Joan Armatrading (album)

Joan Armatrading
Studio album by Joan Armatrading
Released September 1976
Recorded Olympic Studios, London, England
Genre Pop
Length 41:32
Label A&M
Producer Glyn Johns
Joan Armatrading chronology
Back to the Night
(1975)Back to the Night1975		 Joan Armatrading
(1976)		 Show Some Emotion
(1977)Show Some Emotion1977
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [1]

Joan Armatrading is the third studio album from the British singer-songwriter Joan Armatrading and her second for A&M Records. It was her first album to be recorded entirely in London, as her first two albums - Whatever's for Us and Back to the Night being partially recorded in France and Wales respectively in addition to London.

Released in 1976, it included Armatrading's sole Top 10 hit single, "Love and Affection". The album peaked at number 12 and was certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry.

Armatrading's 1979 live album Steppin' Out contained two songs from this album, "Love and Affection" and "Tall in the Saddle". She is pictured on the cover of the album playing an Ovation Guitar.

The album's producer, Glyn Johns, later said it was the best album he'd ever been associated with.[2]

Reception

In 1976, Robin Denselow wrote in The Guardian that the album "showed that we now have a black artist in Britain with the same sort of vocal range, originality (in fact even greater originality in terms of musical influences) and lyrical sensitivity" as Joni Mitchell.[3] In a retrospective review for Allmusic, Dave Connolly calls it Armatrading's "most muscular music to date" and particularly praises "Down to Zero" and "Love and Affection". He also commends Glyn Johns' production. He says that the album "almost single-handedly [elevated Armatrading] into the ranks of rock's leading female artists."[4]

The album was included in Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[5]

Track listing

All tracks composed by Joan Armatrading

Side One

  1. "Down to Zero"  – 3:51
  2. "Help Yourself"  – 4:04
  3. "Water With the Wine"  – 2:48
  4. "Love and Affection"  – 4:28
  5. "Save Me"  – 3:35

Side Two

  1. "Join the Boys"  – 4:48
  2. "People"  – 3:30
  3. "Somebody Who Loves You"  – 3:33
  4. "Like Fire"  – 5:12
  5. "Tall in the Saddle"  – 5:43

Personnel

Technical
  • Fabio Nicoli – art direction
  • Nick Marshall – design
  • Clive Arrowsmith – photography

Notes

  1. ↑ Allmusic review
  2. ↑ Futrell, et al, p. 120
  3. ↑ Denselow, Robin (14 December 1976). "Rock around 1976". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  4. ↑ Connolly, Dave, "Joan Armatrading > Review", Allmusic, Rovi Corporation, retrieved 25 July 2010
  5. ↑ Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (7 February 2006). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 0-7893-1371-5.
  6. ↑ Anthony, Andrew (4 September 2011). "Dominic West and Clarke Peters: 'We love each other's company'". The Observer. Retrieved 6 November 2011.

References

  • Futrell, Jon; Gill, Chris; St. Pierre, Roger; Richardson, Clive; Fisher, Bob; Sheehy, Bill and Wesker, Lindsay (1982) The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Black Music. Salamander Books, London. ISBN 0-86101-145-7
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