Mask of Smiles is the third solo album by British rock singer-songwriter John Waite. It was released in mid-1985. The previous year, Waite's "Missing You" was a No. 1 hit.
There were two singles released from this disc. The first, "Every Step of the Way", was a No. 25 hit on Billboard's Hot 100, aided by a music video. The other single, "Welcome to Paradise", fared less well, peaking at No. 85 Pop. The album itself peaked at No. 36 on the Billboard album chart.
Track listing "Every Step of the Way" (John Waite, Ivan Král) – 4:09 "Laydown" (Waite) – 3:30 "Welcome to Paradise" (Waite) – 3:55 "Lust for Life" (Waite, John McCurry) – 3:02 "Ain't That Peculiar" (Smokey Robinson, Pete Moore, Marv Tarplin, Ronald White) – 3:07 "Just Like Lovers" (Waite, Tommy Mandel) – 4:29 "The Choice" (Waite) – 4:25 "You're the One" (Waite, Chuck Kentis) – 3:18 "No Brakes" (Waite) – 3:14
Personnel John Waite – vocals Tommy Mandel – keyboards, synthesizers Chuck Kentis – electric piano John McCurry – lead guitars "Bingo" – guitars, acoustic guitar, backing vocals Ritchie Fliegler – Rickenbacker 12-string guitar Johnny Thunders – guitars (10) Donnie Nossov – bass guitar Carmine Rojas – bass guitar Joey Vasta – bass guitar Alan Childs – drums Frankie LaRocka – drums, ash tray The Borneo Horns (Steve Elson and Stan Harrison) – horns Lenny Pickett – tenor sax solo (6) Melanie X (Melanie Burkett) – backing vocals (5)
Production John Waite – producer, mixing (1, 2, 6–9) Stephen Galfas – producer, engineer (1, 2, 6–9), mixing (1, 2, 6–9) Bingo – engineer (1, 2, 6–9) Gary Hellman – engineer (3–5) John Luongo – remixing (3–5) Gene Curtis – assistant engineer (1, 2, 6–9) Chris Isca – assistant engineer (1, 2, 6–9) Ken Steiger – assistant engineer (3–5) Frederick Galfas – studio assistant Tony Recascino – studio assistant George Marino – mastering at Sterling Sound (New York, NY). Henry Marquez – art direction Mick Haggerty – artwork, design Noriski Yokosuka – photography Maxine Van-Cliffe Arakawa – fashion coordinator Kansai Man – clothing AMI (Stephen Machat and Rick Smith) – management All Songs Published By House Of Cards (adm. Walk On Moon Music).
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