Dreamland (Black Box album)

Dreamland is the debut studio album by the Italian music group Black Box. It was released on May 8, 1990 through RCA Records, and was preceded in 1989 by the international hit single "Ride on Time". The album was certified Gold in both the United States and the United Kingdom. The album is mostly remembered today for the song "Ride On Time" and the ensuing lawsuits by Loleatta Holloway and Martha Wash over their lack of proper credit and payment for their vocal contributions to the album.

Dreamland
Studio album by
Black Box
ReleasedMay 8, 1990
RecordedNovember 1988–September 1989
Genre
Length40:41
LabelRCA
ProducerGroove Groove Melody
Black Box chronology
Dreamland
(1990)		 Mixed Up
(1991)
Singles from Dreamland
  1. "Ride on Time"
    Released: July 19, 1989
  2. "I Don't Know Anybody Else"
    Released: December 18, 1989
  3. "Everybody Everybody"
    Released: March 15, 1990
  4. "Fantasy"
    Released: 1990
  5. "Strike It Up"
    Released: February 6, 1991
  6. "Open Your Eyes"
    Released: 1991
  7. "Hold On"
    Released: 1992
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]

Background

When the album was originally released, the credits listed the band members as Daniele Davoli, Mirko Limoni and Valerio Semplici (as the producers, songwriters and musicians), as well as Katrin Quinol on vocals. "Ride on Time" had been released as a single prior to the album's release, and singer-songwriter Dan Hartman and singer Loleatta Holloway had threatened to sue Black Box, as well as label RCA, claiming that the song contained heavy sampling of an earlier recording by the two (the 1980 number-one dance club hit "Love Sensation"), although no credit had been given to them upon the release of the single. Subsequently, Hartman was given songwriting credit for this track, and Holloway was listed as the featured vocalist prior to the release of the album. However, American singer Martha Wash actually sang the lead vocals on six of the other eight tracks on the album, although she was not credited in any way. The songs sung by Wash are: "Everybody Everybody"; "I Don't Know Anybody Else"; "Open Your Eyes"; "Fantasy"; "Hold On"; and "Strike It Up". Many of these songs were released as singles and achieved significant success on radio airplay and dance charts across the world. Wash claimed in a lawsuit filed soon after the success of the album's release that she was paid a flat fee as a "session singer" to record demos of the tracks that would eventually appear on the album, but that those songs would be re-recorded with a different vocalist. She reached a settlement with RCA Records that led to her recording contract with the label, as well as an undisclosed monetary compensation.[3] The legal action by Wash and Holloway spurred legislation in the United States making vocal credits mandatory on albums and music videos.

Track listing

All tracks written and produced by Daniele Davoli, Mirko Limoni and Valerio Semplici (Copyright: Lombardoni Edizioni Musicali, admin. by Intersong USA) except where noted

  1. "Everybody Everybody" (vocals by Martha Wash) – 5:24*
  2. "I Don't Know Anybody Else" (vocals by Wash) – 4:36
  3. "Open Your Eyes" (vocals by Wash) – 5:21
  4. "Fantasy" (Eduardo del Barrio, Maurice White, Verdine White; vocals by Wash) – 5:14
  5. "Dreamland" – 2:03
  6. "Ride on Time" (Davoli, Limoni, Semplici, Dan Hartman; vocals by Loleatta Holloway; reissue vocals by Heather Small) – 4:37
  7. "Hold On" (vocals by Wash) – 5:38
  8. "Ghost Box" – 3:57
  9. "Strike It Up" (vocals by Wash) – 5:15

*American and Canadian editions of the album have the Le Freak Mix 7" Edit of this song, which is 4:09 in length

Personnel

Black Box
  • Daniele Davoli – DJ, scratching, keyboards, backing vocals
  • Mirko Limoni – keyboards
  • Valerio Semplici – guitar, drum programming

Vocalists

Additional musicians
  • Roberto Fontalan – guitar
  • Sauro Malavasi – guitar
  • Rudy Trevisi – saxophone, soloist
  • Raimondo Violi – bass, guitar

Production
  • Arranged by Daniele Davoli, Mirko Limoni and Valerio Semplici
  • Produced by Black Box (credited as Groove Groove Melody)
  • Recorded, engineered and mixed by Daniele Davoli, Mirko Limoni and Valerio Semplici
  • Kate Garner – photography

Charts

Certifications
Country Certification Sales
Australia 2× Platinum 140,000
Canada 2× Platinum 200,000[19]
United Kingdom Gold 150,000
United States Gold 500,000

References
  1. http://www.allmusic.com/album/dreamland-mw0000315092
  2. AllMusic review
  3. Pareles, Jon (December 6, 1990). "Lawsuits Seek Truth In Music Labeling". The New York Times.
  4. "Australiancharts.com – Black Box – Dreamland". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  5. "Austriancharts.at – Black Box – Dreamland" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  6. "Dutchcharts.nl – Black Box – Dreamland" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  7. "Tous les "Chart Runs" de chaque Album classé (database)" (in French). infodisc.fr. Archived from the original on 22 June 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  8. "Offiziellecharts.de – Black Box – Dreamland" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  9. "Charts.nz – Black Box – Dreamland". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  10. "Norwegiancharts.com – Black Box – Dreamland". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  11. "Swedishcharts.com – Black Box – Dreamland". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  12. "Swisscharts.com – Black Box – Dreamland". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  13. "Black Box | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  14. "Black Box, TLP". Billboard. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  15. "Black Box, BLP". Billboard. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  16. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1990". Billboard. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  17. "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 1991". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  18. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1991". Billboard. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  19. Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA): Certification Results Archived April 12, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
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