Book of Love (album)

Book of Love
Studio album by Book of Love
Released April 1, 1986 (1986-04-01)
Recorded Unique Recording, NYC
Sigma Sound Studios, NYC
Genre Rock, New Wave, synthpop
Length 72:50
Label Sire
Producer Ivan Ivan
Book of Love chronology
Book of Love
(1986)		 Lullaby
(1988)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]

Book of Love is the self-titled debut studio album by American synthpop and dance music band Book of Love, released on April 1, 1986 by Sire Records. Vocalists Ted and Susan Ottaviano, not related, wrote the album's music and lyrics.

Contents

Music

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based synthpop quartet Book of Love recorded "Boy" in 1985, a toe-tapping tale of teen-girl angst. The song was given to disc jockey Ivan Ivan, who forwarded it to Sire Records president Seymour Stein. Stein subsequently signed the group to his label and "Boy" soon became a hit on dance charts in the United States.[2] "Boy" featured bells ringing over a skip-along beat.

Book of Love was released as an LP album on April 1, 1986 with twelve tracks, featuring a mixture of memorable melodies and intriguing lyrics. Vocalist and keyboardist Ted Ottaviano explained "I've always believed people's aesthetics are based more on what they don't know than what they do know,...We had great instincts, and wanted to say what we did as swiftly and simply as we could."[3]

Ted and Susan Ottaviano (not related despite having the same last name), who had been art school students, drew on inspirations such as Italian-American painter Amedeo Modigliani with the single "Modigliani (Lost in Your Eyes)", and covered "Die Matrosen" by Swiss band LiLiPUT.[3]

In a March 2001 interview, Ted Ottaviano explained how the band attracted to a gay audience. "Even with our first hit, `Boy,' the song was really about a bigger idea. It was about feeling different, wanting to be a part of something, and making your own way in spite of that."[4]

Release and reception

"Book of Love" was released on April 1, 1986. The album itself did not chart, receiving little attention among the large number of New Wave and Synthpop albums at the time. Four of the album's tracks were released as singles, which charted successfully on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play and Hot Dance Singles Sales charts in the US. In 1986, "Modigliani (Lost in Your Eyes)" became as popular as New Order and Depeche Mode singles in clubs at its peak.[5] The four minute "Requiem Mass" remixed version of "Modigliani (Lost in Your Eyes)" was featured in an episode of Miami Vice on November 6, 1987,[6] and the original single was featured in the 1987 film Planes, Trains and Automobiles.[7]

Track listing

  1. "Modigliani (Lost in Your Eyes)" – 4:01
  2. "You Make Me Feel So Good" - 4:02
  3. "Still Angry" - 3:23
  4. "White Lies" - 3:53
  5. "Lost Souls" - 4:52
  6. "Late Show" - 3:38
  7. "I Touch Roses" - 3:26
  8. "Yellow Sky" - 4:44
  9. "Boy" - 2:59
  10. "Happy Day" - 2:32
  11. "Die Matrosen"✝ - 3:06
  12. "Book of Love" - 4:35
    Bonus tracks on 1990 CD release
  13. "Modigliani (Lost in Your Eyes)" - 7:45
  14. "Modigliani (Requiem Mass)" - 4:02
  15. "You Make Me Feel So Good (Flutter Mix)" - 6:05
  16. "I Touch Roses (Long Stemmed Version)" - 5:46
  17. "Boy (Extended Mix)" - 4:28

✝ Originally recorded by Swiss band LiLiPUT.

Personnel

Additional personnel:

Chart positions

Singles

Song Year Chart peak positions
US Club Play[8] US Dance Sales[8]
"Boy" 1985 7 24
"You Make Me Feel So Good" 1986 — 23
"I Touch Roses" 1986 8 26
"Modigliani (Lost In Your Eyes)" 1987 17 47

"—" denotes a release that did not chart.

References

  1. ^ Allmusic review
  2. ^ Sutton, Michael, Allmusic - Book of Love Overview, Allmusic, http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p3742, retrieved 2008-08-01 .
  3. ^ a b Reighley, Kurt B., Who the Hell was Book of Love, Resonance Magazine 
  4. ^ Coble, Margaret (March 13, 2001) (– Scholar search), Interview with musician Ted Ottaviano, The Advocate, http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1589/is_2001_March_13/ai_71763699?tag=content;col1, retrieved 2008-08-01 
  5. ^ Medsker, David (February 15, 2008), White Label Friday: Book of Love, “Modigliani (Lost in Your Eyes)”, Popdose, http://popdose.com/white-label-friday-book-of-love-“modigliani-lost-in-your-eyes”/, retrieved 2008-08-01 
  6. ^ Tivnan, Edward (writer) & Eliasberg, Jan (director). "God's Work". Miami Vice, NBC. Episode 74, season 4. Aired on November 6, 1987.
  7. ^ Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987) - Soundtrack, IMDB, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093748/soundtrack, retrieved 2008-08-01 
  8. ^ a b Billboard Music Charts - Search Results - Book of Love, Billboard, http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/searchResult.jsp?exp=y&Ntt=Book+of+Love&Ntk=Keyword&an=bbcom&nor=10&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&N=37, retrieved 2008-08-01  .

External links