Lite Me Up is a pop album with a strong disco-funk feel by Herbie Hancock. It was Hancock's twenty-eighth album and first release without producer David Rubinson since 1969. On this album, Hancock was influenced by his long-time friend, producer Quincy Jones and sessions included many musicians associated with Jones including songwriter Rod Temperton, and Steve Lukather and Jeff Porcaro of Toto.Pitman, Jed. The Invisible Man: The Rod Temperton Story (2022), pp. 145-150 The album was the first on which Hancock played the Synclavier, a digital polyphonic synthesizer.
Track listing
Personnel Musicians Herbie Hancock – lead vocals (4, 5), background vocals (1–3, 6–8), lead vocoder vocal (3, 7–8), Fender Rhodes, Clavitar, Yamaha CS-80, Moog Source, Mini Moog, Waves Mini Moog, Prophet 5, ARP 2600, ARP Odyssey, Emu digital keyboard, Oberheim 8-voice synthesizer, Roland Jupiter-8, Hohner Clavinet, Sennheiser vocoder, Synclavier digital synthesizer, Linn Drum synthesizer, piano
John Robinson – drums (1–3, 6–8) Jeff Porcaro – drums (4) Narada Michael Walden – drums (5), arrangements (5) Louis Johnson – bass (1–3, 6–8) Abraham Laboriel – bass (4) Randy Jackson – bass (5) Steve Lukather – guitar (1) David Williams – guitar (2, 3, 6–8) Jay Graydon – guitar (4) Corrado Rustici – guitar (5) Michael Boddicker – synthesizer (3), additional synthesizer programming (2, 3, 6) David Foster – acoustic piano (4), background vocal and keyboard arrangements (4) Rick Kelly – Synclavier programming (4) Frank Martin – synthesizers (5) Jerry Hey – trumpet and flugelhorn (1–3, 5–8), horn arrangements (1–4, 6–8), string arrangements (1, 3, 6–8) "The Dr. Negroidal" – trumpet (1–3, 5–8) Chuck Findley – trumpet and trombone (1–3, 5–8) Bill Reichenbach Jr. – trombone (1–3, 5–8) Gary Herbig – saxophone and woodwinds (1–3, 5–8) Larry Williams – saxophone and woodwinds (1–3, 5–8) Wayne Anthony – lead vocals (1, 2, 6, 7) Patti Austin – background vocals (1–3, 6–8) Jim Gilstrap – background vocals (1–3, 5–8) Paulette Williams – background vocals (1–3, 6–8) John Lehman – background vocals (1–3, 5–8) Edie Lehmann – background vocals (1–3, 6–8) Bill Champlin – background vocals (4) Richard Page – background vocals (4) Venette Gloud – background vocals (4) Scherrie Payne – background vocals (5) Linda Lawrence – background vocals (5) Patrice Rushen – vocoder vocals (8) Rod Temperton – rhythm and vocal arrangements (1–3, 6–8)
Technical
Herbie Hancock – producer (1–3, 6–8) Jay Graydon – producer (4), engineer [vocal track] (4) Narada Michael Walden – producer (5) George Massenburg – engineer, mixing, engineer [keyboard overdubs and background vocals] (4) Leslie Ann Jones – engineer [basic track] (4) Ron Pendragon – additional engineering, engineer [keyboard overdubs and background vocals] (4) Murray Dvorkin – second engineer, second engineer [keyboard overdubs and background vocals] (4) Barbara Rooney – second engineer Robert Spano – second engineer Sarco – second engineer [basic track] (4), second engineer [background vocals and additional keyboard overdubs] (5) Ian Eales – second engineer [vocal track] (4) Ken Kessie – engineer and mixing (5) Maureen Droney – second engineer [basic track and overdubs] (5) Wayne Lewis – second engineer [basic track and overdubs] (5) David Frazer – second engineer [basic track and overdubs] (5) Tony Meilandt – associate producer Bryan Bell – keyboard engineer Lee Ethier – keyboard engineer Mike Reese – mastering Mick Haggerty – front cover design Kaz Tsuruta – back cover photography
References