Pearls (Elkie Brooks album)

Untitled

Pearls is a 1981 album by Elkie Brooks. It is in part a compilation album, featuring earlier singles mixed with newly recorded material. It went on to become a major hit in the UK - the biggest of her career.

Background

With the relative disappointment of her previous album, Live and Learn, A&M decided to release a compilation of her biggest hits and newly recorded material aimed firmly at the middle of the road audience. The new material was produced by Elton John's producer Gus Dudgeon. Pearls peaked at #2 staying in the charts for 79 weeks. At the time it became the biggest ever selling album by a female vocalist in the UK, selling over 1.2 million copies (10,000 copies per week on average). It was first released on CD in 1985. Pearls remains Brooks' biggest selling album.

Single releases

• "Paint Your Pretty Picture" (1980)
• "Dance Away" (1980)
• "Warm and Tender Love" (1981)
• "Fool If You Think It's Over" (UK# 17, 1981)

Track listing

Side One

1. "Superstar" (Leon Russell, Bonnie Bramlett) - (3:28)
2. "Fool (If You Think It's Over)" (Chris Rea) - (4:58)
3. "Givin' It Up For Your Love" (Jerry Lyn Williams) - (3:56)
4. "Sunshine After the Rain" (Ellie Greenwich) - (3:24)
5. "Warm and Tender Love" (Bobby Robinson) - (4:09)
6. "Lilac Wine" (James Shelton) - (3:55)

Side Two

1. "Pearl's a Singer" (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, Ralph Dino, John Sembello) - (3:39)
2. "Don't Cry Out Loud" (Peter Allen, Carole Bayer Sager) - (3:46)
3. "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" (Norman Whitfield, Janie Bradford, Barrett Strong) - (3:19)
4. "If You Leave Me Now" (Peter Cetera) - (3:50)
5. "Paint Your Pretty Picture" (Bill Withers) - (3:34)
6. "Dance Away" (Richard Kerr, Troy Seals) - (3:59)

Personnel

• Elkie Brooks - vocals
• Jean Roussel, Tim Hinkley, Mike Stoller - piano/keyboards
• Isaac Guillory, Jerry Friedmen, Eric Weissberg, Geoff Whitehorn, Martin Jenner - guitars
• Steve York, John Giblin, Jeremy Meek - bass guitar
• Trevor Morais, Graham Jarvis, Steve Holly - drums
• Peter Wingfield, Bruce Baxter - arrangement
• Graham Dickson - engineering
• Gus Dudgeon, Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller, Mike Batt - production