Cupid & Psyche 85
Encyclopedia
Cupid & Psyche 85 is the second album
by the British
new wave
pop group Scritti Politti
.
It remains the band's most successful album, reaching No. 5 in the UK, and was certified Gold by the BPI
for 100,000 copies sold. The album contained five singles, three of which were top 20 hits in the UK. The single "Perfect Way," while not a major UK chart success, was a surprise hit in the US, reaching No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100
in a 25-week run on the chart.
Singles
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
pop group Scritti Politti
Scritti Politti
Scritti Politti are a British band, originally formed in 1977 in Leeds, Yorkshire, England. Although there have been various changes to the line-up, Cardiff-born singer-songwriter Green Gartside was the founding member of the band and the only member to have remained throughout the group's...
.
It remains the band's most successful album, reaching No. 5 in the UK, and was certified Gold by the BPI
British Phonographic Industry
The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...
for 100,000 copies sold. The album contained five singles, three of which were top 20 hits in the UK. The single "Perfect Way," while not a major UK chart success, was a surprise hit in the US, reaching No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in a 25-week run on the chart.
Track listing
All tracks composed by Green Gartside; except where indicated- "The Word Girl"
- "Small Talk" (Gartside, David Gamson)
- "Absolute"
- "A Little Knowledge"
- "Don't Work That Hard"
- "Perfect Way" (Gartside, Gamson)
- "Lover to Fall"
- "Wood BeezWood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin)"Wood Beez " is the first hit single for British soul group Scritti Politti. It is, as the title says, a tribute to Aretha Franklin and displayed the group's smooth soul and R&B sound to a wide commercial audience, at least in the UK, where the single peaked at #10 in the charts, becoming the...
" - "Hypnotize"
- "Flesh & Blood" (Gartside, Gamson) (CD and cassette only)
- "Absolute" (version) (CD and cassette only)
- "Wood Beez" (version) (CD and cassette only)
- "Hypnotize" (version) (CD and cassette only)
Personnel
- Green GartsideGreen GartsideGreen Gartside , is a British musician, and the frontman of the band Scritti Politti....
- vocals - David GamsonDavid GamsonDavid Gamson is a keyboardist/musician . He has worked with, among others, Ke$ha, Adam Lambert, Chaka Khan, Meshell Ndegeocello, Green Gartside, Sheila E., George Benson, Luther Vandross, Donny Osmond, Miles Davis, Al Jarreau and Roger Troutman.He is perhaps best known for his distinctive...
- keyboards - Robert QuineRobert QuineRobert Wolfe Quine was an American guitarist, known for his innovative guitar solos.A native of Akron, Ohio, Quine worked with a wide range of musicians, though he himself remained relatively unknown in comparison...
- guitar - Robbie BuchananRobbie BuchananRobbie Buchanan is a Canadian keyboardist, songwriter, arranger, and producer.Buchanan began playing the piano at the age of 6. He acquired his first paying gig as a pianist at the age of 12 playing 6 nights a week in Dawson City, Yukon Territory. While still a teenager, Buchanan joined a band...
- keyboards - Simon ClimieSimon ClimieSimon Climie is a songwriter/producer and the former lead singer of the UK pop duo Climie Fisher, who had hits with "Love Changes " and "Rise to the Occasion"....
- synthesizer - Steve FerroneSteve FerroneSteven "Steve" Ferrone is a British drummer.He was a member of the Average White Band, and has recorded and performed with numerous other high-profile acts, including Slash, Chaka Khan, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Scritti Politti...
- drums - David Frank - keyboards
- Paul Jackson, Jr. - guitar
- Will LeeWill Lee (bassist)Will Lee aka William Franklin Lee IV is an American musician and bassist, best known for his work on the CBS television program The Late Show with David Letterman as part of the CBS Orchestra....
- bass - Fred MaherFred MaherFred Maher is an American drummer, programmer and record producer.He was a member of Massacre , Material, Scritti Politti, Lou Reed, and is best known as the producer of I'm Talking's album Bear Witness , Lou Reed's album New York , Matthew Sweet's album Girlfriend , and Information Society's self...
- drums - Marcus MillerMarcus MillerMarcus Miller is an American jazz composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. Miller is best known as a bassist, working with trumpeter Miles Davis, singer Luther Vandross, and saxophonist David Sanborn, as well as maintaining a prolific solo career...
- bass - Nick Moroch - guitar
- Alan MurphyAlan MurphyAlan Murphy was an English rock session guitarist, best remembered for his collaborations with Kate Bush and Go West. In 1988 he joined the group Level 42 as a full time band member, and played with them until his death in 1989...
- guitar - J. Ebn - synthesizer
- Ira Siegel - guitar
- B.J. Nelson, Tawatha Agee, Fonzi ThorntonFonzi ThorntonFonzi Thornton, is an American singer, song writer/producer, stage performer and radio personality.Thornton has provided background vocals on albums by artists which include Aretha Franklin, Luther Vandross, Diana Ross, Ray Charles, Chic, Sheena Easton, Mariah Carey, David Bowie, Michael Jackson,...
- background vocals - Ranking Ann - additional vocals on "Flesh & Blood"
Charts
Album| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | New Zealand | 12 |
| 1985 | Sweden | 13 |
| 1985 | UK | 5 |
| 1985 | US Billboard 200 | 50 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | "Wood Beez" | New Zealand Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
26 |
| 1984 | "Wood Beez" | UK | 10 |
| 1984 | "Wood Beez" | U.S. Billboard 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... Hot Dance Club Play |
4 |
| 1985 | "Absolute" | New Zealand Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
26 |
| 1984 | "Absolute" | UK | 17 |
| 1984 | "Hypnotize" | UK | 68 |
| 1985 | "The Word Girl" | New Zealand Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
18 |
| 1985 | "The Word Girl" | UK | 6 |
| 1985 | "Perfect Way" | UK | 48 |
| 1985 | "Perfect Way" | US Billboard Hot 100 | 11 |
| 1985 | "Perfect Way" | U.S. Billboard 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... Hot Dance Club Play |
6 |
| 1986 | "Wood Beez" | US Billboard Hot 100 | 91 |