| Eyes That See in the Dark | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 22, 1983 [1] | |||
| Recorded | May 1983 | |||
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 39:56 | |||
| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Producer | Gibb-Galuten-Richardson | |||
| Kenny Rogers chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Eyes That See in the Dark | ||||
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| Review scores | |
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| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
Eyes That See in the Dark is the fifteenth studio album by American country singer Kenny Rogers, released by RCA Records in August 1983.
Eyes That See in the Dark marks Barry Gibb's third production project of the 1980s outside of the Bee Gees. Gibb wrote most of the songs that were more reminiscent of Rogers's days with the First Edition.
Just after Barry Gibb contributed producing Dionne Warwick's Heartbreaker album, he and Rogers met later in the year and it was then that Rogers asked about some songs, and one of those songs was the title track. The other songs in this album were written in late 1982 and recorded in early 1983. Gibb recorded demos for Rogers while working with the Bee Gees for the 1983 film Staying Alive until April 1983, as Rogers started to record this album in May the same year. [4]
The album, Rogers's first for RCA Nashville, was issued while his previous effort on Liberty Records We've Got Tonight was still in the charts and had to compete with singles from that still being issued by his previous label.
The finished instrumental tracks were dubbed onto the demos, and some of the guitar, bass, and synthesizer on the demos are heard in the completed mix. Ron Ziegler had to dub drums exactly in time with the drum machine used on the demos. Some of the musicians had also played on all of Andy Gibb's albums, Tim Renwick, George Terry, and Ron Ziegler. Barry and Maurice Gibb with Albhy Galuten appear both from the demo tracks and new recordings. "Islands in the Stream" was not a duet and Rogers was not happy with the recording. Only after Dolly Parton was brought in and recorded the song as a duet did it take off. [5]
The producers at the vocal dub sessions were surprised by Rogers's laid-back approach. He had kept the song demos in his possession for a period of time, but still needed to read lyric sheets while singing. He also, in Galuten's opinion, was just copying Barry's vocals instead of making the songs his own, a comment for which Galuten was banished from the rest of the vocal dub sessions. Kenny recalls it differently, that the producers urged him to sing them like Barry. At any rate, his vocals do follow Barry's closely. [5]
The Gatlin Brothers contributed background vocals on "Buried Treasure" and "Evening Star", though Barry and Maurice Gibb's backing vocals can be heard, as the demo was mixed into the final version. While the three members of the Bee Gees: Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb did the same on "Living with You".
"Islands in the Stream" became a major hit, reaching #1 on the Billboard pop, country and adult contemporary charts. It turned out to be the #1 country chart song of 1983.
Elsewhere on the album are "Buried Treasure", a single which was a top 3 country hit; the track "This Woman", which reached the top 20 on both the Billboard pop and country charts, and the title cut, "Eyes That See in the Dark", which charted on the UK Singles Chart, spending six weeks in the top 100. [6]
Copyright of this album later passed to Kenny Rogers's self-owned label Dreamcatcher Records, and was licensed to Castle/Sanctuary. Under that license, this album was reissued on CD in Brazil. [7] Copyright is currently owned by Capitol Records Nashville, which released it digitally; this version omits "Islands in the Stream", the most successful single from this album, for which copyright is still owned by Sony Music, current owner of RCA Records. Universal Music Group, owner of Capitol Records, did not obtain a license from Sony Music to include this song on that release, though this track can be purchased as a single track independent of the album (it mostly appears in compilations of Dolly Parton songs from Sony Music).
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "This Woman" | Barry Gibb, Albhy Galuten | 3:58 |
| 2. | "You and I" | 4:37 | |
| 3. | "Buried Treasure" | 4:12 | |
| 4. | "Islands in the Stream" (duet with Dolly Parton) | 4:10 | |
| 5. | "Living with You" | 3:10 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Evening Star" | B. Gibb, Maurice Gibb | 3:40 |
| 7. | "Hold Me" | 4:15 | |
| 8. | "Midsummer Nights" | B. Gibb, Albhy Galuten | 3:50 |
| 9. | "I Will Always Love You" | B. Gibb, M. Gibb | 4:22 |
| 10. | "Eyes That See in the Dark" | B. Gibb, M. Gibb | 3:42 |
The song "I Will Always Love You" featured on this album was written by Barry and Maurice Gibb, and is not the same as the more famous song of the same name, which was written by Dolly Parton. Kenny Rogers would later record a rendition of the Dolly Parton song, for his 1996 covers album Vote for Love .
The song "Buried Treasure" is not to be confused with Rogers's 1978 song "Buried Treasures", which appears on his album Love or Something Like It . "Buried Treasures" had not been released as a single.
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA) [21] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
| Canada (Music Canada) [22] | 4× Platinum | 400,000^ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ) [23] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
| United States (RIAA) [24] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Barry Gibb originally recorded the songs for Kenny Rogers on his album, the songs recorded from August 1982 to January–April 1983. Gibb's version of the songs was released officially in October 2006 on iTunes.
"Islands in the Stream" is a song written by the Bee Gees and recorded by American country music artists Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. It was released in August 1983 as the first single from Rogers's fifteenth studio album Eyes That See in the Dark. The Bee Gees released a live version in 1998 and a studio version in 2001.
Now Voyager is the debut solo studio album by British singer-songwriter Barry Gibb, the member of the Bee Gees. It was released on 17 September 1984 by Polydor Records in the UK and MCA Records in the US. Now Voyager was recorded sometime around the year at Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida, and Ocean Way Recording in Hollywood, California, and was produced by Gibb and Karl Richardson. It contains his biggest solo hits, "Shine, Shine" and "Fine Line". The album also included the Olivia Newton-John duet "Face to Face", which was released as a promo single. Gibb co-produced the album with Karl Richardson, who had been working with the Bee Gees since 1975. The front cover photograph was taken by Alex Henderson at Victoria Baths, Manchester.
Spirits Having Flown is the fifteenth album by the Bee Gees, released in 1979 by RSO Records. It was the group's first album after their collaboration on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. The album's first three tracks were released as singles and all reached No. 1 in the US, giving the Bee Gees an unbroken run of six US chart-toppers in a one-year period and equaling a feat shared by Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley, and The Beatles. It was the first Bee Gees album to make the UK top 40 in ten years, as well as being their first and only UK No. 1 album. Spirits Having Flown also topped the charts in Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Sweden and the US. The album has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide.
Children of the World is the fourteenth studio album by the Bee Gees, released in 1976 by RSO Records. The first single, "You Should Be Dancing", went to No. 1 in the US and Canada, and was a top ten hit in numerous other territories. The album was re-issued on CD by Reprise Records and Rhino Records in 2006. This was the first record featuring the Gibb-Galuten-Richardson production team which would have many successful collaborations in the following years.
Living Eyes is the sixteenth studio album by the Bee Gees, released in 1981. It was the band's final album on RSO Records, which would be absorbed into Polydor and subsequently discontinued. The album showcased a soft rock sound that contrasted with their disco and R&B material of the mid-to-late 1970s; having become a prominent target of the popular backlash against disco, the Bee Gees were pressured to publicly disassociate from the genre.
"Heartbreaker" is a song performed by American singer Dionne Warwick. It was written by Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees for her 1982 studio album of the same name, while production was helmed by Barry Gibb, Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson under their production moniker Gibb-Galuten-Richardson. Barry Gibb's backing vocal is heard on the chorus.
"All the Love in the World" is a song by Dionne Warwick, released as a single in 1982. It was written by the Bee Gees, and was featured on Warwick's hit album Heartbreaker, produced by Barry Gibb, Karl Richardson, and Albhy Galuten. Barry Gibb provides backing vocals on the track. It was Warwick's third single from the album, behind "Heartbreaker" and "Take the Short Way Home". The song just missed the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, but charted at number 16 on the US Adult Contemporary Chart and at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart.
Albhy Galuten is an American technology executive and futurist, Grammy Award-winning record producer, composer, musician, orchestrator and conductor. He has numerous inventions and has produced 18 number 1 singles with songs and albums selling over 100,000,000 copies. He has won two Grammy Awards, a Dramalogue award, and a BMI Citation of Achievement.
Eaten Alive is the sixteenth studio album by American R&B singer Diana Ross, released on September 24, 1985, by RCA Records in the United States, with EMI Records distributing elsewhere. It was Ross' fifth of six albums released by the label during the decade. Primarily written and produced by Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees, with co-writing from his brothers Andy, Maurice, and Robin, the album also includes a contribution from Ross' friend Michael Jackson who co-wrote and performed (uncredited) on the title track.
"Living Eyes" is a power ballad recorded by the Bee Gees and was released in November 1981 as the second single and title track off the LP of the same name. It was written by Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb. The sound of this single was closer musically to the rest of the album than its predecessor, "He's a Liar".
After Dark is the third and final studio album by English singer-songwriter Andy Gibb. It features his last US Top 10 single "Desire", "I Can't Help It" and two Bee Gees numbers "Rest Your Love on Me" and "Warm Ride".
Heartbreaker is a studio album by American singer Dionne Warwick. It was released by Arista Records on September 28, 1982, in the United States. Her fourth album with the label, it was largely written by the Bee Gees, and produced by band member Barry Gibb along with Karl Richardson and Albhy Galuten; Gibb and Galuten also served as musicians on the album. Warwick recorded the songs on Heartbreaker during the spring of 1982.
Flowing Rivers is the debut studio album by English singer-songwriter Andy Gibb. The album was produced by Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson, with Barry Gibb on two tracks. It was released in September 1977 on RSO. Flowing Rivers was re-released by Polydor Records in 1998 in CD version.
"Buried Treasure" is a song written by Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb, and recorded by American country music artist Kenny Rogers. It was released as the B-side of "This Woman" in January 1984 as the third single from the album Eyes That See in the Dark. The song reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and number 2 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart.
"Evening Star" is a song written by Barry and Maurice Gibb, and recorded by American country music artist Kenny Rogers. It was released in June 1984 as the third single from the album Eyes That See in the Dark. The song reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.
"This Woman" is a song written by Barry Gibb and Albhy Galuten and was performed by American country recording artist Kenny Rogers. It reached No. 2 in the US Adult Contemporary Chart and No. 23 in the US Pop Chart. It was published by Gibb Brothers Music and Unichappell Music.
"You and I" is a song written by Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb and was recorded and performed by Kenny Rogers from his 1983 album Eyes That See in the Dark. Despite not being released as a single, it has been played on the radio, becoming one of Rogers' most popular songs. Barry Gibb sings background vocals on the intro, chorus, interlude. The performer of the song sometimes credited to 'Kenny Rogers and the Bee Gees' because Barry used his falsetto.
The Eyes That See in the Dark Demos is a demo version of the album by Barry Gibb. Originally circulating on tape among collectors and later also on CD the album saw a legitimate and wide release on iTunes in October 2006. Maurice Gibb contributed bass, guitar and synthesizer and Robin Gibb contributed background vocals on some songs in this demo album.
"Eyes That See in the Dark" is a song written by Barry and Maurice Gibb in 1982. It was performed by Kenny Rogers for his 1983 album of the same name. It reached #30 in the US Country Charts, #4 in the US Adult Contemporary Charts, #61 in the United Kingdom and #79 in the Billboard Hot 100.
Gibb-Galuten-Richardson were a British-American record producing team, consisting of Bee Gees founding member and British singer-songwriter Barry Gibb, American musician and songwriter Albhy Galuten and American sound engineer Karl Richardson. They produced albums and singles for Andy Gibb, Samantha Sang, Frankie Valli, Teri DeSario, Barbra Streisand, Dionne Warwick, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton and Diana Ross.
...and Rogers' take on country [on Eyes That See in the Dark was perfectly indistinguishable from vaguely soulful soft rock.
