Clues (Robert Palmer album)
1980 studio album by Robert Palmer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Clues is the sixth studio album by the English singer Robert Palmer, released in 1980. It has a rockier, new wave edge compared to his previous releases.[3] The album peaked at number 59 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart and No. 31 in the UK in 1980. The album also peaked at No. 1 in Sweden, No. 3 in France, No. 15 in the Netherlands and No. 42 in Italy. Donald Guarisco of AllMusic described Clues as "one of Robert Palmer's strongest and most consistent albums", despite being somewhat short at 31 minutes.[3]
| Clues | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 1980 | |||
| Recorded | December 1979 – June 1980 | |||
| Studios | Compass Point (Nassau, Bahamas) | |||
| Genres | ||||
| Length | 31:17 | |||
| Label | Island | |||
| Producer | Robert Palmer | |||
| Robert Palmer chronology | ||||
| ||||
Palmer, who played percussion on Talking Heads' Remain in Light, had the favour returned when the band's drummer Chris Frantz played bass drum on "Looking for Clues" along with Palmer's drummer, Dony Wynn. Andy Fraser, the former bassist of Free and the author of Palmer's first breakthrough single "Every Kinda People", played bass on the album on two songs. New wave musician Gary Numan co-wrote a song with Palmer (another co-write between the two appearing on Maybe It's Live) and played keyboards on a remake of his own song "I Dream of Wires".[3] This was first issued on CD in 1985 when Island's catalogue was issued under WEA Manufacturing. The WEA pressings are sought-after collector's items.
The video to the first track on the album, "Looking for Clues", aired on MTV's first day of broadcasting on 1 August 1981.
The album was certified gold in Germany by BMieV in 1992.
Songs
The lead track, "Looking for Clues" was described by AllMusic as "a clever slice of new wave pop that surprises the listener with an unexpected xylophone solo".[3]
"I Dream of Wires" is a cover of a song from Gary Numan's album Telekon released the same year.
The cover of the Beatles' "Not a Second Time", featured a second verse added by Palmer.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Robert Palmer, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Looking for Clues" | 4:52 |
| 2. | "Sulky Girl" | 4:07 |
| 3. | "Johnny and Mary" | 3:59 |
| 4. | "What Do You Care" | 2:44 |
| Total length: | 31:17 | |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Dream of Wires" | Gary Numan | 4:34 |
| 2. | "Woke Up Laughing" | 3:36 | |
| 3. | "Not a Second Time" |
| 2:48 |
| 4. | "Found You Now" |
| 4:37 |
| Total length: | 31:17 | ||
Personnel
- Robert Palmer – vocals, guitars, bass, percussion
- Jack Waldman – keyboards
- Gary Numan – keyboards (5)
- Kenny Mazur – guitars (1, 2, 7)
- Alan Mansfield – guitars (3)
- Andy Fraser – bass (2, 7)
- Paul Gardiner – bass (5)
- Dony Wynn – drums
- Chris Frantz – bass drum (1)
Production
- David Harper – executive producer
- Robert Palmer – producer
- Alex Sadkin – engineer, mixing
- Cass Rigby – tape operator
- Sly Roker – tape operator
- Ted Jensen – mastering at Sterling Sound (New York, NY)
- Graham Hughes – cover
- Cover photograph taken by Susan Palmer in Nassau, Bahamas
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications and sales
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[15] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| Germany (BVMI)[16] | Gold | 250,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||