Mask of Smiles

Mask of Smiles
Studio album by John Waite
Released	26 July 1985
Recorded	1984–1985
Studio	Clinton Recording Studio, New York
Genre	Rock, pop
Label	EMI
Producer	John Waite, Stephen Galfas
John Waite chronology
No Brakes (1984) Mask of Smiles (1985) Rover's Return (1987)

Professional ratings

Review scores
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AllMusic

Mask of Smiles is the third solo album by British rock singer-songwriter John Waite. It was released in mid-1985. The previous year, Waite's "Missing You" was a No. 1 hit.

There were two singles released from this disc. The first, "Every Step of the Way", was a No. 25 hit on Billboard's Hot 100, aided by a popular music video. The other single, "Welcome to Paradise", fared less well, peaking at No. 85 Pop. The album itself peaked at No. 36 on the Billboard album chart.

Track listing

1. "Every Step of the Way" (John Waite, Ivan Král) – 4:09
2. "Laydown" (Waite) – 3:30
3. "Welcome to Paradise" (Waite) – 3:55
4. "Lust for Life" (Waite, John McCurry) – 3:02
5. "Ain't That Peculiar" (Smokey Robinson, Pete Moore, Marv Tarplin, Ronald White) – 3:07
6. "Just Like Lovers" (Waite, Tommy Mandel) – 4:29
7. "The Choice" (Waite) – 4:25
8. "You're the One" (Waite, Chuck Kentis) – 3:18
9. "No Brakes" (Waite) – 3:14

Personnel

• John Waite – lead vocals
• Tommy Mandel – keyboards, synthesizers
• Chuck Kentis – electric piano
• John McCurry – lead guitars
• "Bingo" – guitars, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
• Ritchie Fliegler – 12-string guitar
• Johnny Thunders – guitars (10)
• Donnie Nossov – bass, backing vocals
• Carmine Rojas – bass
• Joey Vasta – bass
• Alan Childs – drums, percussion
• Frankie LaRocka – drums, percussion
• The Borneo Horns (Steve Elson and Stan Harrison) – horns
• Lenny Pickett – tenor sax solo (6)
• Melanie X (Melanie Burkett) – backing vocals (5)

Production

• John Waite – producer, mixing
• Stephen Galfas – producer, engineer, mixing
• Bingo – engineer (2-4)
• Gary Hellman – engineer (2-4)
• Gene Curtis – assistant engineer (2-4)
• Chris Isca – assistant engineer (2-4)
• John Luongo – remixing (2-4)
• Frederick Galfas – studio assistant
• Tony Recascino – studio assistant
• George Marino – mastering at Sterling Sound (New York, NY).
• Henry Marquez – art direction
• Mick Haggerty – artwork, design
• Noriski Yokosuka – photography
• Maxine Van-Cliffe Arakawa – fashion coordinator
• Kansai Man – clothing
• AMI (Stephen Machat and Rick Smith) – management
• All Songs Published By House Of Cards (adm. Walk On Moon Music).