Not.com.mercial
| not.com.mercial | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Cher | ||||
| Released |
November 8, 2000 (Digital Release) December 21, 2012 (CD Reissue) | |||
| Recorded | 1994 in France | |||
| Genre | Folk rock, pop rock | |||
| Length | 40:58 | |||
| Label | Artist Direct | |||
| Producer | Cher, Bruce Roberts | |||
| Cher chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B−[2] |
not.com.mercial is the 23rd album by American singer-actress Cher, released November 8, 2000. The album was released exclusively through Cher.com and Artist Direct, although there it eventually received a limited CD release. The album follows Cher's largest commercial hit Believe. On December 21, 2012 the album was once again released via the Universal Music Group site Bravado as part of a reissue.
Album history
The majority of not.com.mercial was written by Cher in 1994 when she retreated to France. The song "Born With the Hunger" was written by Eikhardt, and "Classified 1A" is a newly remixed version of her 1970 Sonny Bono-penned song. The folk/rock-themed album with some slow ballads was proposed to Warner UK when Cher signed with the company in early 1995. Rob Dickins, head of Warner, reportedly turned down the project as being "not commercial".
In 1999, Cher decided it was time to release the record as an exclusive for fans through her website and Artist Direct. Though no singles were released, the song "Born With the Hunger" has been featured on the international version of The Very Best of Cher.
None of the songs have ever been sung live and little information is known about the album itself, although Cher's liner notes explains a lot. The song "(The Fall) Kurt's Blues", co-written with Pat MacDonald of Timbuk3 and Bruce Roberts, is her tribute to rock singer Kurt Cobain, who committed suicide in 1994.
Cher has said that this is her most personal album, and inside of the album booklet, she gives a breif description of who/what inspired each song. Two songs were inspires by a married man she loved, one by her daughter's friend, and another by soldiers and army men treated poorly.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Still" | Cher, Bruce Roberts, Bob Thiele | 6:15 | |
| 2. | "Sisters of Mercy" | Cher, Pat MacDonald, Roberts | 5:01 | |
| 3. | "Runnin'" | Cher, MacDonald, Roberts | 3:56 | |
| 4. | "Born With the Hunger" | Shirley Eikhard | 4:05 | |
| 5. | "(The Fall) Kurt's Blues" | Cher, MacDonald, Roberts | 5:17 | |
| 6. | "With or Without You" | Cher | 3:45 | |
| 7. | "Fit to Fly" | Cher, Doug Millett, Kevin Savigar | 3:53 | |
| 8. | "Disaster Cake" | Cher, MacDonald, Roberts | 3:25 | |
| 9. | "Our Lady of San Francisco" | Cher, Michael Garvin, Rich Wayland | 2:15 | |
| 10. | "Classified 1A" | Sonny Bono | 2:55 |
Personnel
Notes
In an interview conducted with Cher by Lawrence Ferber, she said that "We did the whole thing in two days with the guys from the Letterman band – we were just making demos." The personnel from the David Letterman band in 2000 is as follows:
- Felicia Collins, Sid McGinnis: Guitars (Collins also does backing vocals)
- Paul Shaffer: Keyboards
- Bernie Worrell: Synthesizers
- Will Lee: Bass, Backing Vocals
- Anton Fig: Drums, Percussion
- Tom Malone: Trombone
- Al Cheznovitz: Trumpet, Flugelhorn
- Bruce Kapler: Saxophone
Production
- Arranged & Produced By Cher & Bruce Roberts
External links
- Cher talks to Lawrence Ferber about the making of "not.com.mercial"
- List of personnel in the David Letterman Band, AKA "The CBS Orchestra"
- CHER TRIES A NOT-SO-SUNNY CD
