Bish (album)

Bish
Studio album by Stephen Bishop
Released	1978
Recorded	Cherokee Studios (Hollywood, CA); Criteria Studios (Miami, FL).
Genre	Pop
Length	44:25
Label	ABC
Producer	Stephen Bishop
Stephen Bishop chronology
Careless (1976) Bish (1978) Red Cab to Manhattan (1980)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[2]

Bish is the second album by singer/songwriter Stephen Bishop. The lead single, "Everybody Needs Love", peaked at No. 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.^[3] and number five on the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart. It did better in Canada, reaching No. 29 and peaking at number two on the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart.^[4] The album itself rose to No. 35 on the Billboard pop albums chart.^[5]

Notable contributors to the album include Art Garfunkel, Chaka Khan, Natalie Cole and Michael McDonald. At the end of the track "Vagabond from Heaven", a large group, "The Whistling Bishettes", is heard. The group includes several famous non-musicians: actress Carrie Fisher, film director John Landis and then-Rolling Stone writer Cameron Crowe.

"Looking for the Right One"[]

"Looking for the Right One" was the second single from Bish. It was released in both Canada^[6] and the UK,^[7] but it did not chart. Three years earlier, Art Garfunkel had recorded the song. His original rendition [1] of Bishop's composition was included as the B-side of his 1975 cover hit, "I Only Have Eyes For You" (U.S. #18, #1 AC). Bishop contributed backing vocals on Garfunkel's version, who returned the favor on Bishop's rendition.

Track listing[]

All songs written by Stephen Bishop, except where noted.

Personnel[]

• Hal Atkinson – drums (8, 12)
• Stephen Bishop – lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitar (1–5, 9–13), trombone (1)
• Ray Brown – bass guitar (1)
• Artie Butler – string arrangements and conductor (1, 7, 11)
• Natalie Cole – backing vocals (6)
• Steve Cropper – guitar (6)
• Paulinho Da Costa – percussion (4)
• David Foster – electric piano (2), acoustic piano (3)
• Art Garfunkel – backing vocals (10)
• Keith Hollar – bass guitar (12)
• The James Hoosett Choir – choir (7)
• David Hungate – bass guitar (2, 3, 6, 8)
• John Barlow Jarvis – electric piano (3), acoustic piano (4, 6)
• Chaka Khan – backing vocals (6)
• Leah Kunkel – backing vocals (4)
• Abraham Laboriel – bass guitar (13)
• Michael McDonald – backing vocals (2, 8)
• Gene Page – rhythm arrangements (4), string arrangements and conductor (8)
• Marty Paich – string arrangements and conductor (3, 13)
• Ray Parker Jr. – guitar (4)
• Bill Payne – electric piano (6, 8)
• Greg Phillinganes – synthesizer (1, 4, 8), electric piano (4)
• Steve Porcaro – synthesizer (7, 10, 12)
• Raymond Pounds – drums (4)
• Tom Scott – saxophone and horn arrangement (12)
• Rick Shlosser – drums (2, 3, 6, 8, 9)
• Michael Sembello – guitar (4)
• Ed Shaughnessy – drums (1)
• David Shields – bass guitar (8)
• Leland Sklar – bass guitar (10)
• Michael Staton – backing vocals (4, 8), guitar (8–11)
• Jeffrey Staton – backing vocals (4, 8, 9), guitar (8–11), electric guitar solo (8, 12)
• Tommy Vig – percussion (9)
• Nathan Watts – bass (4)
• "The Whistling Bishettes" on "Vagabond from Heaven" – Nancy Ames, Philip Ames, Michael Barackman, Dennis Bishop, Kathy Carey, Cameron Crowe, Kenny Farrell, Carrie Fisher, Mary Frampton, Richard Green, Trudy Green, John Landis, Mark Meyerson, Spencer Proffer, Michael J. Sheehy, James Lee Stanley, Jeffrey Staton, Michael Staton and Michael Whitney

Production[]

• Produced by Stephen Bishop
• Co-produced by Dee Robb
• Executive Producer – Pat Lawrence
• Engineered by Joe Robb and Dee Robb
• Assistant Engineers – Joe Chiccarelli, Anthony D'Amico, Steve Gursky, Steve Katz, Richard Leech, Kevin Ryan and George Tutko.
• Mixed by Jerry Masters
• Mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound (New York, NY).
• Production Coordination and Art Direction – Michelle Horie
• Design – Matthew Bitton
• Photography – David Alexander

Reception[]

Rolling Stone's Ken Tucker wrote, "Stephen Bishop's second album is so ambitious and self-assured that it's easy to overlook the chances it takes." Adding that its "mixture of sentiment and aggressiveness... makes it so intriguing a pop disc." Concluding that "Stephen Bishop is well on his way, and he possesses something all his exemplars lack: a serenely nutty sense of humor."^[8]

References[]