Emerald City | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | July 22, 1986 | |||
Recorded | 1985–1986 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 43:03 | |||
Label | Epic/CBS Records FE 40318 | |||
Producer | Teena Marie | |||
Teena Marie chronology | ||||
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Emerald City is the seventh album by Teena Marie, released on July 22, 1986. It is a stylistic departure for her, with strong blues and rock influences favored over her established soul/funk style, and is a concept album. This proved puzzling for fans and critics, and the album sold poorly, peaking at number 20 on the US Black Albums chart and number 81 on the Billboard Albums chart.
Two singles, "Lips to Find You" and "Love Me Down Easy", were released. They reached #28 and #76 respectively on the Black Singles chart, but neither charted on the Billboard Hot 100. However, "Shangri-La", while it never became a single or charted anywhere, became a staple of Quiet storm programming blocks on adult R&B radio.
Stevie Ray Vaughan composed and performed the guitar solo on "You So Heavy", Bootsy Collins provided vocals on the title album track, and Stanley Clarke played bass on "Sunny Skies".
In his 1991 book Stairway to Hell: The 500 Best Heavy Metal Albums in the Universe, rock critic Chuck Eddy put Emerald City in the ninth spot; it is the lone entry in the book that does not fit traditional categories of heavy metal.
The album was reissued by SoulMusic Records in 2012, with five bonus tracks.
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
Spin Alternative Record Guide | 8/10 [1] |
All songs written by Teena Marie, except where noted.
Bonus tracks - 2012 SoulMusic reissue
Arthur Alexander was an American country-soul songwriter and singer. Jason Ankeny, music critic for AllMusic, said Alexander was a "country-soul pioneer" and that, though largely unknown, "his music is the stuff of genius, a poignant and deeply intimate body of work on par with the best of his contemporaries." Alexander's songs were covered by such stars as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Otis Redding, Tina Turner, Pearl Jam, and Jerry Lee Lewis.
Mary Christine Brockert, known professionally as Teena Marie, was an American soul and R&B singer, songwriter, and producer. She was known by her childhood nickname Tina before taking the stage name Teena Marie and later acquired the nickname Lady T, given to her by her collaborator and friend Rick James.
Street Songs is the fifth studio album by American musician Rick James, released in April 1981 on Gordy Records. It contained two of James's biggest hits: the singles "Give It to Me Baby" and "Super Freak".
Legacy: The Greatest Hits Collection is a 2001 greatest hits LP for R&B group Boyz II Men, released by Universal Records.
Throwin' Down is the 6th studio album by Rick James, released in 1982 via the Gordy imprint of Motown Records. It peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard 200. Although not as popular as Street Songs, Throwin' Down is certified gold by the RIAA. It was nominated for an American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Album.
Starchild is the sixth studio album by American R&B singer Teena Marie, released on November 11, 1984, by Epic Records. Following the relative commercial failure of her previous album, Robbery, Starchild became the highest-selling album of Marie's career. It peaked at #9 on the US Black Albums chart and #31 on the Billboard Albums chart. It was certified Gold by the RIAA on April 1, 1985.
High Times: Singles 1992–2006 is a compilation album by the British band Jamiroquai that was released on 6 November 2006 in the United Kingdom and 8 November 2006 in Japan.
Elvis' Golden Records Volume 3 is a greatest hits album by American rock and roll singer Elvis Presley, released by RCA Victor as LPM/LSP-2765 on August 12, 1963. The album was the third volume of an eventual five volume collection, and his eighteenth altogether. It is a compilation of hit singles released in 1960, 1961, and 1962.
Wild and Peaceful is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Teena Marie. Released on March 31, 1979 by Motown. It features significant contributions from Rick James who produced and wrote the bulk of material as well as providing co-vocals on "I'm a Sucker for Your Love".
Elvis' Gold Records Volume 5 is the final album in the RCA Golden/Gold Records series by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, and the only volume in the series to be issued posthumously. The album was released by RCA Records in March 1984 on both LP and compact disc. The album is a compilation of hit singles released between 1968 and 1977. It is the only one of the series not to make the Billboard album chart, "bubbling under" at #207 for two weeks. It was certified Gold on 7/15/1999 by the RIAA.
So Natural is the third solo studio album by British singer Lisa Stansfield, released by Arista Records on 8 November 1993. Stansfield wrote songs for the album with her husband Ian Devaney, who also produced the tracks. Three songs were co-written by Andy Morris, who worked with Stansfield on Affection (1989) and Real Love (1991). So Natural garnered positive reviews from music critics and performed moderately on the charts, reaching number six in the United Kingdom and receiving Platinum certification. The album was not released in North America. On November 10, 2014, in the United Kingdom, and on November 21, 2014, in Europe, So Natural was reissued as a deluxe 2CD + DVD collection.
It Must Be Magic is the fourth studio album by Teena Marie, released on May 14, 1981. It was her last album for Motown and the highest-selling of Marie's tenure with Motown. The album peaked at No. 2 on the US Black Albums chart and No. 23 on the Pop Albums chart.
Lady T is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Teena Marie, released by Motown's Gordy label on February 14, 1980.
Irons in the Fire is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Teena Marie, released on August 14, 1980, by Motown. Her first self produced effort, it was dedicated to her father, Thomas Leslie Brockert (1919-1976). It received positive reviews on its release. In a 2009 interview she named it as her personal favourite of all her albums.
Robbery is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Teena Marie, released in September 18, 1983. It is her first album for Epic Records, following her acrimonious departure from Motown the previous year. The album was written and produced by Marie herself and features contributions from Patrice Rushen, Paulinho da Costa, and Steve Ferrone among others. However, the album did not repeat the success of her last Motown release It Must Be Magic (1981) stalling at number 13 on the Black Albums chart and only reaching number 119 on the Billboard Albums chart.
Naked to the World is the eighth album by Teena Marie, released on March 21, 1988. It is a return to her soul/funk roots following the experimentation of her previous album Emerald City, which had been a critical and commercial disappointment.
Read My Lips is the 1989 debut solo album by Jimmy Somerville, former lead singer of the successful synthpop groups Bronski Beat and The Communards. The album was released through London Records and peaked at number 29 on the UK Albums Chart. It has been certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry for sales in excess of 100,000 copies.
Forever by Your Side is the 13th studio album of American popular R&B vocal group the Manhattans, originally released in 1983 by Columbia Records. The album was recorded at Celestial Sound Studios, Studio Sound Recorders, Universal Recording Studio and produced by George Tobin Productions Inc, Leo Graham Enterprises, Mighty M. Productions Ltd. This album brought the two singles by The Manhattans of 1983: the song "Crazy" and the title track "Forever by Your Side". The ballad "Crazy" was the big hit of this album, peaked at #4 on the R&B chart. The love song "Forever by Your Side" had moderate success in the United States, peaked at #30 on the R&B chart, but has become a great success and a romantic classic in Brazil two years later, when she was part of the soundtrack of a soap opera in the country in 1985. Another highlight of this album was the song "Just The Lonely Talking Again", which was later re-recorded by Whitney Houston in 1987, on her second studio album Whitney. The original release of "Forever by Your Side" from 1983 in Vinyl LP has only eight tracks. In 2014, the album was remastered on CD with the caption "Expanded Edition" and brought five bonus tracks, totaling 13 tracks. These bonus tracks include the single version of "Crazy", "Just The Lonely Talking Again" and "Love Is Gonna Find You", with shorter durations than the original songs on the album. There is also the instrumental version of great success "Crazy", without the voices of The Manhattans. The final track number 13, "Lovin' You Did not Come Easy", was also recorded by The Manhattans, but, curiously, was never released in any album of the group. The song was released in 2014 remastered as a previously unreleased song, over thirty years after it was recorded.
Easy is a studio album by Nancy Wilson, released in May 1968 by Capitol Records. It features arrangements by Jimmy Jones and was produced by David Cavanaugh. The opening and closing tracks are composed by Antônio Carlos Jobim.