Picture Book

by Simply Red

Picture Book cover art
  • Type: Album
  • Released: 11 October 1985
  • Label: Elektra
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Length: 1:16:45
  • Community rating: 3.01/5 from 6 ratings

Artists on this release: Fritz McIntyre, Sylvan Richardson, Billy Valentine, Chris Joyce, Mick Hucknall, Francis Foster, Tony Bowers, David Byrne, David Fryman, Tim Kellett, Jerry Harrison, John Valentine

Album Notes & Community Reviews

Simply Red debuted with a remarkably polished, highly successful fusion of slick 80s R&B, Britfunk, and highly emotional blue-eyed soul. Mick Hucknall鈥檚 intensely passionate, soaring vocals carry both smooth pop ballads and energetic, rhythmically driven social critiques. Anchored by the massive hit 'Holding Back the Years', 'Picture Book' is a lush, deeply sentimental masterpiece of commercial pop-soul.

Genres

Descriptors: ballad, conscious, rhythmic, melodic, soulful, velvety, cover

Tracklist

  1. Come to My Aid (4:05)
  2. Sad Old Red (4:32)
  3. Look at You Now (3:02)
  4. Heaven (4:31)
  5. Jericho (6:02)
  6. Money's Too Tight (To Mention) (4:12)
  7. Holding Back the Years (4:29)
  8. Open up the Red Box (3:56)
  9. No Direction (3:41)
  10. Picture Book (5:52)
  11. Money's Too Tight (To Mention) - The Cutback Mix (8:39)
  12. Come to My Aid (6:47)
  13. Holding Back the Years (5:40)
  14. Jericho (6:53)
  15. Open up the Red Box (4:16)

Credits

  • Simply Red - primary artist, arranged by
  • Ronnie Ross - baritone saxophone [baritone sax]
  • Tony Bowers - bass
  • Peter Barrett - design [sleeve]
  • Chris Joyce - drums, percussion
  • Chris Dickie - engineer [assistant]
  • Femi Jiya - engineer [engineered by], mixed by
  • Sylvan Richardson - guitar
  • Fritz McIntyre - keyboards, vocals, music by
  • Mick Hucknall - lyrics by, music by, vocals, written-by
  • Steve Todd - management [agent, at wasted talent]
  • Andy Dodd - management [assisted by]
  • Clive Heylin - management [assisted by]
  • Elliot Rashman - management [at so what ltd.]
  • Arun Chakraverty - mastered by [originally mastered by]
  • Malcolm Heywood - photography by [back cover photographs]
  • Simon Fowler - photography by [front cover photograph]
  • Stewart Levine - producer [produced by], producer
  • Ian Dickson - tenor saxophone [tenor sax]
  • Tim Kellett - trumpet
  • Francis Foster - congas
  • David Byrne - written-by
  • Jerry Harrison - written-by
  • Billy Valentine - written-by
  • John Valentine - written-by
  • Neil Moss - music by
  • David Fryman - guitar, vocals, music by

More from Simply Red: full discography