Blue Virgin Isles was the fifth album and the international debut from Swedish

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 singer/songwriter Ted Gärdestad

Ted Gärdestad

Ted Gärdestad , internationally known as Ted Gardestad, Ted Gaerdestad or just Ted was a Swedish singer, songwriter and musician.-Early career:...

, released in late 1978 on the Epic Records

Epic Records

Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...

 label in the UK and Polar Music

Polar Music

Polar Music is a Swedish record company founded in 1963 by Stig Anderson and his friend Bengt Bernhag. The first act that it signed was the Hootenanny Singers featuring Björn Ulvaeus. Polar eventually gained prosperity producing Ulvæus' next group, international superstars ABBA...

 in Scandinavia.

The Blue Virgin Isles album was mainly recorded in Hollywood, California with a large number of noted American and English musicians, among them Jim Keltner

Jim Keltner

James Lee "Jim" Keltner is an American drummer known primarily for his session work. He has contributed to the work of many well-known artists...

, Jay Graydon

Jay Graydon

Jay Graydon is a Los Angeles songwriter, recording artist, guitarist, singer, producer, arranger, and recording engineer. He is the winner of two Grammy Awards with twelve Grammy nominations, among them the title "Producer of the Year" and "Best Engineered Recording". Jay Graydon has mastered many...

, Lee Ritenour

Lee Ritenour

Lee Mack Ritenour is an American jazz guitarist who has recorded over 42 albums, appeared on over 3000 sessions, and has charted over 30 instrumental and vocal contemporary jazz hits since 1976. One of his most popular songs was the smash hit, “Is It You” in 1981. Ritenour is considered to be a...

, Fred Tackett

Fred Tackett

Fred Tackett, an American native of Arkansas, is an accomplished songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Originally a session player on guitar, mandolin, and trumpet, he is best known for his longevity as a member of the band Little Feat....

, James Newton Howard

James Newton Howard

James Newton Howard is an American composer best known for his scores to motion pictures. He is one of the most popular and respected composers for cinema, and has scored over 100 films...

, Dr. John

Dr. John

Malcolm John "Mac" Rebennack, Jr. , better known by the stage name Dr. John , is an American singer-songwriter, pianist and guitarist, whose music combines blues, pop, jazz as well as Zydeco, boogie woogie and rock and roll.Active as a session musician since the late 1950s, he came to wider...

, John Mayall

John Mayall

John Mayall, OBE is an English blues singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, whose musical career spans over fifty years...

, Chuck Domanico

Chuck Domanico

Charles Louis Domanico , better known as Chuck Domanico, was an American jazz bassist, playing both acoustic and electric bass on the West Coast jazz scene.Domanico was born in Chicago...

, Mike Melvoin

Mike Melvoin

Mike Melvoin is an American jazz pianist.Melvoin began on piano at age three. He studied English at Dartmouth College, graduating in 1959, but decided to pursue a career in music. After moving to Los Angeles in 1961, he played with Frank Rosolino, Leroy Vinnegar, Gerald Wilson, Paul Horn, Terry...

, four of the future members of Toto

Toto (band)

Toto is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1977. The group currently consists of Joseph Williams , David Paich , Steve Porcaro , Steve Lukather , Mike Porcaro , and Simon Phillips . Toto is known for a musical style that combines elements of pop, rock, soul, funk, progressive rock, hard...

; Jeff Porcaro

Jeff Porcaro

Jeffrey Thomas "Jeff" Porcaro was an American session drummer and a founding member of the Grammy Award winning band Toto. Porcaro was one of the most recorded drummers in history, working on hundreds of albums and thousands of sessions...

, Steve Porcaro

Steve Porcaro

Steven Maxwell "Steve" Porcaro is an American keyboardist and composer, who was an original member of the rock/pop band Toto....

, David Hungate

David Hungate

David Hungate is a bass player noted as a member of Los Angeles pop-rock band Toto from 1977-1982. Boz Scaggs's Silk Degrees album of 1976 included Hungate and several other future members of Toto...

 and Steve Lukather

Steve Lukather

Steve "Luke" Lukather is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, arranger, and record producer best known for his work with the rock band Toto. Lukather has played with many artists, released several solo albums, and worked as a composer, arranger, and session guitarist on more than 1,500 albums...

, and backing vocals by David Cassidy

David Cassidy

David Bruce Cassidy is an American actor, singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for his role as the character of Keith Partridge in the 1970s musical/sitcom The Partridge Family. He was one of pop culture's most celebrated teen idols, enjoying a successful pop career in the 1970s, and...

, Venetta Fields

Venetta Fields

Venetta Fields is an American singer best known as session musician for leading rock and pop acts of the 1970s including Pink Floyd, Barbra Streisand, Steely Dan and the Rolling Stones...

 and Sherlie Matthews

Sherlie Matthews

Sherlie Matthews is an American singer, songwriter and record producer, best known as a backing vocalist for Pop, R&B and Rock groups from the mid 1960s to the present time.-Early life:...

. The album was produced by Norwegian-American Eirik W. Wangberg, also known as Eirik The Norwegian, a nickname given to him by Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney

Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...

 during the sessions for McCartney's 1971 album Ram

Ram (album)

Ram is an album by Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney, released in 1971, the only album credited to the pair. It was the second of the two albums McCartney released between leaving The Beatles and forming Wings...

. The Blue Virgin Isles recordings began in the United States in the autumn of 1977 and were completed with some additional overdubs made in Stockholm in the summer of 1978.

The album spawned two single releases, "Take Me Back To Hollywood" and "Love, You're Making All The Fools". "Take Me Back To Hollywood" was a re-recording of Swedish hit single "Chapeau-Claque" from the preceding album Franska Kort

Franska Kort

Franska Kort was the fourth album from Swedish singer/songwriter Ted Gärdestad, released in 1976 on the Polar Music label. It contains the hits "Angela" "Chapeau-Claque", "När Showen Är Slut" and "Klöversnoa". The album was produced by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Michael B...

, produced by Benny Andersson

Benny Andersson

Göran Bror "Benny" Andersson is a Swedish musician, composer, a former member of the Swedish musical group ABBA , and co-composer of the musicals Chess, Kristina från Duvemåla, and Mamma Mia!...

 and Björn Ulvaeus

Björn Ulvaeus

Björn Kristian Ulvaeus is a Swedish songwriter, composer, musician, writer, producer, a former member of the Swedish musical group ABBA , and co-composer of the musicals Chess, Kristina från Duvemåla, and Mamma Mia!...

, Michael B. Tretow

Michael B. Tretow

Bo Michael Tretow is a swedish record producer and audio engineer, Musician and composer, best known for his work with Swedish pop group ABBA , and with the musical Chess. Tretow experimented with different recording techniques, and played an essential part in creating the famous "ABBA-sound"...

 and Gärdestad himself. The Blue Virgin Isles album was promoted by a guest appearance on ABBA

ABBA

ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...

's BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 TV special ABBA in Switzerland a.k.a. Snow Time Special, filmed in Leysin

Leysin

Leysin is a municipality of the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, located in the district of Aigle.-History:Leysin is first mentioned around 1231-32 as Leissins. In 1352 it was mentioned as Leisins.-Geography:...

 and broadcast worldwide in April 1979. Despite this and a number of other personal appearances in West Germany, The Netherlands, the UK, the US and the Scandinavian countries in the winter of 1978 and the spring of 1979 and generally favourable reviews by music critics, Blue Virgin Isles was only a moderate commercial success; in Sweden the album peaked at #29 and only spent two weeks on the chart.

After having won the 1979 Melodifestivalen

Melodifestivalen

Melodifestivalen is an annual music competition organised by Swedish public broadcasters Sveriges Television and Sveriges Radio . It determines the country's representative for the Eurovision Song Contest, and has been staged almost every year since 1959...

, the Swedish pre-selections for the Eurovision Song Contest

Eurovision Song Contest

The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...

, with the song "Satellit

Satellit

"Satellit" was the Swedish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1979, performed in Swedish by Ted Gärdestad.Gärdestad's first four albums were produced by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus of ABBA, featured backing vocals by Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, and were released on the Polar...

"/"Satellite" in February 1979 the Blue Virgin Isles album was re-released both internationally and domestically to include this track. The second Polar Music

Polar Music

Polar Music is a Swedish record company founded in 1963 by Stig Anderson and his friend Bengt Bernhag. The first act that it signed was the Hootenanny Singers featuring Björn Ulvaeus. Polar eventually gained prosperity producing Ulvæus' next group, international superstars ABBA...

 edition of the album features both the Swedish and English language versions of the song. "Satellit" received a disappointing eight points in the contest, held on March 31, 1979 in Jerusalem, Israel, and finished seventeenth out of nineteen participating entries, making it Sweden's second lowest placing in the contest up until that point. Despite the added Eurovision exposure, the second attempt to promote the Blue Virgin Isles album consequently met with the same result as the first, both internationally and in Sweden.

When Gärdestad made his comeback on the music scene in 1993 he re-recorded a Swedish language version of the title track "Blue Virgin Isles", entitled "Himlen Är Oskyldigt Blå" ("The Sky Is Innocently Blue"), for career retrospective Kalendarium 1972-93

Kalendarium 1972-93

Kalendarium 1972-93 was a compilation album from Swedish singer/songwriter Ted Gärdestad released in 1993 which included the best-known songs from his early career as well one new recording, "För Kärlekens Skull", his first in twelve years...

, then using the original backing track.

Blue Virgin Isles was released on CD in 2009, as part of the 8 CD box set Helt Nära Dig - Samlade Album. It was also released as a separate download.

Track listing

Music: Ted Gärdestad

Ted Gärdestad

Ted Gärdestad , internationally known as Ted Gardestad, Ted Gaerdestad or just Ted was a Swedish singer, songwriter and musician.-Early career:...

, lyrics: Kenneth Gärdestad

Side A:

1. "505 To Casablanca" - 3:49
   • Arranged by Larry Muhoberac
   • Solo: Abe Most, clarinet
2. "Blue Virgin Isles" - 4:57
   • Arranged by James Newton Howard
     James Newton Howard
     James Newton Howard is an American composer best known for his scores to motion pictures. He is one of the most popular and respected composers for cinema, and has scored over 100 films...
     
     
   • Strings arranged By Gene Page
   • Solo: Jay Graydon
     Jay Graydon
     Jay Graydon is a Los Angeles songwriter, recording artist, guitarist, singer, producer, arranger, and recording engineer. He is the winner of two Grammy Awards with twelve Grammy nominations, among them the title "Producer of the Year" and "Best Engineered Recording". Jay Graydon has mastered many...
     
     , electric guitar
3. "Love, You're Makin' All The Fools" - 3:26
   • Arranged by Jai Winding*
4. "Baby Blue Eyes" - 2:36
   • Arranged by George Tipton
   • Solo: Abe Most, clarinet
5. "Wanna Live - Got To Give" - 4:18
   • Arranged by Gene Page*
   • Solo: Stella Castellucci, harp

Side B:

1. "Take Me Back To Hollywood" - 4:18
   • Original title: "Chapeau-Claque", from 1976 album Franska Kort
     Franska Kort
     Franska Kort was the fourth album from Swedish singer/songwriter Ted Gärdestad, released in 1976 on the Polar Music label. It contains the hits "Angela" "Chapeau-Claque", "När Showen Är Slut" and "Klöversnoa". The album was produced by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Michael B...
     
     
   • Arranged by George Tipton
2. "Back In The Business" - 3:48
   • Arranged by Jai Winding*
   • Solo: Jay Graydon, electric guitar
3. "Puddle Of Pain" - 3:18
   • Arranged by Larry Muhoberac
   • Solo: Jim Horn, flute
4. "Love Lies Free" - 4:11
   • Arranged by Jai Winding
   • Solo: Steve Lukather
     Steve Lukather
     Steve "Luke" Lukather is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, arranger, and record producer best known for his work with the rock band Toto. Lukather has played with many artists, released several solo albums, and worked as a composer, arranger, and session guitarist on more than 1,500 albums...
     
     , electric guitar
5. "Just For The Money" - 3:59
   • Arranged by Gene Page*
   • Solos: John Mayall
     John Mayall
     John Mayall, OBE is an English blues singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, whose musical career spans over fifty years...
     
     , harmonica and Abe Most, clarinet

Additional tracks, 1979 re-release

• International editions: "Satellite", track A1.
• Scandinavian edition: "Satellit" (Swedish version), track A1 + "Satellite", track B6.

Personnel

• Ted Gärdestad
  Ted Gärdestad
  Ted Gärdestad , internationally known as Ted Gardestad, Ted Gaerdestad or just Ted was a Swedish singer, songwriter and musician.-Early career:...
  
   - lead vocals, piano
  Piano
  The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
  
  , guitar
  Guitar
  The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
  
  
• Jeff Porcaro
  Jeff Porcaro
  Jeffrey Thomas "Jeff" Porcaro was an American session drummer and a founding member of the Grammy Award winning band Toto. Porcaro was one of the most recorded drummers in history, working on hundreds of albums and thousands of sessions...
  
   - drums
  Drum kit
  A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
  
  , percussion
  Percussion instrument
  A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
  
  
• Jim Keltner
  Jim Keltner
  James Lee "Jim" Keltner is an American drummer known primarily for his session work. He has contributed to the work of many well-known artists...
  
   - drums
• David Hungate
  David Hungate
  David Hungate is a bass player noted as a member of Los Angeles pop-rock band Toto from 1977-1982. Boz Scaggs's Silk Degrees album of 1976 included Hungate and several other future members of Toto...
  
   - bass guitar
  Bass guitar
  The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
  
  
• Ray Brown
  Ray Brown (musician)
  Raymond Matthews Brown was an American jazz double bassist.-Biography:Ray Brown was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and had piano lessons from the age of eight. After noticing how many pianists attended his high school, he thought of taking up the trombone, but was unable to afford one...
  
   - bass
• Bob Glaub
  Bob Glaub
  Bob Glaub is an American bass player and session musician. He's played with such artists and bands as Journey, Jackson Browne, Bee Gees, Eric Carmen, Linda Ronstadt, Leo Sayer, Warren Zevon, Rod Stewart, Donna Summer, Bonnie Raitt and many others....
  
   - bass
• Jai Winding - bass, keyboards
  Keyboard instrument
  A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
  
  , synthesizer
  Synthesizer
  A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
  
  s
• Jay Graydon
  Jay Graydon
  Jay Graydon is a Los Angeles songwriter, recording artist, guitarist, singer, producer, arranger, and recording engineer. He is the winner of two Grammy Awards with twelve Grammy nominations, among them the title "Producer of the Year" and "Best Engineered Recording". Jay Graydon has mastered many...
  
   - guitar
  Guitar
  The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
  
  s
• Lee Ritenour
  Lee Ritenour
  Lee Mack Ritenour is an American jazz guitarist who has recorded over 42 albums, appeared on over 3000 sessions, and has charted over 30 instrumental and vocal contemporary jazz hits since 1976. One of his most popular songs was the smash hit, “Is It You” in 1981. Ritenour is considered to be a...
  
   - guitars
• Steve Lukather
  Steve Lukather
  Steve "Luke" Lukather is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, arranger, and record producer best known for his work with the rock band Toto. Lukather has played with many artists, released several solo albums, and worked as a composer, arranger, and session guitarist on more than 1,500 albums...
  
   - guitars
• Fred Tackett
  Fred Tackett
  Fred Tackett, an American native of Arkansas, is an accomplished songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Originally a session player on guitar, mandolin, and trumpet, he is best known for his longevity as a member of the band Little Feat....
  
   - guitars
• John Collins - guitars
• Larry Muhoberac
  Larry Muhoberac
  Larry Muhoberac is an American musician, producer and composer who at various times has also been known as Larry Owens and Larry Gordon....
  
   - keyboards
• Mike Melvoin
  Mike Melvoin
  Mike Melvoin is an American jazz pianist.Melvoin began on piano at age three. He studied English at Dartmouth College, graduating in 1959, but decided to pursue a career in music. After moving to Los Angeles in 1961, he played with Frank Rosolino, Leroy Vinnegar, Gerald Wilson, Paul Horn, Terry...
  
   - keyboards
• James Newton Howard
  James Newton Howard
  James Newton Howard is an American composer best known for his scores to motion pictures. He is one of the most popular and respected composers for cinema, and has scored over 100 films...
  
   - keyboards
• Dr. John
  Dr. John
  Malcolm John "Mac" Rebennack, Jr. , better known by the stage name Dr. John , is an American singer-songwriter, pianist and guitarist, whose music combines blues, pop, jazz as well as Zydeco, boogie woogie and rock and roll.Active as a session musician since the late 1950s, he came to wider...
  
   - keyboards
• Victor Feldman
  Victor Feldman
  Victor Stanley Feldman was a British jazz musician, best known as a pianist.-Early history:...
  
   - percussion
• Jerry Williams - percussion
• Hal Blaine
  Hal Blaine
  Hal Blaine is an American drummer and session musician. He is most known for his work with the Wrecking Crew in California. Blaine played on numerous hits by popular groups, including Elvis Presley, John Denver, the Ronettes, Simon & Garfunkel, the Carpenters, the Beach Boys, Nancy Sinatra, and...
  
   - percussion
• Jim Keltner
  Jim Keltner
  James Lee "Jim" Keltner is an American drummer known primarily for his session work. He has contributed to the work of many well-known artists...
  
   - percusscion
• Gary Coleman
  Gary Coleman
  Gary Wayne Coleman was an American actor, known for his childhood role as Arnold Jackson in the American sitcom Diff'rent Strokes and for his small stature as an adult. He was described in the 1980s as "one of television's most promising stars". After a successful childhood acting career, Coleman...
  
   - percussion
• Al Hendrickson - ukulele
  Ukulele
  The ukulele, ; from ; it is a subset of the guitar family of instruments, generally with four nylon or gut strings or four courses of strings....
  
  , banjo
  Banjo
  In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
  
  
• Steve Porcaro
  Steve Porcaro
  Steven Maxwell "Steve" Porcaro is an American keyboardist and composer, who was an original member of the rock/pop band Toto....
  
   - synthesizers
• Emil Richards - cymbalum
  Cymbalum
  The cimbalom is a concert hammered dulcimer: a type of chordophone composed of a large, trapezoidal box with metal strings stretched across its top...
  
  
• John Mayall
  John Mayall
  John Mayall, OBE is an English blues singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, whose musical career spans over fifty years...
  
   - harmonica
  Harmonica
  The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
  
  
• Jim Keltner
  Jim Keltner
  James Lee "Jim" Keltner is an American drummer known primarily for his session work. He has contributed to the work of many well-known artists...
  
   - heartbeat and bicycle bell
• Steve Madaio - trumpet
  Trumpet
  The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
  
  
• Bob Fowler - trumpet
• Gene Goe - trumpet
• Jerry Hey
  Jerry Hey
  Jerry Hey is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, horn arranger, string arranger, orchestrator and session musician who has played on hundreds of commercial recordings, including Thriller and the distinctive flugelhorn solo on Dan Fogelberg's hit Longer....
  
   - trumpet
• Cappy Lewis - trumpet
• Dick Hyde - trombone
  Trombone
  The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
  
  
• Tommy Shephard - trombone
• Abe Most - woodwinds
• John Lowe - woodwinds
• Jim Horn - woodwinds
• Buddy Collette
  Buddy Collette
  William Marcel "Buddy" Collette was an American tenor saxophonist, flautist, and clarinetist. He was highly influential in the West coast jazz and West Coast blues mediums, also collaborating with saxophonist Dexter Gordon, drummer Chico Hamilton, and his lifelong friend, bassist Charles...
  
    - woodwinds
• David Luell - woodwinds
• Ted Nash - woodwinds
• Willie Schwartz - woodwinds
• Gary Herbig - woodwinds
• Dave Duke - french horns
• Bob Henderson - French horns
• Harry Bluestone - concert master, strings
• Israel Baker - violin
  Violin
  The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
  
  
• Arnold Belnick - violin
• Isabelle Daskoff - violin
• Ron Folsom - violin
• Bill Hymanson - violin
• Anatol Kaminksy - violin
• Jake Krachmalnik - violin
• Bernie Kundell - violin
• Betty La Magna - violin
• Erno Neufeld - violin
• Don Palmer - violin
• Stan Plummer - violin
• Nat Ross - violin
• Henry Roth - violin
• Jack Shulman - violin
• Marshall Sosson - violin
• Joe Stepansky - violin
• Pam Goldsmith - viola
  Viola
  The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
  
  
• Allan Harshman - viola
• Garry Nuttycombe - viola
• Dave Schwartz - viola
• Julianna Buffum - cello
  Cello
  The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
  
  
• Jesse Ehrlich - cello
• Armand Kaproff - cello
• Dennis Karmazyn - cello
• Ray Kramer - cello
• Chuck Domanico
  Chuck Domanico
  Charles Louis Domanico , better known as Chuck Domanico, was an American jazz bassist, playing both acoustic and electric bass on the West Coast jazz scene.Domanico was born in Chicago...
  
   - bass
• Arni Egilsson - bass
• Stella Castellucci - harp
• Jon Joyce - background vocals
  Backing vocalist
  A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
  
   and clapping
  Clapping
  A clap is the sound made by striking together two flat surfaces, as in the body parts of humans or animals. Humans clap with the palms of their hands, often in a constant drone to express appreciation or approval , but also in rhythm to match sounds in music and dance...
  
  
• David Cassidy
  David Cassidy
  David Bruce Cassidy is an American actor, singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for his role as the character of Keith Partridge in the 1970s musical/sitcom The Partridge Family. He was one of pop culture's most celebrated teen idols, enjoying a successful pop career in the 1970s, and...
  
   - background vocals and clapping
• Venetta Fields
  Venetta Fields
  Venetta Fields is an American singer best known as session musician for leading rock and pop acts of the 1970s including Pink Floyd, Barbra Streisand, Steely Dan and the Rolling Stones...
  
   - background vocals and clapping
• Sherlie Matthews
  Sherlie Matthews
  Sherlie Matthews is an American singer, songwriter and record producer, best known as a backing vocalist for Pop, R&B and Rock groups from the mid 1960s to the present time.-Early life:...
  
   - background vocals and clapping
• Stan Farber - background vocals and clapping
• Jackie Ward - background vocals and clapping
• Mitch Gordon - background vocals and clapping
• Jim Haas - background vocals and clapping
• Jai Winding - background vocals and clapping
• Alix Wangberg - background vocals and clapping
• Tere Mansfield - background vocals and clapping
• John Baylor - background vocals and clapping
• Sally Stevens - background vocals and clapping
• Jean King - background vocals and clapping
• Anita James - background vocals and clapping
• Bili Thedford - background vocals and clapping
• Jim Keltner - background vocals and clapping
• John Mayall - background vocals and clapping
• Dr. John - background vocals and clapping

Production

• Produced by Eirik W. Wangberg
• Recorded at: Sounds Labs Inc., Hollywood, Bastun Studios AB, Stockholm, Marcus Music AB, Stockholm, Capitol Studios, Hollywood; KMH Studio AB, Stockholm; Whitney Studios, Glendale, Western Recorders, Hollywood; Hollywood Sound Recorders, Hollywood
• Sound engineers: Eirik W. Wangberg, Ron Hitchcock, Val Garay, Armin Steiner
• Assistant engineers: Linda Tyler, Olle Ramm, Christer Berg, Dennis Cook, Lennart Karlsmyr, Åke Grahn, Cecil Jones, Don Henderson, Bob Mocler, Ed Perry.
• Mastering: Wally Traugott at Capitol Studios, Hollywood
• Musician contractor: Frank DeCaro
• Art direction: David Larkham
• Cover design: David Larkham and Eirik W. Wangberg
• Front & back cover photographs: Yoshi Ohara for Barry Levine Studios
• Inner sleeve photography: Barry Levine & Torbjörn Calvero
• Thank You: Janne Schaffer, Randy Edelman, Thom Rotelia, Ben Benay, Scotty Edwards, Ralph Grierson, Howard Weiss, Peggy Steiner, Annie Street, Virginia Berger, John Sands, Ned Forsythe, Robert Lamoureux, Jon Joyce, Steve Kelman, Mikke Tretow and to Stig Anderson, ABBA, and the Polar family. Special thanks to Alix Wangberg whose cheerful spirit and lyrical talent helped when times were rough and no words were in the air. /TED & KEN

Personnel and production "Satellit"/"Satellite"

• Producers: Janne Schaffer & Ted Gärdestad
• Musicians: Stefan Nilsson, Janne Schaffer, Mike Watson, Roger Palm, Malando Gassama & Lars Samuelsson
• String arrangement: Lars Samuelsson
• Backing vocals: Rose-Marie Gröning, Liza Öhman, Diana Nunez, Lennart Sjöholm & Peter Lundblad
• Recorded at Polar Studios
  Polar Studios
  Polar Studios is one of the most famous recording studios in Scandinavia. Originally located in a former movie theater from 1934 at Sankt Eriksgatan 58-60 on Kungsholmen in Stockholm, Sweden, Polar Studios was founded by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson of ABBA in 1977 and had its grand opening on...
  
  , Stockholm

Release history

• 1978 Polar Music
  Polar Music
  Polar Music is a Swedish record company founded in 1963 by Stig Anderson and his friend Bengt Bernhag. The first act that it signed was the Hootenanny Singers featuring Björn Ulvaeus. Polar eventually gained prosperity producing Ulvæus' next group, international superstars ABBA...
  
   POLS 284 (Scandinavia)
• 1978 RCA Records
  RCA Records
  RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
  
   VPL1 4118 (Australia)
• 1979 Polar Music POLS 300 (Scandinavia, re-release including "Satellit" and "Satellite")
• 1979 Epic Records
  Epic Records
  Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
  
   83653 (UK, re-release including "Satellite")
• 1979 Polydor Records
  Polydor Records
  Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
  
  2344 121 (West Germany, The Netherlands & Portugal, re-release including "Satellite")
• 1979 Carnaby (Spain, re-release including "Satellite")
• 1979 Discomate DSP 5111 (Japan, re-release including "Satellite")

External links and sources

• Billboard magazine discography entry. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/discography/index.jsp?JSESSIONID=12qgJN7MMRxyLgwmQyr55BCYRTLpgSl8pXRmRNrMVtWpJJGBJBB0!1164633334&pid=63092&aid=43166
• Eirik Wangberg's official site. http://www.eirikwangberg.com/
• Detailed Ted Gärdestad discography http://www.bluedesert.dk/gardestad.html
• Artist Direct biography http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/store/artist/album/0,,173397,00.html
• MSN Music biography http://music.msn.com/album/?album=10047566
• Allmusic biography and discography []