Out of the Blue (Donnie Iris album)

Last updated
Out of the Blue
Out of the Blue Donnie Iris.jpg
Studio album by
Donnie Iris and the Cruisers
Released1992
Genre Rock
Label Seathru
Producer Mark Avsec
Donnie Iris and the Cruisers chronology
No Muss...No Fuss
(1985)		Out of the Blue
(1992)		 Footsoldier in the Moonlight
(1993)

Out of the Blue is the sixth album by American rock singer Donnie Iris, released in 1992. [1] The album is partly a 'best-of' collection as it consists of seven previously released tracks and six new songs ("Love Whispers," "On Our Way to Paradise," "Be Still My Heart," "Stray Cat," "The Mad Siberian" and "Temptation"). [2] These six tracks were originally recorded for the band's unreleased 1986 album Cruise Control, and were remixed for this release. [3]

Contents

The release of Out of the Blue was mainly the result of Donnie Iris and the Cruisers' back catalogue being unavailable on CD. Over the years between 1986 and 1992, Iris' management company, Belkin Management, were approached on a number of occasions by radio stations requesting some material on CD format, but Belkin were unable to provide anything. [4] The band attempted to persuade MCA to release a compilation album, but their former label did not believe their was big enough demand for their back catalogue. [5] For Out of the Blue, a deal was negotiated with MCA for permission to include "Ah! Leah!", "That's The Way Love Ought to Be" and "Love Is Like a Rock", but the licensing of further tracks was found to be cost prohibitive. [6] Iris and his band owned the rights to most of the remaining tracks used. [4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [6]

Bret Adams of AllMusic commented that Iris had "deserved to be a star based on the quality of [his] infectious power pop" in the 1980s. He noted the inclusion of some of the band's previous hits, as well as the "superb" "That's the Way Love Ought to Be" which "features Iris' unbelievable falsetto wail", but regretted others like "Tough World" and "Do You Compute?" were missing. Of the six new songs, he picked "Love Whispers" as the "most notabl[e]". [6]

Track listing

  1. "Ah! Leah!" (Avsec, Iris) – 3:44
  2. "Love Whispers" (Avsec, Iris, Lee) – 3:22
  3. "That's The Way Love Ought to Be" (Avsec, Iris) – 4:17
  4. "Injured in the Game of Love" (Avsec, Iris) – 3:24
  5. "On Our Way to Paradise" (Avsec, Iris, Lee) – 5:05
  6. "Be Still My Heart" (Avsec, Iris) – 3:39
  7. "10th Street" (Avsec, Iris) – 3:41
  8. "Stray Cat" (Avsec, Iris, Lee) – 3:49
  9. "The Mad Siberian" (Avsec, Iris, Lee) – 3:33
  10. "Ridin' Thunder" (Avsec, Iris, Lee) – 3:56
  11. "Temptation" (Avsec, Iris, Lee) – 3:44
  12. "Love Is Like a Rock" (Avsec, Iris, Lee, McClain, Valentine) – 3:34
  13. "I Want You Back" (Avsec, Iris) – 3:27

Personnel

Production

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References

  1. ↑ The Unofficial Donnie Iris Site – Out Of The Blue
  2. ↑ allmusic.com-Out of the Blue
  3. ↑ Ferris, D.X. "The Story of Donnie Iris & the Cruisers" (2017) ISBN   978-0-692-99746-8
  4. 1 2 Holan, Marc (March 26, 1992). "A rocker never forgets". Scene.
  5. ↑ Meli, MaryAlice (March 25, 1992). "Iris hasn't forgotten Ellwood roots". South County News.
  6. 1 2 3 Adams, Bret. "Out of the Blue – Donnie Iris & The Cruisers – Album". AllMusic . Retrieved March 4, 2024.
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