Mr. Big | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | June 20, 1989 July 10, 1989 (Japan) | |||
Studio | Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 46:54 | |||
Label | Atlantic | |||
Producer | Kevin Elson | |||
Mr. Big chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Mr. Big | ||||
|
Mr. Big is the debut album by the American rock band Mr. Big. [2] Produced by Kevin Elson, the album proved a partial commercial success, reaching the 46th slot on the Billboard 200 chart. Lead-off single "Addicted to that Rush", featuring the band's aggressive guitar and bass playing, also brought the group some mainstream attention, reaching the No. 39 slot on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. [3] 300,000 copies were sold, according to a Musician magazine interview with Mr. Big in 1990.[ citation needed ]
Several of the songs from the album became live staples of the band, and have since been included in various live albums. The group followed up the album with Lean Into It in 1991.
The song "30 Days in the Hole" was originally recorded by British rock band Humble Pie on the 1972 album Smokin' . Bassist Billy Sheehan revealed on an interview on Nikki Sixx's radio show "Sixx Sense" that "Wind Me Up" is based on "Oh, Pretty Woman" by Roy Orbison played backwards.
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [4] |
Chicago Tribune | [5] |
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 6/10 [6] |
Rock Hard | 8.0/10 [7] |
The Chicago Tribune opined that "the lyrics are strictly by-the-numbers, but the playing is hard, flashy and tuneful, combining Bad Company's bluesiness with Def Leppard's melodic metal." [5]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Addicted to That Rush" | 4:46 | |
2. | "Wind Me Up" |
| 4:11 |
3. | "Merciless" |
| 3:57 |
4. | "Had Enough" | Sheehan | 4:57 |
5. | "Blame It on My Youth" |
| 4:14 |
6. | "Take a Walk" |
| 3:57 |
7. | "Big Love" | Martin | 4:49 |
8. | "How Can You Do What You Do" |
| 3:58 |
9. | "Anything for You" |
| 4:37 |
10. | "Rock & Roll Over" | Martin | 3:50 |
11. | "30 Days in the Hole" (Humble Pie cover) | Steve Marriott | 4:12 |
Total length: | 46:54 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
12. | "Merciless" (Demo) |
| 3:57 |
13. | "How Can You Do What You Do" (Demo) |
| 4:02 |
Mr. Big
Production
Chart (1989) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA) [8] | 122 |
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [9] | 73 |
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [10] | 22 |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [11] | 34 |
UK Albums (OCC) [12] | 60 |
US Billboard 200 [13] | 46 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Japan (RIAJ) [14] | Gold | 100,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Paul Brandon Gilbert is an American hard rock and heavy metal guitarist. He is the co-founder of the band Mr. Big, and was also a member of Racer X, with whom he released several albums. In 1996, Gilbert launched a solo career, for which he has released numerous solo albums, and featured in numerous collaborations and guest appearances on other musicians' albums.
Bump Ahead is the third studio album by the American rock band Mr. Big. It was released on September 21, 1993 by Atlantic Records.
Lean into It is the second studio album by the American rock band Mr. Big, released on March 26, 1991. The band's breakthrough release, Lean into It peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200 charts, while the single "To Be with You" became the band's first and only song to hit number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The follow-up single, "Just Take My Heart", was a top-20 hit, peaking at number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Hey Man is the fourth studio album by the hard rock band, Mr. Big. It would be their last album with guitarist Paul Gilbert until 2011's What If.... The album was the most successful Mr. Big release in Japan, topping the Japanese Oricon chart, where it remained for 16 weeks.
Get Over It is the fifth studio album by the hard rock band Mr. Big. It is their first studio album to feature guitarist Richie Kotzen.
Actual Size is the sixth album by the American rock band Mr. Big. Released in August 2001 through Atlantic Records, it was the band's final album with the label, their second and final studio album to feature guitarist Richie Kotzen, and their final studio album until What If... in 2010. The song "Shine" was used as the closing theme to the anime adaptation of Hellsing. Kotzen and Sheehan's band The Winery Dogs performed regularly the song in recent tours.
Unusual Heat is the seventh studio album by British-American rock band Foreigner, released on June 14, 1991, by Atlantic Records. Recorded at several different studios across the state of New York and England, and produced by Terry Thomas and Mick Jones, it was the only album with lead singer Johnny Edwards. He replaced original lead singer Lou Gramm. Edwards, a veteran singer who'd done a tour of duty with Montrose and was then the frontman for another Atlantic act, Wild Horses. As Edwards told UCR in a separate interview, Wild Horses had only just signed its record deal — and although joining for Foreigner was obviously tempting for financial reasons if nothing else, he was reluctant to walk away from his own band after struggling for years to make it on his own terms.
Mr. Moonlight is the eighth studio album by British-American rock band Foreigner, released by Arista Records in Europe on 24 October and by BMG Entertainment in Japan on 23 November 1994. In the United States and Canada, it appeared in early 1995 on the Rhythm Safari label. Recorded at seven different studios across the States, the album was produced by Mick Jones, Lou Gramm, and Mike Stone, with an additional production by Phil and Joe Nicolo. It was Foreigner's last studio release until Can't Slow Down (2009).
Under Lock and Key is the third studio album by American heavy metal band Dokken, released on November 22, 1985, through Elektra Records. The album reached No. 32 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and remained on that chart for 67 weeks. Two singles also charted: "The Hunter" and "In My Dreams", both reaching No. 25 and 24 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock respectively, with "In My Dreams" at No. 77 on the Billboard Hot 100. Under Lock and Key was certified Gold on March 4, 1986, and Platinum on April 14, 1987.
Mötley Crüe is the sixth studio album by heavy metal band Mötley Crüe. It was released on March 15, 1994. It was the band's only album released with singer John Corabi, and was the first album of new material released by the band since their 1989 album, Dr. Feelgood.
Eat 'Em and Smile is the debut studio album by former Van Halen singer David Lee Roth, released on July 7, 1986, after his unpredicted successful debut EP Crazy from the Heat (1985).
"Scar Tissue" is the first single from American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers' seventh studio album, Californication (1999). Released on May 25, 1999, the song spent a then-record 16 consecutive weeks atop the US Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart as well as 10 weeks atop the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and it reached number nine on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also successful in Iceland, New Zealand, and Canada, reaching numbers one, three, and four, respectively. In the United Kingdom, it charted at number 15 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Wild World" is a song written and recorded by English singer-songwriter Cat Stevens. It first appeared on his fourth album, Tea for the Tillerman (1970). Released as a single in September 1970 by Island Records and A&M Records, "Wild World" saw significant commercial success, garnering attention for its themes of love and heartbreak, and has been covered numerous times since its release. Maxi Priest and Mr. Big had successful cover versions of the song.
"Kickstart My Heart" is a song by American heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, originally released on their 1989 album, Dr. Feelgood. Released as the album's second single in 1989, "Kickstart My Heart" reached number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States in early 1990.
"The Living Years" is a soft rock ballad written by B. A. Robertson and Mike Rutherford, and recorded by Rutherford's British rock band Mike + The Mechanics. It was released in December 1988 in the United Kingdom and in the United States as the second single from their album Living Years. The song was a chart hit around the world, topping the US Billboard Hot 100 on 25 March 1989, the band's only number one and last top ten hit on that chart, and reaching number-one in Australia, Canada and Ireland and number 2 in the UK. It spent four weeks at number-one on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. Paul Carrack sings lead vocals on the track.
"To Be with You" is a song by American rock band Mr. Big, released in November 1991 as the second single from their second album, Lean into It (1991). The ballad reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks and topped the charts in 11 other countries, including Australia, Canada, Germany, and New Zealand.
Mr. Big was an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1988. The band was originally composed of Eric Martin, Paul Gilbert (guitar), Billy Sheehan (bass), and Pat Torpey (drums). Though primarily a hard rock band, they are also known for softer songs. Their songs are often marked by strong vocals and vocal harmonies. Their hits include "To Be with You" and "Just Take My Heart". The band takes its name from a song by Free which it covered on the 1993 album Bump Ahead.
...The Stories We Could Tell is the eighth studio album by American hard rock band Mr. Big, the second since their 2010 reunion album What If.... It was recorded with producer Pat Regan, and features 13 new songs. The European and Japanese editions of the album each include a bonus live recording of songs from the band's self-titled debut album. "Addicted to that Rush" appears on the European edition, while the Humble Pie cover "30 Days in the Hole" appears on the Japanese edition. The album was issued by Frontiers Records in the US and Europe. The album is Mr. Big's last to featured Pat Torpey on the drums, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease two months before its release. He still featured on their next album, but didn't performed on most of the songs, and being replaced by their additional drummer Matt Starr to performed on the several tracks.
"Just Take My Heart" is the fourth and final single from American rock band Mr. Big's second studio album, Lean into It (1991). Released in 1992, it reached number 16 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 26 on the UK Singles Chart. It also reached the top 20 in Canada, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.
Defying Gravity is the ninth studio album from American hard rock band Mr. Big. It is their only album to feature drumming contributions from Matt Starr, who had been filling in since 2014, as founding member Pat Torpey was unable to perform drums on most songs due to his Parkinson's disease diagnosis, but performs on some tracks and is credited as "drum producer". Defying Gravity was Torpey's final studio appearance prior to his death on February 7, 2018, and consequently the final release to feature the band's original lineup.