Shine (Frida album)
| Shine | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 17 September 1984 (EU)[1] 8 October 1984 (UK)[2] | |||
| Recorded | 1 February – 31 March 1984 | |||
| Studio | Studios de la Grande Armée, Paris | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 44:13 | |||
| Label | Polar (Scandinavia) Epic (UK) WEA (Canada) Universal (2005 re-release) | |||
| Producer | Steve Lillywhite | |||
| Frida chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Shine | ||||
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Shine is the fourth studio album by Swedish singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad, and her second international solo album as Frida. Released in September 1984, it marks her last studio album in the English language to date. Although it was never officially released in the United States, the album was made available in Canada by WEA.
The album has been re-released several times over the years, most notably in a digitally remastered version in 2005, which included bonus tracks. Shine, along with its accompanying promotional videos and clips, is also featured in the collection Frida – 4xCD 1xDVD.
In terms of commercial success, Shine sold a total of 225,000 copies worldwide, with 65,000 of those sales occurring in Sweden.[3] Despite its limited release, the album remains a significant part of Frida's solo discography.
Recording
[edit]After the success of Something's Going On, Phil Collins was to produce again for Frida's next album, but as Genesis formed part of his other commitments, producer Steve Lillywhite took over his role.
Recording began on 1 February 1984, at the Studios de la Grande Armée, Paris, France. The producer was Steve Lillywhite, and at only 29 years of age, he was already known for his work with Peter Gabriel, the Rolling Stones and U2 amongst others. Lillywhite's then-wife Kirsty MacColl co-wrote three songs that made the album, as well as a fourth recorded at the sessions and used as a B-side.
At the time of recording, both Something's Going On and Shine, Lyngstad wanted to distance herself from the "typical ABBA pop-sound" and try new directions. Lillywhite managed to give Lyngstad an even more modern and complex soundscape than Phil Collins had done on her previous album. In Frida – The DVD, when speaking about Shine and its failure to recreate the success of its predecessor, Lyngstad herself said "that maybe this album became a bit too modern for its time".[4]
Music
[edit]Shine features songwriting contributions from musicians such as Stuart Adamson, Kirsty MacColl, Simon Climie (of Climie Fisher fame), and Pete Glenister, a frequent co-writer and producer of Alison Moyet's music. The Shine album is also unique as it saw the debut of Lyngstad as a songwriter in both "Don't Do It" and "That's Tough", the latter also features her son Hans Fredriksson as co-writer. (Frida also wrote "I Don't Wanna Be Alone" during this period). The track "Slowly" was written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus of ABBA.
The lead single from the album was the title track, "Shine". In some countries "Twist in the Dark", "Come to Me (I Am Woman)" and "Heart of the Country" were released as singles. Shine reached the Top 10 on the album charts in Sweden and Norway, and the Top 30 in the Netherlands and Switzerland.
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
The Kingston Whig-Standard reviewed the album in January 1985 and said that what emerged was a "wintery album: beautiful but not warm."[6] They found that the "wistful songs of ABBA" were missed, and considered that "Slowly", written by Björn and Benny, was the best track on the record."[6] They concluded by describing Shine as a "transition album" as it did not "indicate which way Frida [was] heading."[6]
AllMusic's Bruce Eder wrote that Shine was "more ambitious" than Something's Going On.[5] He explained that with producer Steve Lillywhite, Frida was able to stretch out "on a string of memorable and bold songs".[5] Eder also added that Lillywhite gave her a "more integrated band setting in which to work" which, with the "high quality of the songs", delivered a "a more compelling album, if not a more successful one."[5]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Shine" |
| 4:39 |
| 2. | "One Little Lie" | 3:44 | |
| 3. | "The Face" |
| 3:50 |
| 4. | "Twist in the Dark" | Andde Leek | 3:43 |
| 5. | "Slowly" | 4:34 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Heart of the Country" | Stuart Adamson | 4:38 |
| 2. | "Come To Me (I Am Woman)" |
| 5:04 |
| 3. | "Chemistry Tonight" |
| 4:56 |
| 4. | "Don't Do It" | Anni-Frid Lyngstad | 4:37 |
| 5. | "Comfort Me" | Glenister | 4:28 |
| Total length: | 44:13 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "That's Tough" (B-side of "Shine") |
| 5:01 |
| 2. | "Shine" (extended mix) |
| 6:30 |
Personnel
[edit]Adapted from the album's liner notes.[7]
Musicians
- Anni-Frid Lyngstad – lead vocals, backing vocals
- Tony Levin – bass guitar
- Pete Glenister – electric guitar, acoustic guitar
- Simon Climie – keyboards, synthesizers, harpsichord, backing vocals
- Mark Brzezicki – drums
- Marc Chantreau – percussion
- Rutger Gunnarsson – bass guitar (1, 8)
- Kirsty MacColl – backing vocals
Production
- Steve Lillywhite – producer
- Howard Gray – engineer
- Frederic Defaye – assistant engineer
- Stig Anderson – executive producer
- David Edwards – studio coordinator
- Thomas Johansson; Görel Hanser – album coordinators
- Heinz Angermayr – cover photography
- Göran Dessen – album design
- Cay Bond – stylist
Charts
[edit]| Chart (1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[8] | 21 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[9] | 49 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[10] | 10 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[11] | 6 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[12] | 29 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[13] | 67 |
References
[edit]- ^ "Shine LP".
- ^ Melody Maker- 15 September 1984 edition, page 4
- ^ Antall, Lasse (August 12, 1985). "Agnetha och Frida lägger av". Aftonbladet. p. 34.
- ^ Frida – The DVD
- ^ a b c d Eder, Bruce. "Shine". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
- ^ a b c "The Kingston Whig-Standard 19 Jan 1985, page 58". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
- ^ Frida (1984). Shine (liner notes). Polar Music. POLS 390.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Frida – Shine" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Frida – Shine" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Frida – Shine". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Frida – Shine". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Frida – Shine". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
