Now You See Me, Now You Don't (album)

Last updated

Now You See Me, Now You Don't
Now You See Me Now You Dont Cliff Richard album cover.jpg
Studio album by
Cliff Richard
Released30 August 1982 (1982-08-30)
Recorded
  • September 1981
  • January 1982
  • 25–26 March 1982 (orchestra) [1]
Studio
Genre Rock, gospel, CCM
Label EMI
Producer Cliff Richard, Craig Pruess
Cliff Richard chronology
Wired for Sound
(1981)		Now You See Me, Now You Don't
(1982)		 Dressed for the Occasion
(1983)
Singles from Now You See Me, Now You Don't
  1. "The Only Way Out"
    Released: 2 July 1982
  2. "Where Do We Go from Here"
    Released: 10 September 1982
  3. "Little Town"
    Released: 15 November 1982

Now You See Me, Now You Don't is the 25th studio album by Cliff Richard, released in August 1982. The album is largely a mix of lightly veiled and more overtly gospel-message tracks, together with a few non-gospel tracks. [2] [3] [4] It reached No. 4 in the UK Albums Chart, No. 1 in Denmark, No. 21 in Australia and No. 19 in New Zealand. [5] [6] [7] [8] It was certified Gold in the UK. [9]

Contents

The lead single from the album, "The Only Way Out" was released in July 1982, reaching No. 10 in the UK Singles Chart. With this foundation, the album peaked at No. 4 on its debut in early September, matching the chart placing of Richard's previous two studio albums. Follow-up single "Where Do We Go from Here" was released in September, but stalled at No. 60. In Germany, "It Has to Be You, It Has to Be Me" was released as a single instead, and reached number 36 in a five-week chart run. [10]

Late in November, "Little Town" was lifted from the album to become Richard's first Christmas song to be released as a single. It reached No. 11 in the UK in December. [5]

Background

Richard first went public about his Christian faith in June 1966. The following year he released Good News, his first album of traditional gospel songs. It mixed rock-tinged American gospel with traditional hymn performances. [11] Richard followed it up with further gospel and Christian albums intermingled between releases of his mainstream pop albums, About that Man (primarily spoken-word, 1970), His Land (a film soundtrack, 1970), Help it Along (a live album, 1974) and Small Corners (his second studio gospel album, 1978).

Richard had also begun intermingling gospel tracks into some of his mainstream pop albums, starting with "Such is the Mystery" on his 1976 album I'm Nearly Famous , and continuing on 1977's Every Face Tells a Story . From then on, more gospel songs that he considered to be musically high-calibre became available to him; he included three gospel songs on his 1981 album Wired for Sound . For his 1982 follow-up album (which became Now You See Me, Now You Don't), Richard planned a fully-fledged gospel album. He chose to produce it together with Craig Pruess. A quote from Pruess identifies two particular goals Richard had in mind for the album: "He wanted this album to be more heavyweight and wanted to break away from the pop sound. He approached it to prove a point. He didn't want his gospel albums to be regarded as inferior to his other albums. He felt they could be as good as anything else he did. He wanted to fuse his beliefs and his enthusiasm with his professional life." [12]

The resultant album is not made up entirely of overtly gospel songs though, and has been described as a "gospel album in disguise" in the liner notes of the 2002 digitally remastered CD re-release. In reflection on the album, Richard himself said "I knew people would say the album is neither one thing nor the other. But it was very satisfying for me not to have to divide my musical tastes in two and produce an album simply offering music that I enjoyed." [11]

The track "Thief in the Night" was originally recorded by Christian trio Nutshell on their 1979 album Believe It or Not . Richard also went on to record an orchestral version of the song with the London Philharmonic Orchestra for his 1983 live album Dressed for the Occasion and later included it on his 1985 CCM compilation album Walking in the Light .

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Smash Hits 5/10 [13]

Billboard magazine in 1982 gave a positive albeit brief review of the album, saying "Richard has made some of the best pop singles of recent years, and several cuts here are worthy to join that list." It went on to describe the album as "[continuing] the pattern of his recent LPs, concentrating on sleek, buoyant pop tracks that bristle with excitement. There are also a few ballads for balance, including two traditional pieces - 'The Water is Wide' and 'Little Town,' where a new melody was put to the Christmas favourite 'Oh Little Town of Bethlehem'." [14]

Track listing

Side one

  1. "The Only Way Out" (Ray Martinez) – 3:20
  2. "First Date" (Aleksander John, Nicholas Battle) – 3:33
  3. "Thief in the Night" (Paul Field) – 3:50
  4. "Where Do We Go from Here" (Chris Eaton) – 2:53
  5. "Son of Thunder" (Mart Jenner, John Perry) – 3:58
  6. "Little Town" (Traditional; lyrics by Phillips Brooks, music by Chris Eaton) – 4:03

Side two

  1. "It Has to Be You, It Has to Be Me" (David Cooke, Paul Field) – 4:17
  2. "The Water Is Wide" (Traditional; arranged by Cliff Richard and Craig Pruess) – 3:50
  3. "Now You See Me, Now You Don't" (Aleksander John, Stephen Turner) – 3:00
  4. "Be in My Heart" (John Perry) – 4:38
  5. "Discovering" (Chris Eaton) – 4:50

Bonus tracks (2002 re-issue)

  1. "Under the Influence" (Garth Hewitt) – 2:49 (from the B-side of "The Only Way Out" single, 1982)
  2. "Love and a Helping Hand" (Cliff Richard) – 3:06 (from the B-side of "Little Town" single, 1982)
  3. "You, Me and Jesus" (Cliff Richard) – 2:17 (from the B-side of "Little Town" single, 1982)

Personnel

As per the album liner notes: [1]

Orchestra on "Little Town"

Production

Charts and certifications

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amy Grant</span> American singer-songwriter, musician (born 1960)

Amy Lee Grant is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She began her music career in contemporary Christian music (CCM) before crossing over to pop music in the mid-1980s. Grant has been referred to as "The Queen of Christian Pop".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cliff Richard</span> British singer and actor (born 1940)

Sir Cliff Richard is a British singer and actor. He has total sales of over 21.5 million singles in the United Kingdom and, as of 2012, was the third-top-selling artist in UK Singles Chart history, behind the Beatles and Elvis Presley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Petra (band)</span> American Christian rock band

Petra is an American music group regarded as a pioneer of the Christian rock and contemporary Christian music genres and was, for many years, regarded as the "world's most popular Christian rock band". Formed in 1972, the band took its name from the Greek word for "rock". Though it disbanded formally in 2006, incarnations have played reunion shows in the years since and released two albums in November 2010, and in November 2017. In 2013, it reformed with a new drummer, Cristian Borneo, and recorded a new song titled "Holy is Your Name", before going back on tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">O Little Town of Bethlehem</span> 19th-century Christmas carol by Phillips Brooks

"O Little Town of Bethlehem" is a Christmas carol. Based on an 1868 text written by Phillips Brooks, the carol is popular on both sides of the Atlantic, but to different tunes: in the United States and Canada, to "St. Louis" by Brooks' collaborator, Lewis Redner; and in the United Kingdom and Ireland to "Forest Green", a tune collected by Ralph Vaughan Williams and first published in the 1906 English Hymnal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">We Don't Talk Anymore (Cliff Richard song)</span> 1979 single by Cliff Richard

"We Don't Talk Anymore" is a song recorded by Cliff Richard, written by Alan Tarney and produced by the Shadows' rhythm guitarist, Bruce Welch. It was released in 1979 as a single and reached number one in the UK Singles Chart in August 1979, remaining there for four weeks, Richard's tenth UK number one and his first since "Congratulations" in 1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Move It</span> 1958 single by Cliff Richard and the Drifters

"Move It" is a song written by Ian Samwell and recorded by Cliff Richard and the Drifters. Originally intended as the B-side to "Schoolboy Crush", it was released as Richard's debut single on 29 August 1958 and became his first hit record, reaching number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. It is often described as Britain's first authentic rock and roll song. It is credited with being one of the first authentic rock and roll songs produced outside the United States. "Schoolboy Crush", written by Aaron Schroeder and Sharon Gilbert, had already been recorded in the US by Bobby Helms. Cliff Richard and the Drifters recorded their own version, which was intended to be the A-side of their debut single. However, when producer Jack Good heard "Move It", he insisted that Richard would have to sing that if he was to appear on Good's TV show Oh Boy! On the planned single, "Move It" was flipped to be the A-side and it went to number 2 in the charts, starting Cliff Richard on a career which included British hits through six decades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Town (song)</span> 1982 single by Cliff Richard

"Little Town" is a new arrangement of the traditional Christmas carol "O Little Town of Bethlehem" by English singer-songwriter Chris Eaton. Eaton adapted the lyrics to a new melody he composed in a contemporary Christmas music style. It was first recorded by English singer Cliff Richard and released as a single in the UK for the 1982 Christmas season, reaching number 11 on the UK Singles Chart.

<i>If Not for You</i> (album) 1971 album by Olivia Newton-John

If Not for You is the debut studio album by British-Australian singer-songwriter Olivia Newton-John, released in November 1971 by Festival Records. The album was released on the Pye International label in the UK as Olivia Newton-John, with a slightly different cover.

<i>The 50th Anniversary Album</i> 2008 compilation album by Cliff Richard

The 50th Anniversary Album is a compilation album by Cliff Richard. The album was released by EMI on 3 November 2008 to mark his 50th Anniversary as a recording artist.

<i>Wired for Sound</i> 1981 studio album by Cliff Richard

Wired for Sound is the 24th studio album by Cliff Richard, released in September 1981. The album peaked at number 4 in the UK album charts upon release, and spent a total of 25 weeks on the chart in 1981–82. The album was certified Platinum by the BPI, and achieved global sales of over one million.

<i>Silver</i> (Cliff Richard album) 1983 studio album by Cliff Richard

Silver is the 26th studio album by Cliff Richard. It was released in October 1983 to mark his 25th anniversary in music. The North American version was titled Give a Little Bit More and had a revised track list.

Michael J. Mullins is an English lead vocalist, backing singer and songwriter, best known as the lead singer of salsa band Modern Romance (1982–85). Modern Romance achieved eight top 40 singles and two hit albums. After the band called it quits in 1985, Mullins continued working within the music industry, most notably as a backing singer for Cliff Richard. He can be seen singing with Cliff Richard live on Top of the Pops and on the Christmas number one single "Mistletoe and Wine" (1988). Mullins has since performed with Alan Parsons as part of The Alan Parsons Project.

<i>Walking in the Light</i> 1984 compilation album by Cliff Richard

Walking in the Light is a compilation album of gospel songs by Cliff Richard. It is particularly notable as being one of the best selling contemporary Christian music (CCM) albums during the 1980s in the UK.

<i>The Rock Connection</i> 1984 studio album by Cliff Richard

The Rock Connection is the twenty-seventh solo studio album by Cliff Richard. Released in November 1984 on EMI, the album is a part studio, part compilation album. It includes seven studio tracks recorded exclusively for the album, five tracks from the previous year's limited release album Rock 'n' Roll Silver, one previously released single, and one B-side from 1980.

<i>Real as I Wanna Be</i> 1998 studio album by Cliff Richard

Real as I Wanna Be is an album by Cliff Richard, released in October 1998 by EMI Records. It peaked at number 10 on the UK Albums Chart and was certified Silver in the UK and Gold in New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Voice in the Wilderness (song)</span> 1960 single by Cliff Richard and the Shadows

"A Voice in the Wilderness" is a song by Cliff Richard and the Shadows, released as a single in January 1960. It peaked at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart and also received a silver disc for 250,000 sales.

<i>Together with Cliff Richard</i> 1991 studio album by Cliff Richard

Together with Cliff Richard is a Christmas album by Cliff Richard, released in November 1991. The album features Richard singing popular traditional Christmas songs, his Christmas hits from recent years and two original songs.

<i>Dressed for the Occasion</i> (Cliff Richard album) 1983 live album by Cliff Richard

Dressed for the Occasion is an album by English singer Cliff Richard, recorded live with the accompaniment of the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall in November 1982. It was released in May 1983 on the EMI label and reached No. 7 in the UK Albums Chart and No. 30 in Australia. It was certified Silver in the UK.

<i>Thank You Very Much</i> (album) 1979 live album by Cliff Richard and The Shadows

Thank You Very Much is an album of the March 1978 reunion concerts at the London Palladium by English singer Cliff Richard and the group that backed him in the 1950s and 1960s The Shadows. It was released in February 1979 on the EMI label and reached No. 5 in the UK Albums Chart.

<i>The Whole Story: His Greatest Hits</i> 2000 greatest hits album by Cliff Richard

The Whole Story: His Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album by Cliff Richard, released in 2000. It includes 46 of Richard's biggest hits, from his first single "Move It" to his then most recent single, "The Millennium Prayer". The album reached number 6 in the UK Albums Chart.

References

  1. 1 2 Now You See Me, Now You Don't (LP). Cliff Richard. EMI. 1982.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. ↑ Beecher, Mike (December 1982). "Cliff Richard - music making and his latest LP 'Now You See Me... Now You Don't'". Electronics & Music Maker (Dec 1982): 44–49. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  3. ↑ Rimmer, Mike (5 October 2016). "Cliff Richard - Now You See Me...Now You Don't". Cross Rhythms . Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  4. ↑ Philip, Mayaab (13 March 2019). "From Mainstream to CCM: Cliff Richards Story". CCM Classic. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 "Cliff Richard | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.
  6. 1 2 Billboard (16 October 1982). "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 116. ISSN   0006-2510.{{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  7. 1 2 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 . Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  8. 1 2 "Charts.nz – Cliff Richard – Now You See Me... Now You Don't". Hung Medien.
  9. 1 2 "British album certifications – Cliff Richard – Now You See Me, Now you Don't". British Phonographic Industry.
  10. ↑ "German charts". GfK Entertainment. In the Search box type "Cliff Richard" (without the quotes), press Enter, and his German chart discography will be displayed.
  11. 1 2 Cliff Richard (artist), Peter Lewry, Nigel Goodall (album liner notes) (2002). Now You See Me, Now You Don't (CD) (Digitally Remastered with Bonus Tracks ed.). EMI Records.
  12. ↑ Turner, Steve (1993). Cliff Richard: The Biography (1st ed.). Oxford: Lion. pp. 282–283, 291. ISBN   074592249X.
  13. ↑ Hillier, Beverley (2–15 September 1982). "Albums: Cliff Richard – Now You See Me... Now You Don't (EMI)". Smash Hits . Vol. 4, no. 18. Peterborough: EMAP National Publications, Ltd. p. 25. ISSN   0260-3004 . Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  14. ↑ "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 2 October 1982. p. 91. ISSN   0006-2510.{{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  15. ↑ Album dust jacket
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.