Shine is the fourth studio album by Swedish singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad, and her second international solo album as Frida. Released in September 1984, it marks her last studio album in the English language to date. Although it was never officially released in the United States, the album was made available in Canada by WEA.
| Shine | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 17 September 1984[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1 February – 31 March 1984 | |||
| Studio | Studios de la Grande Armée, Paris | |||
| Genre | Pop, Soft Rock, New wave | |||
| Length | 44:05 | |||
| Label | Polar (Scandinavia) Epic (UK) WEA (Canada) Universal (2005 re-release) | |||
| Producer | Steve Lillywhite | |||
| Frida chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Shine | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
The album has been re-released several times over the years, most notably in a digitally remastered version in 2005, which included bonus tracks. Shine, along with its accompanying promotional videos and clips, is also featured in the collection Frida – 4xCD 1xDVD.
In terms of commercial success, Shine sold a total of 225,000 copies worldwide, with 65,000 of those sales occurring in Sweden.[3] Despite its limited release, the album remains a significant part of Frida's solo discography.
Recording history
editAfter the success of Something's Going On, Phil Collins was to produce again for Frida's next album, but as Genesis formed part of his other commitments, producer Steve Lillywhite took over his role.
Recording began on 1 February 1984, at the Studios de la Grande Armée, Paris, France. The producer was Steve Lillywhite, and at only 29 years of age, he was already known for his work with Peter Gabriel, the Rolling Stones and U2 amongst others. Lillywhite's then-wife Kirsty MacColl co-wrote three songs that made the album, as well as a fourth recorded at the sessions and used as a B-side.
At the time of recording, both Something's Going On and Shine, Lyngstad wanted to distance herself from the "typical ABBA pop-sound" and try new directions. Lillywhite managed to give Lyngstad an even more modern and complex soundscape than Phil Collins had done on her previous album. In Frida – The DVD, when speaking about Shine and its failure to recreate the success of its predecessor, Lyngstad herself said "that maybe this album became a bit too modern for its time".[4]
Reception
editThe Kingston Whig-Standard reviewed the album in January 1985: “What emerges is a wintery album: beautiful but not warm.”[5] “The wistful songs of ABBA are missed.”[5] “It’s not surprising that the best song is the sad ballad "Slowly", written by the ABBA men. Frida can also rock, as two songs, "One Little Lie" and "The Face", prove. This is, however, a transition album; it doesn’t indicate which way Frida is heading.”[5]
Music
editShine features songwriting contributions from musicians such as Stuart Adamson, Kirsty MacColl, Simon Climie (of Climie Fisher fame), and Pete Glenister, a frequent co-writer and producer of Alison Moyet's music. The Shine album is also unique as it saw the debut of Lyngstad as a songwriter in both "Don't Do It" and "That's Tough", the latter also features her son Hans Fredriksson as co-writer. (Frida also wrote "I Don't Wanna Be Alone" during this period). The track "Slowly" was written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus of ABBA.
The lead single from the album was the title track, "Shine". In some countries "Twist in the Dark", "Come to Me (I Am Woman)" and "Heart of the Country" were released as singles. Shine reached the Top 10 on the album charts in Sweden and Norway, and the Top 30 in the Netherlands and Switzerland.
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Shine" |
| 4:39 |
| 2. | "One Little Lie" | 3:44 | |
| 3. | "The Face" |
| 3:40 |
| 4. | "Twist in the Dark" | Andy Leek | 3:43 |
| 5. | "Slowly" | 4:34 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Heart of the Country" | Stuart Adamson | 4:38 |
| 2. | "Come To Me (I Am Woman)" |
| 5:04 |
| 3. | "Chemistry Tonight" |
| 4:56 |
| 4. | "Don't Do It" | Anni-Frid Lyngstad | 4:37 |
| 5. | "Comfort Me" | Glenister | 4:28 |
| Total length: | 44:05 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "That's Tough" (B-side of "Shine") |
| 5:03 |
| 2. | "Shine" (Maxi Version) |
| 6:31 |
Personnel
edit- Anni-Frid Lyngstad – lead vocals, backing vocals
- Simon Climie – keyboards, synthesizers, harpsichord, backing vocals
- Pete Glenister – electric guitars, acoustic guitars
- Rutger Gunnarsson – bass (1, 8)
- Tony Levin – bass (2-7, 9, 10)
- Mark Brzezicki – drums
- Marc Chantereau – percussion
- Kirsty MacColl – backing vocals
Production
edit- Stikkan Andersson – executive producer
- Steve Lillywhite – producer
- Howard Gray – sound engineer
- Frédéric Defaye – assistant engineer
- David Edwards – studio coordinator
- Thomas Johansson – album coordinator
- Görel Hanser – album coordinator
- Heinz Angermayr – cover photos
- Cay Bond – styling
- Digitally recorded and mixed at Studios de la Grande Armée, Paris France
- Remastered in 2005 by Henrik Jonsson of Masters of Audio, Stockholm
Charts
edit| Chart (1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[6] | 21 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[7] | 49 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[8] | 10 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[9] | 6 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[10] | 29 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[11] | 67 |
References
edit- ^ "Shine LP".
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ Antall, Lasse (August 12, 1985). "Agnetha och Frida lägger av". Aftonbladet. p. 34.
- ^ Frida – The DVD
- ^ a b c "The Kingston Whig-Standard 19 Jan 1985, page 58". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Frida – Shine" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Frida – Shine" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Frida – Shine". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Frida – Shine". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Frida – Shine". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 February 2021.