Bish (album)
| Bish | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Stephen Bishop | ||||
| Released | 1978 | |||
| Recorded | Cherokee Studios (Hollywood, CA); Criteria Recording Studios (Miami, FL). | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 44:25 | |||
| Label | ABC Records | |||
| Producer | Stephen Bishop | |||
| Stephen Bishop chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [2] |
Bish is the second album by singer/songwriter Stephen Bishop. It includes one single, "Everybody Needs Love", which peaked at No. 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart[3] and number five on the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart. It reached number two on the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart.[4] The album itself rose to No. 35 on the Billboard pop albums chart.[5]
Notable contributors to the album include Art Garfunkel, Chaka Khan, Natalie Cole and Michael McDonald. At the end of the track "Vagabond from Heaven", a large group, "The Whistling Bishettes", is heard. The group includes several famous non-musicians: actress Carrie Fisher, film director John Landis and then-Rolling Stone writer Cameron Crowe.
Three years earlier, Garfunkel had recorded "Looking For the Right One." His original rendition of Bishop's composition was included as the B-side of his 1975 cover hit, "I Only Have Eyes For You" (U.S. #18, #1 AC).
Track listing
All songs written by Stephen Bishop, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "If I Only Had a Brain" (Harold Arlen, Yip Harburg) | 1:40 |
| 2. | "Losing Myself in You" | 3:58 |
| 3. | "Looking for the Right One" | 3:50 |
| 4. | "Everybody Needs Love" | 3:42 |
| 5. | "Guitar Interlude" | 0:27 |
| 6. | "A Fool at Heart" | 5:34 |
| 7. | "What Love Can Do" | 2:53 |
| 8. | "Vagabond from Heaven" | 4:24 |
| 9. | "Bish's Hideaway" | 3:57 |
| 10. | "Only the Heart Within You" | 4:11 |
| 11. | "Recognized" | 0:53 |
| 12. | "I've Never Known a Nite Like This" | 4:24 |
| 13. | "When I Was in Love" | 4:32 |
Personnel
- Hal Atkinson: drums (8, 12)
- Stephen Bishop: lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitar (1-5, 9-13), trombone (1)
- Ray Brown: bass (1)
- Artie Butler: string arrangements and conductor (1, 7, 11)
- Natalie Cole: backing vocals (6)
- Steve Cropper: guitar (6)
- Paulinho Da Costa: percussion (4)
- David Foster: electric piano (2), acoustic piano (3)
- Art Garfunkel: backing vocals (10)
- Keith Hollar: bass (12)
- The James Hoosett Choir: choir (7)
- David Hungate: bass (2, 3, 6, 8)
- John Barlow Jarvis: electric piano (3), acoustic piano (4, 6)
- Chaka Khan: backing vocals (6)
- Leah Kunkel: backing vocals (4)
- Abraham Laboriel: bass (13)
- Michael McDonald: backing vocals (2, 8)
- Gene Page: rhythm arrangements (4), string arrangements and conductor (8)
- Marty Paich: string arrangements and conductor (3, 13)
- Ray Parker Jr.: guitar (4)
- Bill Payne: electric piano (6, 8)
- Greg Phillinganes: synthesizer (1, 4, 8), electric piano (4)
- Steve Porcaro: synthesizer (7, 10, 12)
- Raymond Pounds: drums (4)
- Tom Scott: saxophone and horn arrangement (12)
- Rick Shlosser: drums (2, 3, 6, 8, 9)
- Michael Sembello: guitar (4)
- Ed Shaughnessy: drums (1)
- David Shields: bass (8)
- Leland Sklar: bass (10)
- Michael Staton: backing vocals (4, 8), guitar (8-11)
- Jeffrey Staton: backing vocals (4, 8, 9), guitar (8-11), electric guitar solo (8, 12)
- Tommy Vig: percussion (9)
- Nathan Watts: bass (4)
- "The Whistling Bishettes" on "Vagabond from Heaven": Nancy Ames, Philip Ames, Michael Barackman, Dennis Bishop, Kathy Carey, Cameron Crowe, Kenny Farrell, Carrie Fisher, Mary Frampton, Richard Green, Trudy Green, John Landis, Mark Meyerson, Spencer Proffer, Michael J. Sheehy, James Lee Stanley, Jeffrey Staton, Michael Staton and Michael Whitney.
Production
- Produced by Stephen Bishop
- Co-produced by Dee Robb
- Executive Producer: Pat Lawrence
- Engineered by Joe Robb and Dee Robb
- Assistant Engineers: Joe Chicarelli, Anthony D'Amico, Steve Gursky, Steve Katz, Richard Leech, Kevin Ryan and George Tutko.
- Mixed by Jerry Masters
- Mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound (New York, NY).
- Production Coordination, Art Direction: Michelle Horie
- Design: Matthew Bitton
- Photography: David Alexander
Reception
Rolling Stone's Ken Tucker wrote, "Stephen Bishop's second album is so ambitious and self-assured that it's easy to overlook the chances it takes." Adding that it's "mixture of sentiment and aggressiveness... makes it so intriguing a pop disc." Concluding that "Stephen Bishop is well on his way, and he possesses something all his exemplars lack: a serenely nutty sense of humor."[6]
References
- ↑ Bish at AllMusic
- ↑ Larkin, Colin (1999). The Virgin Encyclopedia Of Popular Music, Concise 3rd Edition, p. 135. Virgin Books, London. ISBN 1-85227-832-3
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2000). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 7th Edition, p. 65. Billboard Books, New York. ISBN 0-8230-7690-3
- ↑ http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.0042&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.0042.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.0042
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1995). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Albums, 3rd Edition, p. 35. Billboard Books, New York. ISBN 0-8230-7631-8.
- ↑ Tucker, Ken. "Bish", Rolling Stone, November 2, 1978, p. 62.
