Portrait is the second album by the American pop group The Walker Brothers. Released in 1966 the album was their most successful and reached number three on the UK Albums Chart.[3] The group's musical accompaniment was directed by Ivor Raymonde and Reg Guest and produced by John Franz. Receiving good to mixed reviews the album was first released in both Mono and Stereo LP formats in August 1966. The album was later released on CD having been remastered and expanded in 1998. The sleeve notes were written by Keith Altham with photography by Dezo Hoffmann.
| Portrait | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 26, 1966 | |||
| Recorded | 1966 | |||
| Genre | Pop, baroque pop, blue-eyed soul | |||
| Label | Philips, Smash | |||
| Producer | John Franz | |||
| The Walker Brothers chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Portrait | ||||
Portrait was not released in the USA. In its place Smash Records compiled The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore as the group's second album.[4] This alternate version substituted the majority of the album's tracks with A-Sides, B-Sides and tracks from their first EP leaving only "Just For A Thrill", "Old Folks", "People Get Ready" and "Take It Like a Man".
Reception
editPortrait received good to mixed reviews from the majority of critics.[citation needed]
Legacy
editRichie Unterberger writing for Allmusic recommends the album for serious fans only as the majority of the best tracks are on the compilation After the Lights Go Out. "Like some other pop/rock LPs of its time, it suffered from an apparent strategy to appeal to a wider demographic than those that typically bought pop/rock records, adding a cover of Louis Armstrong's "Just for a Thrill," the moldy standard "Old Folks," and the pedestrian white-boy soul workout on Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready."[5] Unterberger is also positive regarding "In My Room" which he describes as "dramatic"[5] and "No Sad Songs for Me" which he calls "melodramatic"[5] and "the best tune that doesn't show up on the After the Lights Go Out compilation".[5]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "In My Room" | Joaquin Prieto; Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss (English lyrics) | 2:34 |
| 2. | "Saturday's Child" | Scott Engel | 2:07 |
| 3. | "Just for a Thrill" | Lil Armstrong, Don Raye | 3:36 |
| 4. | "Hurting Each Other" | Peter Udell, Gary Geld | 2:47 |
| 5. | "Old Folks" | Willard Robison, Dedette Lee Hill | 3:13 |
| 6. | "Summertime" | George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, Dubose Heyward | 4:31 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7. | "People Get Ready" | Curtis Mayfield | 2:40 |
| 8. | "I Can See It Now" | Scott Engel, John Franz | 3:00 |
| 9. | "Where's the Girl" | Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller | 3:14 |
| 10. | "Living Above Your Head" | Kenny Vance, Marty Sanders, Jay Black | 2:44 |
| 11. | "Take It Like a Man" | Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller | 2:31 |
| 12. | "No Sad Songs for Me" | Tom Springfield | 3:41 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" (1966 A-Side) | Bob Crewe, Bob Gaudio | 3:17 |
| 14. | "After the Lights Go Out" (B-Side of "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore") | John Stewart | 4:01 |
| 15. | "(Baby) You Don't Have to Tell Me" (1966 A-Side) | Peter Antell | 2:28 |
| 16. | "My Love Is Growing" (B-Side of "(Baby) You Don't Have to Tell Me") | John Stewart, Robbie van Leeuwen | 2:22 |
| 17. | "Another Tear Falls" (1966 A-Side) | Burt Bacharach, Hal David | 2:28 |
| 18. | "Saddest Night in the World" (B-Side of "Another Tear Falls") | John Maus | 2:13 |
| 19. | "Deadlier Than the Male" (1966 A-Side) | Scott Engel, John Franz | 2:32 |
| 20. | "Archangel" (B-Side of "Deadlier Than the Male") | Scott Engel | 3:45 |
| 21. | "Sunny" (from 1966 EP: Solo John/Solo Scott) | Bobby Hebb | 3:50 |
| 22. | "Come Rain or Come Shine" (from 1966 EP: Solo John/Solo Scott) | Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer | 3:21 |
| 23. | "The Gentle Rain" (from 1966 EP: Solo John/Solo Scott) | Luiz Bonfá, Matt Dubey | 2:44 |
| 24. | "Mrs. Murphy" (from 1966 EP: Solo John/Solo Scott) | Scott Engel | 3:20 |
Personnel
edit- The Walker Brothers
- Gary Walker - drums, vocals
- John Walker - guitar, vocals
- Scott Walker - vocals, guitar, keyboards
with:
- Reg Guest - music director
- Ivor Raymonde - music director (4, 9, 11, 13, 14)
- Dezo Hoffmann - photography
Charts
edit| Chart | Position |
|---|---|
| UK Album Chart[3] | 3 |
| German Album Chart[6] | 8 |
References
edit- ^ "Walker Brothers, The - Saturday's Child (Vinyl) at Discogs". discogs. Retrieved 2014-09-20.
- ^ "45cat - The Walker Brothers - In My Room / (Baby) You Don't Have To Tell Me - Philips - Japan - SFL-1080". 45cat. Retrieved 2014-09-20.
- ^ a b Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 589/590. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ Unterberger, Richie (2012). "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore - The Walker Brothers | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
- ^ a b c d Allmusic review
- ^ "charts.de - Discographie The Walker Brothers". 2012 media control. Retrieved 2012-10-26.[dead link]