Book of Love (album)

Infobox Album |
Name = Book of Love
Type = Album
Artist = Book of Love


Released = start date|1986|4|1
Recorded = Unique Recording, NYC
Sigma Sound Studios, NYC
Genre = Rock, New Wave, Synthpop
Length = 72:50
Label = Sire
Producer = Ivan Ivan
Reviews =
*Allmusic rating|4|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:kifoxqq5ldje link]
Last album =
This album = "Book of Love" (1986)
Next album = "Lullaby" (1988)

"Book of Love" is the self-titled debut studio album by American synthpop and dance music band Book of Love, released on April 1, 1986 by Sire Records. Vocalists Ted and Susan Ottaviano, not related, wrote the album's music and lyrics.

Music

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based synthpop quartet Book of Love recorded "Boy" in 1985, a toe-tapping tale of teen-girl angst. The song was given to disc jockey Ivan Ivan, who forwarded it to Sire Records president Seymour Stein. Stein subsequently signed the group to his label and "Boy" soon became a hit on dance charts in the United States.Citation
first = Michael
last = Sutton
title = Allmusic - Book of Love Overview
publisher = "Allmusic"
url = http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:fifrxqw5ldde
accessdate = 2008-08-01.] "Boy" featured bells ringing over a skip-along beat.

"Book of Love" was released as an LP album on April 1, 1986 with twelve tracks, featuring a mixture of memorable melodies and intriguing lyrics. Vocalist and keyboardist Ted Ottaviano explained "I've always believed people's aesthetics are based more on what they don't know than what they do know,...We had great instincts, and wanted to say what we did as swiftly and simply as we could."Citation
first = Kurt B.
last = Reighley
title = Who the Hell was Book of Love
publisher = "Resonance Magazine"
issue = 26]

Ted and Susan Ottaviano, who had been art school students, drew on inspirations such as Italian-American painter Amedeo Modigliani with the single "Modigliani (Lost in Your Eyes)", and covered "Die Matrosen" by Swiss band LiLiPUT.

In a March 2001 interview, Ted Ottaviano explained how the band attracted to a gay audience. "Even with our first hit, `Boy,' the song was really about a bigger idea. It was about feeling different, wanting to be a part of something, and making your own way in spite of that."Citation
first = Margaret
last = Coble
title = Interview with musician Ted Ottaviano
publisher = "The Advocate"
url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1589/is_2001_March_13/ai_71763699?tag=content;col1
publication-date = March 13, 2001
accessdate = 2008-08-01]

Release and reception

"Book of Love" was released on April 1, 1986. The album itself did not chart, receiving little attention among the large number of New Wave and Synthpop albums at the time. Four of the album's tracks were released as singles, which charted successfully on the "Billboard" Hot Dance Club Play and Hot Dance Singles Sales charts in the US. In 1986, "Modigliani (Lost in Your Eyes)" became as popular as New Order and Depeche Mode singles in clubs at its peak.Citation
first = David
last = Medsker
title = White Label Friday: Book of Love, “Modigliani (Lost in Your Eyes)”
publisher = "Popdose"
url = http://popdose.com/white-label-friday-book-of-love-“modigliani-lost-in-your-eyes”/
publication-date = February 15, 2008
accessdate = 2008-08-01] The four minute "Requiem Mass" remixed version of "Modigliani (Lost in Your Eyes)" was featured in an episode of "Miami Vice" on November 6, 1987, [Tivnan, Edward (writer) & Eliasberg, Jan (director). "God's Work". "Miami Vice", NBC. Episode 74, season 4. Aired on November 6, 1987.] and the original single was featured in the 1987 film "Planes, Trains and Automobiles". [Citation
title = Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987) - Soundtrack
publisher = IMDB
url = http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093748/soundtrack
accessdate = 2008-08-01]

Track listing

# "Modigliani (Lost in Your Eyes)" – 4:01
# "You Make Me Feel So Good" - 4:02
# "Still Angry" - 3:23
# "White Lies" - 3:53
# "Lost Souls" - 4:52
# "Late Show" - 3:38
# "I Touch Roses" - 3:26
# "Yellow Sky" - 4:44
# "Boy" - 2:59
# "Happy Day" - 2:32
# "Die Matrosen"✝ - 3:06
# "Book of Love" - 4:35
#:
#;Bonus tracks on 1990 CD release
# "Modigliani (Lost in Your Eyes)" - 7:45
# "Modigliani (Requiem Mass)" - 4:02
# "You Make Me Feel So Good (Flutter Mix)" - 6:05
# "I Touch Roses (Long Stemmed Version)" - 5:46
# "Boy (Extended Mix)" - 4:28

✝ Originally recorded by Swiss band LiLiPUT.

Personnel

* Ted Ottaviano – Keyboards, Backing Vocals, Melodica
* Jade Lee – Keyboards, Backing Vocals, Percussion [Electronic, Acoustic]
* Lauren Roselli – Keyboards, Backing Vocals
* Susan Ottaviano – Vocals

Additional personnel:
* Ivan Ivan – production
* Ted Jensen – mastering
* Steve Peck – engineering
* Michael Halsband - photography
* Jade Lee – wrote tracks 1, 6, 13, 14
* Susan Ottaviano – wrote tracks 1–4, 8, 10, 13–15
* Ted Ottaviano – wrote all tracks except 11
* Jim Dougherty – mixed tracks 2, 4, 8

Chart positions

Singles

"—" denotes a release that did not chart.

References

External links

* [http://www.bookoflovemusic.com/page.php?pageTitle=discography Official Book of Love discography]
* [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:kifoxqq5ldje Book of Love] on Allmusic.com
* [http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=60728814 Book of Love] on MySpace