🎵 AotW Rosie Vela - ZAZU (SP-5016)

[LPJim]

Rosie Vela
ZAZU
A&M SP-5016

http://www.amazon.com/Zazu-Rosie-Vela/dp/B004YDVO9U/

All tracks written by Rosie Vela unless stated

1. "Fool's Paradise" 4:04
2. "Magic Smile" 4:26
3. "Interlude" 4:07
4. "Tonto" 5:40
5. "Sunday" 4:32
6. "Taxi" 3:27
7. "2nd Emotion" (Rosie Vela; Fritz Doddy; Jeb Guthrie; Jock Guthrie) 4:47
8. "Boxs" 3:55
9. "Zazu" 4:46

• Vocals - Rosie Vela
• Synthesizer - Donald Fagen, Walter Becker, Aaron Zigman, Larry Fast, Rosie Vela
• Guitar - Walter Becker, Michael Been, Rick Derringer
• Bass - Neil Stubenhaus, Jerry Haslip
• Drums - Jerry Bralower, Jim Keltner, Yogi Horton, Chat Vela
• Percussion - Jimmy Bralower
• Chapman Stick - Tony Levin
• Backing Vocals - Joy Askew, Jenny Peters, Rosie Vela

• Producer - Gary Katz
• Engineer - Daniel Lazerus
• Engineer [Assistant Mix], Technician [Digital] - Wayne Yurgelun
• Engineer [Assistant] – Mike Cosmai, Tim Hatfield
• Engineer [Mix] – Elliot Scheiner
• Mastering – Bob Ludwig
• Photography – Richard Corman
• Copyright & Published by Mercury Dime Music
• Recorded at: The Village Recorder, Sound Ideas Studios & Mediasounds
• Mixed at Soundtrack Studios
• Mastered at Masterdisk

Released 1986
Also available as CD 5016
Reissued in 2011 on CD by Cherry Pop label of the U.K. as 'CRPOP86'

JB

 

[Dave]

Well, they don't make 'em like they used to... (Singers AND records like these ones!)


-- Dave

 

[Dave]

Psssst! Don't forget, in the credits, the Publisher/Copyright data, and the Studios:

• Copyright (c) – Mercury Dime Music
• Published By – Mercury Dime Music
• Recorded At – The Village Recorder
• Recorded At – Sound Ideas Studios
• Recorded At – Mediasound
• Mixed At – Soundtrack Studios
• Mastered At – Masterdisk

-- Dave

 

[Rudy]

This album by an unknown (at the time) vocalist was most notable for being a near reunion of Steely Dan (Fagen and Becker on instruments, Gary Katz producing). More of a cult favorite among Fagen/Becker fans, it did not make much of a dent in the marketplace. The original CD is something of a rarity now, but was apparently reissued as an import around 2011 or so. http://www.amazon.com/Zazu-Rosie-Vela/dp/B004YDVO9U/ In any event, it's not one I listen to often but it does have some good tracks. I still need to find a clean vinyl copy of this one--being a Bob Ludwig mastering it likely sounds quite good, better than the headache-inducing CD I'm certain.

 

[Harry]

My introduction to this album came via an A&M sampler that my friend Andre passed on to me. It was called A YEAR AGO WE HADN'T HEARD OF OF THEM EITHER, CD 17413, containing tracks from Dou3le, The Lover Speaks, David & David, Bricklin, and Rosie Vela. The Rosie Vela tracks were "Magic Smile" and "Interlude".

Later on, the program director at the time regaled us with his stories or working for A&M and his time of schlepping Rosie Vela around to various radio stations while she toured promoting the album. He had a copy of the full CD of course and kindly made me a dupe, back when they were impossible to find. That's served me since then - I never bothered to make it official with the import version.

Harry

 

[Rudy]

Andre rocks. That sampler sounds like a cool one to have.

I think the CD of Zazu was in print for, like, 15 minutes back in the day. They came out after the LP/cassette release by maybe a year or three, can't recall, but I bought the cassette at the time so it would hold me over until the CD came out. I recall seeing it only a couple of times and then it was gone; luckily I bought mine when I did. (Had I known, I'd have hoarded a dozen or so. ) Many of the Steely Dan fans snapped them up, and I don't even think the album charted here. In the UK it charted, however, and "Magic Smile" was a moderately successful single.

Vela's only other notable project was singing backup for Jeff Lynne on ELO's Zoom album, and doing a handful of gigs on the tour for that album.

Beyond the musical career, she was a successful model, appearing on magazine covers and in television ads.

I was trying to find the Metal Leg interview with Rosie Vela but it's not online as of yet.

 

[Captain Bacardi]

Impressive lineup for sure. Her vocals - at least on that video - remind me of Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders.

 

[Rudy]

Typo--should be Jimmy Haslip, I'm sure. (Allmusic probably has it wrong.)

 

[LPJim]

Never heard this album until last week, when I found the original vinyl in a cutout rack for 25 cents! A few days later I won a U.K. pressing of the original "CDA 5016" on Ebay for $7. Nice to catch up on what until now I was missing.

JB

 

[Rudy]

Vinyl is the one format I don't have it on yet. It's on my list. I originally bought the cassette. I should sell it now, while the hipsters are all spending their disposable income on outdated tape formats.

 

[jfiedler17]

LPJim, great find! And that is some cutout rack, too! - I can't remember the last time I picked up ANYTHING in a record store for 25 cents. That's wonderful! Most of the record stores closest to me have raised their prices so much that even the most bottom-of-the-barrel or badly-beat-up stuff they've got in their budget sections is priced at two bucks or more. There's one place here where, only five years ago, I used to be able to buy 45s for as little as 3/$1.00 but now they start at 3/$10.00. Needless to say, I don't buy nearly as much stuff at the local record stores as I used to; I tend to do most of my vinyl-buying these days at flea markets or thrift shops or book sales.

 

[Rudy]

I think the used record shop closest to me has a bin of 25 cent 45s. The dollar bin for LPs is usually reserved for the umpteen million beaten up copies of the Eagles Greatest Hits and others like that. I should keep checking back there, however, as they had a section of new old stock sealed LPs.

What's the worst around here? Estate sales. They think they can pawn off some of that dirt common vinyl, some of which was rarely put back in the jackets (the sleeves long gone), for $2 apiece. I bite my tongue when I leave, wanting to tell them to chuck the entire collection into the trashbin...