The Rock Connection
The Rock Connection | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 19 November 1984[1][2] | |||
Recorded | 1983–1984 at Strawberry Studios South; 1984 at Gallery Studios (London);[3] 1982 at Eden Studios; 1980 at Riverside Recordings (London) | |||
Genre | ||||
Label | EMI | |||
Producer |
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Cliff Richard chronology | ||||
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Singles from The Rock Connection | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
![]() Cover for the Australian release |
The Rock Connection is the twenty-seventh solo studio album by Cliff Richard. Released in November 1984 on EMI, the album is a part studio, part compilation album. It includes seven studio tracks recorded exclusively for the album, five tracks from the previous year's limited release album Rock 'n' Roll Silver, one previously released single, and one B-side from 1980.
The album reached number 43 on the UK Albums Chart. Two singles were released to promote the album. "Shooting from the Heart" was released in October 1984 as the lead single, but only reached number 51 on the UK Singles Chart. "Heart User" was followed in January 1985 and it only reached number 46. However, a remix of the hit single "She Means Nothing to Me" - a duet with Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers featuring Mark Knopfler - was also included although released almost two years prior. Originally released in January 1983 and lifted from Phil Everly's self-titled solo album, "She Means Nothing to Me" made it to number 9 on the UK Singles Chart. The remix version increased the volume of the vocals and ends with a held note instead of a fade.[4][5][6]
Critical reception
[edit]Reviewing for AllMusic, critic Bruce Eder wrote of the album "The resulting album was decidedly uneven -- much of it came off as a loud, lean, crisp mix of rock & roll and power pop, Richard's voice surrounded by (and often immersed beneath) in-your-face electric guitars and synthesizers."[7]
Track listing
[edit]- "Heart User" (Terry Britten, Sue Shifrin) - 3:40
- "Willie and the Hand Jive" (Johnny Otis) - 3:52
- "Lovers and Friends" (Jon Sweet, Rod Trott) - 4:32
- "Never Be Anyone Else But You" (Baker Knight) - 4:03
- "La Gonave" (Cliff Richard) - 3:57
- "Over You" (Dave Cooke, Richard) - 3:11
- "Shooting from the Heart" (Roger Greenaway) - 3:09
- "Learning How to Rock and Roll" (Drew McCulloch[8]) - 3:12
- "Lucille" (Albert Collins, Little Richard) - 3:37
- "Be-Bop-A-Lula" (Gene Vincent, Donald Graves, Bill "Sheriff Tex" Davis) - 3:15
- "Donna" (Ritchie Valens) - 4:21
- "Dynamite" (Ian Samwell) - 3:11
- "She Means Nothing to Me" with Phil Everly (John David) - 3:34
- "Makin' History" (Mark Griffiths, Graham Lyle) - 3:47
- Additional tracks
Bonus tracks on the 2004 release | |
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Personnel
[edit]
Tracks 1-3, 6-8
Tracks 4, 9-11, 14-19
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Track 5
Track 12
Tracks 13 & 20
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Chart performance
[edit]Chart (1984) | Position |
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Australia Albums (Kent Music Report)[9] | 30 |
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[10] | 21 |
UK Albums (OCC)[11] | 43 |
Sales and certifications
[edit]Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United Kingdom (BPI)[12] | Silver | 60,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
References
[edit]- ^ "Cliff Richard Song Database - Song Details". www.cliffrichardsongs.com. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
- ^ "New Albums" (PDF). Music Week. 17 November 1984. p. 36. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
- ^ "Cliff Richard Song Database - 1980s Songs".
- ^ "The Rock Connection" (2004 Digitally Remastered Edition) (Media notes). Cliff Richard. EMI. 1984.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Cliff Richard on UK Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ "She Means Nothing to Me". www.cliffrichardsongs.com. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
- ^ AllMusic review for The Rock Connection
- ^ "Drew McCulloch". Retrieved 26 January 2021.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN 978-0-646-11917-5.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Cliff Richard – The Rock Connection". Hung Medien.
- ^ "Cliff Richard | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.
- ^ "British album certifications – Cliff Richard – The Rock Connection". British Phonographic Industry.