Dreamland (Black Box album)

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Dreamland
Dreamland cover
Studio album by Black Box
Released May 1990
Recorded 1989
Genre House, Dance, Electronica
Length 40:41
Label RCA Records
Producer Groove Groove Melody
Professional reviews
Black Box chronology
Dreamland
(1990)		 Mixed Up
(1991)

Dreamland was the debut album of Italo house band Black Box. It was released in May 1990, and was preceded in 1989 by the international hit single, "Ride On Time". The album was certified gold in both the U.S. and the U.K..

Contents

[edit] Controversy

When the album was originally released, the credits listed the band members as Mirko Limoni, Valerio Semplici, and Daniele Davoli (as the producers, songwriters and musicians), as well as Katrin Quinol on vocals. "Ride On Time" had been released as a single prior to the album's release, and musician Dan Hartman and vocalist Loleatta Holloway had threatened to sue Black Box, as well as label RCA Records, claiming that the song contained heavy sampling of an earlier recording by the two (the 1980 #1 dance club hit "Love Sensation"), although no credit had been given to them upon the release of the single. Subsequently, Hartman was given songwriting credit for this track, and Holloway was listed as the featured vocalist prior to the relase of the album. However, American R&B vocalist Martha Wash actually sang the lead vocals on six of the other eight tracks on the album, although she was not credited in any way. The songs sung by Wash were: "Everybody Everybody"; "I Don't Know Anybody Else"; "Open Your Eyes"; "Fantasy"; "Hold On"; and "Strike It Up". Many of these songs were released as singles and achieved significant success on radio airplay and dance club charts across the world. Wash claimed in a lawsuit filed soon after the success of the album's release that she was paid a flat fee as a "session singer" to record demos of the tracks that would eventually appear on the album, but that those songs would be re-recorded with a different vocalist. She reached a settlement with RCA Records that led to her recording contract with the label, as well as an undisclosed monetary compensation[1]. Wash's courtroom efforts spurred legislation in the U.S. making vocal credits mandatory on albums and music videos.

[edit] Track listing

  1. "Everybody Everybody" – 4:09
  2. "I Don't Know Anybody Else" – 4:36
  3. "Open Your Eyes" – 5:21
  4. "Fantasy" – 5:14
  5. "Dreamland" – 2:03
  6. "Ride On Time" – 4:37
  7. "Hold On" – 5:38
  8. "Ghost Box" – 3:57
  9. "Strike It Up" – 5:15

[edit] Singles

Year Title Chart positions Album
U.S. Hot 100 UK AUS IRE GER
1989 "Ride On Time" - 1 2 1 5 Dreamland
1990 "I Don't Know Anybody Else" 23 4 6 2 12 Dreamland
1990 "Everybody Everybody" 8 16 35 6 41 Dreamland
1990 "Fantasy" - 5 3 3 16 Dreamland
1991 "Strike It Up" 8 16 20 8 26 Dreamland
1991 "Open Your Eyes" - 48 - - 44 Dreamland
1992 "Hold On" - - - - - Dreamland

[edit] Certifications

Country Peak Position Certification Sales
Australia #1 (8 weeks) 2x Platinum 140,000
Canada ? 2x Platinum 200,000 [2]
Germany 45 - ~50,000
UK 14 Gold 150,000
USA 57 Gold 500,000

[edit] References

  1. ^ Lawsuits Seek Truth In Music Labeling - New York Times
  2. ^ Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA): Certification Results