Light and Shade is the fourth studio album by Norwegian new wave band Fra Lippo Lippi.
It was recorded in Los Angeles, California and produced by Walter Becker of Steely Dan fame. The recording was said to cost . The music was chiefly recorded by studio musicians, on the request of Becker. Talking to Morgenbladet, the group said: "We are not that stupid as to say 'Sorry, if we can't play, the deal is off'. We took a pretty pragmatic stance towards the recording as such. Why should Rune spend an entire day doing a bass line that could be done by someone else in less than two others? We were the bank of ideas, our music was being recorded and we were in full control all the way". They aimed for a total sale of 300,000–400,000 albums.
Following the success of the 1985 album Songs, Virgin Records had the band work on a follow-up album with the United States as its intended target market. The first single, "Angel" received moderate airplay on a radio station in Los Angeles. However, during this time, the US arm of Virgin Records dropped several artists off their roster – Fra Lippo Lippi being one of them. Frustrated by the album's failure to capture the US market, the band parted ways with Virgin Records in 1988.
Reception Aftenposten called Light and Shade "one of the best records by Norwegian performers I have ever heard". Several songs were classics.Review by Tor Marcussen, Aftenposten 16 September 1987, p. 7 The album also received positive reviews with 4 stars in Bergens Arbeiderblad and Tønsbergs Blad,Review by Harald Vikøyr, Bergens Arbeiderblad 22 September 1987, p. 31Review by Thor Johan Hallin, Tønsbergs Blad 18 September 1987, p. 13 and elsewhere in Stavanger Aftenblad, Fædrelandsvennen and Fredriksstad Blad.Review by Tarald Aano, Stavanger Aftenblad 15. september 1987, p. 19Review by , Fædrelandsvennen 22 September 1987, p. 8Review by Terje Carlsen, Fredriksstad Blad 22 September 1987, p. 27
According to Bergens Tidende, it was "good pop", but "boring". The band would "thoroughly fall through with his product".Review by Tron Strand, Bergens Tidende 16. september 1987, p. 76 Adresseavisen found the band "more boring than on Songs".Review by "demo", Adresseavisen 23 September 1987, p. 15
Nordlandsposten gave 2 1/2 stars, asking if this was "the disappointment of the year?" and with "not a single hit song".Review by Rune Slyngstad, Nordlandsposten 16 September 1987, p. 12 Østlendingen only gave 2 stars, calling the music "bottom of the barrel".Review by Per Magnussen, Østlendingen 18 September 1987, p. 27
In the Norwegian music press, Kjetil Rolness called the album "a blurred-out copy of American mainstream music", with "too weak tunes".Review by Kjetil Rolness, Nye Takter/Arbeiderbladet 16 September 1987, p. 6 Eirik Mosveen of Beat characterized the album as "almost unbelieveably boring", with a passive and limp soundscape, "anonymous" songwriting and the vocals being a "monotonous, lifeless manifestation of nothing".Review by Eirik Mosveen, Beat no. 9, 1987, p. 52 of Puls magazine stated that "Light and Shade''' is lost in a no-man's land of toothlessness". The songwriting, arrangements, musicianship, lyrics and vocals were all "indifferent".Review by , Puls no. [?], 1987, p.
Charts and awards On the Norwegian VG-lista, the album charted for three weeks and peaked at number 15.
The album was nominated for "pop album of the year" during the 1987 Spellemann Award, but lost out to Tomboy's Back to the Beat''.
Track listing "Angel" "Freedom" "Don't Take Away That Light" "Beauty and Madness" "Home" "Light and Shade" "Some People" "Crazy Wisdom" "Stardust Motel" "Indifference"
Personnel Rune Kristoffersen – bass Per Øystein Sørensen – vocals, keyboards Walter Becker – guitar Tim Weston – guitar Dean Parks – guitar Mark Morgan – keyboards Robbie Buchanan – keyboards Mark Isham – trumpet Tom Scott – saxophone Jimmy Haslip – bass Jimmy Johnson – bass Abraham Laboriel – bass Leroy Clouden – drums Claude Pepper – drums Jeff Porcaro – drums Carlos Vega – drums Paulinho da Costa – percussion
References