Signs of Life (Billy Squier album)
Signs of Life is the fourth studio album by American musician Billy Squier. It was co-produced by Meat Loaf's famed songwriter Jim Steinman, replacing Reinhold Mack, who had produced Squier's previous two hit records, Don't Say No (1981) and Emotions In Motion (1982), as well as Queen's The Game (1980).
| Signs of Life | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July, 1984 | |||
| Recorded | April 28, 1984 - June 16, 1984 | |||
| Genre | Hard rock, pop rock, progressive rock | |||
| Length | 49:46 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Billy Squier chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Signs of Life | ||||
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| Review scores | |
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| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
The album's best known song, "Rock Me Tonite", was his best charting hit and second #1 single in the Mainstream Rock charts (holding the top spot for two weeks), but is also known for its notorious video which didn’t conform to standard gender roles or expectations of masculinity at the time. The perceived challenge to Squier’s image as a guitar-playing rocker is often regarded one of the main reasons for Squier's subsequent popularity decline as well as one of the worst music videos in the history of MTV; in the book I Want My MTV is a whole chapter dedicated to it.
Commercial and critical reception
Signs of Life was released to great anticipation and became his third-in-a-row platinum selling record. It debuted at #61 on the Billboard 200, becoming his highest debut on the chart. The album ended up narrowly missing the Top 10 and peaked at #11[2], thus making his previous two efforts Squier's only Top 10 albums.
Apart from its lead single's music video, the album's elaborated production with heavy usage of synthesizers as well as poppier songwriting divided Squier's audience and critics in the time of its release and also replaced good chunk of his rock audience to pop fans. In a two-star review, AllMusic's Mike DeGagne felt the album lacking the "over-the-top approach Squier usually adds to his music".[3] However, nowadays the album stands as a strong cult favorite despite its reputation as a "career killer".
Track listing
All tracks are written by Billy Squier.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "All Night Long" | 4:51 |
| 2. | "Rock Me Tonite" | 4:56 |
| 3. | "Eye on You" | 4:42 |
| 4. | "Take a Look Behind Ya" | 5:03 |
| 5. | "Reach For the Sky" | 5:34 |
| 6. | "(Another) 1984" | 4:56 |
| 7. | "Fall For Love" | 4:52 |
| 8. | "Can't Get Next to You" | 4:36 |
| 9. | "Hand-Me-Downs" | 4:22 |
| 10. | "Sweet Release" | 6:15 |
| Total length: | 49:46 | |
Personnel
- Billy Squier - lead vocals, guitars, keyboards, synthesizers, production
- Jeff Golub - guitars, slide guitar
- Alan St. Jon - keyboards, synthesizers
- Doug Lubahn - bass guitar, backing vocals
- Bobby Chouinard - drums
Featured musicians
- Larry Fast - synthesizers
- Jimmy Maelen - percussion
- Eric Troyer and Rory Dodd - additional vocals on "Fall for Love" and "Reach for the Sky"
- Brian May - guitar solo on "(Another) 1984"
- Alfa Anderson - additional vocals on "(Another) 1984"
Production
- Billy Squier: Producer
- Jim Steinman: Producer
- John Jansen: Production Assistant
- Tony Platt: Engineer
- Gary Rindfuss: Assistant Engineer
- J.B. Moore: Mixing
- Anjali Dutt: Tape Operator
- George Marino: Mastering
- Bill Smith: Cover Art Design & Illustration
- John Van Hamersveld: Rear Cover Collage & Inner Sleeve Design[4]
References
- Allmusic Review
- "Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
- "Signs of Life - Billy Squier | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
- LP liner notes