Open Road (Gary Barlow album)

Open Road
Studio album by Gary Barlow
Released 26 May 1997 (1997-05-26) (Europe)
13 January 1998 (1998-01-13) (America)
Recorded 1996
Genre Pop
Length 50:54
Label BMG, RCA, Arista
Producer Clive Davis (exec.), David Foster, Gary Barlow, Mike Rose, Nick Foster, Kristian Lundin, Max Martin, Carsten Schack, Kenneth Karlin, Stephen Lipson, Absolute, Grant Mitchell, Walter Afanasieff, Chris Porter, Simon Willis
Gary Barlow chronology
Open Road
(1997)		 Twelve Months, Eleven Days
(1999)
Singles from Open Road (European Version)
  1. "Forever Love"
    Released: 5 July 1996
  2. "Love Won't Wait"
    Released: 25 April 1997
  3. "So Help Me Girl"
    Released: 11 July 1997
  4. "Open Road"
    Released: 31 October 1997
  5. "Hang on in There Baby"
    Released: 3 April 1998
Singles from Open Road (American Version)
  1. "So Help Me Girl"
    Released: 30 September 1997
  2. "Superhero"
    Released: 17 February 1998

Open Road is the debut solo album by British singer-songwriter Gary Barlow. It was released by BMG and RCA Records on 26 May 1997 in Europe, and on 13 January 1998 in America.

Album information

Following the break-up of Take That, Barlow went straight into the recording studio and began recording a solo album. On 5 July 1996, the album's lead single, "Forever Love", was released, peaking at #1 on the UK Singles Chart. A second single, "Love Won't Wait", was released in April 1997, also peaking at number one.[1] On 26 May 1997, the album was subsequently released, peaking at number one on the UK Albums Chart on the week of release.[1] The album was certified platinum.[2] Following the album's release, a further two singles, "So Help Me Girl" and "Open Road" were released, which charted at 11 and 7 respectively with the third single becoming Barlow's first solo material to chart in America.[1] The album has sold over 2 million copies worldwide to date.[3]

International success

Following the success of the album in the United Kingdom and the album charting in over 21 countries internationally, Barlow set about releasing the album in the United States, and signed a record deal with Arista. He soon decided to re-work the album for the American market, and began promotion by releasing a remixed version of "So Help Me Girl" as the lead single, complete with a brand new video, on 30 September 1997. The album was subsequently released on 13 January 1998, and on 17 February, one of the new tracks for the American issue, "Superhero", was released as the second single. Although it became widely known for its use as the Yankees main theme, it failed to achieve any commercial success.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]

The San Diego Vista gave the album a positive review stating that as a "singer and songwriter [Barlow] demonstrates his potential as a successful solo artist on Open Road. The album shows a diversity of musical styles, many acoustic-based tracks, a few haunting ballads and some scintillating up-tempo dance numbers." Rodel goes on to state that "on the title track, "Open Road," Gary's brilliant songwriting abilities are showcased in all its glory. A song that he wrote at the young age of 16, "Open Road" reveals Gary's journey through life [making it] perhaps the best song on Gary's debut album."[5]

Track listing

European edition

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Love Won't Wait"  Madonna, Shep PettiboneStephen Lipson4:17
2."So Help Me Girl"  Howard Perdew, Andy SpoonerDavid Foster4:29
3."My Commitment"  Gary Barlow, Diane WarrenWalter Afanasieff4:48
4."Hang on in There Baby"  Johnny BristolTrevor Horn3:39
5."Are You Ready Now"  Gary BarlowGrant Mitchell, Barlow4:19
6."Everything I Wanted"  Gary BarlowAbsolute3:32
7."I Fall So Deep"  Larry Loftin, Mattias Gustafsson, Amy PowersFoster4:02
8."Lay Down for Love"  Gary Barlow, Richard Stannard, Matt RowbottomMitchell, Barlow5:33
9."Forever Love"  Gary BarlowChris Porter, Barlow4:55
10."Never Knew"  Gary BarlowAfanasieff3:50
11."Open Road"  Gary BarlowPorter, Barlow, Absolute[a]4:23
12."Always"  Gary BarlowPorter, Barlow3:32

US edition

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."I Fall So Deep"  Larry Loftin, Mattias Gustafsson, Amy PowersDavid Foster4:02
2."Open Road"  Gary BarlowChris Porter, Barlow, Mike Rose[a], Nick Foster[a]4:23
3."Superhero"  Barlow, Max Martin, Joylon Skinner, Kristian LundinMartin, Lundin3:35
4."My Commitment"  Barlow, Diane WarrenWalter Afanasieff, Soulshock & Karlin[b]4:13
5."Love Won't Wait"  Madonna, Shep PettiboneStephen Lipson, Junior Vasquez[c]4:21
6."So Help Me Girl"  Howard Perdew, Andy SpoonerFoster4:29
7."Everything I Wanted"  BarlowAbsolute3:32
8."Hang on in There Baby"  Johnny BristolRose, Foster3:39
9."Lay Down For Love"  Barlow, Richard Stannard, Matt RowbottomGrant Mitchell, Barlow5:33
10."Never Knew"  BarlowAfanasieff3:50
11."Forever Love"  BarlowChris Porter, Barlow4:55
12."Back for Good" (Live)BarlowSimon Willis4:19
Notes

Charts

Chart (1997) Peak
Position
Australian Albums Chart (ARIA)[6] 30
Austrian Albums Chart (Ö3 Austria Top 75)[7] 13
Belgian (Ultratop 50 Vlaanderen) Albums Chart[8] 7
Belgian (Ultratop 50 Wallonia) Albums Chart[9] 20
Danish Albums Chart (Nielsen Music Control)[10] 6
Dutch Albums Chart (Top 100)[11] 13
European Albums Chart (Hot 100)[12] 4
Finnish Albums Chart (SNEP)[13] 29
German Albums Chart (Media Control AG)[14] 10
Greek Albums (IFPI Greece)[15] 3
Hungarian Albums Chart (Rádiós Top 40)[16] 33
Irish Albums Chart (IRMA)[17] 1
Italian Albums Chart (FIMI)[18] 8
Japanese Albums Chart (Oricon)[19] 40
Malaysian Albums Chart (RIAM)[20] 3
New Zealand Albums Chart (RIANZ)[21] 43
Norwegian Albums Chart (VG-lista)[22] 34
Scottish Albums (OCC)[23] 2
Spanish Albums Chart (PROMUSICAE)[12] 5
Swedish Albums Chart (Sverigetopplistan)[24] 25
Swiss Albums Chart (Schweizer Hitparade)[25] 6
Taiwanese Albums Chart (IFPI)[26] 1
UK Albums (OCC)[27] 1

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[28] Platinum 300,000^

^shipments figures based on certification alone

Personnel

Credits for Open Road adapted from AllMusic.[29]

  • Gary Barlow - Composer, Piano, Primary Artist, Producer, Vocals (Background)
  • Absolute - Mixing, Multi Instruments, Producer
  • Walter Afanasieff - Bass, Drums, Keyboards, Organ, Producer, Programming, Synthesizer
  • Alex Black - Assistant Engineer
  • Greg Calbi - Mastering
  • Andreas Carlsson - Vocals (Background)
  • Jake Chessum - Photography
  • Clive Davis - Executive Producer
  • Joey Diggs - Vocals (Background)
  • Felipe Elgueta - Engineer
  • David Foster - Arranger, Guest Artist, Keyboards, Producer
  • Nick Foster - Keyboards, Producer, Programming, Remixing
  • Simon Franglen - Programming
  • Paul Gendler - Guitar
  • David Gleeson - Engineer, Mixing
  • Nathaniel Goldberg - Photography
  • Jeff Griffin - Assistant Engineer
  • Sandy Griffith - Vocals (Background)
  • Mick Guzauski - Mixing
  • Phillip Ingram - Vocals (Background)
  • Judy Kirschner Assistant Engineer
  • Bob Kraushaar Mixing
  • Kristian Lawing - Producer
  • Steve Lipson - Producer
  • Richard Lowe - Mixing
  • Milton Mcdonald - Guitar
  • Madonna - Composer
  • Manny Marroquin - Engineer, Mixing
  • Max Martin - Producer, Vocals (Background)
  • Grant Mitchell - Arranger, Producer, Programming
  • P. Dennis Mitchell - Mixing
  • Heff Moraes - Engineer
  • Joey Moskowitz - Programming
  • Esbjörn Öhrwall - Guitar
  • Dean Parks - Guitar
  • Shep Pettibone - Composer
  • Chris Porter - Producer
  • Claytoven Richardson - Vocals (Background)
  • Marnie Riley - Mixing Assistant
  • Mike Rose - Keyboards, Producer, Programming, Remixing
  • Marc Russo - Guest Artist, Sax (Tenor)
  • Mike Scott - Assistant Engineer
  • Dan Shea - Keyboards, Programming
  • Andy Spooner - Composer
  • Christopher Stern - Art Direction
  • Ren Swan - Engineer
  • Michael Thompson - Guitar
  • Jeanie Tracy - Vocals (Background)
  • Junior Vasquez - Producer
  • Norman Watson - Photography
  • Dave Way - Mixing
  • Wil Wheaton - Vocals (Background)
  • Simon Willis - Producer
  • Tim Willis - Engineer

References

  1. 1 2 3 "UK Chart Archive". everyHit.com. Retrieved 16 November 2007.
  2. ↑ Open Road British Sales Certificate. British Phonographic Industry. 12 December 1997. Retrieved 16 November 2007.
  3. ↑ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1328974/Robbie-Williams-relights-Take-That.html?ito=feeds-newsxml Daily Mail
  4. ↑ Allmusic review
  5. ↑ http://www.lexisnexis.com/uk/nexis/results/docview/docview.do?docLinkInd=true&risb=21_T12772348936&format=GNBFI&sort=BOOLEAN&startDocNo=1&resultsUrlKey=29_T12772348940&cisb=22_T12772348939&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&csi=172244&docNo=2 Nexis Lexis, Search Gary Barlow Open Road, 2nd source on list. Rodel Divina, The Vista San Diego
  6. ↑ http://danishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Gary+Barlow&titel=Open+Road&cat=a AustralianCharts.com. Retrieved 17 November 2007.
  7. ↑ "Discographie Gary Barlow". AustrianCharts.com. Retrieved 17 November 2007.
  8. ↑ "Gary Barlow – Open Road". UltraTop.be. Retrieved 1 June 2008.
  9. ↑ "Gary Barlow – Open Road". UltraTop.be. Retrieved 1 June 2008.
  10. ↑ http://books.google.ca/books?lr=&rview=1&id=AwoEAAAAMBAJ&q=gary+barlow#v=snippet&q=gary%20barlow&f=false Retrieved 17 November 2007.
  11. ↑ "Discography Gary Barlow". DutchCharts.nl. Retrieved 17 November 2007.
  12. 1 2 http://books.google.ca/books?id=KBAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA51&dq=Gary+Barlow+Malaysia&hl=en&sa=X&ei=RIQeUarxLPL44QTun4HwAQ&ved=0CEAQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=Gary%20Barlow%20Malaysia&f=false. Retrieved 17 November 2007.
  13. ↑ "Discography Gary Barlow". FinnishCharts.com. Retrieved 17 November 2007.
  14. ↑ "Gary Barlow". Charts-Surfer.de. Retrieved 1 June 2008.
  15. ↑ "IFPI Greece – Gary Barlow – Open Road". IFPI Greece. Retrieved 8 December 2010.
  16. ↑ http://www.mahasz.hu/?menu=slagerlistak&menu2=archivum Hungarian album Archive.
  17. ↑ The Irish Charts - All there is to know
  18. ↑ http://books.google.ca/books?id=KBAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA50&dq=gary+Barlow+Open+Road+Italy&hl=en&sa=X&ei=UTavUsenM4PAhAes6oHoAw&ved=0CEUQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=gary%20Barlow%20Open%20Road%20Italy&f=false. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  19. ↑ http://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/artist/68069/ranking/cd_album/ Oricon Archive - Gary Barlow Open Road.
  20. ↑ . Retrieved 17 November 2007.
  21. ↑ "Discography Gary Barlow". Charts.org.nz. Retrieved 17 November 2007.
  22. ↑ "Discography Gary Barlow". NorwegianCharts.com. Retrieved 17 November 2007.
  23. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  24. ↑ "Discography Gary Barlow". SwedishCharts.com. Retrieved 17 November 2007.
  25. ↑ "Discography Gary Barlow". SwissCharts.com. Retrieved 17 November 2007.
  26. ↑ IFPI Taiwan - International Top 10 (1997/24) at the Wayback Machine (archived 24 February 1998)
  27. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  28. ↑ "British album certifications – Gary Barlow – Open Road". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 25 July 2012. Enter Open Road in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
  29. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/open-road-mw0000024917/credits Open Road album credits.
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