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Surprise | ||||
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Studio album by Lynsey de Paul | ||||
Released | 1973 | |||
Studio | Air Studio, Oxford Street, London; Audio International Studios, London W1 | |||
Label | MAM | |||
Producer | Lynsey de Paul | |||
Lynsey de Paul chronology | ||||
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Surprise is the first album released by Lynsey de Paul on the MAM record label in 1973. [1] [2] [3] In Australia, the album name was changed to Sugar Me, after de Paul's first hit single. [4] All of the songs on the album were written or co-written by de Paul (half the tracks were re-recordings of her songwriting demos). [5] On the album, de Paul was accompanied by some of the UK's leading session musicians including Terry Cox, Ralph McTell, Ray Cooper, Jeff Daly, John Gustafson, Chris Rae, Danny Thompson, Gary Boyle, Barry de Souza, Dick Katz, Robert Kirby, Francis Monkman, John Richardson (who would later become the drummer in The Rubettes) and violinist Johnny Van Derrick. [6] [7] [8] [9] The album front cover is a portrait photo of de Paul photographed by Clive Arrowsmith, and a gatefold sleeve with illustrations provided by de Paul, a nod to her previous career of designing album sleeves and song lyrics. [10]
Surprisingly, her debut single "Sugar Me" was re-recorded for this album and has a much longer fade out with de Paul being the producer on this version rather than Gordon Mills, who produced the hit single version. This song was covered by many artists over the years, most notably in the United States by Nancy Sinatra and Claudine Longet. [11] [12] Another surprise was that neither the recent follow up hit "Getting a Drag" nor the third single "All Night" (released just one month after the "Surprise") were included on the LP. Although no other tracks were released by de Paul from the album as singles in the UK, Europe and US, the track "Water" was released as "Agua" in Chile and Peru, with "Rockerdile" as the B-side. [13] [14] The album's last track "Just Visiting" sees de Paul speculate that spacemen visited prehistoric man and gave continued guidance in mankind's development and that we might find ourselves in the same position, [15] a theme taken up by Chris de Burgh in his later song "A Spaceman Came Travelling". One review in the mainstream press stated "De Paul manages to write a very good song on "Was God an astronaut?"". [16] "Just Visiting" was included on the French duo Pilooski & Pentile's (aka Discodeine) guest mix released to promote their album Swimmer (2013). [17] [18]
De Paul performed live versions of some of the tracks from the album on television including Top of the Pops (and an album was released to BBC radio stations around the world containing these tracks), [19] as well as on the first episode of the German TV program, Musikladen performing "Sugar Me", and later on episode 5 performing "Doctor, Doctor". [20] She also performed "Sleeping Blue Nights" on the German TV program Hits-a-Go-Go on 24 June 1973. [21] [22] Other promotional work included a lengthy interview with de Paul, as well as airplay of featured album tracks on Japanese radio (Nippon Viva Turtle Show). [23]
Many of the tracks on Surprise were also recorded by other artists. The jazz tinged "Mama Do" was covered by a number of artists with slightly different lyrics and with the title "Papa Do", notably by Barry Green [24] - this version reached number 68 on the French singles chart. [25] It was also released as a single by Greek group, The Daltons, [26] and also as an album track by the group Cardinal Point. [27] "Ivory Tower" (co-written with Elizabeth Sacks in 1971) [28] was released as a single by singer-songwriter Caroline Hall in 1973. [29] "Crossword Puzzle" was recorded and released as a single by Dana [30] and Dana sang the song on Top of the Pops and also on Saturday Variety , a prime time BBC1 series on 8 July 1972. [31] This version of the song reached number 2 on the Bangkok singles chart in September 1972, spending a total of 5 weeks on the chart, as reported in Billboard . [32] "Rockerdile" was recorded and released as a B-side to the de Paul/Blue penned single "Mona" by Winston, [33] [34] and a Japanese version was released as the B-side to a single by Fumiko Ishida. [35] "Sleeping Blue Nights" was recorded and released by Zig-Zag on the Magnet Record label (catalog Nr. MAG 17) [36] with favourable reviews [37] and this was listed as a U.K. chart breaker for 4 months at the end of 1974/beginning of 1975. [38] [39] [40] Most recently, Barry Blue, the song's co-writer, released his version of "Sleeping Blue Nights" on a four CD compilation album. [41] In an interview with Melody Maker about the Surprise album, de Paul revealed that White Plains recorded a version of "The Way It Goes", the song she co-wrote with Malcolm Roberts. [42]
Most of the tracks on Surprise were re-released on the album Lynsey Sings (also known as The World of Lynsey de Paul) together with some non-album singles and B-sides on the MAM Records in 1974 [43] (when Lynsey left the label) and in 1977, [44] presumably to cash in on de Paul's Eurovision success.
More recently, Japanese artist Nickey recorded a version of "Water", which was the last track on her 2013 album A Taste on Honey. [45] [46] [47] Smoove & Turrell borrowed from the backing track to "Water" on their single "You Don't Know" and its various remixes in 2009, with permission from de Paul, who also received a writing credit for the song. [48] [49] [50] This version was included on their 2019 greatest hits album Solid Brass: Ten Years of Northern Funk. [51] The British rap artist Twiggz also released the song in 2018 completely with new spoken vocals, but featuring the de Paul backing track and her vocals repeating "Water". [52] "Sugar Me", the album's international hit single has been covered by over 20 artists including Nancy Sinatra, Claudine Longet and Nydia Caro. [53] [54]
In 2005, the album was released on CD for the first time in Japan on the AIRAC label, and featured the following additional bonus tracks on a second CD: "Storm in a Teacup", "Getting a Drag", "Brandy", "All Night", "Blind Leading the Blind", "Won't Somebody Dance with Me", and "So Good To You" i.e. all four hit singles and B-sides recorded for the MAM Records label. [55] [56] It also featured the original gatefold sleeve artwork cover. In February 2020, a CD version of the album with the original track listing as the LP was released in Russia. [57]
On its release, the album received favourable reviews from the mainstream music press with adverts proclaiming "the first album from this enormously talented artist" being placed in most of them. [58] [59] [60] [61] [62] Gramophone stated "she has a neatly effective knack of songwriting and puts the numbers across in a competent manner." [63] The Sunday Herald wrote "...her first album, Surprise, demonstrated a ready facility for melody and catchy hooks, but also a knack for sidestepping the most predictable pop clichés." [64] Record Mirror stated "Surprise for many. They said she was a Top 50 single maker. Album with many goodies. Not a dull track. Sexy as well". [65] [66] The album also received positive reviews from the U.K. press. [67] [68] [69]
Years later, Surprise is considered one of the best albums of 1973, [70] and it was listed as such in the German music book Rock Musiker. [71] The album was also listed by Rock Compact Disc magazine (as Lynsey Sings) as one of the 50 Glam Era Highlights of 1972-1974. [72] More recently it was featured as the "Album of the Day" on the music site Todaysalbum, on 1 October 2017. [73] Online site Best ever albums, list Surprise as one of the top albums released in 1973, as well as one of the top 1000 albums released in the 1970s. [74] It was featured as one of the choices for best albums for Record Store Day by the Italian newspaper la Repubblica in 2011. [75] In 2022, the track "Rockerdile" was listed in the Rolling Stone "SONGS IN A ROW – Sessiontime" listing. [76] Tracks from the album are still played on American radio. [77]
All tracks composed by Lynsey de Paul; except where indicated
Lynsey de Paul was an English singer-songwriter and record producer. After initially writing hits for others, she had her own chart hits in the UK and Europe in the 1970s, starting with UK top 10 single "Sugar Me", and became the first British female artist to achieve a number one with a self-written song. She represented the UK in the 1977 Eurovision Song Contest, coming second and scoring another chart-topping hit in Switzerland, and had a successful career as a songwriter, record producer, actress and television celebrity.
Barry Blue is an English singer, producer, and songwriter. As an artist, he is best known for his hit songs "Dancin' " and "Do You Wanna Dance".
Taste Me...Don't Waste Me is the third album by the English singer-songwriter Lynsey de Paul but the second album of completely new material and de Paul also was the producer for all of the songs. It was released in the UK in November 1974 and was the first album on Don Arden's then new label, Jet Records, and initially distributed by Polydor, although Island Records was soon contracted by Arden to take over distribution and this confusion may have negatively affected sales. Releases in all other countries, such as Spain, Germany, Australia, Japan and South America, were on the Polydor label in early 1975. The album was generally well received by music critics from leading magazines of the day. AllMusic journalist Craig Harris stated that "one of the first successful female singer-songwriters in England, de Paul has had an illustrious career" and lists this as one of her best albums. The Sunday Sun reviewed the album and wrote "Lynsey de Paul has shown her fine smoochy new album "Taste Me Don’t Waste Me" that she consistent song-writing talent". It was also de Paul's personal favourite album and she wrote on her music store website some years later "The Taste Me... Don't Waste Me album was a romantic collection of songs that I wrote and recorded as a relaxing, late night album", echoing earlier comments to the music press. The LP was listed as one of the best album releases of 1975 by journalist Judith Simons. It has stood the test of time in that it is listed as one of the top albums released in 1974 by online site "Best ever albums", as well as one of the top 1000 albums released in the 1970s.
"Storm in a Teacup" is a song written by Lynsey de Paul and Ron Roker, recorded by the British group The Fortunes and released as a single in 1972.
"Ooh I Do" is the fifth single released by Lynsey de Paul on 17 May 1974 and her only single released on the Warner Bros. label, after moving there from MAM Records. Co-written by de Paul and Barry Blue, this Phil Spector-ish song with a nod to the style of the Roy Wood/Wizzard sound, conveys the angst about parents not believing in a teenage love affair represented a change of style for de Paul, who also produced the recording. De Paul performed the song on TV shows in Spain and Germany, however, her only UK performance was for Top of the Pops, but this was never shown because of industrial action at the BBC. De Paul re-recorded the song for this episode and this version was released on the BBC Transcription Services album, Top Of The Pops-495, which also featured an interview conducted by Brian Matthews.
"Dancin' (on a Saturday Night)" is a song written by Lynsey de Paul and Barry Blue, that was recorded by Blue and released as a single in 1973 on Bell Records. Blue's backing band of session musicians were well known in the industry and one year later the drummer, John Richardson, joined the Rubettes.
"All I Am" is a song written by Lynsey de Paul and Susan Sheridan. It was first released as an album track on Candles, the 1980 Billboard charting album from the soul group, Heatwave. Band member Johnnie Wilder, Jr. revealed that he invited de Paul to contribute the track. It was also released as the B-side to the Heatwave single "Dreamin' You" released in 1980 in Australia. This version has also been released on the Heatwave compilation album Maximum Heat, as well as on the compilation albums The Love Box II: 75 Love Song Sensations, "Hits of the Year 3", "Greatest Slow Legendary" and "Do You Remember This". In 2010, it was released as a track on the expanded and remastered CD version of Candles. It ranked number 7 in the Indonesian top 100 "JazzyTunes songs" chart.
"Sugar Me" is a song written by Lynsey de Paul and Barry Green. The first version of this song to be released was recorded by de Paul as her first single on MAM Records in 1972. It was produced by Gordon Mills and the B-side was de Paul's version of "Storm in a Teacup", a song she had co-written and had been a hit for the Fortunes earlier that year.
"Papa Do" is a song written by Lynsey de Paul and Barry Blue, who are credited as Rubin and Green. The song was released as a single performed by Barry Green in February 1972 backed with "Boomerang" on the Decca label and had a modicum of chart success in Spain, France and Sweden. It received a number of favourable reviews, including one from the BBC DJ Alan Freeman on his Sunday radio show Pick of the Pops. The Dutch group, Cardinal Point, recorded a version which was similar in style to that recorded by Green, as a track on their self-named album, and the Greek group, The Daltons, also released a version of the song as a single. The song was re-titled "Mama Do" and the text slightly modified for de Paul's own jazzed up version, that served as the opening track for her debut album, Surprise, which was released in 1973. In January 1974, Decca Records re-released the single to capitalize on Barry Blue's chart success and it again received positive reviews.
"House of Cards" is a song written by Lynsey de Paul and Barry Blue and is one of their most covered songs. It was first released as a single by Chris Kelly on the CBS label on 7 April 1972, credited as being written by Rubin and Green (Blue). The song was a radio hit in Italy, receiving multiple plays on national radio stations.
"So Good to You" is a song that was written by Lynsey de Paul, and first released by Zakatek as the B-side to his 1973 single, "I Gotcha Now", which also penned by de Paul. The single was released on 2 March 1973 and both songs were produced and arranged by de Paul. Her own version appeared in October 1973 as the B-side to her award-winning single "Won't Somebody Dance with Me", which was arranged by Christopher Gunning and produced by de Paul. In Japan and some South American countries, however, "So Good to You" was released as the A-side of the single release with "Won't Somebody Dance with Me" being relegated to the B-side on its release in 1974. AllMusic lists "So Good to You" as one of De Paul's song highlights. It was also a radio hit in Italy and ranks as one of de Paul's biggest songs there according to Radiocorriere magazine. It is still played on radio stations around the world.
Into My Music - Anthology 1975-1979 is a digitally remastered double album, featuring songs written and performed by Lynsey de Paul, that was released on 18 March 2013 on Cherry Red's RPM Retrodisc label. All recordings have been remastered by de Paul and Simon Murphy from original tape sources and co-produced by de Paul and Mark Stratford. The album is packaged with photographs and memorabilia from de Paul's personal archive and text by Michael Robson.
Love Bomb is the fourth album released in 1975 by the British singer-songwriter Lynsey de Paul, and her second album released on Jet Records in the UK and Polydor in Germany, Australia and Japan. In the US and Canada, it was released in January 1976 on Mercury Records. The album was recorded at the Marquee Studios, London, England, produced by de Paul and arranged by Tony Hymas, with Terry Cox playing drums, John Dean percussion, Chris Rea guitar and Frank McDonald bass. The striking sleeve cover photo of de Paul in U.S. military style clothing was taken by Brian Aris.
Just a Little Time is an album by Lynsey de Paul. It was originally released on 30 September 1994 on the Music Deluxe label but has since been released on the Tring International PLC label and on Arc Records/The Magic Collection. All of the songs on the album are written or co-written by de Paul.
"All Night" is a song written by Lynsey de Paul and Ron Roker. De Paul released her version of the song on 27 April 1973 as her third single released on MAM Records, with arrangements by Martyn Ford and John Bell and produced by de Paul. The song is listed in the U.S. Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries and in "The Directory of American 45 R.p.m. Records". It features an uncredited male vocal. A slinky, sexy song, it compares a love relationship to that of the spider and a fly. The single is backed by the more socially aware song "Blind Leading the Blind", composed and produced by de Paul. The song was an unusual release since neither the A-side or the B-side featured as tracks on her debut album. Surprise had been released a little more than a month earlier - presumably it was not included since "All Night" has a very different style than the tracks on Surprise.
"You Don't Know" is a song by Smoove & Turrell, released both as a CD and 12 inch single, including remixes by Kraak & Smaak as well as Featurecast, on Jalapeño Records in 2009. It was also released as a track on the Smoove & Turrell 2009 album Antique Soul, as well as on the compilation album, Wavemusic: Soul Ya 3. "You Don't Know" was written by Jonathan Scott Watson, John Turrell, Lynsey de Paul and Barry Blue, and sampled the track "Water" from de Paul's debut album, Surprise.
Sugar and Beyond is a double compilation album by the British singer-songwriter Lynsey de Paul released on 18 March 2013, together with a second double album, Into My Music. De Paul personally oversaw the project and was involved in the digital remastering of the tracks from the original tapes. The CD includes all her hits as well as the two LPs released in the period between 1972 and 1974.
"Sugar Shuffle" is a song written by Lynsey de Paul and Barry Blue. It first appeared as the lead-in track on de Paul's album Love Bomb as an ethereal, chilled and dreamy song about nightlife and dating. AllMusic rated "Sugar Shuffle" as one of de Paul's song highlights. Musician and music critic Bob Stanley wrote in The Guardian, "Sugar Shuffle is an especially gorgeous, woozy mid-70s confection, fit to sit at the table with Liverpool Express's You Are My Love".
"Water" is a song written by the British female singer-songwriter Lynsey de Paul and Barry Blue, who was credited as Barry Green. It was first released as a track on De Paul's debut album Surprise in March 1973. Shortly afterwards, a live version that de Paul recorded for the BBC, appearing on the BBC Transcription Services album number 443 in April 1973. It was released as a single later that year in Peru with the title "Agua", where it reach No.16 on the singles chart, but the song was not released as a single in Europe, Japan and the USA. It has since appeared on a number of de Paul compilation albums such as Greatest Hits, The Best of Lynsey de Paul and the Sugar and Beyond anthology.
"Taking It On" is a song written by Lynsey de Paul and Ron Roker, and originally published by ATV Music. Although de Paul recorded her own demo version of the song in 1972, her version of the song was not released until 2013 on her Anthology CD album Sugar and Beyond. De Paul also arranged and produced this recording.