Walking on Sunshine (Eddy Grant album)

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Walking on Sunshine
Caribbean music
  • reggae
  • dance
  • calypso
  • soul[1]
    • Length41:53
    Label
    ProducerEddy Grant
    Eddy Grant chronology
    Message Man
    (1977)     		Walking on Sunshine
    (1978)     		Love in Exile
    (1980)
    Singles from Walking on Sunshine
    1. "Say I Love You"
      Released: 1978
    2. "Living on the Frontline"
      Released: May 1979
    3. "Walking on Sunshine"
      Released: August 1979

    Walking on Sunshine is the third studio album by Guyanese-British musician

    Caribbean music like reggae, soca and calypso with other genres, including funk and pop
    . The musician played most of the album's instrumentation himself, and described the record as reflecting his joyousness. However, some songs feature tough cultural themes, particularly those on the first side.

    The album was only originally released in Africa and the Caribbean, markets Grant was popular in since his British success had dwindled in the years before, and proved particularly successful in Nigeria. However, the

    UK Singles Chart
    . Unsold copies of the album were bought back from shops by Grant's brother for a major album relaunch.

    Now distributing with

    Universal Records
    .

    Background and recording

    After leaving

    the Caribbean,[6] and the album achieved a Gold certification in Nigeria.[7] Grant explained of his overseas successes in 1978: "I'm not like all the other guys who have small record companies – not to decry them, but I think I can be of more assistance to more people by aiming at an international market."[7]

    Grant recorded Walking on Sunshine in Coach House Recording Studios,

    congas, which were played by Kofi Ayivor and Sonny Akpan, and drums on two songs by Conrad Isedore.[10] Aside from Frank Aggarat's engineering work on "Say I Love You So", Grant engineered the rest of the album himself, in addition to producing it.[8] Aggart had left the sessions to depart for Iran, and Grant would describe the rest of the sessions as a "test" for himself.[2] Considering his albums to be "experiments", he found the degree of experimentation on Walking on Sunshine "to be total. It felt like I was able to give flight to an idea, regardless of the end result, whether it was commercial or not." Having found the album's tracks to be "a group of recordings that just came together", the musician felt no need to record potential extra songs for inclusion.[8]

    Since building Coach House, Grant had regularly worked with tape loops due to a shortage of drum machines, and would typically set these up before adding drums and over instruments. This approach is particularly exemplified with "Living on the Frontline" from Walking on Sunshine, in which "the loop was set forever", as he later explained: "I did a little bit of the of song to make people comfortable but, in my mind, I could hear the synthesisers that no one liked at the time. Everyone was asking 'Is that the bass or a synthesiser?' It kind of got on my tits. you either like it or you don't." The musician decided to draw the song out and create a 'symphony'."[2] Ian Shirley of Record Collector wrote that Grant was "ahead of the curve" by using synths and loops and "playing everything".[2] When the album was mixed at Morgan Studios, Willesden, Grant became aware of the music's bright, crisp top end, finding this to be a welcome change from his earlier solo works, further reminding him of George McRae's 1974 hit "Rock Your Baby".[8] In this period, Grant also recorded a comeback album by the Equals for Ice, Mystic Syster (1978).[2]

    Composition

    Eddy Grant (pictured 2009) wrote Walking on Sunshine as a reflection on his joyfulness.

    Walking on Sunshine blends numerous forms of

    steel drum and orchestral-style sounds.[12] He said the album reflected his joyousness, adding: "I'll try to show all people, black or white or whatever, that it's possible to seize a chance and make some use of it. I've never been a great one for talking about something, I've always believed in doing it."[11]

    The funky

    Fender Rhodes, while "We Are" was intended more as a chant – "we are the sunshine, we are the light" – than a traditional song.[8] The rootsy song closes the record, which according to Greene can segue back into the title track, "assuming you flip the album over fast enough."[9]

    Release and promotion

    The original 1978 Ice Records release of Walking on Sunshine was marketed specifically to African countries, especially Nigeria, where it became Grant's third Gold-certified album,

    Nigerian government banned the importation of records as it was harmful to their economy.[8] This prevented Grant from sending a further 10,000-20,000 copies he had pressed, and he and his brother sold some of these copies to British retailers, especially in London, to clear their stock.[8][16] Grant also delivered copies to several nightclubs, some of which began playing "Living on the Frontline". Over time, goers at these clubs began demanding to hear the song, and its popularity spread to other clubs, ultimately leading to promotional white label copies of the song being distributed among the most popular discos.[6]

    "Despite its breakthrough to the charts via discos, 'Living on the Frontline' isn't a conventional disco record. It wasn't written with discos in mind. It wasn't recorded or mixed with discos in mind. It wasn't even originally intended for release in Britain!"

    —Cliff White, Smash Hits[6]

    Planning to release the song commercially in Britain if he could secure a distributor, Grant sent his brother to buy back copies all remaining copies of Walking on Sunshine from shops, who now priced it at £20, to increase demand for the song,

    UK Singles Chart in summer 1979, peaking at number 11 in July.[17] Due to the combination of its unusual success story and unconventional sound, Cliff White from Smash Hits felt it was "the most left-field smasharoonie for a long time," while Grant described how it would have never become a hit through the means of regular media, instead only becoming possible because of "the people in the street", explaining: "Those kids in the discos, they went and got an obscure record, issued through an obscure record company, and they commanded the disc jockeys to play it. I've always dreamed of something like that happening, and I think this record is adequate proof that it's possible."[6]

    Ice signed with

    Plymouth Sound FM, as well as receiving additional play on Radio 1.[21] However, the song – with its "hidden almost Hi-Tension power", according to James Hamilton – was less immediate than "Frontline",[13] and failed to chart.[17] After signing an American distribution deal with Epic Records, Ice released Walking on Sunshine anew in the UK, US and Europe on 1 October 1979.[22] Grant felt that some listeners may be disgruntled that the record contains no further material that sounds like the hit single,[7] and the album ultimately did not chart.[3][17]

    Critical reception and legacy

    Professional ratings
    Review scores
    SourceRating
    Encyclopedia of Popular Music
    		[25]
    Reggae & Caribbean Music9/10[5]
    The Rolling Stone Album Guide[26]

    Among contemporary reviews of the 1979 release, a writer for

    The Press and Journal felt that the "talented" Grant "can make reggae sound interesting", and praised Walking on Sunshine for its accessible, melodic material.[27] Billboard praised the "imaginative" album for spotlighting Grant's "considerable talent", and described the blend of funk and reggae on "Living on the Front Line" as providing "a pointer to the way the two forms can successfully combine in the '80s".[14] In an article on Grant for Sounds, Vivien Goldman wrote how "the whole album grows on me more and more – even the alien calypso rhythms have me hooked after a few spins."[7] "Living on the Frontline" was ranked 22nd by NME in their year-end 1979 best singles list.[28] In Christgau's Record Guide (1981), Robert Christgau noted the synthesiser's calypsonian, steel-drum feel and attractive orchestral sounds and praised the "dancey and more" first side, but felt the second side was "thrown away" with "quite uncalypsonian" lyrics.[12]

    In a retrospective review, Jo-Ann Greene of

    Universal Records, containing bonus tracks and a live bonus DVD.[8]

    Track listing

    All tracks composed and arranged by Eddy Grant

    Side one

    1. "Walking on Sunshine" – 5:22
    2. "Living on the Frontline" – 5:57
    3. "The Frontline Symphony" – 7:23

    Side two

    2. "My Love, My Love" – 4:35
    3. "Just Imagine I'm Loving You" – 6:35
    4. "Dancing in Guyana" – 3:21
    5. "Say I Love You" – 3:55
    6. "We Are" – 4:42

    Deluxe Edition bonus tracks (2008)

    2. "Say I Love You" (Disco Version) – 6:04
    3. "Nobody's Got Time (Coach House Rhythm Section Pts. 1 & 2)" [Ice Single Version 1978] – 6:04
    4. "Say I Love You (Wipe Mo Nfe E)" [Yoruba Version] – 15:37

    Bonus DVD (2008)

    Live at Luna Park, Buenos Aires: 29th April 1982

    1. "Intro: Living on the Frontline"
    2. "Say I Love You"
    3. "Jamaican Child"
    4. "Neighbour, Neighbour"
    5. "Cockney Black"
    6. "Do You Feel My Love"
    7. "Living on the Frontline"

    Live in Milan, 1979

    2. "Jamaican Child"
    3. "Curfew"
    4. "Walking on Sunshine"
    5. "Living on the Frontline"

    Personnel

    Adapted from the liner notes of Walking on Sunshine[10]

    Musicians
    • Eddy Grant - vocals, multiple instruments, backing vocals, engineer
    • Jackie Robinson – backing vocals (track 8)
    • Kofi Ayivor – congas (tracks 4, 5 and 8)
    • Sonny Akpan – congas (tracks 5 and 8)
    • George Agard – backing vocals (track 8)
    • Conrad Isidore – drums (tracks 5 and 6), backing vocals (track 5)
    • Roy "Spartacus R" Bedeau – backing vocals (track 5)
    • Tony "Zap" Edmonds – piano (track 5)
    Additional
    • Jackie Mills – engineer
    • Pete Walters – engineer
    • Ron Telemaque – engineer
    • Roy Marshall – engineer
    • Herb Schmitz – photography
    • Cooper/Stevens – design

    References

    1. ^ "Billboard's Top Album Picks". Billboard. Vol. 91, no. 47. 24 November 1979. p. 66. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
    2. ^ a b c d e Shirley, Ian (August 2021). ""We Decimated Other Bands"". Record Collector (521): 58–59.
    3. ^ a b c d e Greene, Jo-Ann. "Artist Biography by Jo-Ann Greene". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
    4. ^ a b c d e f Green, Jim. "Eddy Grant". Trouser Press. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
    5. ^
      ISBN 0879306556
      .
    6. ^ a b c d e f g White, Cliff (28 June 1979). "Living on the Frontline". Smash Hits: 6. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
    7. ^ a b c d e f g Goldman, Vivien (7 July 1979). "Eddy Grant: Living on the Ice Block". Melody Maker. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
    8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Walking on Sunshine (Deluxe Edition) (liner). Eddy Grant. Ice Records. 2008.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
    9. ^ a b c d e f Greene, Jo-Ann. "AllMusic Review by Jo-Ann Greene". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
    10. ^ a b Walking on Sunshine (liner). Eddy Grant. Ice Records. 1978.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
    11. ^ a b "Walking on Sunshine, Living in the Front Line". Billboard. 6 October 1979. p. 5. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
    12. ^ a b Christgau, Robert. "Eddy Grant". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
    13. ^ a b Hamilton, James (1 September 1979). "Discos". Record Mirror. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
    14. ^ a b "Billboard's Recommended LPs". Billboard. Vol. 91, no. 47. 24 November 1979. p. 66. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
    15. ^ Hamilton, James (26 May 1979). "Discos". Record Mirror. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
    16. ^ a b McLeod, Pauline (16 July 1979). "Eddy's on the Front Line." Daily Mirror: 18–19. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
    17. ^ a b c d "Eddy Grant". Official Charts. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
    18. ISBN 978-1909953000
      . Retrieved 18 December 2020.
    19. ^ Hamilton, James (18 August 1979). "Disco News". Record Mirror. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
    20. ^ "On the record". The Stage: 10. 9 August 1979. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
    21. ^ "Airplay Action" (PDF). Music Week: 20. 22 September 1979. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
    22. ^ "Grant to Epic for the USA" (PDF). Music Week: 3. 22 September 1979. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
    23. AllMusic
    24. ISBN 089919026X
      . Retrieved 24 February 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
    25. ISBN 1-85227 745 9
      .
    26. ISBN 0-679-73729-4
      .
    27. ^ "Welcome to two singer-songwriters". The Press and Journal: 11. 3 November 1979. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
    28. ^ "Album and Tracks of the Year 1979". NME. 10 October 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
    29. ISBN 9780789446138
      . Retrieved 18 December 2020.

    External links


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