Making a Good Thing Better

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Making a Good Thing Better
Making a good thing better.jpg
Studio album by
Olivia Newton-John
ReleasedJune 1977
Studio Sunset Sound, Sound Labs, Hollywood Sound Recorders and United Western Recorders (Hollywood, CA); A&R Recording (New York, NY); Little Mountain Sound Studios (Vancouver)
Genre
Length42:22
Label MCA
Producer John Farrar
Olivia Newton-John chronology
Don't Stop Believin'
(1976)		Making a Good Thing Better
(1977)		 Olivia Newton-John's Greatest Hits
(1977)
Singles from Making a Good Thing Better
  1. "Making a Good Thing Better"
    Released: June 1977
  2. "Don't Cry for Me Argentina"
    Released: 1977

Making a Good Thing Better is the ninth studio album by British-Australian singer Olivia Newton-John, released on June 1977.

Contents

The album peaked at No. 34 on the US Pop chart and No. 13 on the Country chart. [1] It was Newton-John's first album not to reach the country top 10. The album also ended Olivia's streak of six consecutive gold albums from 1973's Let Me Be There through 1976's Don't Stop Believin' .

Background

Newton-John was in a dispute with MCA Records at the time of the recording and was in negotiations to be released from MCA, thus the label did not promote the album. At the time, Newton-John sued for her release from MCA, claiming they had not promoted her music, resulting in diminished chart placement. She attempted to promote the album and single, appearing on the cover of Us Weekly on 23 August 1977 and making a promotional clip of the song that aired on NBC's The Midnight Special .

Olivia Newton-John went on to sign on to do the movie Grease , and came to an agreement to stay with MCA Records, though her recordings from the movie were on RSO Records.

Singles

The title track was the album lead single, peaking at number 87 on the US Pop chart and No. 20 on the Adult Contemporary chart. It was Newton-John's first single not to reach the AC Top 10 since 1972's "What Is Life".

"Don't Cry for Me Argentina" was released as the album's second single in selected territories, peaking in Australia at number 32 in 1980.

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Making a Good Thing Better" Pete Wingfield 3:47
2."Slow Dancing" Jack Tempchin 4:00
3."Ring of Fire"
3:18
4."Coolin' Down" John Farrar 3:58
5."Don't Cry for Me Argentina"
6:03
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Sad Songs"
  • Billy Alessi
  • Bobby Alessi
3:39
7."You Won't See Me Cry"
3:03
8."So Easy to Begin" Jules Shear 3:33
9."I Think I'll Say Goodbye"
2:41
10."Don't Ask a Friend"Olivia Newton-John3:46
11."If Love Is Real" Randy Edelman 4:34
Total length:42:22
Japan 2010 SHM-CD bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
12."Nevertheless / As Time Goes By" (Live in Osaka, Japan, December 1976)4:28
13."Rest Your Love on Me" (duet with Andy Gibb from his 1980 album After Dark )4:57
Total length:51:47

Personnel

Musicians

Production

Charts

Chart performance for Making a Good Thing Better
Chart (1977)Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [2] 71
UK Albums (OCC) [3] 60
US Billboard 200 [4] 34
US Top Country Albums (Billboard) [5] 13
US Cash Box Top Albums [6] 33
US Cash Box Country Albums [7] 6
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [8] 33

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References

  1. ↑ "AllMusic Olivia Newton-John > Charts & Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 24 February 2015. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  2. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 . St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  3. ↑ "Olivia Newton-John | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  4. ↑ "Olivia Newton-John Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  5. ↑ "Olivia Newton-John Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  6. ↑ "Cash Box Top Albums" (PDF). Cash Box . Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  7. ↑ "Cash Box Country Albums" (PDF). Cash Box . Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  8. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 3336". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
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