Reputation (album)

Reputation
Studio album by Dusty Springfield
Released 25 June 1990
Recorded UK/United States November 1988 – February 1990
Genre Pop, dance
Length 42:51
Label

Parlophone

PCSD 111 (vinyl)
CDPCSD 111 (CD) (UK)
Producer Pet Shop Boys
Julian Mendelsohn
Dan Hartman
Andy Richards
Paul Staveley O'Duffy
Dusty Springfield chronology

White Heat
(1982)
Reputation
(1990)
A Very Fine Love
(1995)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]

Reputation is the thirteenth studio album by British singer Dusty Springfield, and twelfth released. Issued on the Parlophone Records label in the UK and the rest of Europe in June 1990, Reputation was not only Springfield's first studio album in eight years at the time but in fact also the first album to be released in her native country since 1979's Living Without Your Love. After a string of commercially overlooked albums through the late 1970s and early 1980s Reputation finally managed to resurrect Springfield's career and belatedly resulted in her being re-evaluated and recognised by both music critics and the general public as Britain's foremost 'blue-eyed soul' singer. Mainly produced by Pet Shop Boys and Julian Mendelsohn and recorded in the UK over a period of some eighteen months, Reputation became her highest charting and best-selling album in Britain since 1970's From Dusty with Love, peaking at No. 18 and selling 60,000 copies within two weeks of its release.

Background

In 1987, Springfield was beginning to look back towards the UK as a source of recording work, due in large part to her collaboration with Pet Shop Boys on their single "What Have I Done to Deserve This?". Pet Shop Boys had contacted Springfield's manager to ask if Springfield would perform guest vocals on the duet. Being a fan of their work, Springfield accepted the offer and the song became a massive hit all over the world, peaking at No. 2 in both the UK and the United States, which proved to be the biggest hit of her career in the US. This renewed Springfield's confidence in recording, as well as interest in her work from the general public, and led to another hit single "Nothing Has Been Proved", also written by Pet Shop Boys with Springfield in mind. The song was written for the movie Scandal, an account of the so-called Profumo Affair of 1963, starring Joanne Whalley and John Hurt. "Nothing Has Been Proved" made the Top 20 in Britain, and led to yet another hit single, "In Private", which peaked at No. 14 on the British charts. Despite the fact that "In Private" never was commercially released in the US it managed to become a dance-floor hit in the States as well, peaking at No. 14 on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play chart in early 1990. Both singles were included on Reputation, and Pet Shop Boys collaborated with Springfield on half the album's tracks, which made up side B of the original vinyl edition. Side A included tracks produced by the Pet Shop Boys' longtime collaborator Andy Richards, Swing Out Sister producer Paul Staveley O'Duffy and Dan Hartman. Three of these titles were also mixed by the Pet Shop Boys' co-producer Julian Mendelsohn. Critics gave Reputation very favourable reviews, saying it was a long overdue return to form for Springfield, and the album spawned two further single releases, the title track "Reputation" and the ballad "Arrested by You", written by Rupert Hine and Jeanette Obstoj.

Dan Hartman contributed to the production of three songs from the album; "Send It to Me," "Time Waits for No One" and "Born This Way". "Time Waits for No One" was written by Hartman and Holly Knight. He also played various instruments and provided backing vocals. In a 1990 interview with Springfield, she revealed "Certainly the record company wanted to keep it as much in this country as possible. They finally relented on Dan Hartman, but basically they wanted it to be as British as possible."[2] The three songs were produced at Hartman's own Multi Level Studios, located within his riverside home in Connecticut. Both Springfield and her close friend Helene Sellery stayed at his home during the sessions, which were reported to be slower than anticipated as Hartman was as fussy as Springfield about her vocals, and stopped and started her over and over again.[3]

The Reputation album was, in late 1990, followed by the video collection Reputation – The Videos, released on VHS in the UK and Europe by EMI's subsidiary Picture Music International, including the promo videos for "Nothing Has Been Proved", "In Private", "Reputation", "Arrested by You", interviews with Springfield, as well as a fifth animated promo video for the album track "I Want to Stay Here". Reputation – The Videos remains unreleased on DVD.

The Reputation album was first released in the US in 1997, then under the title Reputation and Rarities.

Track listing

Side A
No. TitleWriter(s)Producer(s) Length
1. "Reputation"  Brian SpenceAndy Richards 4:13
2. "Send It To Me"  Allee Willis, Lauren WoodDan Hartman 3:56
3. "Arrested by You"  Rupert Hine, Jeanette ObstojPaul Staveley O'Duffy 4:10
4. "Time Waits for No One"  Holly Knight, Dan HartmanDan Hartman 3:05
5. "Born This Way"  Geoffrey Williams, Simon StirlingDan Hartman 3:49
Side B
No. TitleWriter(s)Producer(s) Length
6. "In Private"  Neil Tennant, Chris LoweNeil Tennant, Chris Lowe, Julian Mendelsohn 4:22
7. "Daydreaming"  Tennant, LoweTennant, Lowe, Mendelsohn 4:55
8. "Nothing Has Been Proved"  Tennant, LoweTennant, Lowe, Mendelsohn 4:42
9. "I Want to Stay Here"  Gerry Goffin, Carole KingTennant, Lowe, Mendelsohn 2:48
10. "Occupy Your Mind"  Tennant, LoweTennant, Lowe, Mendelsohn 6:51

Personnel

Production

Chart performance

Chart (1990) Peak
position
German Albums Chart 21
Netherlands 59
Sweden 28
UK Albums Chart[4] 18

Singles

Year Single US UK CAN AUS GER
Hot 100
AC
Dance/ Club
1989 "Nothing Has Been Proved" 16 52
1989 "In Private" 14 14 4
1990 "Reputation" 38 28
1990 "Arrested by You" 70

Sources

  1. Allmusic review
  2. http://chrisbourke.blogspot.co.uk/2008/05/everythings-coming-up-dusty.html
  3. Valentine, Penny; Wickham, Vicki (2001). Dancing with Demons: The Authorised Biography of Dusty Springfield. p. 246. ISBN 978-0340766743.
  4. "Chart Stats – Dusty Springfield". chartstats.com. Archived from the original on 19 January 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2009.