Simple Mission
Simple Mission is the third album by the Canadian band Glass Tiger, released in 1991.[2][3]
| Simple Mission | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1991 | |||
| Recorded | 1990 | |||
| Studio | A&M Studios, Los Angeles, Sunset Sound Factory, Hollywood, and Distorto Studios, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 53:59 | |||
| Label | Capitol[1] | |||
| Producer | Tom Werman | |||
| Glass Tiger chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Simple Mission | ||||
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The single "My Town" features Rod Stewart on lead vocals alongside Alan Frew, and reached No. 33 on the UK, marking the band's second highest position in that country.[4][5] "Animal Heart" received a Juno Award nomination.[6] The album was certified platinum in Canada.[7]
Production
The album was produced mostly by Tom Werman.[8] Tony Thompson played drums on the majority of its tracks.[9] The band attempted to incorporate rock styles alongside its pop.[10]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Windsor Star | B[11] |
The Toronto Star wrote: "By the fourth or fifth listen, one senses the pure, unvarnished Glass Tiger, and that's a band still very much rooted in the ethos of mid-'70s arena-rock, a hybrid of your basic REO Speedwagon, Foreigner, Journey and Kansas."[9] The Windsor Star noted that the album "has a raunchier, gutsier sound on most of the tunes, a conscious effort on their part to emphasize guitar rather than keyboards."[11] The Edmonton Journal concluded that "every cut on this uneven effort is slathered with rackety electric guitar riffs and self-consciously aggressive vocals that ape everyone from Aerosmith's Steve Tyler to Corey Hart."[12]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Blinded" | Connelly, Frew, Dvoskin | 4:38 |
| 2. | "Animal Heart" | Connelly, Frew, Dvoskin | 3:50 |
| 3. | "Let's Talk" | Frew, Reid, Vallance | 4:23 |
| 4. | "Where Did Our Love Go" | Frew, Reid, Vallance | 4:31 |
| 5. | "My Town" | Connelly, Frew, Parker, Cregan | 4:49 |
| 6. | "The Rhythm of Your Love" | Connelly, Frew | 4:38 |
| 7. | "Spanish Slumber" | Frew, Reid | 1:29 |
| 8. | "Simple Mission" | Frew, Reid | 4:34 |
| 9. | "Stand or Fall" | Frew, Reid, Vallance, Sandford | 3:59 |
| 10. | "Rescued (By the Arms of Love)" | Frew, Parker, Washbrook | 4:16 |
| 11. | "One to One" | Frew, Reid, Vallance | 4:30 |
| 12. | "One Night Alone" | Frew, Reid, Vallance | 4:06 |
| 13. | "(She Said) Love Me Like a Man" | Frew, Reid, Vallance | 4:09 |
Produced by Tom Werman except:
- track 5, produced by Tom Werman and Jim Cregan
- track 7, produced by Sam Reid
- track 11, produced by Tom Werman and Jim Vallance
Personnel
Glass Tiger
- Al Connelly - guitars
- Wayne Parker - electric bass
- Sam Reid - keyboards
- Alan Frew - vocals
Additional musicians
- Drums: Tony Thompson (except tracks 4 and 6)
- Drums: John Keane (tracks 4 and 6)
- Backing vocals: Tom Kelly, Tommy Funderburk, Rique Franks, Jeff Scott Soto, Mark Free, Paul Rafferty
- Spanish voice: Maria Del Rey
- Vocals on "My Town": Rod Stewart
- Acoustic guitar on "My Town": Jim Cregan
- Additional guitars: Tim Pierce
- Additional keyboards on "One to One": Jim Vallance
- Saxophone solo on "Where Did Our Love Go": Gary Herbig
- Extra percussion: Alex Acuña
- String Arrangement on "Where Did Our Love Go": James Newton Howard
Production
- Associate Producer: Sam Reid
- Engineering: Eddie DeLena
- Mixing: Eddie DeLena and David Thoener
- Assistance: Neal Avron, Ed Goodreau, Greg Goldman, and Efren Herrera
- Additional Engineering: Neal Avron
- Recording: Jim Vallance
- Mastering: Stephen Marcussen (Precision Lacquer, Los Angeles)
References
- "A Simple Mission Turns Complicated". The Kitchener-Waterloo Record. 4 Apr 1991. p. C9.
- Kawchuk, Brent (27 Mar 1991). "Band puts boots to audience". Calgary Herald. p. D10.
- "Glass Tiger sharpens claws in musical makeover". The Gazette. Montreal. 5 Dec 1991. p. D16.
- Burliuk, Greg (20 Apr 1991). "Simple Mission Glass Tiger". Magazine. The Kingston Whig-Standard. p. 1.
- "Glass Tiger". Official Charts. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
- Rubinoff, Joel (24 Apr 1992). "Rough as Glass: Well-manicured Tiger a tame cat compared to raunchy Sass Jordan". The Kitchener-Waterloo Record. p. C7.
- "You Say It's Your Birthday: Wayne Parker of Glass Tiger". MTV News. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
- Barr, Greg (30 Mar 1991). "Glass Tiger back with new, sharper image". Ottawa Citizen. p. G1.
- MacInnis, Craig (6 Apr 1991). "McTiger bellyaches into the '90s". Toronto Star. p. J8.
- Sharp, Keith (2014). Music Express: The Rise, Fall & Resurrection of Canada's Music Magazine. Dundurn Press. p. 238.
- Jones, Owen (13 Apr 1991). "Pop". Windsor Star. p. C2.
- Metella, Helen (21 Apr 1991). "Simple Mission Glass Tiger". Edmonton Journal. p. D6.