Syntonic (album)

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Syntonic
Kon Kan Syntonic.jpg
Studio album by Kon Kan
Released 1990 (1990)
Recorded Quadrasonic (NYC), Platinum Island (NYC), Battery Studios (NYC), Axis Studios (NYC), Ignited Productions (LA), Amigo Studios (LA) and Sam Therapy (London), 1990
Genre Synthpop, dance
Length48:37
Label Atlantic Records
Producer John Luongo, Barry Harris, Paul Robb, Martyn Phillips
Kon Kan chronology
Move to Move
(1989)
Syntonic
(1990)
Vida!...
(1993)

Syntonic is the second album by Canadian synthpop group Kon Kan, released in 1990 by Atlantic Records. Syntonic was the first Kon Kan album to solely feature Barry Harris; Kevin Wynne had departed the previous year. [1]

Kon Kan is a Canadian synthpop project conceived and formed in 1988 by Barry Harris in Toronto, Ontario. Kon Kan were awarded a 1990 Juno for the song "I Beg Your Pardon" and nominated for a 1991 Juno Award for the single "Puss N' Boots/These Boots Are Made for Walkin'".

Atlantic Records American record label

Atlantic Recording Corporation is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegün and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most important American labels, specializing in jazz, R&B, and soul by Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Wilson Pickett, Sam and Dave, Ruth Brown and Otis Redding. Its position was greatly improved by its distribution deal with Stax. In 1967, Atlantic became a wholly owned subsidiary of Warner Bros.-Seven Arts, now the Warner Music Group, and expanded into rock and pop music with releases by Led Zeppelin and Yes.

Contents

Two singles were released from the album: "Liberty!" and "(Could've Said) I Told You So", the latter featuring a recreation of Jimmy Soul's 1963 number one hit, "If You Wanna Be Happy". [2]

"Time" features a recreation of Canadian band Trooper's "We're Here For A Good Time (Not A Long Time)".

Four songs were co-written with Bob Mitchell, who had also co-written Cheap Trick's 1988 number one hit, "The Flame", and songs on Kon Kan's previous album.

Cheap Trick American rock band

Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973. The band consists of vocalist Robin Zander, guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, and drummer Bun E. Carlos.

The Flame (Cheap Trick song) 1988 single by Cheap Trick

"The Flame" is a power ballad written by British songwriters Bob Mitchell and Nick Graham. The song was first offered to English singer Elkie Brooks, who turned it down, and was then released by Cheap Trick, for whom it was a hit single in 1988. The song appeared on the band's Lap of Luxury album.

Four tracks were produced or co-produced by renowned disco producer John Luongo, who had also worked with Blancmange in the early 1980s.

Blancmange (band) English band

Blancmange are an English synth-pop band formed in Harrow, London in 1979. The band were a duo for most of their career, composed of Neil Arthur (vocals) and Stephen Luscombe (keyboards). They came to prominence in the early 1980s releasing four singles that entered the Top 20 charts in the UK, such as "Living on the Ceiling", "Waves", "Blind Vision" and "Don't Tell Me", and they released three albums during that decade, Happy Families (1982), Mange Tout (1984) and Believe You Me (1985). The duo broke up in 1986 but reformed in 2011 and released their fourth album Blanc Burn (2011). Luscombe left following the release and since then Arthur has continued to perform under the Blancmange name. He has released three further studio albums and a number of compilations, including a re-recording of the band's debut album, titled Happy Families Too....

Two tracks were co-produced by Paul Robb, a member of Minnesota band Information Society.

Paul Jason Robb is a synthesizer player, producer, songwriter and one of the founding members of the synthpop-freestyle band Information Society.

Information Society (band) American band

Information Society is an American band from Minneapolis, Minnesota, initially active from 1982 to 1997, primarily consisting of Kurt Harland Larson, Paul Robb, and James Cassidy; the latter two reconvened the band in 2006, initially with Christopher Anton as lead vocalist, then with Harland rejoining them as lead vocalist by 2008.

"Victim" was originally a 1978 Candi Staton single. The Kon Kan version was originally conceived as a duet featuring Tim Curry and Carole Pope.

Candi Staton American soul and gospel singer

Canzetta Maria "Candi" Staton is an American singer–songwriter, best known in the United States for her 1970 remake of Tammy Wynette's "Stand By Your Man" and her 1976 disco chart-topper "Young Hearts Run Free". In Europe, Staton biggest selling record is the anthemic "You Got the Love" from 1986, released in collaboration with the Source. Staton was inducted into the Christian Music Hall of Fame. Staton is a four-time Grammy Award nominee.

Tim Curry English actor, voice artist, comedian and singer

Timothy James Curry is an English actor and singer. He is best known for working in a diverse range of theatre, film, and television, most often portraying villainous characters. Curry rose to prominence with his portrayal of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), reprising the role he had originated in the 1973 London and 1974 Los Angeles stage productions of The Rocky Horror Show.

Track listing

  1. "Liberty!" – 4:59 (Barry Harris, Bob Mitchell)
  2. "(Could've Said) I Told You So" – 4:07 (Barry Harris, Bob Mitchell)
  3. "Victorious" – 4:59 (Barry Harris, Chrissie Lomax, R. Bertola)
  4. "Time" – 5:19 (Barry Harris, Bob Mitchell)
  5. "Heaven Knows (I'm Missing You)" – 4:57 (Barry Harris, Bob Mitchell)
  6. "Victim" – 6:48 (Dave Crawford)
  7. "I'll Find Another Love" – 3:55 (Barry Harris, C. Dixon)
  8. "My Camera (Oh How I Wish)" – 4:42 (Barry Harris, Bob Mitchell)
  9. "Can't Stop The Fire" – 4:40 (Barry Harris, Chrissie Lomax, Scott Humphrey)
  10. "Better Day" – 4:11 (Barry Harris, Bob Mitchell)

Personnel

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References

  1. Mayes, Alison (December 16, 1990). "Kon Kan: Former small-town boy blown away by far-flung fame", Calgary Herald , p. F4.
  2. Cooper, William. "Kon Kan: Syntonic". AllMusic . All Media Network . Retrieved April 17, 2013.