Maps of Music

Spellbound (1991)

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

Spellbound reached number one on the Billboard 200, yet at its release it was the lowest-selling number-one album of the Nielsen SoundScan era.

Key places

Recorded at Greene St. Recording in New York (1991)

Recording site Record Plant Studios — Several tracks on the album were recorded at Greene St. Recording in New York City, according to the release notes. The point uses the city center, not the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Z Studio in Brooklyn (1991)

Recording site Rough Customer — One track was recorded at Z Studio in Brooklyn, New York, according to the release notes. The point uses the Brooklyn city center. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles (1991)

Recording site Sunset Sound — Several tracks were recorded at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, according to the release notes. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen (1991)

Recording site Paisley Park Studios — One track was recorded at Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, Minnesota, according to the release notes. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Spellbound: second studio album by American singer Paula Abdul
• Released May 14, 1991 via Virgin Records and Captive Records
• Production credited to Peter Lord, Paisley Park, V. Jeffrey Smith, Don Was, and Jorge Corante
• Six singles released in total
• "Rush Rush" and "The Promise of a New Day" both reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100
• "The Promise of a New Day" became her sixth and, to date, final number one single
• Other singles: "Blowing Kisses in the Wind", "Vibeology", "Will You Marry Me?", and the Canada-exclusive "Alright Tonight"

Background

• Released before Abdul's first world tour, "Under My Spell Tour", held between 1991 and 1992
• Album received mixed reviews, which cited its showcase of her limitations as a singer
• Became a commercial success and reached the top ten in Australia, Canada, Sweden, and the United Kingdom
• Certified 3× platinum in the United States

Recording

• Release notes list recording at Greene St. Recording (New York), Studio Masters and Sunset Sound (Los Angeles), Z Studio (Brooklyn), and Paisley Park Studios (Chanhassen, Minnesota)
• Mixing at Larrabee Sound Studios, Los Angeles, and Ocean Way Studios, Hollywood
• Some tracks mixed using QSound

Cover

• Album art art-directed by Melanie Nissen, designed by Inge Schaap, and lettered by Margo Chase

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

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Career

• Began as a Los Angeles Lakers cheerleader and became head choreographer of the Laker Girls.
• Discovered by the Jacksons; choreographed Janet Jackson's music videos and later the Jacksons' Victory tour.
• Signed to Virgin Records and released Forever Your Girl (1988), which set a record with four Hot 100 number-one singles from a debut album.
• Released Spellbound (1991) and Head over Heels (1995).
• Served as a judge on American Idol from 2002 to 2009 and later appeared on several other television shows.
• Returned to live performance in 2016 and held a Las Vegas residency in 2019–20.

Recognition

• Won the Grammy Award for Best Music Video for "Opposites Attract" in 1991.
• Received 17 MTV Video Music Award nominations and won five.
• Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Entertainment Weekly: David Browne gave the album a C+ and said its overproduction only highlights Abdul's limitations as a singer
• Reviews were mixed, with critics citing her limitations as a singer

Reappraisal

• Slant Magazine: Eric Henderson gave the album four out of five stars in a retrospective review
• Henderson said that, despite being uneven, the album makes Abdul "sound like a human being"
• Slant Magazine included Spellbound in its 2003 list "50 Essential Pop Albums"

Records

• Debuted at number five on the Billboard 200 and rose to number one the following week
• Held the top spot for two consecutive weeks, selling 88,000 and 89,000 units
• Lowest-selling number-one album in the Nielsen SoundScan era at its release; this record held until 2004, when Outkast's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below sold 86,000 copies at number one
• Spent 16 weeks in the top 10 and was the best-selling album for June
• Certified three-times platinum by the RIAA in January 1992
• Spent 70 weeks on the Billboard 200
• Ranked 18th best-charting of 1991 and 40th best-charting of 1992
• Won a Grammy Award for Best Recording Package

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Won a Grammy Award for Best Recording Package, the album's most cited award
• Included a song called "U" written and produced by Prince
• A music video for "U" was shot during the world tour, but its release was cancelled after the mixed success of "Will You Marry Me?"
• Some tracks were mixed using QSound

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

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