Plantation Harbor
| Plantation Harbor | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Joe Vitale | ||||
| Released | 1981 | |||
| Recorded | 1979–1980 | |||
| Studio |
Various
| |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 39:37 | |||
| Label |
Asylum - 5E-529 (US)[1] WEA – 52293 (Germany, only)[2] | |||
| Producer | Bill Szymczyk for Pandora Productions, Ltd | |||
| Joe Vitale chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Plantation Harbor | ||||
|
||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
Plantation Harbor is the second solo studio album by the American recording artist Joe Vitale. It was originally released in 1981, on the label Asylum. The album was his only album to chart reaching number 181 on the Billboard 200.
The album was released at the height of the popularity of the new wave music movement. The song "Lady on the Rock" received some airplay in the US on album-oriented rock radio, but the album was generally poorly received.
Featured musicians
The album features guest performances by Joe Walsh, Don Felder and Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash and Mickey Thomas of Jefferson Starship, Paul Harris, George "Chocolate" Perry, Joe Lala, Marilyn Martin and the horns are led by Jimmy Pankow of Chicago.
Composition
The instrumental "Theme From Cabin Weirdos" is another in the series of "Weirdo" instrumentals, "Theme From Boat Weirdos," "Theme From Island Weirdos," among other instrumentals that Joe Walsh and Vitale had placed on former albums.
The Echo drums on the track "Theme From Cabin Weirdos" were recorded on top of Mount Mitchell, which is the highest peak of the Appalachian Mountains and the highest peak in the eastern United States, the mountain reaches an elevation of 6,684 ft (2,037 m)[4]
Recording
In 1981, Bill Szymczyk had produced The Who's Face Dances, (Their first album without Keith Moon, instead being replaced by Kenney Jones), and Vitale had made commitments to Who bassist, John Entwistle's fifth solo album "Too Late the Hero" (which he had been committed to since 1979) with Joe Walsh. and Vitale also made commitments to Joe Walsh's fifth solo album "There Goes the Neighborhood". All of which tied into Vitale and Szymczyk's commitments of this album.[5][6][7]
Critical reception
Upon its release, Writing for AllMusic critic Rob Caldwell gave the album a star rating of 2 out of 5 (meaning "Poor"), and he stated that the album sounds "similar" to "Joe Walsh"'s previous solo albums but does not have the "strong hooks or the bite."[3]
Track listings
All tracks written by Joe Vitale, except where noted.
| Side one | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Plantation Harbor" | 4:14 |
| 2. | "Never Gonna Leave You Alone (Crazy 'Bout You Baby)" | 5:04 |
| 3. | "Laugh-Laugh" | 4:29 |
| 4. | "Man Gonna Love You" | 5:01 |
| Side two | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 5. | "Theme From Cabin Weirdos" | 2:48 | |
| 6. | "Lady on the Rock" | 5:30 | |
| 7. | "Bamboo Jungle" | 3:16 | |
| 8. | "Sailor Man" | 3:58 | |
| 9. | "I'm Flyin'" | 5:17 | |
| Total length: | 39:37 | ||
Personnel
- Joe Vitale - Lead vocals (track 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9), Drums (track 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9), Clavinet (track 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9), Flute (track 3, 7), Organ (track 1, 2), Percussion (track 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9), Electric piano (track 4, 5), Grand piano (track 5), Synthesizer (track 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9), Vibraphone (track 3)
- Additional personnel
- Willie "Little Beaver" Hale - Guitar, Rhythm guitar (track 1)
- Joe Walsh - Lead guitar, Rhythm guitar (track 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9)
- Don Felder - Rhythm guitar (track 4, 6, 8, )
- George "Chocolate" Perry - Bass guitar (track 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9), Backing vocals (track 1, 2, 7)
- Walter Parazaider - Tenor saxophone (track 8)
- Marty Grebb - Alto saxophone (track 8), Solo saxophone (track 8)
- Paul Harris - Clavinet (track 6), Piano (track 2, 3, 8)
- Bob Mayo - Lead Clavinet (track 7), Piano (track 9)
- Jimmy Pankow - Trombone (track 8)
- Lee Loughnane - Trumpet (track 8)
- Joe Lala - Congas (track 3)
- Graham Nash - Piano (track 9)
- Marilyn "Mini" Martin - Backing vocals (track 1, 4, 6)
- Timothy B. Schmit - Backing vocals (track 3, 8)
- Joan Perry - Backing vocals (track 1, 2)
- Stephen Stills - Backing vocals (track 9)
- Mickey Thomas - Backing vocals (track 2)
- Greg Droman - Backing vocals (track 4)
- Ricky "Goona" Washington - Backing vocals (track 1, 2)
- Production
- Bill Szymczyk - Record producer
- Engineering
- Bill Szymczyk - Engineering
- Buddy Thornton - Assistant engineer, Maintenance engineer, Truck driver, C.B. Maintenance, Mobile Monsters, Fish dinners, Space Invaders maintenance, Console Customizing, one pound-o-lony
- Allan Blazek - Assistant engineer
- James Geddes - Assistant engineer
- Ed Mashal - Assistant engineer
- Jay Parti - Assistant engineer
- Jimmy Patterson - Assistant engineer
- John Swain - Assistant engineer
- Ted Jensen - Mastering engineer (at Sterling Sound, New York City)
- Jimmie "Jim" Haskell - String Arrangements
- Jimmy Pankow - Horn Arrangements
- Paul Harris - Horn Arrangements
- Sid Sharp - Concertmaster
- Album artwork
- Jimmy Wachtel - Art direction, Design
- Scherley Busch - Cover photography
- Joe Vitale - Album cover concept
- Bill Szymczyk - Album cover concept
- Jage Jackson - Inner sleeve photography
- Buddy Thornton - Inner sleeve photography
- Joe Vitale - Inner sleeve photography
- Bill Szymczyk - Inner sleeve photography
- Notes
Stephen Stills, Jimmy Pankow, Lee Loughnane, Walt Parazaider, and Marty Grebb appear courtesy of Columbia Records
Charts
Album - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Billboard 200 | 181 |
Singles - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | "Lady on the Rock" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 47 |
Releases
- LP, Promo (Asylum, 1981)
- LP (Asylum, 1981)
- LP (Asylum/WEA, 1981)
- CD (Wounded Bird, 30 July 2002)
- CD (Elektra, 2008)
- Digital Download (Elektra/Rhino, 29 July 2008)
References
- ↑ "Joe Vitale - Plantation Harbor (Vinyl, LP, Album) at Discogs". discogs.com. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
- ↑ "Joe Vitale - Plantation Harbor (Vinyl, LP, Album) at Discogs". discogs.com. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
- 1 2 "Plantation Harbor - Joe Vitale | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
- ↑ "Mount Mitchell - Peakbagger.com". peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
- ↑ "Who, The - Face Dances (Vinyl, LP, Album) at Discogs". discogs.com. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
- ↑ "John Entwistle - Too Late The Hero (Vinyl, LP, Album) at Discogs". discogs.com. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
- ↑ "Joe Walsh - There Goes The Neighborhood (Vinyl, LP, Album) at Discogs". discogs.com. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
External links
- Plantation Harbor at Discogs (list of releases)