True Colors

by Cyndi Lauper

Overview

There were a few years in the mid-'80s when one couldn't go out for a cup of coffee without encountering Cyndi Lauper in one form or another. Her videos were playing constantly on MTV, her music was everywhere on the radio, and, best of all, children were even dressing up as Cyndi for Halloween. In retrospect, it was a Lauper-ish time but it was all over quite quickly; in fact, the period in the ultra-limelight didn't even span the period covered by two album releases, which means that this follow-up to her smash debut album was relegated to the also-ran pile, with sad results such as only one sort-of hit single (the title track) and nobody apparently interested in imitating the skirt she wore on the back cover photo, which seems like it is made of slashed-up concert posters. Kind of a shame since so much love and attention went into this album. Guest stars and high-dollar session musicians abound, including other '80s icons such as the Bangles and the manic Pee Wee Herman, who provides a great little answering-machine bit at the end of "911." Lauper is a fantastic vocalist, meaning that any record producer worth hiring would be happy to dream up endless settings for her. This album is nothing if not ambitious, and some of the stretches really pay off, such as the ultimately endearing cover of Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On." Other aspects date badly. For example, highly reverberated and artificial sounding drums and keyboards were really popular at the time, but a vocalist with a clear voice such as Lauper sounds much better in the context of real instruments with their warmer sounds. When it comes to tunes such as the nice Cajun number "The Faraway Nearby," drums should have been turned way down and other instrumental colors brought up. Despite these sorts of problems, there really wasn't that much music recorded by this artist during her most popular period, so fans will no doubt want to own it all. ~ Eugene Chadbourne

Product Details

Release Date:	01/15/2021
Label:	Music On Vinyl
UPC:	8719262017528

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Cyndi Lauper   Primary Artist,Vocals,Beat Box,Emulator,Percussion,Lead Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Billy Joel   Primary Artist,Vocals,Guest Artist,Vocals (Background)
Pee Wee Herman   Primary Artist,Vocals,Guest Artist
Aimee Mann   Primary Artist,Vocals,Guest Artist,Vocals (Background)
Ellie Greenwich   Vocals (Background)
Lennie Petze   Percussion,Vocals (Background)
Robert Holmes   Guitar,Guitar
Jon Goldberger   Sound Effects
Jimmy Bralower   Drums,Guitar,Beat Box,Linn Drum,Percussion
Rick Derringer   Guitar
Peter Wood   Keyboards,Synthesizer,Synthesizer Bass
Chuck D   Featured Artist
Nile Rodgers   Guitar,Guest Artist
Adrian Belew   Guitar,Guest Artist
Bangles   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Jeff Bova   Keyboards
John McCurry   Guitar
Neil Jason   Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Anton Fig   Drums
Angela Clemmons-Patrick   Guest Artist,Vocals (Background)
James Box   Guitar

Technical Credits

Stephen Broughton Lunt   Arranger,Composer
Billy Steinberg   Composer
Billy Joel   Performer
Cyndi Lauper   Arranger,Composer,Lyricist,Producer,Art Direction
Joe Jones   Composer
Ellie Greenwich   Performer
Essra Mohawk   Composer,Songwriter
Lennie Petze   Arranger,Composer,Producer,Performer
Dave O'Donnell   Assistant Engineer
John Turi   Composer
Pee Wee Herman   Performer,Guest Operator
Jon Goldberger   Sounds,Performer,Assistant Engineer
Marilyn Jones   Composer
Robert Holmes   Performer
Jimmy Bralower   Arranger,Composer,Performer,Drum Programming
Rick Derringer   Composer,Performer
Marvin Gaye   Composer
Peter Wood   Arranger,Performer
Nile Rodgers   Performer
Renaldo Benson   Composer
Adrian Belew   Arranger,Performer
Al Cleveland   Composer
Tom Kelly   Composer
Brian McGee   Mixing,Engineer
George Marino   Mastering
Tim Kramer   Assistant Engineer
Tom Gray   Composer
Aimee Mann   Performer
Bangles   Performer
Jason Corsaro   Mixing
Jeff Bova   Arranger,Composer,Performer
John McCurry   Performer
Neil Jason   Performer
Anton Fig   Performer
Sharon Jones   Composer
Angela Clemmons-Patrick   Performer
Barbara Anne Hawkins   Composer
Jessie Thomas   Composer
Laura Wills   Stylist
Annie Leibovitz   Cover Photo,Photography
David Wolff   Executive Producer
Ralph Scibelli   Hair Stylist
Rosa Lee Hawkins   Composer
Holland MacDonald   Design,Art Direction
Joan Marie Johnson   Composer
Holland McDonald   Art Direction
Patrick Lucas   Make-Up,Hair Stylist
Bruce G. Ando   Artwork