Robert Palmer – Riptide (1985) (First U.S. Pressing) [FLAC]
EAC Secure Rip | FLAC (Image + Cue + Log) – 218 MB | Complete Scans (Jpeg 600 dpi) – 62.9 MB
Rock, New Wave, Synth-Pop | Island Records | # 7 90471-2 | 35:20 minutes | 5% WinRar Recovery
Riptide is the eighth solo studio album by the British singer Robert Palmer, released in November 1985. It featured his hit single "Addicted to Love" which reached #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1986, helped by a memorable music video. Palmer won a Grammy Award for the song in 1987. The album also featured Palmer’s Power Station bandmates Andy Taylor and Tony Thompson providing guitar and drum services respectively. Power Station producer Bernard Edwards (from Chic) played bass and produced the album as well. The song "I Didn’t Mean to Turn You On", originally performed by R&B singer Cherrelle, was again covered in 2001 by Mariah Carey for her movie Glitter. The album charted at #8 in the US and #5 in the UK. It was certified US 2 X Platinum by RIAA in March 1996 and certified UK Gold by BPI in August 1986.
Coming on the heels of the massive success of the Power Station, Riptide packages Robert Palmer’s voice and suave personality into a commercial series of mostly rocking songs that seem custom-tailored to be chart hits. The Power Station connection threatens to overpower Palmer’s usually more eclectic musical interest, but with that band’s producer/member Bernard Edwards handling production duties and members Andy Taylor and Tony Thompson contributing as well, stylistic similarities were inevitable. "Flesh Wound," though, sounds like a retread of "Some Like It Hot," with its squelching staccato guitars and tribal drums mimicking the hit single. "Hyperactive" adds a bit of a pop veneer to the formula, with its bright keyboards dating the song to the Miami Vice era; that’s not to say it doesn’t hold nostalgic charm. "Addicted to Love" shares some of the same punch, somewhat slowing down the Power Station’s bombast into slinkier, blues territory, while maintaining a heavy rock crunch. The song skyrocketed to the top of the U.S. charts and sold more than a million copies as a single worldwide. A music video for the song, featuring sexy models gyrating blankly, no doubt helped sales and launched a new phase of Palmer’s career, where music videos would nearly overshadow his songwriting. Equally catchy and almost as successful is the brilliant take on the Jimmy Jam/Terry Lewis song "I Didn’t Mean to Turn You On." It is perhaps Riptide’s most daring track, with its fractured jittery notes, funky basslines, and pounding drums matching Palmer’s bothered, sweaty vocals to create a yearning song that drips with passion. Also not to be missed is Earl King’s "Trick Bag," which Palmer translates into a fun Clues-style minimalist modern blues song. Even if Riptide uses the Power Station as a blueprint, its only true faults reside in the cheesy album-opening and album-closing refrains of "Riptide," which seemingly satisfy Palmer’s tropical proclivities. They might be relaxing and humorous as elevator music, but they are sharply at odds with the tone of the album and Palmer’s usually impeccable musical taste. Cheesy opening and ending aside, Riptide has some truly addictive moments and it set him firmly on course, for better or worse, for the even harder-rocking Heavy Nova. Reviewed by Tim DiGravina allmusic.com
All songs by Robert Palmer except where noted:
01. Riptide (Walter Donaldson, Gus Kahn) – 2:24
02. Hyperactive (Tony Haynes, Dennis Nelson, Robert Palmer) – 5:08
03. Addicted to Love (Robert Palmer) – 6:01
04. Trick Bag (Earl King) – 3:01
05. Get It Through Your Heart (Robert Palmer) – 2:49
06. I Didn’t Mean to Turn You On (James Harris III, Terry Lewis) – 3:43
07. Flesh Wound (Frank Blair, Robert Palmer) – 3:43
08. Discipline of Love (David Batteau, Don Freeman) – 6:06
09. Riptide (Reprise) (Walter Donaldson, Gus Kahn) – 2:00
Released November 1985
Personnel
Robert Palmer – vocals, Bass, Guitar, drums, Keyboards
Tony Thompson – Drums
Donny Wynn – Drums (tracks 5, 8)
Bernard Edwards – Bass, Production
Guy Pratt – Bass (track 8)
Eddie Martinez – Guitar
Andy Taylor – Guitar (track 3)
Lenny Pickett – Horn
Benny Diggs – Background Vocals (track 3)
Fonzi Thornton – Background Vocals (track 3)
Wally Badarou – Keyboards
Jeff Bova – Keyboards
Jack Waldman – Keyboards
Chaka Khan – Vocal Arrangement (track 3)
Jason Corsaro – Engineer
Jack Skinner – Mastering
Barry Diament – CD Mastering
