Force Majeure (Doro album)

Force Majeure
Studio album by
Doro
Released1 February 1989
StudioKajem Recordings, Victory Studios, Gladwyne, Pennsylvania
Right Track Recording, New York City
Genre
Length46:05
LabelVertigo
ProducerJoey Balin
Doro chronology
Force Majeure
(1989) 		Doro
(1990)
Singles from Force Majeure
  1. "A Whiter Shade of Pale / Angels with Dirty Faces"
    Released: 1989
  2. "Hard Times / Für Immer (live)"
    Released: 1989
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Hi-Fi News & Record ReviewA:1/2[2]
Metal Hammer (GER)[3]
Rock Realms[4]

Force Majeure is the debut solo studio album by German singer Doro, released in February 1989 by Vertigo Records.[5]

Background

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After the success of Warlock's album Triumph and Agony, which gained Gold status in Germany[6] and reached number 98 on the Billboard 200 in the United States,[7] Doro remained the only original member of the band. Some legal issues about the use of the name Warlock were raised by the former band manager and Doro settled the dispute, renouncing to issue any new album with the band's name, but using her name instead for any new releases. However, the first print of the LP was issued with a sticker on the cover near Doro's name with "+ Warlock" written on and for some fans Force Majeure should still be considered as the last album by Warlock.[8]

Just like Triumph and Agony, the album was recorded in the US and produced by Joey Balin. Bass player Tommy Henriksen, who was part of the last line-up of Warlock plays in this album, too. The line-up is completed by drummer Bobby Rondinelli (Rainbow, Scorpions, Quiet Riot, Black Sabbath, Blue Öyster Cult,) and guitarist Jon Levin, whose name was incorrectly reported as Jon Devin on the album sleeve.

Trying to follow the positive American feedback of the previous Warlock album, the songs of Force Majeure are even more oriented to radio-friendly glam metal than to the European power metal of Doro's earlier works and include for the first time a cover, Procol Harum's famous "A Whiter Shade of Pale".[1] The album sold quite well in Europe but had a limited success in the US, reaching number 154 on the Billboard 200.[9]

Critical reception

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Billboard reviewer described the music of this work as "metal rock with Pesch's intriguing voice surrounded by screaming guitars and pounding drums" and expressed an opinion that she could gain a lot of new fans with a little help from MTV and a good spot on a tour.[10]

Track listing

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Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."A Whiter Shade of Pale" (Procol Harum cover)Gary Brooker, Keith Reid3:49
2."Save My Soul"Joey Balin, Doro Pesch3:47
3."World Gone Wild"Balin, Pesch3:54
4."Mission of Mercy"Balin, Pesch3:57
5."Angels with Dirty Faces"Balin, Pesch3:59
6."Beyond the Trees"Balin, Pesch2:28
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
7."Hard Times"Balin, Pesch3:32
8."Hellraiser"Balin, Tommy Henriksen, Pesch4:57
9."I Am What I Am"Balin, Henriksen, Pesch2:35
10."Cry Wolf"Balin, Henriksen, Pesch4:47
11."Under the Gun"Balin, Jon Levin, Henriksen, Pesch3:49
12."River of Tears"Balin, Henriksen, Pesch3:55
13."Bis aufs Blut" ("'Till It Bleeds")Pesch0:36

Personnel

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Band members
Additional musicians
Production
  • Joey Balin – producer, all arrangements[11]
  • Jeff Hendrickson – engineer, mixing
  • Dominick Maita – engineer
  • Brooke Hendricks, Brian Stover, Michael White – assistant engineers
  • Greg Calbi – mastering

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Germany (BVMI)[16] Gold 250,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b Henderson, Alex. "Doro – Force Majeure review". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
  2. ^ "Review: Doro – Force Majeure" (PDF). Hi-Fi News & Record Review (magazine). Vol. 34, no. 6. Croydon: Link House Magazines Ltd. June 1989. p. 105. ISSN 0142-6230. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 September 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2021 – via World Radio History.
  3. ^ "Doro Musikexpress Suchergebnis". Musikexpress (in German). Metal Hammer. 2 April 1989. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  4. ^ Wilde, Jon. "Album Review: Force Majeure (1989)". Rock Realms.com. Archived from the original on 19 September 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  5. ^ "Doro – Force Majeure". Encyclopaedia Metallum. 23 October 2002. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
  6. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank ('Triumph and Agony')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 8 March 2010.
  7. ^ "Billboard 200 – Week of February 20, 1988". Billboard. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  8. ^ "Force Majeure [Import]". Amazon.com. Retrieved 20 March 2010.
  9. ^ a b "Billboard 200 – Week of May 13, 1989". Billboard. Archived from the original on 20 May 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  10. ^ "Review: Doro Pesch – Force Majeure" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 101, no. 18. New York. 6 May 1989. p. 83. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 December 2021 – via World Radio History.
  11. ^ "Force Majeure (1989)". DoroRocks.net. Archived from the original on 15 July 2009. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
  12. ^ "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 6, no. 13. 1 April 1989. p. 31. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  13. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Doro – Force majeure" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  14. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Doro – Force majeure". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  15. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 1989" (in German). Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  16. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Doro; 'Force Majeure')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
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