A Very Fine Love

Infobox Album |
Name = A Very Fine Love
Type = Album
Artist = Dusty Springfield


Released = June 20 1995 (US)
June 26 1995 (UK)
Recorded = Nashville, US,
January-April, 1994
Genre = Pop/Soul
Length = 41:01
Label = Columbia Records
Producer = Tom Shapiro
Last album = "Reputation"
(1990)
This album = "A Very Fine Love" (1995)
Next album = |

"A Very Fine Love" is the fifteenth studio album by singer Dusty Springfield, and thirteenth released. Recorded in 1994 and released in 1995 and produced by Tom Shapiro "A Very Fine Love" was a Columbia Records release, in both the US and UK, Springfield's first such simultaneous release since "Living Without Your Love" in 1979.

The album was originally tentatively called "Dusty in Nashville", to tie in with the 25th anniversary of Springfield's keynote work "Dusty in Memphis", but these plans later had to be shelved. "A Very Fine Love" was to be promoted by the TV documentary "Full Circle", a 90 minute career retrospective featuring British comediennes Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French interviewing Springfield in their inimitably irreverent way - Springfield herself was a big fan of French & Saunders' and their goonish sense of humour - as well as interviews with friends, fans and colleagues like the Pet Shop Boys' Neil Tennant, Dionne Warwick, Burt Bacharach, Elvis Costello and Martha Reeves, and footage from the recording of the upcoming Nashville album.

During the three months of recording of the album, Springfield often had bouts of laryngitis and other undiagnosed health issues. Upon returning to England, she saw a specialist and was subsequently diagnosed with breast cancer. Upon learning Springfield was to undergo chemotherapy, her manager, Vicki Wickham, was able to convince Columbia Records to delay releasing "A Very Fine Love" until Springfield was well enough to do promotion work.

Springfield's cancer went into remission, and in June 1995, "A Very Fine Love" was released. It made little impact on the US album charts, but did reach #43 on the British charts. The title that got the best critical reception was the blues-tinged closing track "Where Is A Woman To Go?", featuring guest vocals by K.T. Oslin and Mary Chapin Carpenter. When promoting the album in the UK on TV-show "Later With Jools Holland" Springfield performed the track live, then instead with backing by two longtime fans of hers; Sinéad O'Connor and Alison Moyet. One track from the album "Wherever Would I Be?", a Diane Warren-penned duet with Daryl Hall was featured in the movie "While You Were Sleeping", and was a minor chart hit in Britain, along with Will Jennings' gospel-flavoured "Roll Away", the last charting single of her lifetime.

Due to modest sales of the album, Springfield and Columbia Records decided not to renew the contract, and as the cancer recurred in late 1996, and Springfield died in 1999, it proved to be Springfield's final album.

Track listing

#"Roll Away (Will Jennings, Marlee Lebow) - 4:12
#"Very Fine Love" a.k.a. "Fine, Fine, Very Fine Love" (Bob DiPiero, Jim Photoglo) - 4:09
#"Wherever Would I Be?" (Diane Warren) - 3:58
#* Duet with Daryl Hall. Note: US edition Walter Afanasieff Mix.
#"Go Easy on Me" (Randy Goodrum, John Jarvis) - 5:36
#"You Are the Storm" (Matraca Berg, Ronnie Samoset) - 4:16
#"I Can't Help the Way I Don't Feel" (Tom Shapiro, Chris Waters, Michael Garvin) - 3:41
#"All I Have to Offer You Is Love" (Craig Wiseman) - 3:47
#"Lovin' Proof" (Diane Warren) - 3:40
#"Old Habits Die Hard" (Terry Britten, Graham Lyle) - 3:36
#"Where Is a Woman to Go?" (Jerry Gillespie, K.T. Oslin) - 4:08
#* Featuring K.T. Oslin and Mary Chapin Carpenter

Personnel

* Dusty Springfield - lead vocals
* Daryl Hall - vocals ("Wherever Would I Be?")
* Mary Chapin Carpenter - vocals ("Where Is A Woman To Go?")
* K.T. Oslin - vocals ("Where Is A Woman To Go?")
* Kristina Clark - background vocals
* Kim Fleming - background vocals
* Sandy Griffith - background vocals
* Ron Hemby - background vocals
* Skyler Jett - background vocals
* Conesha Owens - background vocals
* Guy Penrod - background vocals
* Claytoven Richardson - background vocals
* John Wesley Ryles - background vocals
* Audrey Sheeler - background vocals
* Judson Spence - background vocals
* Jeannie Tracy-Smith - background vocals
* Cindy Richardson Walker - background vocals
* Audrey Wheeler - background vocals
* Chris Willis - background vocals
* Dennis Wilson - background vocals
*Simon Bell - background vocals
* Lonnie Wilson - drums
* Terry Lee McMillan - percussion
* Glenn Worf - bass guitar
* Brian Tankersley - bass, keyboards, drum programming, synthesizer bass
* Walter Afanasieff - programming
* Gary Cirimelli - programming, background vocals
* George Cocchini - electric guitar
* Dan Dugmore - steel guitar
* Dann Huff - guitar, electric guitar, rhythm guitar, classical guitar
* Jerry McPherson - electric guitar
* Michael Thompson - rhythm guitar
* Biff Watson - guitar, acoustic guitar
* John Jarvis - piano, keyboards
* Carl Marsh - keyboards
* Steve Nathan - keyboards, Hammond organ
* Kirk Whalum - soprano sax

Production

* Tom Shapiro - record producer musical arranger
* Brian Tankersley - associate producer, engineer, mixing
* Jan Perry - assistant producer
* Walter Afanasieff - arranger, co-producer ("Wherever Would I Be", Walter A. Mix)
* Dana Jon Chappelle - sound engineer, mixing
* Jay Healy - sound engineer
* Greg Parker - assistant engineer
* Bill O'Donovan - assistant engineer
* Wayne Morgan - assistant engineer
* Shawn McLean - assistant engineer
* John Kliner - assistant engineer
* Steve Ledet - assistant engineer
* Mick Guzauski - mixing
* David Gleeson - mixing assistant
* Craig Silvey - mixing assistant
* Mike Scott - mixing assistant
* Hank Williams - mastering
* John Geary - illustrations
* Recorded at Javelina Recording Studios, The Bennett House, Recording Arts, Woodland Digital, Eleven Eleven Sound, GBT Studio (Nashville) & Schnee Studio (Hollywood), late January to early April 1994.

ources

* Howes, Paul (2001). The Complete Dusty Springfield. London: Reynolds & Hearn Ltd. ISBN 1 903111 24 2.