Prudence Liew (album)
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Lau Mei Gwan (Chinese 劉美君 Prudence Liew) is the self-titled debut album of cantopop singer Prudence Liew, released on December 23, 1986.
Album information
While working as a film producer, Liew was faced with the task of coming up with a theme song to the movie Midnight Beauties (午夜麗人). The film company eventually decided to cover a Korean pop ballad called "Dear J" by Lee Sun-hee and have Liew write the Cantonese lyrics as well as perform the vocals on the track. The result was the lead single to the album, titled "Midnight Love 午夜情", about a forbidden love between a hostess club worker and her client. The song garnered heavy airplay from radio stations across Hong Kong, and Liew was signed as the flagship artist to Current Records to record this album.
The second single off the album, "最後一夜 The Last Night", is a cover version of the song, "You're a Woman" by the German Europop group Bad Boys Blue. The track featured a heavy dance beat that proved to be very popular with the Hong Kong disco scene. The popularity of this song propelled Liew's status in the music scene and this song is still considered to be her signature song.[1]
Many well-known composers and lyricists from Hong Kong and Taiwan contributed to this album, including Wong Jim (黃霑), Lam Manyee (林敏怡), Andrew Lam (林敏驄), and Richard Lam (林振強). Liew herself composed and wrote the lyrics for the final track of the album, "Troubled Depressing Night 惆悵滄桑夜" as well as providing the lyrics to the aforementioned "Midnight Love 午夜情".
Reception
The album sold extremely well, having certified 10x platinum[2] by the Hong Kong IFPI, selling over 500,000 copies. Sales of this album set the record in Hong Kong for the most albums sold by a debuting local artist, a record that has yet to be defeated.[1] The album was also well received by critics, landing in many music critics' lists of top albums from the 1980s, and won two music awards as Album of the Year from RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards[3] and Jade Solid Gold Top 10 Awards[4] in 1987.
Re-issues
Because of the quality of the album, it is still very popular among audiophiles in Hong Kong today. Sony BMG (BMG Music which bought out Current Records in 1992), started re-issuing the album in several high end audio formats, including Super Audio CD, Extended Resolution Compact Disc and most recently, Blu-spec CD.
Re-issue formats
- Prudence Liew (SACD), released 2002
- Prudence Liew (Sony BMG - The Legendary Collection), released July 12, 2005 [5]
- Prudence Liew (XRCD), release September 28, 2005 [6]
- Prudence Liew (LPCD 45 Version), released July 24, 2007 [7]
- Prudence Liew (Pure Gold Series), released April 9, 2009 [8]
- Prudence Liew (Blu-Spec CD), release March 19, 2010 [9]
Track list
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "最後一夜 (The Last Night)" | Richard Lam | T. Hendrik, K. Van Harren, M. Applegate | 5:32 |
| 2. | "清晨 (Early Morning)" | Man Cheng Yat | Lam Manyee | 4:01 |
| 3. | "亞熱帶少年 Subtropical Boy" | Yu Yeen | Hon-Jen Gi | 4:30 |
| 4. | "忘情 (Forgotten Love)" | Wong Jim | Wong Jim | 3:59 |
| 5. | "午夜情 (Midnight Love)" | Prudence Liew | Se Geon Li | 3:31 |
| 6. | "假裝 (Pretending)" | Hon-Leung Yip | Hon-Jen Gi | 4:45 |
| 7. | "Mind Made Up" | Joey Ou | Richard Yung | 4:14 |
| 8. | "霓虹鳥 (Neon Bird)" | Yuen Leung Poon | Joseph Chan | 4:14 |
| 9. | "隔 (Separated)" | Andrew Lam | Andrew Lam | 4:31 |
| 10. | "惆悵滄桑夜 (Troubled Depressing Night)" | Prudence Liew | Prudence Liew | 4:05 |
| Total length: | 43:09 | |||
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "亞熱帶少年 Subtropical Boy" (Subtropical Mix) | Hon-Jen Gi, Yu Yeen | Hon-Jen Gi | 8:30 |
| 12. | "Mind Made Up" (Extended Mix) | Joey Ou | Richard Yung | 5:36 |
| Total length: | 57:15 | |||
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "公子多情 (Loving Prince)" (from Loving Prince, 1988) | Bo Sung Law, Prudence Liew | Anonymous | 3:22 |
| 12. | "一對舊皮鞋 (A Pair of Old Loafers)" (from Why, 1987) | Yuen Leung Poon | Joseph Chan | 4:49 |
| 13. | "異鄉邂逅 (Encounter in a Foreign Land)" (from Jokingly Saying, 1989) | Thomas Chow | Kwong Wing Chan | 3:48 |
| 14. | "我估不到 (I Could Not Have Guessed)" (from The Naked Feeling, 1990) | Thomas Chow | Dirk Schoufs, Danielle Schoovaarts | 4:24 |
| 15. | "愛是無涯 (Love Has No Boundaries)" (from Jokingly Saying, 1989) | Ching Chuen Tong | Rodney Trott, Jonathan Sweet | 5:16 |
| 16. | "你說是甜我說苦 (Your Words Are Sweet, Mine Are Bitter)" (from Jokingly Saying, 1989) | Yuen Leung Poon | Richard Leigh | 3:25 |
| 17. | "有誰知我此時情 (Who Would Know My Feelings Now)" (from The Naked Feeling, 1990) | Shengqiong Nie | Wong Jim | 3:58 |
| Total length: | 1:12:11 | |||
References
- ^ a b Muzikland review of Prudence Liew (album). Retrieved on October 17, 2009
- ^ http://www.ifpihk.org/www_1/go9e.php Hong Kong IFPI sales certification - 1988 Retrieved October 16, 2009
- ^ RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards 1987 full winners list Retrieved October 16, 2009
- ^ 1987 Jade Solid Gold Top 10 Awards winners list Retrieved October 16, 2009
- ^ "listing for Prudence Liew (Sony BMG - The Legendary Collection)". Yesasia.com. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
- ^ "listing for Prudence Liew (XRCD)". Yesasia.com. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
- ^ "LPCD 45 listing for Prudence Liew (LPCD 45 Version)". Yesasia.com. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
- ^ "listing for Prudence Liew (Pure Gold Series)". Yesasia.com. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
- ^ "listing for Prudence Liew (Blu-Spec CD)". Hmv.com.hk. 2011-11-06. Retrieved 2012-06-02.