I Am a Photograph

I Am a Photograph
Studio album by Amanda Lear
Released	1977
Recorded	1975-1977
Genre	Disco
Language	English, French
Label	Ariola
Producer	Anthony Monn
Amanda Lear chronology
I Am a Photograph (1977) Sweet Revenge (1978)
Alternative covers
Second edition
French and Italian editions

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]

I Am a Photograph is the debut studio album by a French singer Amanda Lear, released in 1977 by a West German label Ariola Records. The album was a success on the European market and spawned Lear's first disco hit singles "Blood and Honey", "Tomorrow" and "Queen of Chinatown", the latter available only on the album re-issue. I Am a Photograph was officially re-released on CD in 2012.

Background

Amanda Lear's first album, called I Am a Photograph in reference to her former modelling career, was recorded in Munich with a German producer Anthony Monn, and consisted of mainstream disco material, with majority of lyrics written by Amanda Lear herself. In addition to original songs composed by Anthony Monn and Rainer Pietsch, the album included a number of covers: Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'", "Blue Tango", paired with Lear's self-penned lyrics and a French-language version of Elvis Presley's "Trouble". In addition, "Alphabet" largely incorporated excerpts from Johann Sebastian Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier.

The artwork is credited to Ariola-Eurodisc Studios. The front cover of the first pressing pictures a photograph of Amanda Lear taken from the Bravo magazine and stuck on a wooden garage door, between various photographs of motorcycles, a mirror, a crucifix as well as the American, Swedish and Dutch flags.^[2] The second pressing featured a cropped nude picture of Amanda Lear, taken by Christa Peters for the Playboy magazine. German editions came with the full-size poster of the topless cover picture.^[3] French and Italian pressings of the album used an alternative photograph from the Playboy shoot on the cover.^[4]

The cover of Presley's "Trouble" was released as Lear's debut single in 1975. The French-language version of the song, "La Bagarre", met with a modest success in Germany in 1976, followed by "Blood and Honey" later the same year, which met with a major commercial success and was an international breakthrough for Lear in 1977. "Tomorrow" subsequently became a number 1 single in Italy and a trademark hit. "Blue Tango" and "Alphabet" were released in certain territories, but did not chart. Later in 1977, "Queen of Chinatown" was released as a single from the second edition of the album, becoming a hit in Europe and Lear's greatest chart success up to that point.

The album's promotional campaign was based on Amanda's "scandalous sex-symbol personality", surrounded by gossips regarding her alleged transsexualism, place of birth, which at the time was believed to be Transylvania, and her relationships with Salvador Dalí and David Bowie.^[5] A small concert tour was also arranged in Italy. It became a commercial success in Europe, especially in Italy, where it reached top 10.

I Am a Photograph was re-issued with alternate track listings and covers. The second West German pressing replaced "La Bagarre" with "She's Got the Devil in Her Eyes", which was an instrumental version of "Blood and Honey". On the following edition, "La Bagarre" was omitted in favour of the new recording, "Queen of Chinatown". American edition included an extended version of "Blood and Honey" while the 1978 East German release featured "Mother, Look What They've Done to Me", a Sweet Revenge album track. The album was released as Tomorrow in Brazil, yet again with re-arranged track listing, and as Pretty Boys in Zimbabwe and South Africa. In Argentina, the album was distributed as Soy una fotografía in 1979. The official CD re-release did not take place until 2012, when Gold Legion released the album in three different versions of the front cover, including the original topless poster in chosen editions. All three editions retained the track listing of the original LP release, adding four bonus tracks, including "Queen of Chinatown". The material has been remastered from original master tapes.^[6][7][8] In August 2014, the album was officially released on digital music platforms.

Contemporary music critic Michael Freedberg gave I Am a Photograph a four-star rating on AllMusic, praising its arrangements and calling it "an album not to be missed".^[1] However, John C. Hughes of Popdose.com referred to the album as "nearly unlistenable", critically reflecting on Amanda's vocal performance.^[9]

Track listing

Original release

Side A

1. "Blood and Honey" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 4:50
2. "Alphabet (Prelude in C by J. S. Bach)" (Johann Sebastian Bach, Charly Ricanek, Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 4:00
3. "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" (Lee Hazlewood) – 3:18
4. "Tomorrow" (Rainer Pietsch, Amanda Lear) – 4:10
5. "Pretty Boys" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 2:55

Side B

1. "Alligator" (Rainer Pietsch, Amanda Lear) – 4:35
2. "The Lady in Black" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 3:30
3. "I Am a Photograph" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 4:25
4. "La Bagarre" (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) – 3:27
5. "Blue Tango" (Leroy Anderson, Amanda Lear) – 2:40

Second German edition

Side A

1. "Blood and Honey" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 4:50
2. "Alphabet (Prelude in C by J. S. Bach)" (Johann Sebastian Bach, Charly Ricanek, Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 4:00
3. "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" (Lee Hazlewood) – 3:18
4. "Tomorrow" (Rainer Pietsch, Amanda Lear) – 4:10
5. "Pretty Boys" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 2:55

Side B

1. "Alligator" (Rainer Pietsch, Amanda Lear) – 4:35
2. "The Lady in Black" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 3:30
3. "I Am a Photograph" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 4:25
4. "She's Got the Devil in Her Eyes" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 3:05
5. "Blue Tango" (Leroy Anderson, Amanda Lear) – 2:40

Third German edition

Side A

1. "Blood and Honey" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 4:50
2. "Alphabet (Prelude in C by J. S. Bach)" (Johann Sebastian Bach, Charly Ricanek, Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 4:00
3. "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" (Lee Hazlewood) – 3:18
4. "Tomorrow" (Rainer Pietsch, Amanda Lear) – 4:10
5. "Pretty Boys" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 2:55

Side B

1. "Queen of China-Town" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 4:15
2. "Alligator" (Rainer Pietsch, Amanda Lear) – 4:35
3. "The Lady in Black" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 3:30
4. "I Am a Photograph" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 4:25
5. "Blue Tango" (Leroy Anderson, Amanda Lear) – 2:40

American edition

Side A

1. "Blood and Honey" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 7:14
2. "Alphabet (Prelude in C by J. S. Bach)" (Johann Sebastian Bach, Charly Ricanek, Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 3:58
3. "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" (Lee Hazlewood) – 3:18
4. "Tomorrow" (Rainer Pietsch, Amanda Lear) – 4:10
5. "Pretty Boys" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 2:54

Side B

1. "Queen of China-Town" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 4:15
2. "Alligator" (Rainer Pietsch, Amanda Lear) – 4:31
3. "The Lady in Black" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 3:38
4. "I Am a Photograph" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 4:24
5. "Blue Tango" (Leroy Anderson, Amanda Lear) – 2:44

East German edition

Side A

1. "Blood and Honey" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 4:50
2. "Alphabet (Prelude in C by J. S. Bach)" (Johann Sebastian Bach, Charly Ricanek, Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 4:00
3. "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" (Lee Hazlewood) – 3:18
4. "Tomorrow" (Rainer Pietsch, Amanda Lear) – 4:10
5. "Pretty Boys" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 2:55

Side B

1. "Mother, Look What They've Done to Me" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 4:25
2. "Alligator" (Rainer Pietsch, Amanda Lear) – 4:35
3. "The Lady in Black" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 3:30
4. "I Am a Photograph" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 4:25
5. "Blue Tango" (Leroy Anderson, Amanda Lear) – 2:40

Brazilian edition

Side A

1. "Tomorrow" (Rainer Pietsch, Amanda Lear) – 4:10
2. "Alphabet (Prelude in C by J. S. Bach)" (Johann Sebastian Bach, Charly Ricanek, Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 4:00
3. "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" (Lee Hazlewood) – 3:18
4. "Blood and Honey" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 4:50
5. "Pretty Boys" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 2:55

Side B

1. "Queen of China-Town" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 4:15
2. "Alligator" (Rainer Pietsch, Amanda Lear) – 4:35
3. "The Lady in Black" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 3:30
4. "I Am a Photograph" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 4:21
5. "Blue Tango" (Leroy Anderson, Amanda Lear) – 2:40

CD re-issue

1. "Blood and Honey" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 4:50
2. "Alphabet (Prelude in C by J. S. Bach)" (Johann Sebastian Bach, Charly Ricanek, Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 3:56
3. "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" (Lee Hazlewood) – 3:18
4. "Tomorrow" (Rainer Pietsch, Amanda Lear) – 4:10
5. "Pretty Boys" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 2:55
6. "Alligator" (Rainer Pietsch, Amanda Lear) – 4:35
7. "The Lady in Black" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 3:36
8. "I Am a Photograph" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 4:25
9. "La Bagarre" (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) – 3:27
10. "Blue Tango" (Leroy Anderson, Amanda Lear) – 2:43
11. "Queen of Chinatown" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 4:15
12. "Blood and Honey" (12" Version) (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 8:55
13. "She's Got the Devil in Her Eyes" (Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear) – 3:05
14. "Lethal Leading Lady" (Amanda Lear, La Bionda, Malachy) – 2:52

Personnel

• Amanda Lear – lead vocals
• Bavarian Strings – strings
• Mats Björklund – guitar
• Hermann Breuer – horns
• Harold Faltermeyer – keyboards, Moog synthesizer
• Rudi Fuessers – horns
• Lee Harper – horns
• Martin Harrison – drums
• Howard Katz – horns
• Peter Lüdermann – sound engineer
• Renate Maurer – backing vocals
• Anthony Monn – record producer, musical arranger
• Paul Niezgoda – horns
• Charly Ricanek – musical arranger (tracks: A1, A2, A5, B1, B4), keyboards
• Claudia Schwarz – backing vocals
• Giuseppe Solera – horns
• Pit Troja – percussion
• Gary Unwin – bass guitar
• Gitta Walther – backing vocals

Chart performance

Weekly charts Chart (1977) Peak position Austrian Albums Chart[10] 25 German Albums Chart[11] 26 Italian Albums Chart[12] 7

Year-end charts Chart (1977) Peak position German Albums Chart[13] 78 Italian Albums Chart[12] 34 Chart (1978) Peak position German Albums Chart[14] 53

Release history

Year	Region	Format(s)	Label
1977	West Germany	LP, cassette	Ariola Records
	France	LP
	Italy		Polydor Records
	Portugal		Phonogram Records
	Greece		Epic Records
	Yugoslavia		PGP-RTB
	USA		Chrysalis Records
1978	East Germany		Ariola Records
	Spain
	Zimbabwe
	South Africa
	Japan
	New Zealand		RCA Records
	Brazil
1979	Argentina
2012	Worldwide	CD	Gold Legion
2013
2014		digital	Sony BMG

References

External links

• I Am a Photograph at Discogs
• I Am a Photograph at Rate Your Music

Amanda Lear Discography Filmography Studio albums I Am a Photograph Sweet Revenge Never Trust a Pretty Face Diamonds for Breakfast Incognito Tam-Tam A L Secret Passion Cadavrexquis Alter Ego Back in Your Arms Heart Tendance With Love Brief Encounters Brand New Love Affair I Don't Like Disco My Happiness Compilations Ieri, oggi Poet Amanda Lear Super 20 Forever Glam! Sings Evergreens The Sphinx – Das Beste aus den Jahren 1976–1983 Singles "La Bagarre" "Blood and Honey" "Tomorrow" "Blue Tango" "Alphabet" "Queen of Chinatown" "Follow Me" "Run Baby Run" "Enigma (Give a Bit of Mmh to Me)" "The Sphinx" "Fashion Pack" "Lili Marleen" "Fabulous (Lover, Love Me)" "Diamonds" "When" "Solomon Gundie" "Egal" "Hollywood Is Just a Dream When You're Seventeen" "Red Tape" "Fever" "Incredibilmente donna" "Love Your Body" "No Regrets" "Assassino" "Ritmo Salsa" "No Credit Card" "Women" "Wild Thing" "Tomorrow (Voulez-vous un rendez-vous)" "Métamorphose" "Do You Remember Me?" "I'll Miss You" "From Here to Eternity" "Love Boat" "I Just Wanna Dance Again" "Beats of Love" "Paris by Night" "Copacabana" "Someone Else's Eyes" "I'm Coming Up" "Chinese Walk" "La Bete et la Belle" Other works My Life with Dalí Live in Concert 1979