Maps of Music

Encore (2002)

Where the lyrics of Encore take you, and where it was really made.

Island dropped two previously unreleased tracks from the US editions of this Wembley Arena live album.

Key places

May 2001 live recording at Wembley Arena (2001)

Recording site Wembley Arena — Tracks 1 to 12 were recorded live at Wembley Arena in London in May 2001. The concert was part of the tour for the album Renaissance (2000). Discogs lists Wembley Arena as the recording location. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Encore is a live album by American singer Lionel Richie
• Released first by Island Records on November 26, 2002, in Europe
• Features his May 2001 concert at Wembley Arena in London
• The concert was part of the tour supporting his sixth solo studio album Renaissance (2000)
• Most songs come from earlier studio albums and from Richie's repertoire with his former band The Commodores
• Also includes "Angel," "Tender Heart," and "Don't Stop the Music" from Renaissance
• Tracks 1 to 12 are live recordings; Tracks 13 and 14 are original tracks

Background

• Renaissance (2000) was Richie's sixth solo studio album, and the tour promoted it
• The Commodores were Richie's former band, so their songs make up part of the set
• The live album documents a single London arena show from 2001

Recording

• Tracks 1 to 12 were recorded live at Wembley, London, England, in May 2001
• Wembley Arena is the venue listed for the live recording

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born June 20, 1949, in Tuskegee, Alabama; grew up on the Tuskegee Institute campus and attended Tuskegee Institute on a tennis scholarship.
• In the late 1960s he joined the Commodores as singer and saxophonist; they moved from Atlantic to Motown, first as a support act to The Jackson 5.
• Commodores' early funky sound ("Machine Gun", "Brick House") gave way to romantic ballads he wrote and sang, such as "Easy", "Three Times a Lady", "Still" and "Sail On".

Career

• 1974: first commercial songwriting success with "Happy People", recorded by The Temptations as a No. 1 R&B hit.
• 1980: wrote "Lady" for Kenny Rogers, a US No. 1; produced Rogers' album Share Your Love in 1981.
• 1981: "Endless Love", a duet with Diana Ross, became one of Motown's biggest hits.
• 1982: debut solo album Lionel Richie, with the No. 1 single "Truly", sold over 4 million copies.
• 1983: Can't Slow Down won Album of the Year and sold over twice as many copies; "All Night Long" was a No. 1 hit.
• 1985: co-wrote "We Are the World" with Michael Jackson; "Say You, Say Me" from White Nights won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe.
• 1986: Dancing on the Ceiling, his last widely popular album; a break from recording followed until the 1992 hits collection Back to Front.
• Sold over 90 million records worldwide and won four Grammy Awards.
• Judge on American Idol from its 16th season (2018 onward).
• 2022: inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• The album earned a mixed response from critics
• Some American reviewers criticized Island's decision to omit two previously unreleased original tracks from US editions
• The omitted tracks were "Goodbye," produced by Ric Wake, and "To Love a Woman," a duet with Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias

Reappraisal

• Allmusic editor William Ruhlmann praised Richie as an engaging frontman who encouraged the audience throughout the show
• Ruhlmann wrote that the show was more enjoyable for fans in the arena than for listeners at home
• Ruhlmann concluded that this is not a memorable live album

Records

• The live album was a commercial success
• It reached the top ten in Austria, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom
• It was certified double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI)
• It was certified gold by the Swiss arm of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI)

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Island left two previously unreleased tracks, "Goodbye" and "To Love a Woman," off the US editions
• "Goodbye" was produced by Ric Wake
• "To Love a Woman" is a duet with Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias
• Most songs come from earlier studio albums and the Commodores repertoire
• Only Tracks 13 and 14 are original recordings; Tracks 1 to 12 are live

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

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