Love (Aztec Camera album)

Love
Studio album by Aztec Camera
Released	9 November 1987 [1]
Recorded	April–August 1987
Genre	Sophisti-pop [2] dance-pop [3] R&B [4] synth-pop [5] Philly soul [6] [7]
Length	38:37
Label	WEA, Sire
Producer	Russ Titelman Tommy LiPuma David Frank Roddy Frame Michael Jonzun Rob Mounsey
Aztec Camera chronology
Knife (1984) Love (1987) Stray (1990)
Singles from Love
"Deep & Wide & Tall" Released: October 1987 "How Men Are" Released: January 1988 "Somewhere in My Heart" Released: April 1988 "Working in a Goldmine" Released: July 1988

Love is the third studio album by Scottish pop group Aztec Camera, released in November 1987 on Sire. ^[8] While it was released under the Aztec Camera name, Roddy Frame was the only remaining permanent member of the group and he recorded the album alongside a group of session musicians. ^[9] Departing from the indie and folk-rock approach of earlier records, Love incorporated R&B influences, seemingly to break the American market. It failed to do so but did achieve commercial success in the UK, reaching No. 10 on the albums chart, following the success of its third single "Somewhere in My Heart", which reached No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart. As a result, it became the band's most commercially successful album. ^[10]

Background

The Backwards and Forwards (1985) live EP was released, reaching number 181 on the Billboard 200 in the United States. After this, the band went through a line-up shift, retaining frontman Roddy Frame and drummer David Ruffy, and adding guitarist Steve Jordan, bassist Marcus Miller and keyboardist David Frank of the System. ^[11]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[10]
Alternative Rock	5/10 [11]
Christgau's Record Guide	A− [12]
New Musical Express	9/10 [13]
Record Mirror	[14]

Author Dave Thompson wrote in his book Alternative Rock (2000) that the album was a "backward step into pop cliché, an attempt to make a record which would work on American radio." ^[11]

Upon release, the initially peaked at number 49 on the UK Albums Chart. After the success of its singles, it rose to number 10. ^[11]

Track listing

All songs written by Roddy Frame. ^[15]

Side one

No.	Title	Producer	Length
1.	"Deep & Wide & Tall"	Russ Titelman	4:02
2.	"How Men Are"	Tommy LiPuma David Frank	3:38
3.	"Everybody Is a Number One"	Titelman	3:25
4.	"More Than a Law"	Frame	4:39
5.	"Somewhere in My Heart"	Michael Jonzun	4:00

Side two

No.	Title	Producer	Length
6.	"Working in a Goldmine"	Rob Mounsey Frame	5:36
7.	"One and One"	Mounsey Frame	4:10
8.	"Paradise"	LiPuma Frank	4:29
9.	"Killermont Street"	Mounsey Frame	3:16

Personnel

Personnel per booklet. ^[15]

Musicians Roddy Frame – vocals, guitars, background vocals (track 1 and 3) Rob Mounsey – bass (track 1), keyboard programming (tracks 1 and 7), keyboards (tracks 3, 6 and 9), programming (tracks 6 and 9), drums (track 7) Jimmy Bralower – drum programming (tracks 1, 3 and 4) Carol Steele – percussion (tracks 1, 6 and 7) Dave Weckl – drums (tracks 1–3) Tawatha Agee – background vocals (tracks 1 and 3) Jill Dellabates – background vocals (tracks 1 and 3) Lani Groves – background vocals (tracks 1, 2 and 6–8) Dan Hartman – background vocals (tracks 1 and 3) David Frank – keyboards (tracks 2 and 8), programming (tracks 2 and 8) Marcus Miller – bass (tracks 2 and 8) Robin Clark – background vocals (tracks 2 and 6–8) Gordon Grody – background vocals (tracks 2 and 6–8) Peter Beckett – keyboards (track 3) Robby Kilgore – bass synthesizer (track 3) Jeff Bova – bass (track 4), keyboard programming (track 4) Scott Parker – background vocals (track 4) Michael Jonzun – drums (track 5), keyboard programming (track 5), background vocals (track 5) Kent Wagner – bass (track 5) Soni Jonzun – saxophone (track 5) Gloria Jonzun – background vocals (track 5) Steve Jordan – drums (tracks 6 and 9) Will Lee – bass (tracks 6 and 9) Carroll Thompson – lead vocals (track 7) Steve Gadd – drums (track 8)

Production and artwork Russ Titelman – producer (tracks 1 and 3) Josh Abbey – engineer (tracks 1, 3 and 4) Tommy LiPuma – producer (tracks 2 and 8) David Frank – producer (tracks 2 and 8) Eric Calvi – engineer (tracks 2, 3 and 8) Roddy Frame – producer (tracks 4, 6, 7 and 9) Michael Jonzun – producer (track 5) Sidney H. Burton Jr. – engineer (track 5) Nigel Walker – engineer (track 5) Rob Mounsey – producer (tracks 6, 7 and 9) Richard Alderson – engineer (track 6, 7 and 9) Kevin Halpin – engineer (track 6, 7 and 9) Jim Groatley – assistant engineer Richard Novak – assistant engineer Barbara Milne – assistant engineer Matt Hathaway – assistant engineer Angela Piva – assistant engineer Jeff Cox – assistant engineer Joel Martin – assistant engineer Arun Chakraverty – mastering Nick Knight – photography The Control Room – artwork, additional design Peter Saville Associates – original material

Singles

• "How Men Are" (UK No. 25)
• "Somewhere in My Heart" (UK No. 3)
• "Working in a Goldmine" (UK No. 31)
• "Deep & Wide & Tall" (UK No. 55)

References

Citations

1. Dalton ed. 1987, p. 42
2. Hurley, Oliver (25 August 2021). "Top 15 Sophisti-Pop Albums". Classic Pop . Retrieved 25 August 2021.
3. Mason, Stewart. "Stray - Aztec Camera". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
4. Ruhlmann, William. "Love - Aztec Camera". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
5. Arcand, Rob (3 September 2021). "Aztec Camera: Backwards and Forwards (The WEA Recordings 1984-1995) Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
6. Robbins, Ira; Schoemer, Karen; Young, Jon. "Aztec Camera". Trouser Press. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
7. Scapelliti, Christopher (1998). "Aztec Camera". In Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds.). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. pp. 55–56.
8. "Love - Aztec Camera | Releases". AllMusic . Retrieved 13 November 2019.
9. "Aztec Camera | Biography & History". AllMusic . Retrieved 13 November 2019.
10. Ruhlmann, William. "Love - Aztec Camera | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved 13 November 2019.
11. Thompson 2000, p. 165
12. Christgau, Robert (1990). "A". Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s . Pantheon Books. ISBN   0-679-73015-X . Retrieved 16 August 2020– via robertchristgau.com.
13. Taylor 1987, p. 33
14. Dickson 1987, p. 14
15. Aztec Camera (1987). Love (booklet). WEA. 242202-2.

Sources

• Dalton, David, ed. (7 November 1987). "New Albums" (PDF). Music Week . ISSN   0265-1548.
• Dickson, Ian (21 November 1987). "Albums". Record Mirror . ISSN   0144-5804.
• Taylor, Neil (14 November 1987). "33". New Musical Express . ISSN   0028-6362.
• Thompson, Dave (2000). Alternative Rock. Third Ear: The Essential Listening Companion. San Francisco, California: Miller Freeman Books. ISBN   0-87930-607-6.