The album received some positive reviews, including from People magazine, which wrote that “Carnes has had plenty of moments before but she’s never recorded an album as pleasing as this.” Yet on the U.S. Billboard 200, it peaked at #48 and sold less than 200,000 copies. The track "Begging for Favors (Learning How Things Work)" features Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac playing guitar and singing backing vocals.
The album spawned two hit singles, "Crazy in the Night (Barking at Airplanes)" and "Abadabadango".
No matter how hard she tried -- and she tried very, very hard -- Kim Carnes couldn't get either Voyeur or Café Racers, her two follow-ups to Mistaken Identity, into the consciousness of the audience that flipped for "Bette Davis Eyes."
There were some hits along the way, but they were minor ones. Clearly, it was time for a change, and for 1985's Barking at Airplanes, she broke from convention, stepping up to the boards to co-produce the record. This was the change that was needed, as it resulted in a cohesive, consistent album -- the best she made since Mistaken Identity.
It wasn't a drastic shift in sound, so perhaps it's surprising that the record is markedly better than either of its immediate two predecessors, but the key is focus. Although there are elements of post-new wave pop, arena rock, adult contemporary, and dance evident throughout the album, they're fused together into a sleek, insistent sound.
This isn't entirely different from what other artists of her style and era were doing at the time -- this, indeed, sounds like what adult-oriented pop of the mid-'80s sounded like -- but it fits Carnes very well, not just because her great voice sounds ideal in this setting, but because she does this music very well. For all of her hard work, Carnes was rewarded with a moderate hit -- an album that reached 48, while spawning a number 15 hit in the title track.
It might not have been up to the standards of Mistaken Identity -- it was closer to Voyeur standards, really -- but it still qualified as a welcome comeback, and it's stood the test of time as one of Carnes' best records.
Side A
A1. Crazy in the Night (Barking at Airplanes) - 3:35
A2. One Kiss - 3:32
A3. Begging for Favors (Learning How the Things Work) - 4:52
A4. He Makes the Sun Rise - 4:28
A5. Bon Voyage - 4:44
Side B
B1. Don’t Pick Up the Phone (Pick Up the Phone) - 4:19
B2. Rough Edges - 4:44
B3. Abadabadango - 3:58
B4. Touch and Go - 4:48
Personnel
- Kim Carnes – lead vocals, backing vocals
- Bill Cuomo – synthesizers, drum programming, Kurzweil synthesizer, Yamaha DX7, keyboards, additional synthesizer, Roland JX-3P
- Duane Hitchings – synthesizers, Oberheim DMX programming
- Waddy Wachtel – electric guitar, backing vocals, guitars
- Lindsey Buckingham – guitar, lead and backing vocals
- Craig Hull – guitar
- Chas Sanford – guitar
- Ry Cooder – guitar
- Erik Scott – bass
- David Jackson – bass
- Leland Sklar – bass
- Craig Krampf – drum programming, backing vocals, drums, Oberheim DMX
- Gary Mallaber – drums
- Paulinho da Costa – percussion
- Jerry Peterson – saxophone
- Dave Ellingson – backing vocals
- Daniel Moore – backing vocals, lead vocals
- Julia Tillman Waters – backing vocals
- Maxine Waters Willard – backing vocals
- Niko Bolas – backing vocals
- Martha Davis – backing vocals
- James Ingram – backing vocals
Companies, etc.
- Recorded At – Ocean Way Recording
- Recorded At – Record One, Los Angeles
- Mixed At – Galaxy Sound Studios
- Mixed At – Larrabee Sound Studios
- Mastered At – Sterling Sound
Credits
- Art Direction – Henry Marquez
- Coordinator [Project] – Sue McGonigle
- Design – Vigon Seireeni
- Engineer [2nd, Recording] – David Egerton, Denny Densmore, Judy Clapp, Sabrina Bucharek, Steve MacMillan, Tony Chiappa
- Engineer [Additional 2nd Engineers, At Record One, Recording] – Duane Seykora, Richard Bosworth
- Engineer [Additional, At Record One, Recording] – Niko Bolas
- Engineer [Recording] – Mark Ettel
- Management [Direction] – Michael Brokaw
- Mastered By – George Morino
- Mixed By – Ian Taylor (tracks: B1, B2), Mike Shipley (tracks: A1 to A5, B3 to B5)
- Photography By [Back Cover] – Eric Blum
- Photography By [Cover] – Greg Corman
- Photography By [Inner Sleeve] – Matthew Rolston
- Producer – Bill Cuomo (tracks: A1 to B2, B4, B5), Duane Hitchings (tracks: B3), Kim Carnes
Notes
Release: 1985
Format: LP
Genre: Soft Rock
Label: EMI Records
Catalog# 1A064-2403381
Vinyl: VG
Cover: G
Prijs: €7,99
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