Repeat Offender (Richard Marx album)

Repeat Offender
Studio album by Richard Marx
Released	April 26, 1989
Recorded	1988–89
Studio	A&M, Hollywood Capitol, Hollywood Lion Share, Los Angeles Cherokee, Hollywood Sunset Sound, Hollywood
Genre	Pop rock adult contemporary
Length	53:21
Label	Capitol
Producer	Richard Marx David Cole
Richard Marx chronology
Richard Marx (1987) Repeat Offender (1989) Rush Street (1991)
Singles from Repeat Offender
"Satisfied" Released: April 25, 1989 "Right Here Waiting" Released: June 29, 1989 "Nothin' You Can Do About It" Released: July 8, 1989 "Angelia" Released: September 26, 1989 "Too Late to Say Goodbye" Released: January 7, 1990 "Children of the Night" Released: April 17, 1990

Repeat Offender is the second studio album by singer/songwriter Richard Marx. Released on April 26, 1989, it reached No. 1 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart. The album was certified four times platinum in United States due to five major singles on the Billboard charts, including two No. 1 hits: "Satisfied" and the platinum-certified "Right Here Waiting".

History

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	link
Rolling Stone	link [ dead link ]

After touring for fourteen months on his first album, Marx returned to the studio with a number of songs that had been written while on the road. The album was recorded with well-known L.A.-area studio musicians and would go on to become even more successful than his debut record, pushing Prince out of the No. 1 spot on Billboard 200 album chart. Repeat Offender was the result of the energy generated from over a year and a half on the road and was written or co-written entirely by Marx. "Some people might think that it would be easier this time around, that I could just kick back." Marx said at the time, "but the truth is, it’s harder, I’ve got more to prove."

The first two singles, "Satisfied" and the platinum-selling "Right Here Waiting," both reached No. 1, completing a string of three consecutive No. 1 singles. When the third single from Repeat Offender, "Angelia" climbed to No. 4, Marx became the first solo artist to reach the Top 5 with his first seven singles. Since then, "Right Here Waiting" has been covered numerous times, most notably by Monica and 112 in a 1998 duet.

Another single from the album, "Children of the Night", was written in support of the suburban Los Angeles (Van Nuys)-based organization for runaways. ^{[1] [2] [3]} It became the sixth single from the album, and all royalties were donated to the charity. ^{[2] [3]}

Marx's second world tour began in the spring of 1989 and took him to Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Europe, Canada, and the United States, lasting through August 1990.^{[ citation needed ]} Highlights of that tour included a performance in the prestigious Royal Albert Hall in London and an invitation from Tina Turner to tour Germany.

Marx also had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform The Beatles' "Help!" at the Berlin Wall in late 1989. Marx also received his second Grammy nomination in 1990 for "Best Pop Vocal Performance — Male" for "Right Here Waiting". ^[4]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Richard Marx, unless otherwise noted.

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"Nothin' You Can Do About It"			4:42
2.	"Satisfied"			4:12
3.	"Angelia"			5:16
4.	"Too Late to Say Goodbye"	Fee Waybill		4:57
5.	"Right Here Waiting"			4:23
6.	"Heart on the Line"	Marx, Bruce Gaitsch	Marx, Gaitsch	4:43
7.	"Real World"			4:13
8.	"If You Don't Want My Love"	Waybill		4:07
9.	"That Was Lulu" (only on CD and Minidisc issues)	Dean Pitchford		3:44
10.	"Wild Life" (Japanese bonus track)	Marx, Rick Springfield	Marx, Springfield	4:08
11.	"Wait for the Sunrise"			4:13
12.	"Children of the Night"			4:43

Personnel

• Richard Marx – lead vocals, backing vocals (1–4, 6–12)
• Peter Doell - bass vocals (10)
• Michael Omartian – acoustic piano (1, 7, 12), keyboards (12)
• C.J. Vanston – keyboards (2–5, 8, 10, 11, 12)
• Bill Champlin – Hammond B3 organ and backing vocals (1, 7–9)
• Bill Payne – Hammond B3 organ (2)
• Bill Cuomo – keyboards (11)
• Steve Lukather – guitar and guitar solo (1)
• Bruce Gaitsch – guitar (2, 3, 5, 6, 8), guitar solo (6, 8), acoustic guitar (4)
• Michael Landau – guitar (2–4, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12), guitar solo (2–4, 11, 12)
• Jon Walmsley – guitar (7, 9), 1st guitar solo (7)
• Paul Warren – 2nd guitar solo (7), guitar (9, 11)
• John Pierce – bass guitar (1)
• Randy Jackson – bass guitar (2, 6, 8, 12)
• Jim Cliff – bass guitar (3, 4, 7, 9, 11)
• Nathan East - bass guitar (10)
• Mike Baird – drums (1, 2)
• Prairie Prince – drums (3, 4, 6, 10, 12)
• John Keane – drums (7, 11)
• John Robinson – drums (8)
• Michael DeRosier – drums (9)
• Paulinho da Costa – percussion (2, 8, 12)
• Lenny Castro - percussion (10)
• Marc Russo – saxophone (3, 12), sax solo (6)
• Dave Koz – saxophone (7, 9)
• Tom Scott – sax solo (12)
• Larry Williams – saxophones (12)
• Gary Grant – trumpet (12)
• Jerry Hey – trumpet (12)
• Dick Marx – horn arrangements (12)
• Bobby Kimball – backing vocals (1, 7–9)
• Cynthia Rhodes – backing vocals (2, 6, 12)
• Fee Waybill – backing vocals (4)
• David Cole – backing vocals (6)
• Bob Coy – backing vocals (6)
• Tommy Funderburk – backing vocals (6)
• Ruth Marx – backing vocals (6)
• John Moore – backing vocals (6)
• Shelley Cole – backing vocals (12)
• Kevin Cronin – backing vocals (12)
• Larry Gatlin – backing vocals (12)
• Rudy Gatlin – backing vocals (12)
• Steve Gatlin – backing vocals (12)
• Gene Miller – backing vocals (12)
• Don Shelton – backing vocals (12)
• Terry Williams – backing vocals (12)
• The Children of the Night – choir on "Children of the Night"

Production

• All tracks arranged by Richard Marx, with assistance by Steve Lukather (track 1), Jeffrey Vanston (track 3) and Bruce Gaitsch (track 6).
• Produced by Richard Marx and David Cole
• Recorded by David Cole; assisted by Peter Doell.
• Mixed by David Cole
  • Assistant Engineers (recording and mix): Laura Livingston, Mark McKenna, Brian Scheuble, Bob Vogt, Charlie Paakkari, Leslie Ann Jones, Mike Bosley, Jay Lean, David Night, Tom Fouce.
• Mastered by Wally Traugott
• Production Coordination – Susanne Marie Edgren
• Art Direction – Henry Marquez
• Design – DZN – The Design Group
• Photography – E. J. Camp
• Management – Allen Kovac

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1989–1990) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA) [5] 1 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [6] 27 Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [7] 1 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [8] 18 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [9] 9 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [10] 3 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [11] 10 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [12] 7 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [13] 7 UK Albums (OCC) [14] 8 US Billboard 200 [15] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1989) Position Australian Albums (ARIA) [16] 13 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM) [17] 9 European Albums (Music & Media) [18] 95 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [19] 71 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [20] 30 US Billboard 200 [21] 26 Chart (1990) Position German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [22] 32 US Billboard 200 [23] 37

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [24]	2× Platinum	200,000 [25]
Canada (Music Canada) [26]	6× Platinum	600,000^
Germany (BVMI) [27]	Gold	250,000^
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong) [28]	Gold	10,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ) [29]	Gold	7,500^
Sweden (GLF) [30]	Gold	50,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [31]	Gold	25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [32]	Gold	100,000^
United States (RIAA) [33]	4× Platinum	4,000,000^
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Miscellaneous

• The Japanese version of the album contained a bonus track, "Wild Life".
• The album was dedicated to Gabrielle de Martino.

References

1. "Richard Marx". MTV Artists. 2012. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
2. Dulebohn, Amy (September 23, 2011). "Singer, songwriter and producer Richard Marx to perform acoustic show at Weinberg". The Herald-Mail . Hagerstown, Maryland. Archived from the original on April 17, 2015. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
3. "Richard Marx coming to Kirtland Oct. 15". Petoskey News-Review . Petoskey, Michigan. October 4, 2011. Archived from the original on April 17, 2015. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
4. "32nd Grammy Awards — 1990 presented February 22, 1990". Rock on the Net. Retrieved April 15, 2007.
5. "Australiancharts.com – Richard Marx – Repeat Offender". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
6. "Austriancharts.at – Richard Marx – Repeat Offender" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
7. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6428". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
8. "Dutchcharts.nl – Richard Marx – Repeat Offender" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
9. "Offiziellecharts.de – Richard Marx – Repeat Offender" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
10. "Charts.nz – Richard Marx – Repeat Offender". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
11. "Norwegiancharts.com – Richard Marx – Repeat Offender". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
12. "Swedishcharts.com – Richard Marx – Repeat Offender". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
13. "Swisscharts.com – Richard Marx – Repeat Offender". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
14. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
15. "Richard Marx Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
16. "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 1989". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
17. "RPM Top 100 Albums of '89". Library and Archives Canada . Retrieved December 28, 2024.
18. "European Top 100 Albums 1989" (PDF). Music & Media. December 23, 1989. p. 9. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 27, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
19. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment . Retrieved February 25, 2021.
20. "Top Selling Albums of 1989". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
21. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1989". Billboard. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
22. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment . Retrieved February 25, 2021.
23. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1990". Billboard. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
24. "This Week In… 1989". Aria Charts. October 17, 2017.
25. "Pacing the Majors" (PDF). Billboard. January 20, 1990. p. A-10. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
26. "Canadian album certifications – Richard Marx – Repeat Offender". Music Canada . Retrieved December 8, 2019.
27. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Richard Marx; 'Repeat Offender')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie . Retrieved December 17, 2019.
28. "IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1990". IFPI Hong Kong. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
29. "New Zealand album certifications – Richard Marx – Repeat Offender". Recorded Music NZ . Retrieved November 20, 2024.
30. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 17, 2011. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
31. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Repeat Offender')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
32. "British album certifications – Richard Marx – Repeat Offender". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved December 8, 2019.
33. "American album certifications – Richard Marx – Repeat Offender". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved December 8, 2019.