Belinda

by Belinda Carlisle

Overview

Upon leaving the Go-Go's, Belinda Carlisle felt no compunction in leaving behind the band's energetic new wave. On her own, she dove right into the mainstream with the assistance of producer Michael Lloyd, embracing the big radio-ready sheen of the mid-'80s on her 1986 debut, Belinda. The album's lead single (and album opener), "Mad About You," celebrated this shift and she was rewarded with a huge hit, one that went all the way to number three in the U.S. Behind the gloss, however, lay some elements of the Go-Go's, which shouldn't be surprising, considering how Charlotte Caffey wrote half of the record -- more songs than Carlisle herself. Often, these songs suggest that Caffey and Carlisle were picking up where Talk Show left off, particularly with the infectious Motown bounce of "I Feel the Magic" and the power pop insistence of "Gotta Get to You." These songs, along with the Bangles leftover "I Need a Disguise" (another entry in the wannabe Motown hit parade) and a nicely moody reading of Tim Finn's "Stuff and Nonsense," have aged better than a ham-fisted cover of Freda Payne's "Band of Gold" and the neon synths of "Shot in the Dark," and they're also the reason why Belinda will be the solo Carlisle album that will appeal the most to Go-Go's diehards. [Edsel's 2014 reissue of Belinda contains an expanded CD plus a DVD. The first disc contains a remastered version of the proper album, plus five bonus tracks; three of these are versions of "Band of Gold" featuring Freda Payne, then there's an expanded version of "Mad About You" plus the non-LP "Dancing in the City." The DVD contains videos for "Mad About You" and "I Feel the Magic," then the entirety of a live concert filmed and released on home video in 1986.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	05/28/2021
Label:	Demon Records
UPC:	5014797905436
Rank:	51234

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Belinda Carlisle   Primary Artist,Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Freda Payne   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Paula Jean Brown   Bass
Andy Taylor   Guitar
Paulinho Da Costa   Percussion
Susanna Hoffs   Vocals (Background)
Billy Steinberg   Vocals (Background)
Charlotte Caffey   Guitar,Vocals (Background)
Paul Leim   Drums
Laurence Juber   Guitar
Don Griffin   Multi Instruments
John Rosenberg   Trumpet
David Lindley   Guitar
Dennis Belfield   Bass
Nicky Hopkins   Keyboards,Synthesizer
Michael J. Lloyd   Keyboards,Synthesizer
Tom Kelly   Vocals (Background)
Bobby Martin   Keyboards,Saxophone,Synthesizer
Jane Wiedlin   Vocals (Background)
John Philip Shenale   Synthesizer
Jim Cox   Keyboards,Synthesizer
The Waters   Vocals (Background)
Sid Sharp   String Director
Claude Godette   Keyboards,Synthesizer
Elisa Fior   Vocals (Background)
Dennis Bellfield   Bass
Phil Shenale   Keyboards,Synthesizer
Kris Kello   Keyboards
Nathan Lam   Vocals
Paula Brown   Bass,Vocals (Background)
Lawrence Juber   Guitar

Technical Credits

Paula Jean Brown   Composer
Susanna Hoffs   Composer
Bernard Edwards   Producer
Billy Steinberg   Composer
Charlotte Caffey   Composer
The Distance   Composer
Belinda Carlisle   Composer,Art Direction
Carmine Rubino   Engineer,Associate Producer
Ellen Shipley   Vocal Producer
Don Griffin   Instrumentation
John d'Andrea   String Arrangements
John Whelan   Composer
John Luongo   Editing,Producer,Remixing,Vocal Arrangement
Jonathan Segel   Composer
Robert Feist   Vocal Producer
Lindsey Buckingham   Composer
Ronald Dunbar   Composer
Michael Loyd   Producer
Michael J. Lloyd   Arranger,Producer
Tom Kelly   Composer
William Orbit   Engineer,Remixing
Tim Finn   Composer
Jane Wiedlin   Composer
Victor Young   Composer
Dan Nebenzal   Assistant Engineer
Gary Hellman   Engineer
Edyth Wayne   Composer
Avante Gardener   Liner Notes
John Hedges   Assistant Engineer
Jim Whelan   Composer
Matthew Rolston   Cover Photo
Carl Grasso   Art Direction
Nathan Lam   Associate Producer
Bradford Branson   Photography
Michael Lloyd   Producer
J. Segal   Composer
Thomas Caffey   Composer
Paula Brown   Composer
Jonathan Segal   Composer
James Whelan   Composer
Johnny Segal   Composer
Mitchel Evans   Composer
Kathryn Valentine   Composer
Ronnie Dunbar   Composer
Tania Hayward   Assistant Engineer