How Old Are You? (album)

How Old Are You?
Studio album by
Robin Gibb
ReleasedMay 1983 (UK)
June 1983 (US)
RecordedOctober – November 1982
StudioMiddle Ear Studios, Miami Beach
Genre
LabelPolydor
Producer
Robin Gibb studio albums chronology
Robin's Reign
(1970) 		How Old Are You?
(1983) 		Secret Agent
(1984)
Singles from How Old Are You?
  1. "Juliet"
    Released: May 1983
  2. "Another Lonely Night in New York"
    Released: August 1983 (UK)
  3. "How Old Are You?"
    Released: October 1983 (UK)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

How Old Are You? is the second solo album released by British singer Robin Gibb in 1983, thirteen years after his debut Robin's Reign in 1970.[2] The album was not a great success in America and failed to chart in Britain but it did spawn an international hit in "Juliet" which topped the charts in Germany. The album reached No. 6 in Germany. The album was produced by Robin and Maurice Gibb with Dennis Bryon.

Overview and recording

In 1982, Gibb with his brothers, Barry and Maurice wrote "Oceans and Rivers". In March, he recorded "My World (In the Palm of Your Hands)" and "Human Being". In October, the Bee Gees recorded "Life Goes On" for the film Staying Alive.[3] "Human Being" was leaked on YouTube on 5 April 2012.[4]

In October 1982, Robin started to record songs for How Old Are You? with Maurice on bass, synthesizer, piano and guitar. Bee Gees drummer Dennis Bryon participated on this album, playing drums and producing the album. Bryon was credited as the backup vocalist. The horns were arranged by Peter Graves. Engineered by Samii Taylor and Dale Peterson. Other musicians included Bee Gees guitarist Alan Kendall on guitar, George Bitzer on piano and synthesizer.[3]

The Boneroo Horns members consisted of Peter Graves, Brett Murphey, Melton Mustafa, Russ Freeland, Neal Bonsanti, Dan Bonsanti and Whit Sidener. The recordings of this album got to the US copyright office on 16 December 1982. The instrumental tracks made heavy use of electronics. Maurice, as a producer, liked a clear sound with good separation. Dennis Bryon's drumming was electronic and was played by drumsticks and programmed in, accompanied by Maurice's bass and synthesizer. Robin sings all of the songs in high range but lower than Barry's falsetto, while the songs on his 1984 album Secret Agent were sung in low range. Related session outtake, "Love is Just a Calling Card" was credited to Robin and Maurice but was not released.[3]

Release

How Old Are You? and the lead single "Juliet" was released in North America on Polydor Records, but the LPs were manufactured in Germany. Polydor did not have a big presence in the United States, and Gibb thought that his album was not released in the US. The other singles "How Old Are You?" and "Another Lonely Night in New York" with "I Believe in Miracles" as the B-side of both two singles were not released as singles in the US.[2] The cover of the album contains a poster photo of film actors Clark Gable and Ava Gardner.[1]

Allmusic critic Joe Viglione described "Danger" as an elegant techno journey and "He Can't Love You" as a frosty march number. Viglione said "Kathy's Gone" has film references, and "I Believe in Miracles" could have been a big hit for both Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt.[1]

Track listing

All songs written by Robin and Maurice Gibb.

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Juliet"3:45
2."How Old Are You"3:09
3."In and Out of Love"3:52
4."Kathy's Gone"3:36
5."Don't Stop the Night"3:30
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."Another Lonely Night in New York"4:12
2."Danger"3:41
3."He Can't Love You"4:06
4."Hearts on Fire"3:52
5."I Believe in Miracles"3:51

Personnel

  • Robin Gibb – lead vocals, backing vocals
  • Maurice Gibb – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, synthesizer, bass guitar, rhythm arrangements, horn arrangements, backing vocals
  • Alan Kendall – acoustic guitar, electric guitar
  • George Bitzer – piano, synthesizer
  • Dennis Bryon – drums, percussion, backing vocals
  • Boneroo Horns (Peter Graves, Ken Faulk, Brett Murphy, Melton Mustafa, Russ Freeland, Neal Bonsanti, Dan Bonsanti and Whit Sidener) – horns
  • Peter Graves – horn arrangements

Production

  • Maurice Gibb – producer
  • Robin Gibb – producer
  • Dennis Bryon – co-producer
  • Samii Taylor – engineer
  • Dale Peterson – technical supervisor
  • Mike Fuller – mastering at Criteria Studios (Miami, Florida)
  • Peter Graves – music coordinator
  • Arthur Sheriff – UK coordinator
  • Dick Ashby, Neal Kent and Tom Kennedy – project coordination
  • Jimmy Wormser – photography
  • The Cream Group – album design

Charts

References

  1. ^ a b c Viglione, Joe. "How Old Are You? – Robin Gibb". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  2. ^ a b Joseph Brennan. "Gibb Songs: 1983".
  3. ^ a b c Brennan, Joseph. "Gibb Songs: 1982". Retrieved 9 April 2013.
  4. ^ "Robin Gibb – Human Being". You Tube. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  5. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Robin Gibb – How Old Are You?" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  6. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Robin Gibb – How Old Are You?" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  7. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Robin Gibb – How Old Are You?". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  8. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 19 February 2022.