Maps of Music

Louder Than Words (1996)

Where the lyrics of Louder Than Words take you, and where it was really made.

Recorded across studios in several cities, Richie's comeback record debuted at number 33 on the Billboard 200 and never matched his earlier multi-platinum albums.

Key places

Recorded at Conway Studios (1996)

Recording site Conway Recording Studios — The album credits list Conway Studios among the rooms where tracks were recorded. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Record Plant, Los Angeles (1996)

Recording site Record Plant (Los Angeles) — The album credits list Record Plant in Los Angeles among the recording studios used. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Flyte Tyme Studios (1996)

Recording site Flyte Tyme (Edina) — The album credits list Flyte Tyme Studios as a recording location; the marker sits at the city center of Edina. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Warner Bros. Studios (1996)

Recording site Warner Bros. Studios — The album credits list Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank among the recording locations. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Capitol Studios (1996)

Recording site Capitol Studios — The album credits list Capitol Studios among the rooms where tracks were recorded. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at The Hit Factory (1996)

Recording site Record Plant Studios — The album credits list The Hit Factory as a recording location; the marker sits at the city center of New York City. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Louder Than Words: fourth studio album by American singer Lionel Richie
• Released by Mercury Records on April 16, 1996 in the United States
• Marked Richie's debut with the label
• His first album of new material in 10 years
• Chief producer James Anthony Carmichael
• Other collaborators: Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Babyface, and David Foster

Background

• Richie was suffering from burnout symptoms by March 1986; he had intended to take only one year off
• His father, Lionel Richie Sr., fell ill before dying in 1990
• After his father's death, Richie described 'a massive depression'
• He divorced his first wife, Brenda Harvey, after nearly two decades of marriage
• His best friend informed him that he was dying from AIDS-related causes
• Richie felt ready to produce new music only after that friend's death
• Welcoming his second child, son Miles, with second wife Diane Alexander in May 1994 helped restart his recording

Recording

• The album credits list many recording studios, among them Conway Studios, Record Plant in Los Angeles, Flyte Tyme Studios, Warner Bros. Studios, Capitol Studios and The Hit Factory
• Other listed rooms include Encore Studios, Ocean Way Recording, A&M Studios and Manor Studio in Los Angeles
• Mixing credited to Cal Harris and Steve Hodge
• Mastering credited to Guy Costa, at Quadim Studio

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · ko.wikipedia.org

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

• Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic found that the album relies on Richie's trademark balladeering, which remains his forte
• Erlewine judged the rap attempts ill-advised and said the ballads are not as strong as his late-1970s and early-1980s standards, though still pleasant
• Calvin Wilson of the Chicago Tribune called the album a 'mixed bag', with some selections little more than filler
• Cheo Hodari Coker of the Los Angeles Times called the album a welcome return
• J.D. Considine of Entertainment Weekly said Richie's middle-of-the-road R&B seemed old-fashioned
• Upon release, critics gave generally mixed to positive reviews, praising the vocals and ballads while finding the overall material old-fashioned

Records

• Debuted at number 33 on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 28,000 copies
• Peaked at number 28 on the US Billboard 200
• Entered the top thirty on most album charts it appeared on
• Went gold in France and the US
• Went silver in the United Kingdom
• Failed to repeat the success of the multi-platinum Can't Slow Down (1983) and Dancing on the Ceiling (1986)

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · ko.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Richie's father, Lionel Richie Sr., fell ill before dying in 1990, a loss that came during the years the album was in preparation.
• In a 2018 People interview, Richie said he wanted to show his children what he did for a living, and that this was the incentive to return.
• Discogs credits list an unusually long roster of recording studios, from Conway Studios to The Hit Factory in New York.
• The album's mixing is credited to Cal Harris and Steve Hodge, with a long list of assistant engineers.
• The record was his first major release on a new label, Mercury Records.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · ko.wikipedia.org

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