaking at #27 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The track later appeared on Jones' debut album Human's Lib.
"Fall", written by Clay Mills, Sonny LeMaire, and Shane Minor, is a song that has been recorded by both country singer Clay Walker and pop singer Kimberley Locke, both of whom are signed to Curb Records. Both versions were released within weeks of each other, in mid-2007. While Walker's version was released to country radio, Locke's went to adult contemporary radio format. Walker's reached number five on the U.S. country singles charts and Locke's achieved number one on the U.S. dance charts. Go West frontman Peter Cox recorded a version of "Fall" on his 2010 album, The S1 Sessions.
"No One Is to Blame" is a song by British musician Howard Jones. Originally released on Jones's 1985 album, Dream into Action, "No One Is to Blame" was re-recorded and released as a single in 1986. The single became Jones's biggest U.S. hit to date, peaking at #4.
"So What" is a song recorded by American singer Pink for her fifth studio album, Funhouse (2008). The song was written by Pink, Max Martin, and Shellback, and produced by Martin. Selected as the album's lead single, "So What" was first released on August 11, 2008, and to mainstream radios on August 25, 2008, through LaFace and Zomba Label Group. The song consists of a martial beat and synth backing. The lyrics are based on her separation from freestyle motocross rider Carey Hart, which occurred six months prior to the release.
"Everlasting Love" is a song by English singer and songwriter Howard Jones from his fourth studio album, Cross That Line (1989). Written by Jones, it was released as the album's first single on 20 February 1989.
"Boy" is the 1985 debut single by the American synth-pop band Book of Love. The song was included on the band's eponymous debut album Book of Love in 1986.
"Things Can Only Get Better" was released as the first single from Howard Jones' 1985 album Dream into Action.
"Look Mama" is a song from Howard Jones' 1985 album Dream Into Action. Released as the second single from the album, the song reached #10 in the UK Singles Chart. It was not released as a single in the US, but a different mix to those issued in the UK was included on the US-only remix album Action Replay.
"Life in One Day" is the third single from Howard Jones' 1985 album Dream Into Action. It is an uptempo number, which lyrically warns against wishing one's life away. It reached number 14 in the UK Singles Chart, and number 19 on the United States Billboard Hot 100.
"What About Us" is a single released by British-Irish girl group The Saturdays. Their first international single, it is the lead single from their first American-only release EP, Chasing the Saturdays (2013). It also acts as the second single from their fourth studio album Living for the Weekend (2013). The single was first released in the United States and Canada on 18 December 2012 via digital download, before being released in the United Kingdom on 16 March 2013 via CD single and digital download. The single was written by Camille Purcell, Ollie Jacobs, Philip Jacobs. There are two different versions of the track which have been recorded and released: a solo version, which was released exclusively in the US and Canada, and a version featuring Jamaican rapper Sean Paul, which was released internationally. Music critics gave the song positive feedback, but questioned the heavily auto-tuned chorus and the move away from the group's traditional sound.
"Burning Bridges" is a song written by Walter Scott, and best known for its 1960 recording by Jack Scott, which was a #3 hit in the US. This was the only hit song for composer Walter Scott, who was no relation to Jack Scott.
Cory Gerald Joseph Marquardt is a Canadian country rock singer-songwriter, drummer, actor and former ice hockey player better known by his stage name Cory Marks. He is signed to Better Noise Music. He has released two albums, This Man in 2015 under Big Star Recordings and most recently Who I Am in 2020 under Better Noise. Since the release the album has accumulated over 220 million global streams with his debut single "Outlaws & Outsiders" being certified Platinum in Canada, Gold in the US and reaching top 10 at US rock radio and #3 in Germany, making Marks the first to ever do so as a Canadian country act.