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Mean Business is the second and final studio album by The Firm, released by Atlantic Records on 3 February 1986. Repeating the same bluesy formula as on the first album, The Firm (1985), Mean Business did not achieve the same commercial success.
| Mean Business | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 3 February 1986 | |||
| Recorded | 1985 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 39:20 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Producer | Jimmy Page, Paul Rodgers and Julian Mendelsohn | |||
| The Firm chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| Rolling Stone | (unfavorable)[2] |
One of the album's tracks, "Live in Peace", was first recorded on Paul Rodgers' first solo album in 1983, Cut Loose. The versions differ in that Chris Slade played the drums at half tempo compared to the original version, apart from the ending. Paul Rodgers has recently played a new version on his new compilation album Live in Peace.
The album's title was intended to have a double meaning: that the music business is a hard one, and that the band was serious about its music ("The Firm mean business"). However, perhaps due to the lukewarm-at-best critical and financial success which the band met, Page and Rodgers decided to disband The Firm within months of this album's release.[citation needed]
The album peaked at #22 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.[3] and at #46 on the UK Albums Chart. The single "All the King's Horses" spent four weeks at the top of Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.[citation needed]
"Fortune Hunter" was originally co-written by Page and Chris Squire for the aborted XYZ project in 1981. Squire was not credited on The Firm's version.
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Fortune Hunter" | Jimmy Page, Paul Rodgers, Chris Squire (uncredited) | 5:00 |
| 2. | "Cadillac" | Page, Rodgers | 5:57 |
| 3. | "All the King's Horses" | Rodgers | 3:16 |
| 4. | "Live in Peace" | Rodgers | 5:05 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Tear Down the Walls" | Page, Rodgers | 4:43 |
| 2. | "Dreaming" | Tony Franklin | 6:00 |
| 3. | "Free to Live" | Page, Rodgers | 4:13 |
| 4. | "Spirit of Love" | Rodgers | 5:06 |
Personnel
editBand
edit- Paul Rodgers – vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, piano, producer
- Jimmy Page – acoustic and electric guitars, producer
- Tony Franklin – fretless bass, keyboards, synthesizer, rhythm guitar on Dreaming, vocals
- Chris Slade – drums and percussion
Other
edit- Julian Mendelsohn – producer
- Aubrey Powell Productions – cover design
- Barry Diament – mastering
Charts
edit| Chart (1986) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[4] | 37 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[5] | 43 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[6] | 46 |
| US Billboard 200[7] | 22 |
References
edit- ^ "Mean Business - The Firm | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
- ^ "The Firm: Mean Business : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". 9 February 2009. Archived from the original on 9 February 2009. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
- ^ "The Billboard 200 - 15 March 1986". Billboard. Archived from the original on 12 July 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2009.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0651". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ "Mean Business". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ "Kenny Rogers Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
