The Long Play
Encyclopedia
The Long Play is the debut studio album
from German
singer
Sandra, released on 9 December 1985.
, Sandra moved to London for six months. Helena Shenel, a singing therapist who had worked with such artists as George Michael
and Paul Young
, took Sandra under her wing. She also joined the London Berlitz School for Languages, where she improved her English abilities and took drumming lessons to get a better feeling for rhythm and timing. During weekends she went back home to Munich to work on her new, soon-to-be follow-up album, the future-titled Mirrors
.
. (In Europe, personal appearances remained the most effective method of record promotion until the early 90s). Although "(I'll Never Be) Maria Magdalena" had already gone on to number one in some European countries, it took some time to do so in Germany where it remained in the German top 20 for 16 weeks.
The follow-up single was called "In the Heat of the Night
". In her first proper music video, Sandra was featured in a steaming sauna filled with bare-chested men. Although the song rushed to number one in Switzerland
, Lebanon
and Israel
, it remained at number two in Germany for a couple of weeks, not able to get past "Nikita
" by Elton John
. Nevertheless, the song earned Sandra's second place at the Tokyo Music Festival
later in 1986.
"Little Girl
" was the third single released from the album with the music video being filmed entirely on location in Venice, Italy
.
"Sisters and Brothers" was released in 1988
as a promotional single in Japan
only. The song appeared on her debut album The Long Play and also as the B-side to the album's third single "Little Girl
". "Sisters and Brothers" is a cover version of Michael Cretu
's song "Zeitlose Reise" from his 1983
solo album Legionare
. Sandra dedicated this song to her brother Gaston (who later died in 1995).
Source : Allmusic
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...
from German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
singer
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
Sandra, released on 9 December 1985.
Recording
Shortly after the album's release, where it reached the top 20 in her home country of GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Sandra moved to London for six months. Helena Shenel, a singing therapist who had worked with such artists as George Michael
George Michael
George Michael is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley...
and Paul Young
Paul Young (singer and guitarist)
Paul Antony Young is an English pop musician. Formerly the frontman of the short-lived bands Kat Kool & The Kool Cats, Streetband and Q-Tips, his following solo success as a solo recording artist turned him into a 1980s teenage pop idol...
, took Sandra under her wing. She also joined the London Berlitz School for Languages, where she improved her English abilities and took drumming lessons to get a better feeling for rhythm and timing. During weekends she went back home to Munich to work on her new, soon-to-be follow-up album, the future-titled Mirrors
Mirrors (Sandra album)
Mirrors is the second studio album from German singer Sandra, released in 1986.-Writing and chart performances:The album was produced by Michael Cretu and Armand Volker. It reached #16 in Germany, #14 in Norway, #40 in Sweden and #13 in Switzerland...
.
Singles
The single "(I'll Never Be) Maria Magdalena" topped the charts in 21 countries worldwide, reaching the top 10 in five additional countries. The song was aimed at the continental European market, so it never received a promotional video clipVideo clip
Video clips are short clips of video, usually part of a longer recording. The term is also more loosely used to mean any short video less than the length of a traditional television program.- On the Internet :...
. (In Europe, personal appearances remained the most effective method of record promotion until the early 90s). Although "(I'll Never Be) Maria Magdalena" had already gone on to number one in some European countries, it took some time to do so in Germany where it remained in the German top 20 for 16 weeks.
The follow-up single was called "In the Heat of the Night
In the Heat of the Night (Sandra song)
"In the Heat of the Night" is a pop song by German singer Sandra. The song was released in November 1985 as the second single from the album The Long Play, where it charted at #1 in Switzerland and Israel, #2 in Germany, and #8 in South Africa .The song was covered by Hong Kong pop singer Anita Mui...
". In her first proper music video, Sandra was featured in a steaming sauna filled with bare-chested men. Although the song rushed to number one in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, it remained at number two in Germany for a couple of weeks, not able to get past "Nikita
Nikita (song)
"Nikita" is a song by English singer Elton John about the Cold War from his 1985 album Ice on Fire. Released in late 1985, the song achieved success in many countries, becoming a top ten hit in almost all of them.-Song synopsis:...
" by Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
. Nevertheless, the song earned Sandra's second place at the Tokyo Music Festival
Tokyo Music Festival
The Tokyo Music Festival was an international music contest that ran from 1972 to 1991. It was organised by the Tokyo Music Festival Association...
later in 1986.
"Little Girl
Little Girl (Sandra song)
"Little Girl" is a pop song written by Hubert Kemmler , Markus Lohr and Michael Cretu for Sandra's debut album The Long Play . It was produced by Michael Cretu, and received a mixed reception from music critics...
" was the third single released from the album with the music video being filmed entirely on location in Venice, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
"Sisters and Brothers" was released in 1988
1988 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1988.-January-March:* January 1 – André Rieu's Johann Strauss Orchestra plays its first concert....
as a promotional single in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
only. The song appeared on her debut album The Long Play and also as the B-side to the album's third single "Little Girl
Little Girl (Sandra song)
"Little Girl" is a pop song written by Hubert Kemmler , Markus Lohr and Michael Cretu for Sandra's debut album The Long Play . It was produced by Michael Cretu, and received a mixed reception from music critics...
". "Sisters and Brothers" is a cover version of Michael Cretu
Michael Cretu
Michael Cretu is a Romanian musician. He is known also as Curly, MC or Curly M.C. because of his fair curled hair . His peak musical activity was with the Enigma project, which was mainly based in Germany....
's song "Zeitlose Reise" from his 1983
1983 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1983.-January-April:*January – ZTT Records is founded.*January 8 – The UK singles chart is tabulated from this week forward by The Gallup Organization...
solo album Legionare
Legionäre
Michael Cretu's second solo album, Legionäre, was released in 1983. This album had German lyrics and was sung by Michael. It was co-produced and supervised by Harald Steinhauer and mastered by Armand Volker.-Track listing:#Legionäre - 1:40#Total Normal - 3:55...
. Sandra dedicated this song to her brother Gaston (who later died in 1995).
Sisters and Brothers - Track listing
3" CD single- "Sisters and Brothers" — 3:23
- "Stop for a Minute" — 4:05
Track listings
| # | |Track | Writer(s) - Producer(s) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "In the Heat of the Night In the Heat of the Night (Sandra song) "In the Heat of the Night" is a pop song by German singer Sandra. The song was released in November 1985 as the second single from the album The Long Play, where it charted at #1 in Switzerland and Israel, #2 in Germany, and #8 in South Africa .The song was covered by Hong Kong pop singer Anita Mui... " |
Cretu/Kemmler/Löhr - Hirschburger | 5:20 |
| 2 | "On the Tray (Seven Years)" | Kemmler/Cretu - Hirschburger | 3:46 |
| 3 | "Little Girl Little Girl (Sandra song) "Little Girl" is a pop song written by Hubert Kemmler , Markus Lohr and Michael Cretu for Sandra's debut album The Long Play . It was produced by Michael Cretu, and received a mixed reception from music critics... " |
Kemmler/Löhr/Cretu - Hirschburger | 3:13 |
| 4 | "You and I" | Cretu - Palmer-James | 6:00 |
| 5 | "(I'll Never Be) Maria Magdalena" | Kemmler/Löhr/Cretu - Palmer-James | 5:57 |
| 6 | "Heartbeat (That's Emotion)" | Besser/Cassandra - Chirney | 4:55 |
| 7 | "Sisters and Brothers" | Cretu - Palmer-James | 3:24 |
| 8 | "Change Your Mind" | Cretu - Palmer-James | 4:02 |
Source : Allmusic
Personnel and credits
- Keyboards, drums and programming by Michael Cretu
- Guitars by Markus Lohr
- Background vocals by Hubert Kemmler and Michael Cretu
- Photography by Dieter Eikelpoth
- Cover design by Mike Schmidt
- Arranged and produced by Michael Cretu
Release history
| Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Virgin | LP | 610 627-225 |
| 1993 | EMI | CD | 077778696827 |
| 1998 | Virgin | 86968 | |
Charts and certifications
| Chart (1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums Chart | 18 |
| German Album Charts | 12 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart | 8 |
| Swedish Albums Chart | 2 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 4 |