Disc 29: Lite Me Up (Columbia FC 37928, 1982)
By 1978, Hancock had another identity as a dance/fusion attraction with the albums Feets Don't Fail Me Now and Sunlight. Lite Me Up is an even more concerted effort to fuse jazz with pop. Hancock handled all of the production chores on all but two of the eight tracks. His main arranger and lyricist here is Rod Temperton, the former Heatwave member who worked with Quincy Jones on albums Off the Wall and Light Up the Night. The title track and "The Bomb" are glossy, propulsive offerings reminiscent of prime Jones without his skill at making it all stick. The biggest hit here, the sleek "Getting' to the Good Part" adheres to the Steely Dan's Gaucho style, has a gorgeous bridge, and has Hancock doing his loved or hated vocoder lead vocals. From a jazz perspective, there is precious little of it on Lite Me Up. In fact, the songs "The Fun Tracks" and the humorous "Motor Mouth" sound like Heatwave retreads. The last song stands out, however. The beautiful, hooky ballad "Give It All Your Heart" features both Hancock and Patrice Rushen both doing their vocal leads on vocoder. The track perfectly captures both prime Temperton and Hancock's '78-'82 fusion ballad style. Songs with producers Jay Graydon and Narada Michael Walden both feature the artist doing vocals without the gadgetry, and, believe it or not, the vocoder is more definitive. Despite the better tracks, Lite Me Up doesn't have the adventurous nature of Hancock's jazz/pop of the era.
1. (A1) Lite Me Up 3:41
Guitar – Steve Lukather
Lyrics By, Music By – Rod Temperton
Producer – Herbie Hancock
2. (A2) The Bomb 3:59
Lead Vocals – Wayne Anthony (2)
Lyrics By, Music By – Herbie Hancock, Rod Temperton
Producer – Herbie Hancock
Programmed By [Additional Synthesizer Programming] – Michael Boddicker
3. (A3) Gettin' To The Good Part 6:12
Lyrics By, Music By – Herbie Hancock, Rod Temperton
Producer, Vocoder – Herbie Hancock
Synthesizer, Programmed By [Additional Synthesizer Programming] – Michael Boddicker
4. (A4) Paradise 4:30
Arranged By [Keyboard Arrangement], Piano – David Foster
Backing Vocals – Bill Champlin, David Foster, Richard Page, Vennette Gloud*
Bass – Abe Laboriel*
Drums – Jeff Porcaro
Engineer [Basic Track] – Leslie Ann Jones
Lead Vocals – Herbie Hancock
Lyrics By, Music By – Bill Champlin, David Foster, Herbie Hancock, Jay Graydon
Producer, Guitar – Jay Graydon
Programmed By [Synclavier Programming] – Rick Kelly (2)
5. (B1) Can't Hide Your Love 3:53
Backing Vocals – Jim Gilstrap, John Lehman, Lynda Laurence, Sheri Payne*
Bass – Randy Jackson (2)
Engineer [Basic Track And Overdubs] – Ken Kessie
Guitar – Corrado Rustici
Lead Vocals – Herbie Hancock
Lyrics By, Music By – Herbie Hancock, Jeffrey Cohen, Narada Michael Walden
Producer, Arranged By, Drums – Narada Michael Walden
Synthesizer – Frank Martin
6. (B2) The Fun Tracks 4:03
Lead Vocals – Wayne Anthony (2)
Lyrics By, Music By – Rod Temperton
Producer – Herbie Hancock
Programmed By [Additional Synthesizer Programming] – Michael Boddicker
7. (B3) Motor Mouth 3:59
Lead Vocals – Wayne Anthony (2)
Lyrics By, Music By – Rod Temperton
Producer, Vocoder – Herbie Hancock
8. (B4) Give It All Your Heart 7:39
Lyrics By, Music By – Herbie Hancock, Rod Temperton
Producer – Herbie Hancock
Producer, Vocals [Vocoder] – Herbie Hancock
Producer, Vocoder – Patrice Rushen
Arranged By [Horn Arrangement] – Jerry Hey (tracks: A1 to A3, B1 to B4)
Arranged By [Rhythm And Vocal Arrangement] – Rod Temperton (tracks: A1 to A3, B2 to B4)
Arranged By [String Arrangement] – Jerry Hey (tracks: A1, A3, B2 to B4)
Backing Vocals – Edi Lehman* (tracks: A1 to A3, B2 to B4), Herbie Hancock (tracks: A1 to A4, B2 to B4), Jim Gilstrap (tracks: A1 to A3, B2 to B4), John Lehman (tracks: A1 to A3, B2 to B4), Patti Austin (tracks: A1 to A3, B2 to B4), Paulette McWilliams (tracks: A1 to A3, B2 to B4)
Bass – Louis Johnson (tracks: A1 to A3, B2 to B4)
Drums – John Robinson (2) (tracks: A1 to A3, B2 to B4)
Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes], Clavinet [Clavitar], Synthesizer [Yamaha-cs 80, The Source By Moog, Mini Moog, Prophet 5, Arp 2600, Arp Odyssey], Keyboards [Emu Digital Keyboard], Synthesizer [Oberheim 8-voice Synthesizer, Roland Jupiter 8], Clavinet [Hohner], Vocoder [Sennheiser], Synthesizer [Synclavier Digital Synthesizer, Linn Drum Synthesizer], Piano – Herbie Hancock
Engineer [Additional Engineering] – Ron Pendragon
Engineer [Recorded By], Mixed By – George Massenburg
Engineer [Second Engineering] – Barbara Rooney, Murray Dvorkin, Robert Spano*
Flugelhorn – Jerry Hey (tracks: A1 to A3, B1 to B4)
Guitar – David Williams (4) (tracks: A2, A3, B2 to B4)
Mastered By – Mike Reese
Producer [Associate Producer] – Tony Meilandt
Saxophone, Woodwind – Gary Herbig (tracks: A1 to A3, B1 to B4), Larry Williams (tracks: A1 to A3, B1 to B4)
Trombone – Bill Reichenbach (2) (tracks: A1 to A3, B1 to B4), Chuck Findley (tracks: A1 to A3, B1 to B4)
Trumpet – Chuck Findley (tracks: A1 to A3, B1 to B4), Dr. Negroidal, The (tracks: A1 to A3, B1 to B4), Jerry Hey (tracks: A1 to A3, B1 to B4)
Recorded and mixed at George Massenburg Studios, Los Angeles, CA
Mastered at The Mastering Lab
Management: Adam's Dad Management Company, San Francisco, CA
'Paradise' basic track recorded at El Dorado Studios, Hollywood, CA
'Can't Hide Your Love' basic track and overdubs recorded at The Automatt, San Francisco, CA
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