Belinda (Belinda Carlisle Album)

''Belinda'' is the debut studio album by American singer Belinda Carlisle. It was released on May 19, 1986 by I.R.S. Records. Carlisle began work on the album in 1985 following the breakup of the Go-Go's, for whom she was the lead singer. The album was supported by four singles, with lead single "Mad About You" peaking at number 3 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 1 in Canada.

Composition

Some of the songs on ''Belinda'' were written by Carlisle's former bandmates in the Go-Go's Charlotte Caffey and Paula Jean Brown while the rest of the tracks were written by other songwriters such as the Bangles' Susanna Hoffs. Carlisle has a single co-writing credit on one track ("Gotta Get to You").

" Band of Gold" was a hit song for Freda Payne in 1970, which Carlisle covered for this album. Although Payne herself does not appear on the album version of the track, John Luongo overdubbed and remixed the track for a single release, which included prominent backing vocals by Payne. The 7-inch single was only issued in Canada (where it hit No. 91 on the charts), but Payne's vocals were also heard on the dance mixes of Carlisle's version of the song, which were issued on a 12-inch single in the US. The various "Band of Gold" remixes would later appear as bonus tracks on the 2003 re-release of the album.

"I Need a Disguise" was written by the team of Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg, who co-wrote the song with Susanna Hoffs, as it was originally intended for use by the Bangles. Kelly and Steinberg also co-wrote another song for Carlisle called "Dancing in the City", which she would eventually record and would later appear on the soundtrack for the 1987 movie ''Burglar''. "Stuff and Nonsense" is a cover of Tim Finn's song originally performed by his band Split Enz on their 1979 album ''Frenzy''. The song "Shot in the Dark" appeared on the soundtrack for the film ''Out of Bounds'' (1986).

Reception

Commercial

The album was successful in North America, peaking at No. 13 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and at number 24 on the Canadian Albums chart. It was moderately successful in Australia, where it peaked at number 42 and charted for 12 weeks. ''Belinda'' was certified Gold in the US and Platinum in Canada, selling over one million copies worldwide.

Critical

Upon release, ''Belinda'' was met with mixed reviews from critics. Mark Coleman of ''Rolling Stone'' wrote, "The problem with ''Belinda'' is that all the ingredients are there, but the end result just doesn't feel right." Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic commented retrospectively that "The pop on ''Belinda'' may not be as infectious as the Go-Go's' finest singles, yet it fit in well with the slick formats of mid-'80s radio and managed to be more memorable than many of the mainstream hits of the time, as the ingratiating hit 'Mad About You' proves."

In their review, ''Billboard'' stated that "The Go-Go's lead vocalist swings toward a broader, mainstream appeal with this first solo set, already rolling behind the first single, 'Mad About
You.' Less tongue-in-cheek than her old band's work, this is generally lively, uptempo pop given an early
'60s sweep by producer ichaelLloyd." Gary Graff of the ''Detroit Free Press'' noted "This Go-Go goes solo with a promising, eclectic album that almost matches her ex group's work."

Retrospectively, in 2020, Steve Harnell of ''Classic Pop'' noted that "retaining Go-Go’s guitarist Charlotte Caffey as the major songwriter on this debut LP allowed for some sense of familiarity amongst the Brave New World of Carlisle’s solo career. Caffey supplied five songs on ''Belinda'', a record that spins through a icmyriad styles as Carlisle searched for a new musical direction...''Belinda'' certainly had its moments, but there was still much work to be done in establishing Carlisle as a solo act."

Track listing

Personnel

Musicians

* Belinda Carlisle – lead vocals, backing vocals
* Jim Cox – keyboards, synthesizers
* Claude Gaudette – keyboards, synthesizers
* Nicky Hopkins – keyboards, synthesizers
* Michael Lloyd – keyboards, synthesizers
* Bobby Martin – keyboards, synthesizers, saxophone (6)
* Phil Shenale – keyboards, synthesizers
* Charlotte Caffey – guitars, backing vocals
* Laurence Juber – guitars
* David Lindley – guitars
* Andy Taylor – guitars
* Dennis Belfield – bass
* Paula Brown – bass, backing vocals
* Paul Leim – drums
* Paulinho da Costa – percussion
* John Rosenberg – trumpet (10)
* John D'Andrea – string arrangements (3, 6, 10)
* Sid Sharp – string direction (3, 6, 10)
* Don Griffin – musical instruments (3, 6, 10)
* Elisa Fior – backing vocals
* Susanna Hoffs – backing vocals
* Tom Kelly – backing vocals
* Billy Steinberg – backing vocals
* Jane Wiedlin – backing vocals
* The Waters (Maxine Waters Willard and Julia Waters Tillman) – backing vocals

Technical
* Michael Lloyd – producer, arrangements
* Nathan Lam – associate producer
* Carmine Rubino – engineer
* William Orbit – engineer, remixing
* Dan Nebenzal – assistant engineer
* Tania Hayward – assistant engineer
* Belinda Carlisle – art direction
* Carl Grasso – art direction
* Matthew Rolston – cover photography
* Bradford Bramson – sleeve photography
* Robert Feist – additional vocal production
* Ellen Shipley – additional vocal production
* Ron Stone – management
* Danny Goldberg – management

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

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1986 debut albums
Albums produced by Michael Lloyd (music producer)
Belinda Carlisle albums
I.R.S. Records albums