Living in the Background (album)

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Living in the Background
Living in the background.jpeg
Studio album by
Baltimora
ReleasedApril 1985 (United States)
September 4, 1985 (Europe)
GenreItalo disco, new wave[1]
Length34:01 (original LP)
LabelEMI-Manhattan Records (United States)
EMI Records (United Kingdom)
ProducerMaurizio Bassi
Baltimora chronology
Living in the Background
(1985) 		Survivor in Love
(1987)
Singles from Living in the Background
  1. "Tarzan Boy"
    Released: April 1985
  2. "Woody Boogie"
    Released: 1985
  3. "Living in the Background"
    Released: 1985
  4. "Juke Box Boy"
    Released: 1986
Alternative covers
UK version
UK version
Alternative cover
German version
German version
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Music Week3/3 stars[2]

Living in the Background is the debut album of Italy-based act Baltimora, released in 1985.

Overview[]

Jimmy McShane supposedly performed the lead vocals, although there is some controversy surrounding who the actual singer is, while the songs were written by Maurizio Bassi and Naimy Hackett. "Tarzan Boy," the first single released from the album became an international success, peaking at #13 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, and at #3 in the United Kingdom. "Woody Boogie" and "Living in the Background" were also released as singles, with the latter becoming the group's only other song to crack the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #87 on the chart.

The album has been released with at least three different covers. The well-known cover features Jimmy McShane jumping in the air on a red background with black text.

The album has also been released and re-released in various forms, though none of these different versions of the album seem to correlate with any particular one of the various album covers. A bonus track from one of these later pressings of the album, "Juke Box Boy" was also released as a single.+

The original CD issue of Living in the Background, from 2003, is out-of-print. An Italian CD release was issued in 2005, and that same year an unofficial Russian release circulated too.

Track listing[]

All tracks are written by Naimy Hackett and Maurizio Bassi.

No.TitleLength
1."Tarzan Boy"6:15
2."Pull the Wires"4:46
3."Living in the Background"6:06
4."Woody Boogie"5:50
5."Chinese Restaurant"5:14
6."Running for Your Love"5:50
UK edition
No.TitleLength
1."Tarzan Boy" (12" Summer version)6:41
2."Pull the Wires"4:46
3."Living in the Background"6:06
4."Tarzan Boy" (7" Summer version)3:27
5."Woody Boogie" (12" Jump mix)5:50
6."Chinese Restaurant"5:14
7."Running for Your Love"5:50
8."Woody Boogie"3:37
Canada edition (1986)
No.TitleLength
1."Tarzan Boy" (Single version) 
2."Living in the Background" (Remix by John Luongo) 
3."Juke Box Boy" 
4."Pull the Wires" 
5."Woody Boogie" 
6."Chinese Restaurant" 
7."Running for Your Love" 
8."Up with Baltimora" 
1993 re-release
No.TitleLength
7."Tarzan Boy" (Summer version)6:40
8."Juke Box Boy"3:42
9."Up with Baltimora"2:51
10."Tarzan Boy" (Remix 1993)3:43
11."Jungle Life" (Dub)5:00
12."Tarzan Boy" (Extended mix)5:29

Certifications[]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[3] Gold 50,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Personnel[]

  • Maurizio Bassi - keyboards, piano
  • Leandro Gaetano - keyboards, Fairlight CMI programming, PPG Wave 2.3, Xpander, Yamaha synthesizer
  • Claudio Bazzari, Giorgio Cocilovo - electric guitars
  • Claudio Pascoli - saxophone
  • Pier Michelatti - bass
  • Gabriele Melotti - drums, Linn Programmer Simmons EDS 7
  • Moreno Ferrara, Malcom Charlton, Silvano Fossati, Naimy Hackett, Lella Esposito, Jimmy McShane, Silver Pozzoli - backing vocals
Production
  • Maurizio Bassi - producer, arrangement
  • Jurgen Koppers - mixing
  • Paolo Mescoli - recorded by
Other
  • Michele Bernardi - cover illustration
  • Martin Beckett - photography (UK edition)

Chart performance[]

Chart (1985) Peak
position 		Total
weeks
Canadian Albums Chart[4] 49 20
Italian Albums Chart 26 ?
Swedish Albums Chart[5] 18 3
U.S. Billboard Hot 200[6] 49 17

Singles - Billboard (North America)

Year Single Chart Position
1985 "Tarzan Boy" Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales 12
1985 "Tarzan Boy" Hot Dance Music/Club Play 6
1985 "Tarzan Boy" The Billboard Hot 100 13
1986 "Living in the Background" The Billboard Hot 100 87

References[]

  1. ^ "60 Great Albums You Probably Haven't Heard". vulture.com. 10 November 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  2. ^ "Review: Baltimora — Living in the Background" (PDF). Music Week. 30 November 1985. p. 24. ISSN 0265-1548. Retrieved 6 March 2021 – via American Radio History.
  3. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Baltimora – Living in the Background". Music Canada.
  4. ^ "Bienvenue au site Web BIBLIOTHÈQUE ET ARCHIVES CANADA | Welcome to the LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA website". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 2012-02-22. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
  5. ^ Steffen Hung (2012-02-17). "Swedish Charts Portal". swedishcharts.com. Archived from the original on 2016-05-16. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
  6. ^ "Music News, Reviews, Articles, Information, News Online & Free Music". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2012-02-29.

External links[]



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