Dooleys was the first UK album by British pop group The Dooleys

The Dooleys

The Dooleys were a United Kingdom male–female pop group comprising eight members — six of them family members — at their peak. They achieved several UK chart hits between 1977 and 1981 including top-ten hits "Wanted", "Love of My Life" and "The Chosen Few"....

. It was released in 1978.

Background

The Dooleys had been a recording act for four years by this point, but it wasn't until mid 1977 when they scored their first chart hit with "Think I'm Gonna Fall in Love With You", which reached the UK top 20. Follow-up single "Love of My Life" became a top 10 hit, while "Don't Take it Lyin' Down" was also a minor hit. The group then released this, their first studio album. (They had released an earlier album in Russia, which was a live album recorded while they toured there, and had sold well.)) Despite three hit singles, the album failed to chart. After its release, another single was taken from it; "A Rose Has to Die", which also was a top 20 success, peaking at No.11. The album was mainly produced by Ben Findon, who would go on to be songwriter and producer for the group for a few more years and would guide them through their hit-making period. The album also included "Hands Across the Sea", which had been The Dooleys first ever single back in 1974, and had also been an entry into A Song for Europe

A Song for Europe

A Song for Europe may refer to:*A Song for Europe, former name of British pre-selection competition for the Eurovision Song Contest, now known as Eurovision: Your Country Needs You...

 that year, performed by Olivia Newton John. "A Rose Has to Die" and "Stone Walls" were previously recorded by South African singer, Dennis East, the former also having been recorded by UK group The Ryders, while "What's Gonna Happen to Our Love" had been recorded by Billy Ocean

Billy Ocean

Billy Ocean is a Trinidad-born English Grammy Award winning popular music performer who had a string of rhythm and blues international pop hits in the 1970s and 1980s. He was the most popular British-based R&B singer / songwriter of the early to mid-1980s...

.

Soon after the release of the album, the group's younger sister, Helen Dooley joined the line-up, after having contributed to the writing of one of this album's tracks.

Dooleys was released on Compact disc

Compact Disc

The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...

 for the first time on 14 September 2009 in a double-pack with The Chosen Few

The Chosen Few (The Dooleys album)

The Chosen Few is a 1979 album by British pop group The Dooleys.The album contains the singles "Chosen Few" and "Wanted" - both of which were top 10 hits. "Wanted" had already appeared on the group's previous album, The Best of The Dooleys, but appeared here in a slightly extended version...

.

Track listing

Side one

1. "Love of My Life" (Findon Myers) 3.06
2. "Absolutely Wild Over You" (Findon / Myers) 2.48
3. "Dont Let Me Be the Last to Know" (Findon / Myers) 3.40
4. "A Rose Has to Die" (Findon) 2.43
5. "Better Off Without You" (Findon / Myers) 3.38
6. "Hands Across the Sea" (Findon / Wilkins) 3.23

Side two

1. "Think I'm Gonna Fall in Love With You" (Findon / Myers) 3.04
2. "Stone Walls" (Findon / Wilkins) 3.03
3. "What's Gonna Happen to Our Love" (Findon / Wilkins) 3.02
4. "You Make My Heart Beat Faster" (Findon / Wilkins) 3.02
5. "Forever" (Dooleys / Myers / H. Dooley) 3.18
6. "Don't Take It Lying Down" (Findon / Myers) 3.24

CD Bonus tracks

1. "Goodbye Hallelujah Island" (The Dooleys) 2.48
2. "Only You Can Get Me By" (J. Dooley / B. Walsh) 2.45
3. "Hungry for Love" (Findon / Myers) 2.46

Personnel

• Jim Dooley - vocals
• Anne Dooley - vocals
• Kathy Dooley - vocals
• John Dooley - Guitar and vocals
• Frank Dooley - Guitar and vocals
• Bob Walsh - Bass guitar
• Alan Bogan - Drums

• Ben Findon - Producer
• Mike Myers - Assistant producer
• Tom Parker - Orchestration
• George Nicholson - Engineer
• Simon Wakefield - Engineer
• Recorded at Morgan Studios
  Morgan Studios
  Morgan Studios, also known as Morgan Sound Studios, were recording studios in Willesden, North London. The studios were notable for many recordings of the 1960s and 1970s by many British bands and artists such as Ten Years After, Yes, The Kinks, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Joan Armatrading, Cat...
  
  , London