Huey Lewis and the News (album)

Huey Lewis and the News
Studio album by
Huey Lewis and the News
Released25 June 1980[1]
RecordedDecember 1979
StudioAmerican Recording (Studio City), Redwing Sound (Los Angeles, California)
GenreRock, New Wave
Length31:28
LabelChrysalis
ProducerBill Schnee
Huey Lewis and the News chronology
Huey Lewis and the News
(1980) 		Picture This
(1982)
Singles from Huey Lewis and the News
  1. "Some of My Lies Are True (Sooner or Later)"
    Released: 17 June 1980 [2]
  2. "Now Here's You"
    Released: 1 September 1980 [3]

Huey Lewis and the News is the debut album by American rock band Huey Lewis and the News, released in 1980.

Background

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In 1979, the band's name was Huey Lewis and the American Express. Under this name they released a single and secured their recording contract with Chrysalis Records at the end of the year. The album was recorded within three weeks and the producer was Bill Schnee, who had produced for Boz Scaggs and Pablo Cruise.

Chrysalis did not like the addition 'American Express' to the band's name, fearing that the credit card company of the same name could sue them.[4] In January 1980, the band changed their name to 'Huey Lewis and the News'.[citation needed]

The album reached No. 203 on the Billboard album chart.[5] Prior to the album's release, the track "Who Cares?" was used in the 1979 motion picture Rock 'n' Roll High School.

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Billboardfavorable[7]

Billboard states that producer Bill Schnee mastered the "clean, sparse rock" that every rock band was trying to achieve at the time by "skinning the uptempo, light rockers down to basic guitars and vocals."[7] In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine says the News turn out "hard-driving covers and originals in a workmanlike fashion" but their "debut suffers from an uneven selection of material."[6]

Record World called the lead single "Some of My Lies Are True (Sooner or Later)" a "fun rocker" in which "the driving rhythm guitars buttress strong lead and harmony vocals."[8]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Mario Cipollina, Johnny Colla, Bill Gibson, Chris Hayes, Sean Hopper and Huey Lewis, except where noted.

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Some of My Lies Are True (Sooner or Later)" 3:23
2."Don't Make Me Do It" 2:55
3."Stop Trying" 3:28
4."Now Here's You"
4:14
5."I Want You"Brian Marnell2:47
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."Don't Ever Tell Me That You Love Me"2:54
2."Hearts"2:49
3."Trouble In Paradise"3:11
4."Who Cares?"3:54
5."If You Really Love Me You'll Let Me"1:53

Singles

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"Some of My Lies Are True (Sooner or Later)" was written in San Francisco by the band and recorded in Los Angeles within three weeks, and the track was released as the album's first single. The song is about people betraying other people, including friends, old friends, and enemies. The B-side for the single was "Don't Ever Tell Me That You Love Me". Videos were shot for both songs and were later included on the band's 1985 VHS compilation, Video Hits. In 1986, remixes of the songs were included as B-sides to the singles "Hip to Be Square" and "Stuck with You", respectively.

A live recording of the song "Trouble in Paradise" was later included on the charity album We Are the World.

Personnel

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  • Huey Lewis – vocals, harmonica
  • Chris Hayes – lead guitar, backing vocals
  • Johnny Colla – rhythm guitar, saxophone, backing vocals
  • Mario Cipollina – bass
  • Bill Gibson – drums, percussion, backing vocals
  • Sean Hopper – keyboards, backing vocals

Production

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  • Bill Schnee – producer, engineer, mixing
  • Kirk Butler – assistant engineer
  • Bill Cooper – assistant engineer
  • Tim Dennen – assistant engineer
  • Studio 55 (Los Angeles, California) – mixing location
  • Doug Sax – mastering at The Mastering Lab (Hollywood, California)
  • Billy Bass – art direction, cover concept
  • Rod Dyer – design
  • Bill Murphy – design
  • Ron Slenzak – photography
  • Chris Welch – liner notes
  • Bob Brown – management

References

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  1. ^ "Huey Lewis discography".
  2. ^ "Huey Lewis discography".
  3. ^ "Huey Lewis discography".
  4. ^ Sheff, David (August 16, 1982). "To Get His News on the Air, Rocker Huey Lewis Had to Wait for a Commercial Break". People. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  5. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1998). Bubbling Under Singles & Albums. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 15. ISBN 0-89820-128-4.
  6. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Huey Lewis and the News – Review at AllMusic. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  7. ^ a b "Top Album Picks: First Time Around – Huey Lewis and the News". Billboard. 92 (27): 66. July 9, 1980. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  8. ^ "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. July 26, 1980. p. 15. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
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