Customer Reviews

Emergency

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the first time EMERGENCY is EVER released in CD, and together with her rare and OOP Japanese press CDs (if you can ever get one), and the rare release of the some of her best albums on Arista by Wounded Records, my search for her complete catalogue for more than 15 years have at long last ended. (Granted, I'm still awaiting for her MCA Mathematics album to be released on CD).

EMERGENCY is produced by Arif Martin after her successful collaboration for her 2nd highest charted HEY RICKY album that spawned her highest Billboard singles chart with the No. 5 disco hit "You Should Hear How She Talks About You," which also won her a Grammy for Best Female Vocal Performance. It was Melissa's last album for Arista and continued the "Disco" sound of Hey Ricky though it did not fare as well. There was however a minor hit - "No One Love Me More Than You Do" - Pop #78/AC #34 and another club favorite, the delicious track "City Lights" that when remixed for Hot Tracks, climbed high on the club charts. But no 12" was released of "City Lights" and her contract with Arista lapsed.

It is however a through and through enjoyable album despite the poor charting. There are some fab song writers - Robert Palmer and Bernie Taupin (Elton John's long time song writing parter) contributed the upbeat "Johny & Mary", Tom Snow wrote the charming "I Don't Care what People Said" and Melissa wrote the wonderful ballad "Time" with Carole Bayer-Sager and Burt Bacharach. Terry Britten a prolific Australian singer/songwriter who has written songs for Tina Turner (What's Love Got To Do) and Olivia Newton-John (Love Made Me Strong from Physical), contributed the hit "No One Can Love". Melissa, a fantastic songwriter herself, contributed the touching "White Rose" and danceable "City Lights". The only song I personally did not like was the title track.

Following her success in the disco market her first release with her new label MCA records spawned two 12" singles, "Mathematics" and "Energy." Both failed miserably and she fled back to her beloved MOR audiences. Throughout the remainder of the 1980's and 1990's, Manchester alternated occasional recording with scriptwriting and acting, appearing with Bette Midler in "For The Boys" and on the television series "Blossom" as the title character's birth mother. In the spring of 2004 she released her first new album in over 10 years.

Let's get one fact out of the way -- Melissa Manchester is one of the best there is. Tremendous songwriting skills, amazing vocal talent. EMERGENCY remains one of my very favorite of her albums. It didn't produce any hit singles, but that seems to have more to do with a lack of promotion than with a lack of good songs.

The album certainly fit its time period. It is an album full of '80s pop songs. Melissa Manchester had made the transition from the '70s and had adapted well to the synthsizer- and drum-machine-driven pop of the early '80s. But beyond the slick production were some really GOOD songs. "White Rose" and "Time" certainly rank with Ms. Manchester's best ballads.

Arista Records should be ashamed of the way Melissa Manchester has been treated -- both then and now. Not only did this album not get the attention it deserved when it was released, but it's taken 23 years for us to get it on CD! Wounded Bird Records didn't go to any trouble (the CD cover looks like a poor scan of an album cover and there are almost no liner notes to speak of), but at least we have the album on CD.

So while this may not be the BEST Melissa Manchester album ever, it's certainly one of the better ones. Fans of early '80s pop will definitely enjoy it.

Melissa Manchester's final album with Arista Records was a full-scale pop dance album. From the opening "I Don't Care What The People Say" to the closing anthem, "Time," this album does not disappoint. It is very disappointing that Arista didn't really give the album the push it deserved to make it a huge hit. This would have definitely changed the course of Melissa's career had the album done well. Melissa is at her best vocally on this album and the songs are fun dance tunes with the exception of the final track "Time" and "White Rose." Both of these songs put Manchester back in her real comfort zone - the power-ballad. While she has alluded to the idea that she was never really happy with these recordings because it was not what she really liked to do, this album is far superior to her latest release where she sings as if she's been smoking a few too many funny cigarettes.

Personally, I always treasured the fact that she was always very clear in her diction and accurate pitch. This album really shows off her versatility to be just as hip as Madonna while still taking on the likes of Streisand in the ballads.

Buy this album if you love Manchester's voice. You'll be glad you did.

Great CD. Having been a lifelong fan of Melissa, I was so happy to see they were finally putting her old vinyls on CD. 'Time', in my opinion is one of her very best. Actually everything she wrote with Carole Bayer Sager was and still is great. 'White Rose', that she wrote with Kevin is also wonderful. Hopefully the rest of her old albums will be released on CD soon!

After the success of 1982's HEY RICKY and the Grammy winning smash "You Should Hear How She Talks About You", Melissa Manchester and producer Arif Mardin decided to continue on the "Flashdance" tip for EMERGENCY. Manchester wraps her golden throat around quirky Fairlight synths, screaming guitar solos and thundering Linn Drum programming on such mid to uptempo raves as the title track, the minor hit "No One Can Love You More Than Me", the cute, girl group-like "That Boy", and the 80's video-ready "City Nights". Things slow down a bit towards the end of the album with the beautiful ballads "White Rose" and "Time". On these smoothies, the drum machines and scorching guitar leads take a break to allow Melissa's voice to really shine. EMERGENCY is not Manchester's best, but it's an interesting 80's timepiece.

By the end of 1983, Melissa recorded her final LP for Arista. It followed the trend of her 'new' image as a pop/dance artist due to the success of You Should Hear How She Talks About You in 1982. A Greatest Hits was released between Hey Ricky & Emergency which included two new tracks that also favored her 'new' image. Nice Girls which almost became her last top 40 hit reaching #42 and a remake of My Boyfriend's Back/ Runaway Medley which hit the dance and AC charts.

Produced by Arif Mardin, this collection was considered great and awful by fans. Her original fan base wanted more original tracks and less production. Only 2 songs here may have been the choice ballads, White Rose written by Manchester and her husband Kevin DeRemer and close out track Time written by Manchester, Carole Bayer Sager & Burt Bacharach. The rest of the material was pop/rock dance music. She wrote two other songs, the club hit City Nights (featured on Fame) and the title track with Adrienne Anderson. Emergency is honestly the worst track on the album, yet surprising since her 2nd LP Bright Eyes was written by Melissa & Adrienne.

The first single released was No One Can Love You More Than Me which reached #75 in January 1984. It was a dance track written by Terry Britten & Bill Levsey who wrote Tina Turner's comeback smash What's Love Got To Do With It that same year! The song was also recorded by The Weather Girls, Kym Mazelle in 1991 and more recently Hannah Jones. No one as successful as Melissa's version. The follow up single was the lead track which was also recorded by Dionne Warwick around the same time, called I Don't Care What The People Say. Stop Another Heart Breakin' would have been a better choice for success. There is also a remake of Robert Palmer's Johnny & Mary with additional lyrics by Bernie Taupin. This version unfortunately sounds too generic compared to Robert Palmer's. As well as too busy with the additional lyrics. Melissa could have made a more interesting vocal with less theatrics and more of a somber treatment. That Boy and The End Of The Affair are also good pop tracks.

This ends the Arista years and moves her into a scattered musical career throughout the rest of the 80's. She recorded two movie themes Thief Of Hearts on Cassablanca Records, which became a top 15 Club hit in 1984 and Theme From OUT OF AFRICA (The Music Of Goodbye) duet with Al Jarreau on MCA Records, which reached the top 20 on the AC chart in 1986.