Falling (Blue Peter album)
Encyclopedia
Falling was the second full-length album
by the Toronto
-based new wave
band Blue Peter
. Coming on the heels of Up To You
, their successful 1982 EP
, Steve Nye
was selected to produce their next album, which included the hit song, "Don't Walk Past". Nye's production emphasized keyboards over guitars, and drew comparisons with his work with Roxy Music
and Japan
.
on Ready Records
, Falling peaked nationally at 64 (where it stayed for three weeks) on the Canadian Albums Chart
, and was ranked 25th on Toronto radio station CFNY's Top 83 of 1983 chart. The biggest single
from Falling was "Don't Walk Past", known for its jangly guitar riff
, and CFNY ranked the song at 92 in its Best 102 Of The Decade in January 1990. The video
for "Don't Walk Past", directed by Rob Quartly
, was inspired by the then-recent film Blade Runner
and became the first from a Canadian indie
label to get played on MTV
in the United States
. The video also won awards including "Best Video of 1983" from the Canadian Film and Television Association, and was ranked at 85 on MuchMusic
's Top Videos of The Century list.
Additional personnel:
Side 1:
1. "Falling" (4:30)
2. "Don't Walk Past" (4:27)
3. "Red Filters" (4:05)
4. "All Your Time" (4:32)
5. "Unchained Heart" (4:00) (Sniderman)
Side 2:
6. "Head Over Heels" (3:57)
7. "Pendulum" (4:02)
8. "Burning Bridges" (3:55)
9. "Right Stuff" (3:55) (Wardman, Joudrey and Kevin Doyle)
10. "Newsreel" (4:42)
in 1984, and, in some cases, completed with additional parts added in 1996 by Humphrey and Joudrey. The Vertigo tracks were produced by Blue Peter and Kevin Doyle. Songs were written by Chris Wardman, except where noted:
Additional tracks
11. "Water off the Moon" (4:54)
12. "Night Duty" (4:33) (Wardman, Sniderman)
13. "Throw It Down" (4:33)
14. "Lap of Luxury" (4:45)
15. "Equalizer" (4:26) (Wardman, Sniderman)
16. "Vertigo" (4:35)
17. "Steal Away" (3:33) (Wardman, Sniderman)
18. "Into the Parade" (4:45) (Wardman, Sniderman)
LP record
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
by the Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
-based new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
band Blue Peter
Blue Peter (band)
Blue Peter was a Canadian new wave synthpop founded in 1978 in Markham, Ontario by Chris Wardman and Paul Humphrey. In their heyday, Blue Peter opened for major international acts such as The Police and Simple Minds...
. Coming on the heels of Up To You
Up To You (Blue Peter EP)
Up To You was an EP by the Toronto-based New Wave band Blue Peter. Released in 1982, it included the single "Chinese Graffiti", which garnered the band their biggest radio exposure to date, winning a CASBY Award for Single Of The Year...
, their successful 1982 EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, Steve Nye
Steve Nye
Steve Nye is a music producer for several artists. Some of his better known artists include Bryan Ferry , Penguin Cafe Orchestra, XTC , Japan , David Sylvian , Clannad, TM Network, Scary Thieves , as...
was selected to produce their next album, which included the hit song, "Don't Walk Past". Nye's production emphasized keyboards over guitars, and drew comparisons with his work with Roxy Music
Roxy Music
Roxy Music was a British art rock band formed in 1971 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eddie Jobson...
and Japan
Japan (band)
Japan were a British New Wave group, formed in 1974 in Catford, South London. The band achieved success in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when they were often associated with the burgeoning New Romantic fashion movement .- History :The band began as a group of friends...
.
Reception
Released in the spring of 19831983 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1983.-January-April:*January – ZTT Records is founded.*January 8 – The UK singles chart is tabulated from this week forward by The Gallup Organization...
on Ready Records
Ready Records
Ready Records was a small but influential independent record label based out of Toronto, Canada that signed a number of New Wave and Indie rock bands from the early to mid-1980s. Focusing primarily on local Toronto-area talent, it released 7" and 12" singles, LPs and cassettes...
, Falling peaked nationally at 64 (where it stayed for three weeks) on the Canadian Albums Chart
Canadian Albums Chart
The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS...
, and was ranked 25th on Toronto radio station CFNY's Top 83 of 1983 chart. The biggest single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
from Falling was "Don't Walk Past", known for its jangly guitar riff
RIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
, and CFNY ranked the song at 92 in its Best 102 Of The Decade in January 1990. The video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Don't Walk Past", directed by Rob Quartly
Rob Quartly
Robert "Rob" Quartly is a Canadian music video, television and commercial director. During the 1980s, Quartly produced numerous Juno award-winning music videos for artists including Corey Hart, Gowan, Platinum Blonde and Rush....
, was inspired by the then-recent film Blade Runner
Blade Runner
Blade Runner is a 1982 American science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. The screenplay, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is loosely based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K...
and became the first from a Canadian indie
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
label to get played on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The video also won awards including "Best Video of 1983" from the Canadian Film and Television Association, and was ranked at 85 on MuchMusic
MuchMusic
MuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...
's Top Videos of The Century list.
Personnel
Blue Peter:- Paul Humphrey - vocals
- Ric Joudrey - bassBass (instrument)Bass describes musical instruments that produce tones in the low-pitched range. They belong to different families of instruments and can cover a wide range of musical roles...
- Jason SnidermanJason SnidermanJason Sniderman is a Canadian musician and businessman. He was one of the chief executives of Sam the Record Man, which was established by his father, Sam Sniderman.-Music career:...
- keyboards, percussion, programming - Owen Tennyson - drums
- Chris WardmanChris WardmanChris Wardman is a Canadian music producer, musician and songwriter. Wardman was a founding member of Blue Peter, and was their lead guitarist and main contributing songwriter. Wardman was also a member of Breeding Ground in the late 1980s. Wardman has been actively producing albums for many...
- guitars, keyboards, programming
Additional personnel:
- Leslie Howitt - backing vocals on "Don't Walk Past"
- Matt Zimball - congas on "Unchained Heart"
Track listing
All songs written by Chris Wardman, except where noted:Side 1:
1. "Falling" (4:30)
2. "Don't Walk Past" (4:27)
3. "Red Filters" (4:05)
4. "All Your Time" (4:32)
5. "Unchained Heart" (4:00) (Sniderman)
Side 2:
6. "Head Over Heels" (3:57)
7. "Pendulum" (4:02)
8. "Burning Bridges" (3:55)
9. "Right Stuff" (3:55) (Wardman, Joudrey and Kevin Doyle)
10. "Newsreel" (4:42)
Re-issue
In 2007, Falling was re-issued by Universal Music Canada, combined with Vertigo, a collection of previously unreleased material. The additional eight songs were recorded as demosDemo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
in 1984, and, in some cases, completed with additional parts added in 1996 by Humphrey and Joudrey. The Vertigo tracks were produced by Blue Peter and Kevin Doyle. Songs were written by Chris Wardman, except where noted:
Additional tracks
11. "Water off the Moon" (4:54)
12. "Night Duty" (4:33) (Wardman, Sniderman)
13. "Throw It Down" (4:33)
14. "Lap of Luxury" (4:45)
15. "Equalizer" (4:26) (Wardman, Sniderman)
16. "Vertigo" (4:35)
17. "Steal Away" (3:33) (Wardman, Sniderman)
18. "Into the Parade" (4:45) (Wardman, Sniderman)