Just a Boy

Just a Boy is the second album by English singer-songwriter, Leo Sayer, and was released in 1974. It features cover versions of two songs ("One Man Band" and "Give It All Away") written by Sayer for The Who's lead vocalist Roger Daltrey's debut album, Daltrey. Sayer's singles "One Man Band" and "Long Tall Glasses" both hit the charts in the U.K. and around the world. Leo Sayer was now popular in Europe and made many promotional appearances there. He headlined in Paris at The Theatre D’ Champs Elysees, the theatre known as the home of his then-hero, mime artist Marcel Marceau.

Just a Boy
Studio album by
Leo Sayer
ReleasedOctober 1974
Recorded1974
StudioKingsway Recorders, London
GenreSoft rock
Length38:04
LabelChrysalis Records (UK)
Warner Bros. Records (USA)
ProducerDavid Courtney, Adam Faith
Leo Sayer chronology
Silverbird
(1973)		 Just a Boy
(1974)		 Another Year
(1975)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Christgau's Record GuideC+[2]
The Village VoiceC+[3]

Album cover artwork

The cover is a painting by Humphrey Butler-Bowden.[4] It is a tribute to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's artwork for his famous novella The Little Prince. The album's back cover pointedly depicted a group of new Sayers giving Pierrot the elbow.

Recording

Adam Faith, David Courtney and Sayer had already started work on the album, cutting "One Man Band" while Sayer was on an American tour. More recording took place in London. This time the recording went smoothly and the right results were quickly accomplished. Some of the songs, like "Long Tall Glasses", were written in the studio.[5]. Roger Daltrey had first recorded Sayer's songs, "One Man Band" and "Give It All Away" on his 1973 debut solo album, "Daltrey".

A cover of the song "I Can Dance (Long Tall Glasses)" by the Canadian band Shooter hit the Canadian charts the same week as the Sayer original. The Sayer version reached No. 18, where the Shooter version reached No. 22, both on 3 May chart.[6]

Track listing

All lyrics by Leo Sayer and music by David Courtney.

Side one
  1. "Telepath" – 3:12
  2. "Train" – 4:25
  3. "The Bells of St Mary's" – 3:36
  4. "One Man Band (Roger Daltrey cover)" – 3:35
  5. "In My Life" – 3:23

Side two
  1. "When I Came Home This Morning" – 5:17
  2. "Long Tall Glasses (I Can Dance)" – 3:19
  3. "Another Time" – 3:26
  4. "Solo" – 3:59
  5. "Giving it All Away" (cover of Roger Daltrey hit written by Sayer/Courtney) – 3:52

Personnel
  • Leo Sayer – guitar, harmonica, vocals
  • David Courtney – piano
  • Michael Giles – drums
  • Jeanie Greene – backing vocals
  • Cliff Hall – piano
  • Paul Keogh – guitar
  • James Litherland – guitar
  • Dave Markee – bass guitar
  • John Mealing – organ
  • Keith Nelson – banjo
  • David Rose – piano
  • Barry St. John – backing vocals
  • Bill Smith – bass guitar
  • Liza Strike – backing vocals
  • Theodore Thunder – drums
  • Lucas Piccoli – inspiration
  • Recording Engineer Apple Studios John Mills

[4]

Production
  • Producers: David Courtney, Adam Faith[4]

Charts

Album
Year Chart Peak
position
1974 UK Albums Chart 4
1975 US Pop Albums 16

Singles
Year Single Chart Peak
position
1974 "Long Tall Glasses" Ireland (IRMA) 4
"Long Tall Glasses" UK Singles Chart[7] 4
"One Man Band" 6
1975 "Long Tall Glasses (I Can Dance)"
Australia (Kent Music Report) 7
US Pop Singles 9
Canada (RPM) Top Singles[8] 18
South Africa[9] 9
"One Man Band" US Pop Singles 96

References
  1. Allmusic review
  2. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: S". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 12 March 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  3. Christgau, Robert (17 March 1975). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  4. Allmusic album credits
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 10 March 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2015.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. "RPM Top 100 Singles – May 3, 1975" (PDF).
  7. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 483. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  8. http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.3958a&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.3958a.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.3958a
  9. SA Charts 1965 – 1989, 28 February 1975
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