Just a Boy

Last updated

Just a Boy
Leo Sayer - Just a Boy.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 1974
Recorded1974
Studio Kingsway Recorders, London
Genre Soft rock
Length38:04
Label Chrysalis Records (UK)
Warner Bros. Records (USA)
Producer David Courtney, Adam Faith
Leo Sayer chronology
Silverbird
(1973)
Just a Boy
(1974)
Another Year
(1975)
Singles from Just a Boy
  1. "One Man Band"
    Released: 31 May 1974 [1]
  2. "Long Tall Glasses (I Can Dance)"
    Released: September 1974
  3. "Train"
    Released: February 1975 (EU) [2]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [3]
Christgau's Record Guide C+ [4]
The Village Voice C+ [5]

Just a Boy is the second album by English singer-songwriter, Leo Sayer, and was released in 1974. It features his interpretations of two songs ("One Man Band" and "Giving It All Away") written by Sayer and David Courtney for the Who's lead vocalist Roger Daltrey's debut album, Daltrey . Sayer's singles "One Man Band" and "Long Tall Glasses" both hit the charts in the UK and around the world. Leo Sayer was now popular in Europe and made many promotional appearances there. He headlined in Paris at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the venue known as the home of his then-hero, mime artist Marcel Marceau.[ citation needed ]

Contents

Album cover artwork

The cover is a painting by Humphrey Butler-Bowden. [6] It is a tribute to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's artwork for his famous novella The Little Prince . The album's back cover pointedly depicted a group of new Sayers giving Pierrot the elbow.

Recording

Adam Faith, David Courtney and Sayer had already started work on the album, cutting "One Man Band" while Sayer was on an American tour. More recording took place in London. This time the recording went smoothly and the right results were quickly accomplished. Some of the songs, like "Long Tall Glasses", were written in the studio. [7] Roger Daltrey had first recorded Sayer's songs, "One Man Band" and "Giving It All Away" on his 1973 debut solo album, Daltrey.

A cover of the song "I Can Dance (Long Tall Glasses)" by the Canadian band Shooter hit the Canadian charts the same week as the Sayer original. The Sayer version reached No. 18, where the Shooter version reached No. 22, both on 3 May chart. [8]

Track listing

All lyrics by Leo Sayer and music by David Courtney.

Side one

  1. "Telepath" – 3:12
  2. "Train" – 4:25
  3. "The Bells of St Mary's" – 3:36
  4. "One Man Band" – 3:35
  5. "In My Life" – 3:23

Side two

  1. "When I Came Home This Morning" – 5:17
  2. "Long Tall Glasses (I Can Dance)" – 3:19
  3. "Another Time" – 3:26
  4. "Solo" – 3:59
  5. "Giving it All Away" – 3:52

Personnel

Production

[6]

Production

Charts

Chart (1974/75)Peak
Position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [9] 3
UK Albums Chart 4
US Pop Albums 16

Year-end charts

Chart (1975)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [10] 2

Singles

YearSingleChartPeak
position
1974"Long Tall Glasses"Ireland (IRMA)4
"Long Tall Glasses" UK Singles Chart [11] 4
"One Man Band"6
1975"Long Tall Glasses (I Can Dance)"
Australia (Kent Music Report) [12] 7
US Pop Singles [13] 9
Canada ( RPM ) Top Singles [14] 18
South Africa [15] 9
"One Man Band"US Pop Singles [13] 96

Related Research Articles

<i>Its Hard</i> 1982 studio album by the Who

It's Hard is the tenth studio album by English rock band the Who. Released in September 1982, it was the final Who album to feature bassist John Entwistle, who died in 2002. It was also the second and final Who studio album with drummer Kenney Jones, as well as the last to be released on Warner Bros. Records in the US. It was released on Polydor Records in the UK, peaking at No. 11, and on Warner Bros. in the US where it peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart. The US rights to both this album and Face Dances subsequently reverted to the band, who then licensed them to MCA Records for reissue. The album achieved gold status by the RIAA in the US in November 1982. It was their last album for over two decades until Endless Wire in 2006.

<i>An Innocent Man</i> 1983 studio album by Billy Joel

An Innocent Man is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released on August 8, 1983. The concept album is a tribute to the American popular music of Joel's adolescent years with Joel paying homage to a number of different and popular American musical styles from the late 1950s and early 1960s, most notably doo-wop and soul music. The album cover artwork was taken on the front steps of 142 Mercer Street, just north of the intersection of Mercer and Prince Street in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leo Sayer</span> British-Australian singer (born 1948)

Gerard Hugh "Leo" Sayer is an English-Australian singer and songwriter who has been active since the early 1970s. He has been an Australian citizen and resident since 2009.

<i>Silverbird</i> (album) 1973 studio album by Leo Sayer

Silverbird is the debut solo studio album by English singer-songwriter Leo Sayer. It was originally released in November 1973 by Chrysalis (UK), and Warner Bros. (US). It was co-produced by former British pop teen idol Adam Faith and David Courtney.

<i>Endless Flight</i> 1976 studio album by Leo Sayer

Endless Flight is the fourth album by English singer-songwriter Leo Sayer, which was released in 1976. It was released in the US and Canada by Warner Bros. Records and in the UK by Chrysalis Records.

<i>Odds & Sods</i> 1974 compilation album by The Who

Odds & Sods is an album of studio outtakes by British rock band the Who. It was released by Track Records in the UK on September 28, 1974, and by Track/MCA in the US on October 12, 1974. Ten of the recordings on the original eleven-song album were previously unreleased. The album reached No. 10 on the UK charts and No. 15 in the US.

<i>Gasoline Alley</i> (album) 1970 studio album by Rod Stewart

Gasoline Alley is the second solo studio album by the British singer-songwriter Rod Stewart. It was released on 12 June 1970 by Vertigo Records. It is a collection of covers combined with Stewart's own compositions. Like many of Stewart's solo albums from the period, it featured significant musical contributions from the other members of his band Faces.

<i>Daltrey</i> (album) 1973 studio album by Roger Daltrey

Daltrey is the debut solo studio album by the English rock singer Roger Daltrey, lead vocalist of the Who. It was released on 20 April 1973 by Track Records in the United Kingdom and MCA Records in the United States. Daltrey was the third member of the group to make a solo album. The bulk of the record was written by David Courtney and Leo Sayer. It took six weeks to record during January and February 1973. Sessions took place at Daltrey's Barn Studio, Burwash, East Sussex, where the backing tracks were laid down; vocals, overdubs, and mixing was completed at the Beatles' Apple Studios at 3 Savile Row, and at Nova Sound Studios.

<i>The Original Soundtrack</i> 1975 studio album by 10cc

The Original Soundtrack is the third studio album by the English rock band 10cc. It was released in 1975 and peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart. The Original Soundtrack includes the singles "Life Is a Minestrone", and "I'm Not in Love", the band's most popular song.

<i>Shinin On</i> 1974 studio album by Grand Funk Railroad

Shinin' On is the eighth studio album by American rock band Grand Funk Railroad. The album was released in March 1974, by Capitol Records. Although not as successful as its predecessor, We're an American Band (1973), it peaked at #5 in the US and was certified gold, and its first single, a cover of "The Loco-Motion" topped the U.S. charts. The original cover was done in bi-visual 3-D and included the required blue and red lense glasses to view it. The 3D art was done by renowned graphics artist Neal Adams, based on an idea by Lynn Goldsmith and Funk's manager Andrew Cavaliere. Goldsmith worked not only as the band’s photographer, but had also directed the 1973 promotional film for We’re An American Band and created a number of other Grand Funk covers. A Quadraphonic mix of the album was available in the Quadraphonic 8-Track cartridge format. The title song was featured in The Simpsons' 7th season episode "Homerpalooza" on May 19, 1996.

<i>Middle Man</i> (album) 1980 studio album by Boz Scaggs

Middle Man is the ninth studio album by Boz Scaggs, released by Columbia Records in 1980. Scaggs hired members of the band Toto as session musicians and shared songwriting credits with them, returning to the commercial, soul-influenced rock of the latter. It would take him eight years to release his following album Other Roads, again retaining the personnel of the three preceding it.

<i>Steve Winwood</i> (album) 1977 studio album by Steve Winwood

Steve Winwood is the debut solo studio album by blue-eyed soulster Steve Winwood. It was released in 1977, three years after the break-up of his former band, Traffic. Though the album sold moderately well in the US, it was a commercial disappointment compared to Traffic's recent albums, peaking at number 22 on the Billboard albums chart. In the UK, where Traffic's recent albums had only been moderately successful, Steve Winwood reached number 12 on The Official Charts. Island Records released two singles from the album, "Hold On" and "Time Is Running Out", both of which failed to chart.

<i>Ride a Rock Horse</i> 1975 studio album by Roger Daltrey

Ride a Rock Horse is the second solo studio album by English singer Roger Daltrey, released on 4 July 1975 by Track in the UK and MCA in the US. Ride a Rock Horse was recorded during Daltrey's filming commitments for Ken Russell's film Lisztomania. The album's cover, which is photographed and designed by Daltrey's cousin Graham Hughes, depicts the singer as a rampant centaur.

<i>One of the Boys</i> (Roger Daltrey album) 1977 studio album by Roger Daltrey

One of the Boys is the third solo studio album by the Who's lead vocalist, Roger Daltrey. It was released in 1977, on Polydor in the UK, and MCA in the US. The sessions were recorded at the Who's Ramport Studios during the winter of 1976, and Daltrey allowed students from the local Battersea technical school to film them as an educational project. This also marked the first time that Daltrey had written or co-written a song since "Here for More" in 1970, and Lisztomania in 1975. Daltrey's original choice for producers were Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, but they declined.

<i>The Very Best of Leo Sayer</i> 1979 greatest hits album by Leo Sayer

The Very Best of Leo Sayer was a greatest hits compilation album released in May 1979. His seventh album, it was in the #1 spot in the UK Albums Chart for 3 weeks, and in Australia for 1 week. It is his only chart-topper in the UK Albums Chart. It was never released in the United States.

<i>Back Home Again</i> (John Denver album) 1974 studio album by John Denver

Back Home Again is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter John Denver, released in June 1974.

<i>Tommy</i> (soundtrack) 1975 soundtrack album by The Who

Tommy is a soundtrack album by The Who with contributions from numerous artists. The soundtrack was used in the 1975 Tommy film that was based on the original album that was released by The Who in 1969. Pete Townshend oversaw the production of this double-LP recording that returned the music to its rock roots, and on which the unrecorded orchestral arrangements he had envisaged for the original Tommy LP were realised by the extensive use of synthesiser.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giving It All Away</span> 1973 single by Roger Daltrey

"Giving It All Away" is the debut solo single by Roger Daltrey, the lead vocalist of the Who. The song was written by the then-unknown Leo Sayer with David Courtney. Adam Faith and David Courtney produced the track.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long Tall Glasses (I Can Dance)</span> 1975 single by Leo Sayer

"Long Tall Glasses (I Can Dance)" is a 1974 song by Leo Sayer, co-written with David Courtney. It was released in the United Kingdom in late 1974, becoming Sayer's third hit record on both the British and Irish singles charts and reaching number four in both nations. It was included on Sayer's album Just a Boy.

<i>La Booga Rooga</i> 1975 studio album by Andy Fairweather Low

La Booga Rooga was the second solo album by Andy Fairweather Low, and was released by A&M Records in 1975.

References

  1. "Music Week" (PDF). Worldradiohistory.com. p. 40.
  2. Hung, Steffen. "Leo Sayer - Train". Hitparade.ch. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  3. AllMusic review, AllMusic
  4. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: S". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies . Ticknor & Fields. ISBN   089919026X . Retrieved 12 March 2019 via Robertchristgau.com.
  5. Christgau, Robert (17 March 1975). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice . New York. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  6. 1 2 3 "Just a Boy - Leo Sayer | Album". AllMusic . Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  7. "Leo's Story – So Far… | Leo Sayer.com". Archived from the original on 10 March 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  8. "RPM Top 100 Singles – May 3, 1975" (PDF). Collectionscanada.gc.ca.
  9. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 265. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  10. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 427. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  11. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 483. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.
  12. "Forum - Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts - 1980s (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Australian-charts.com. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  13. 1 2 Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN   0-89820-089-X
  14. "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Library and Archives Canada . Archived from the original on 1 December 2017.
  15. "South African Rock Lists Website - SA Charts 1969 - 1989 Acts (S)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 26 October 2024.