Ready or Not (Lou Gramm album)
| Ready or Not | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 1987 | |||
| Recorded | 1986 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Pop rock | |||
| Length | 40:40 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Producer |
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| Lou Gramm chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Ready or Not | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
Ready or Not is the debut solo studio album by American rock singer-songwriter Lou Gramm, released in February 1987 by Atlantic Records.
Production
Eight of the ten songs, which comprise Ready or Not, were written by Gramm in partnership with former Black Sheep bandmate Bruce Turgon.[2] The album was recorded in 1986 at Bear Tracks Recording in Suffern, New York and The Hit Factory Recording in New York City. It was produced by Gramm and Pat Moran, who is known as an engineer on recordings by such performers as Rush and Robert Plant.
Reception
Ready or Not was a commercial success, reaching number 27 on the US Billboard 200.[3] It generated two hit songs. The lead-off single, "Midnight Blue", peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100[4] and climbed to the top of the Mainstream Rock chart.[5] It has been Gramm's only song to have charted in the United Kingdom.[6] The second single from the album was the title song, which reached number 54 on the Billboard 200 and number 7 on the Mainstream Rock charts.
The album has enjoyed critical acclaim. Bret Adams has given Ready or Not a retrospective rating of four-and-a-half stars out of five on AllMusic. He has described it as "rich with melody and snap".[1]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Lou Gramm and Bruce Turgon, except "She's Got to Know" and "Lover Come Back" written by Gramm
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ready or Not" | 3:29 |
| 2. | "Heartache" | 4:29 |
| 3. | "Midnight Blue" | 3:58 |
| 4. | "Time" | 3:23 |
| 5. | "If I Don't Have You" | 4:39 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 6. | "She's Got to Know" | 4:02 |
| 7. | "Arrow thru Your Heart" | 3:47 |
| 8. | "Until I Make You Mine" | 3:31 |
| 9. | "Chain of Love" | 4:02 |
| 10. | "Lover Come Back" | 5:19 |
| Total length: | 40:40 | |
Personnel
- Lou Gramm – vocals; producer
- Bruce Turgon – bass and rhythm guitars, keyboards, lead guitar (on "Lover Come Back")
- Nils Lofgren – lead guitar
- Philip Ashley – keyboards, programming
- Ben Gramm – drums
Additional musicians
- Richard Grammatico – lead guitar (on "If I Don't Have You"), additional guitar (on "Time")
- Stanley Sheldon – bass guitar (on "Midnight Blue" and "If I Don't Have You")
- Don Mancuso – additional guitar (on "Chain of Love")
- Eddie Martinez – additional guitar (on "Ready or Not", "Midnight Blue" and "Chain of Love")
- Mark Rivera – soprano saxophone (on "Lover Come Back"), tenor saxophone, backing vocals
- Ben Grammatico Sr. – lead trumpet
- Ben Grammatico Jr. – trumpet
- Crispin Cioe – tenor and baritone saxophone
- Sherryl Marshall – backing vocals
- Cookie Watkins – backing vocals
Technical personnel
- Pat Moran – producer, engineer
- Ted Jensen – mastering engineer (at Sterling Sound, New York)
- Timothy White – cover photography
- Bob Defrin – art direction
Charts
| Chart (1987) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[7] | 25 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[8] | 66 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[9] | 14 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[10] | 28 |
| US Billboard 200[3] | 27 |
References
- ^ a b Adams, Bret. Lou Gramm: Ready or Not > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
- ^ Giles, Jeff (2017). "30 Years Ago: Lou Gramm Goes Solo with 'Ready or Not'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
- ^ a b "Lou Gramm Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
- ^ "Lou Gramm Chart History (Billboard Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
- ^ "Lou Gramm Chart History (Billboard Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
- ^ "Lou Gramm". Official Charts. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0798". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Lou Gramm – Ready or Not" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Lou Gramm – Ready or Not". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Lou Gramm – Ready or Not". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
