The Tale of the Tape
The Tale of the Tape is the debut studio album by American rock musician Billy Squier.[1] It was his first solo album, following two albums with the band Piper. Despite not being a huge success, the disc spent three months on Billboard's album chart and helped to kickstart Squier's solo career.
| The Tale of the Tape | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 1980 | |||
| Recorded | 1979–1980 | |||
| Studio | Eddy Offord's remote studio, Woodstock, New York | |||
| Genre | Rock, hard rock | |||
| Length | 37:24 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Producer | Billy Squier, Eddy Offord | |||
| Billy Squier chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Okayplayer |    link |
| Allmusic | link |
Although no songs from the album reached the charts, the song "The Big Beat" has been notably sampled by hip hop artists, including Run-D.M.C.'s "Here We Go", Big Daddy Kane's "Ain't No Half Steppin'", Jay-Z's "99 Problems", Dizzee Rascal's "Fix Up, Look Sharp", U.T.F.O's "Roxanne, Roxanne" and Alicia Keys' "Girl on Fire".[2] The song also featured a pre-MTV music video.
Critical reception
In a May 10, 1980 Billboard review, the writer expressed a hope that Billy Squier would be able to realize his potential with this album, which he did not fulfill with Piper. It quantified that it "fits nicely in a set with Journey and Styx."[3]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Billy Squier, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Big Beat" | 3:36 | |
| 2. | "Calley Oh" | 4:05 | |
| 3. | "Rich Kid" | 4:39 | |
| 4. | "Like I'm Lovin' You" | 3:07 | |
| 5. | "Who Knows What a Love Can Do" | Billy Squier, Fred St. John | 3:39 |
| 6. | "You Should Be High Love" | Billy Squier, Desmond Child | 4:14 |
| 7. | "Who's Your Boyfriend" | 3:34 | |
| 8. | "The Music's All Right" | 5:46 | |
| 9. | "Young Girls" | 4:08 | |
| Total length: | 37:24 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 10. | "The Music's All Right" (original acoustic demo) | |
| 11. | "Young Girls" (abbreviated acoustic demo) |
Personnel
- Billy Squier - Vocals, Guitar, Percussion
- Bruce Kulick - Guitar
- David Sancious - Keyboards, Synthesizers
- Richard T. Bear - Keyboards
- Bucky Ballard - Bass
- Bobby Chouinard - Drums
- Ernest Carter - Percussion
- Woodstock Children's Chorus - Ellen Todd, Conductor
Production
- Produced by Billy Squier & Eddy Offord
- Engineered and mixed by Eddy Offord & Rob Davis
- Mastered by Wally Traugott
- All songs published by Songs Of The Knight (BMI), except "Who's Your Boyfriend" (Songs Of The Knight/Bomass Music Corp.), "Who Knows What A Love Can Do" (Songs Of The Knight/Hostel Music), and "You Should Be High, Love" (Songs Of The Knight/Desmobile Music Company).
References
- Strong, Martin C. "The Great Metal Discography." Canongate Books Ltd. Edinburgh, Scotland. 1998. p. 315
- Samples of The Big Beat by Billy Squier | WhoSampled
- "Review: Billy Squier — The Tale of the Tape" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 85, no. 19. 10 May 1980. p. 77. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 31 May 2020 – via American Radio History.