Black Rose (Cher album)
Encyclopedia
Black Rose is the seventeenth studio album by American singer-actress Cher
and the debut album by her band, Black Rose. The album was released on August 21, 1980 by Casablanca Records
. Unlike previous records (such as Take Me Home) the album was a commercial failure, failed to chart and has sold only 400,000 copies worldwide.
In 1980 Cher and her part-time boyfriend Les Dudek
wanted to form a band called Black Rose.
The band, before signing a contract with Casablanca Records
, was an independent Rock
band that played in small clubs around Los Angeles
and tried to make it without trading on Cher's celebrity. After all, Cher became the group's lead singer and the other components were: Les Dudek, Gary Ferguson, Michael Finnigan, Warren Ham
, Rocket Ritchotte and Trey Thompson. Black Rose, the last of Cher's albums released by the Casablanca Records
, was produced by James Newton Howard
. Her name never appeared on the album cover and Cher's face was only seen in a band photo on the back cover.
The album is Cher's first album with a rock sound that will characterise her future Geffen
-era albums. The album was a flop and Cher fans were unaware of the project. After the failure of the album the band broke up the following year. This period of Cher with her band, isn't well known. In fact, in her major biographies is not treated, or is just mentioned.
The album was later released on CD. That release has different artwork, with Cher's face and credited as Cher's seventeenth solo album.
.
and the band performed "Never Should've Started" and "Julie" but both lip-synched.
The album was also promoted at the Midnight Special
with four performances: "Never Should've Started", "Julie", "You Know It" and the Frankie Miller
cover "Ain't Got No Money" all the songs were sung live. Videos of the performance have been available on You Tube since March 2009.
The album was also promoted on The Merv Griffin Show
.
. The setlist for the show contained: "Never Should've Started", "Julie", "You Know It", "Ain't Got No Money", a little band introduction, and "Dirty Old Man". For some dates Black Rose was just billed as the opening act for Hall & Oates
. The costumes for the show were designed by Bob Mackie
. As regards the dates of the tour, the band went to Pennsylvania
, Central Park
, Garden State Arts Center
in Holmdel Township
, and on November 11, 1980 to unknown place.
.
Billboard magazine
said that "[...] it shapes a new wave style that fits the midtempo rock mode with which the main group members are associated" and about Cher "especially well done though Cher's vocals are emotional and full of life on the entire disk".
People Megazine
said that "Cher's quivering, over-mannered vocals on this Lp need all the help they can get, and she gets more than she deserves" and "This album could be vastly improved, rerecorded by the Group with No Singer".
Cher
Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
and the debut album by her band, Black Rose. The album was released on August 21, 1980 by Casablanca Records
Casablanca Records
Casablanca Records was an American record label started by Neil Bogart, who partnered with Cecil Holmes, Larry Harris, and Buck Reingold in 1973, and based in Los Angeles. The label was formed after all of them had left Buddah Records and secured financing by Warner Bros. Records to start the venture...
. Unlike previous records (such as Take Me Home) the album was a commercial failure, failed to chart and has sold only 400,000 copies worldwide.
Album information
Les Dudek
Les Dudek is an American guitarist.-Early years:Les Dudek's father, Harold, was born in Campbell, Nebraska, and was a World War II veteran in the United States Navy. His mother, Alma, born in Brooklyn, was a former Radio City Music Hall Rockette. Les has one older sister, Sandy, who was born in...
wanted to form a band called Black Rose.
The band, before signing a contract with Casablanca Records
Casablanca Records
Casablanca Records was an American record label started by Neil Bogart, who partnered with Cecil Holmes, Larry Harris, and Buck Reingold in 1973, and based in Los Angeles. The label was formed after all of them had left Buddah Records and secured financing by Warner Bros. Records to start the venture...
, was an independent Rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band that played in small clubs around Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and tried to make it without trading on Cher's celebrity. After all, Cher became the group's lead singer and the other components were: Les Dudek, Gary Ferguson, Michael Finnigan, Warren Ham
Warren Ham
Warren Ham is a vocalist, saxophonist, flutist from Fort Worth, Texas. During the early 70s, Warren and his brother Bill formed The HamBrothers Band and included Ira Wilkes on bass, Red Young on piano and organ and Dahrell Norris on drums. The group recorded for Texas producer Huey P. Meaux...
, Rocket Ritchotte and Trey Thompson. Black Rose, the last of Cher's albums released by the Casablanca Records
Casablanca Records
Casablanca Records was an American record label started by Neil Bogart, who partnered with Cecil Holmes, Larry Harris, and Buck Reingold in 1973, and based in Los Angeles. The label was formed after all of them had left Buddah Records and secured financing by Warner Bros. Records to start the venture...
, was produced by James Newton Howard
James Newton Howard
James Newton Howard is an American composer best known for his scores to motion pictures. He is one of the most popular and respected composers for cinema, and has scored over 100 films...
. Her name never appeared on the album cover and Cher's face was only seen in a band photo on the back cover.
The album is Cher's first album with a rock sound that will characterise her future Geffen
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
-era albums. The album was a flop and Cher fans were unaware of the project. After the failure of the album the band broke up the following year. This period of Cher with her band, isn't well known. In fact, in her major biographies is not treated, or is just mentioned.
The album was later released on CD. That release has different artwork, with Cher's face and credited as Cher's seventeenth solo album.
Second untitled album
There were also rumors about a subsequent album, recorder during 1980 and 1981, which would have contained some songs sung live in their mini tour, "The Black Rose Show", such as "Ain’t Got No Money" and "Dirty Old Man", but the project was cancelled. "Don't Trust That Woman" written by Cher and Les Dudek, was written for the album but was dumped. Dudek recorded the song for his album, and after the song was recorded by Elton JohnElton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
.
Promotion
The album was promoted on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny CarsonThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under the Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992. It originally aired during late-night....
and the band performed "Never Should've Started" and "Julie" but both lip-synched.
The album was also promoted at the Midnight Special
The Midnight Special (TV series)
The Midnight Special is an American musical variety series that aired on NBC during the 1970s and early 1980s, created and produced by Burt Sugarman. It premiered as a special on August 19, 1972, then began its run as a regular series on February 2, 1973; its last episode was on May 1, 1981...
with four performances: "Never Should've Started", "Julie", "You Know It" and the Frankie Miller
Frankie Miller
Frankie Miller is a Scottish rock singer-songwriter, who had his biggest success in the 1970s. Miller was raised at Colvend Street, Glasgow with his parents, Cathy and Frank, and elder sisters Letty and Anne. Miller attended Sacred Heart Primary school. He was an altar boy in Sacred Heart Chapel...
cover "Ain't Got No Money" all the songs were sung live. Videos of the performance have been available on You Tube since March 2009.
The album was also promoted on The Merv Griffin Show
The Merv Griffin Show
The Merv Griffin Show is an American television talk show, starring Merv Griffin. The series ran from October 1, 1962 to March 29, 1963 on NBC, September 20, 1965 to September 26, 1969 in first-run syndication, from August 18, 1969 to February 11, 1972 at 11:30 PM ET weeknights on CBS and again in...
.
The Black Rose Show
To support the album and to lift sales in 1980, the Black Rose band and Cher did a mini tour called The Black Rose Show performed only in North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. The setlist for the show contained: "Never Should've Started", "Julie", "You Know It", "Ain't Got No Money", a little band introduction, and "Dirty Old Man". For some dates Black Rose was just billed as the opening act for Hall & Oates
Hall & Oates
Hall & Oates are an American musical duo composed of Daryl Hall and John Oates. They achieved their greatest fame in the late 1970s and early to mid-1980s. Both sing and play instruments. They specialized in a fusion of rock and roll and rhythm and blues styles, which they dubbed "rock and soul."...
. The costumes for the show were designed by Bob Mackie
Bob Mackie
Robert Gordon Mackie is an American fashion designer, best known for his costuming for entertainment icons such as Judy Garland, Cher, Diana Ross, Liza Minnelli, Tina Turner, and Mitzi Gaynor...
. As regards the dates of the tour, the band went to Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
, Garden State Arts Center
PNC Bank Arts Center
The PNC Bank Arts Center is a modern amphitheatre located in Holmdel Township, New Jersey, USA. About 17,500 people can occupy the amphitheater; there are 7,000 seats and the grass area can hold about 10,500 people. Concerts are from May through September featuring 35–45 different events of...
in Holmdel Township
Holmdel Township, New Jersey
Holmdel Township is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 16,773. Holmdel Township was formed by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 23, 1857, from portions of Raritan Township .Holmdel is a suburb of...
, and on November 11, 1980 to unknown place.
Critical reception
The reviews were mixed, many critics questioning Cher's credibility and drawing the comparisons to other new wave rock groups, particularly BlondieBlondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
.
Billboard magazine
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
said that "[...] it shapes a new wave style that fits the midtempo rock mode with which the main group members are associated" and about Cher "especially well done though Cher's vocals are emotional and full of life on the entire disk".
People Megazine
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
said that "Cher's quivering, over-mannered vocals on this Lp need all the help they can get, and she gets more than she deserves" and "This album could be vastly improved, rerecorded by the Group with No Singer".
Track listing
Personnel
- Cher - lead vocals
- Les DudekLes DudekLes Dudek is an American guitarist.-Early years:Les Dudek's father, Harold, was born in Campbell, Nebraska, and was a World War II veteran in the United States Navy. His mother, Alma, born in Brooklyn, was a former Radio City Music Hall Rockette. Les has one older sister, Sandy, who was born in...
- guitars, vocals - Ron "Rocket" Ritchotte - guitars, background vocals
- Phil Brown - additional guitar on "88 Degrees"
- Mike Finnigan - keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, background vocals - James Newton HowardJames Newton HowardJames Newton Howard is an American composer best known for his scores to motion pictures. He is one of the most popular and respected composers for cinema, and has scored over 100 films...
- record producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, synthesizer, keyboards - Michael BoddickerMichael BoddickerMichael J. Boddicker , is an American film composer and session musician, specializing in electronic music. Three times N.A.R.A.S. Most Valuable Player "Synthesizer" and MVP Emeritus, he was awarded a Grammy as a songwriter for Imagination from Flashdance in 1984...
- synthesizer, keyboards - Steve PorcaroSteve PorcaroSteven Maxwell "Steve" Porcaro is an American keyboardist and composer, who was an original member of the rock/pop band Toto....
- synthesizer, keyboards - David PaichDavid PaichDavid Frank Paich is a session musician, keyboard player, recording producer, arranger, vocalist and main composer of the Los Angeles-based rock/pop band Toto. David is the son of the late jazz composer, musician, and arranger Marty Paich...
- keyboards, background vocals - Trey Thompson - bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Gary Ferguson - drums
- Max Gronenthal - background vocals
- Warren HamWarren HamWarren Ham is a vocalist, saxophonist, flutist from Fort Worth, Texas. During the early 70s, Warren and his brother Bill formed The HamBrothers Band and included Ira Wilkes on bass, Red Young on piano and organ and Dahrell Norris on drums. The group recorded for Texas producer Huey P. Meaux...
- background vocals
- John Townsend - background vocals
- Anne Streer - production coordinator
- Mick Mizausky - engineer
- Tom Knox - engineer
- Dana Latham - engineer
- Bob Schaper - engineer
- Skip Sailor - engineer assistance
- Gene Meros - engineer assistance
- Terry Christian - engineer assistance
- Bill Schnee - mixing
- Mike Reese - mastering
- Kosh - art direction
- Aaron Rapoport - photographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...