Summary
No Lookin' Back is the second solo studio album by American musician Michael McDonald. It was released on July 30, 1985 by Warner Bros. Records, three years after his debut studio album, If That's What It Takes (1982); this was his last album to be released by Warner Bros.[5] For the first time, he co-produced and wrote or co-wrote all of the tracks. It features contributions from guitarists Joe Walsh (Eagles, James Gang), Robben Ford and David Pack from Ambrosia, Jeff Porcaro on drums (Toto, Steely Dan), plus the former Doobie Brothers member Willie Weeks on bass, and Cornelius Bumpus providing horns.
| No Lookin' Back | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 30, 1985 | |||
| Studio | Dilling Street Studio U.S.A. and The Villa Studio (North Hollywood) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 37:09 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Michael McDonald chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from No Lookin' Back | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [2] |
| Music Week | [3] |
| Rolling Stone | (unfavorable)[4] |
On release, the album was received favorably by the majority of music critics and peaked at No. 45 on the US Billboard 200. Three singles were issued from No Lookin' Back: "No Lookin' Back", "Bad Times" and "Lost in the Parade". The album's first and leading single, "No Lookin' Back", was co-written by Kenny Loggins and was a commercial success, peaking at No. 4 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and No. 34 on Billboard Hot 100.
The album was re-released one year later in 1986. The re-released version changed around the track order and featured different album cover artwork, along with the inclusion of the hit single "Sweet Freedom" from the soundtrack of the Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines film Running Scared as well as a slightly shortened version of "Our Love".
Track listing edit
All tracks are written by Michael McDonald, with additional writers noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "No Lookin' Back" | 3:55 | |
| 2. | "Bad Times" | 4:21 | |
| 3. | "(I'll Be Your) Angel" | Chuck Sabatino | 3:57 |
| 4. | "By Heart" |
| 4:35 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Any Foolish Thing" | Sabatino | 4:23 |
| 6. | "Our Love" | Pack | 4:32 |
| 7. | "(I Hang) On Your Every Word" | Amy Holland | 3:37 |
| 8. | "Lost in the Parade" | Grady Walker | 3:48 |
| 9. | "Don't Let Me Down" | 4:01 | |
| Total length: | 37:09 | ||
Personnel edit
Musicians
- Michael McDonald – lead and backing vocals, keyboards (1), synthesizers (2-9), Hammond B3 organ (5, 7)
- Mike Hanna – synthesizers (2)
- Chuck Sabatino – synthesizers (3, 5), backing vocals (3, 5)
- Chris Pelonis – programming (3, 4, 7)
- Scott Plunkett – synthesizer horns (4), sequencing (7)
- Brian Mann – synthesizers (6, 8)
- Randy Goodrum – synthesizers (9)
- David Pack – guitars (1, 2, 4, 7), synthesizers (4), rhythm guitar (9)
- Joe Walsh – slide guitar (2)
- Robben Ford – guitars (3), lead guitar solo (9)
- Willie Weeks – bass (1, 3–5, 8, 9)
- Nathan East – bass (2)
- Jeff Porcaro – drums (1-5, 7–9), cymbals (6)
- George Perilli – drums (1), programming (4)
- Staff Fieldhouse – electronic drums (4, 8)
- Roger Nichols – drums (6)
- Paulinho da Costa – percussion (6, 9)
- Cornelius Bumpus – tenor saxophone (3, 5)
Production edit
- Producers – Michael McDonald and Ted Templeman
- Production coordination – Joan Parker and Kathy Walker
- Engineer and Mixing – Ross Pallone
- Second engineer – Mike Wuellner
- Additional engineers – Lee Herschberg, Jim Pace and Grady Walker.
- Mixed at Hollywood Sound Recorders (Hollywood, CA).
- Originally mastered by Howie Weinberg at Masterdisk (New York, NY).
- CD mastering by Lee Herschberg at Amigo Studios (Los Angeles, CA).
- Art direction – Jeffrey Kent Ayeroff
- Design – Jeri McManus
- Front photography – Joel Levinson
- Back photography – Brian Aris
Sales chart performance edit
- Album
| Chart (1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[6] | 45 |
- Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | "No Lookin' Back" | The Billboard Hot 100[7] | 34 |
| Billboard Adult Contemporary | 9 | ||
| Billboard Mainstream Rock | 4 | ||
| "Bad Times" | Billboard Mainstream Rock | 38 | |
| "Lost in the Parade" | Billboard Adult Contemporary | 40 |
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "No Lookin' Back - Michael McDonald | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-09-21.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
- ^ "Michael McDonald: No Lookin' Back. Warner Brothers. 925 291-1" (PDF). LP Reviews. Music Week. Gwent: Pensord Press Ltd. 28 September 1985. p. 19. ISSN 0265-1548. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 December 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2023 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "No Lookin' Back : Michael McDonald : Review : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. 1985-10-24. Archived from the original on August 7, 2008. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
- ^ "No Lookin' Back by Michael McDonald on iTunes". Itunes.apple.com. 1985-07-30. Retrieved 2015-09-21.
- ^ "Michael McDonald Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
- ^ "allmusic ((( Michael McDonald > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles )))". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
External links edit
- No Lookin' Back at Discogs (list of releases)