Maps of Music

Michael Bolton (1983)

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

The album marked Bolton's first release on Columbia Records and the first time he recorded under the stage name Michael Bolton, after two albums issued under his given name.

Key places

Sigma Sound Studios, recording site (1983)

Recording site Sigma Sound Studios — The album's recording is credited to Sigma Sound Studios, the recording location listed for this album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Michael Bolton: third studio album by American recording artist Michael Bolton, released in 1983
• Bolton's first record on Columbia Records
• First album recorded under the stage name Michael Bolton; the two earlier albums were released under his given name, Michael Bolotin
• Bruce Kulick plays lead guitar, rotating with Bolton himself
• Al Pitrelli was lead guitarist on the album's supporting tour

Background

• Released in 1983, in the early phase of Bolton's recording career
• Opening track and chart single: 'Fools Game'
• Nine-song track listing, including a version of the Supremes' 'Back in My Arms Again'
• 'Fools Game' credited to Craig Brooks, Mark Mangold and Michael Bolton

Recording

• Producers: Gerry Block and Michael Bolton; Louis Levin credited as executive producer
• Jan Mullaney credited as associate producer
• Mixing by Gerry Block and Tony Bongiovi
• Mastering by Bob Ludwig at Masterdisk in New York
• Musicians include Lloyd Landesman, Mark Mangold, Jan Mullaney, Scott Zito, Aldo Nova, George S. Clinton and Doug Katsaros
• Rhythm guitar by Craig Brooks and Bob Kulick; bass by Mark Clarke; drums by Chuck Burgi and Michael Braun

Cover

• Photography by David Michael Kennedy
• Design by Allen Weinberg

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

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born Michael Bolotin on February 26, 1953, in New Haven, Connecticut.
• At age 14 he formed the group the Nomads, which was signed to a singles contract by Epic Records when he was 16.
• Began recording in 1975 at The Church Studio in Tulsa, Oklahoma, under his original family name Bolotin.
• Early career focused on hard rock; his band Blackjack once opened for Ozzy Osbourne on tour.

Career

• Anglicized his name to Bolton and gained his first major hit as a songwriter, co-writing "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" for Laura Branigan.
• Recorded his own version of "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" in 1988, reaching number one on the Hot 100.
• Achieved peak success as a pop ballad singer in the late 1980s and early 1990s with songwriters such as Diane Warren and Desmond Child.
• Covered Otis Redding's "(Sittin' On) the Dock of the Bay" (1987) and Percy Sledge's "When a Man Loves a Woman," a Grammy-winning cover on the 1991 album Time, Love & Tenderness.
• Faced a plagiarism suit from the Isley Brothers over "Love Is a Wonderful Thing," settled with a $4.2 million payment.
• Has sold more than 75 million records, with eight top 10 albums and two Billboard number-one singles.
• Later worked in television and film, appeared on Dancing with the Stars, and produced the documentary American Dream: Detroit.

Reception

At release

• The Rolling Stone Album Guide called the album better balanced and more pop-savvy than Bolton's first four albums
• The same review faulted him for an over-burdened version of the Supremes' 'Back in My Arms Again'

Reappraisal

• AllMusic gave a generally negative retrospective review of the album
• AllMusic said the record was dominated by arena rock clichés
• AllMusic still granted that Bolton was an undeniably involving singer
• AllMusic singled out 'Fools Game', the lead-off track and chart single, as a satisfying pop effort

Records

• The source gives no chart position, sales figure or certification for this album

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album was Bolton's first release on Columbia Records and the first under the stage name Michael Bolton.
• Eric Martin covered "Can't Hold On, Can't Let Go" on his 1985 album Eric Martin.
• René Froger covered "I Almost Believed You" on his 1990 album Midnight Man.
• Axel Rudi Pell covered 'Fools Game' on his 2007 covers album Diamonds Unlocked.
• Last Autumn's Dream covered 'Fools Game' on their 2010 album Yes.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Maps of Ages ↗ (mapsofages.com)

Privacy · Contact