Score (Carol Lloyd album)

Score is the debut album by American recording artist Carol Lloyd, released on December 31, 1979, through Casablanca Records and Earmarc Records. Following Lloyd's signing with Earmarc, a new label division of Casablanca, she began recording material for the record throughout the latter half of 1979. A disco album, Score was one of the first projects to be released from the label, which specialized solely in disco music. All six of the tracks on the record were produced by Michael Forte and Bruce Weeden, with the former individual also contributing lyrics to four of the aforementioned songs.

Score
Studio album by Carol Lloyd
Released	December 31, 1979
Recorded	1979
Studio	Alpha International Studios (Philadelphia)
Genre	Disco
Length	30:53
Label	Casablanca Earmarc
Producer	Michael Forte Bruce Weeden
Carol Lloyd chronology
Score (1979) Love Carol (1983)
Singles from Score
"Score" Released: September 1979 "Shake Me, Wake Me" Released: December 1979

Lloyd released "Score" and "Shake Me, Wake Me" as singles to promote the album, with the latter receiving heavy airplay from disc jockeys, entering Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart at number 89, and being noted as a standout track from Score; the album was similarly well received by music critics. In the 2010s, Score was reissued by the Essential Media Group in two different formats, with the most recent one in 2016 featuring three bonus tracks.

Background

American recording artist Carol Lloyd was first signed to Earmarc Records in August 1979, the new division of Casablanca Records headed by vice president of special projects, Marc Paul Simon. Earmarc Records would consist solely of artists releasing music in the disco genre, with Lloyd, the Duncan Sisters, Van Hinton, and Ricardo DeCampos to be among the first four artists signed to the newly-founded company.[1] The entire album was recorded and mixed at Alpha International Studios in Philadelphia throughout the latter half of 1979.[2][3] Various collaborators helped out in creating Score, including saxophonist Mark Adler, design agency Gribbitt!, and drummer Robert Sonsini; also, mastering of the album's track took place at Sterling Sound Studios.[2]

Several decades later, the Essential Media Group record label reissued Score in a digital format on May 11, 2010. It was distributed through the iTunes Store in the United States and features "remastered" versions of all six songs to appear on the album.[4] The same label reissued "Score" with B-side "Shake Me, Wake Me" on May 27, 2014.[5] One more reissued version of Score occurred on October 21, 2016; the previously-unreleased "Expanded Edition" of Score included three bonus tracks that were exclusive to the digital release of the album. It included the 7" and 12" versions of "Shake Me, Wake Me" plus the 12" version of "Score", extending the amount of the tracks on the record from six to nine.[6]

Singles

Lloyd's first commercial release with the label would be her single "Score", which would take place in September 1979. Serving as the album's lead single and the singer's debut single, "Score" was distributed in both 7" and 12" gramophone vinyl formats. It featured album track "Dream Dancer" as the B-side track, except on initial promotional printings where "Shake Me, Wake Me" was used instead.[7][8] Michael Forte wrote and produced the track with Bruce Weeden serving as an additional producer; both Forte and Weeden also produced all of the album as well.[2] The staff at Billboard would later include it in their "Top Single Picks" column on September 29 of the same year and listed it as a recommended track for readers of the magazine.[9]

A cover of Four Tops's "Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over)", although "When It's Over" was omitted from the title, followed as the album's second and final single and was distributed in December 1979.[10] It also was released in various versions alongside album and B-side track "Sundown to Sunrise", which was written by Bob Alan and Debra Barsha.[11] It received heavy airplay by disc jockeys and was similarly featured in the "Top Single Picks" column by Billboard.[10][12] The success of "Shake Me, Wake Me" allowed it to enter the Dance Club Songs chart, compiled by Billboard, where it peaked at number 89 on January 5, 1980.[13]

Reception

Score received generally favorable reviews from music critics. James Arena, who wrote Legends of Disco: Forty Stars Discuss Their Careers, compiled a list of various "somewhat noteworthy disco tracks" released in between the 1970s and 1980s; ultimately, he recommended the readers to listen to "Score", "Showdown", and "Shake Me, Wake Me" from the album as they were all "significant products of the disco era by important artists and worthy of a spin".[14] Barry Lederer, a columnist for Billboard, referred to "Shake Me, Wake Me" as the "one exceptional cut" on Score. Referring to American vocalist Barbra Streisand's cover of the song in 1975, he claimed that Lloyd's version made the "already popular Streisand classic even better".[12]

Track listing

All tracks on Score produced by Michael Forte and Bruce Weeden.[2]

Score – Standard edition[2]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Score"	Michael Forte	4:07
2.	"Sundown to Sunrise"	Bob Alan Debra Barsha	4:40
3.	"Plans for Tomorrow"	Forte	6:37
4.	"Shake Me, Wake Me"	Brian Holland Lamont Dozier Eddie Holland	3:48
5.	"Showdown"	Forte	5:44
6.	"Dream Dancer"	Forte	5:56
Total length:			30:53

Score – 2016 digital bonus tracks[6]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
7.	"Shake Me, Wake Me" (7" Version)	B. Holland Dozier E. Holland	2:49
8.	"Score" (12" Version)	Forte	6:00
9.	"Shake Me, Wake Me" (12" Version)	B. Holland Dozier E. Holland	6:13
Total length:			45:55

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of the vinyl edition of Score.[2]

Carol Lloyd – vocals Mark Adler – alto saxophone Mike Bonghi – assistant engineer Ron Caesar – bass John Demartino – keyboards Danny Diangio – keyboards Michael Forte – arranging, guitar, production Geoff Genovese – creative director and consultant Gribbitt! – design and graphics Leza Holmes – backing vocals Renee Johnson – backing vocals Larrey Labes – bass Kenny Lipman – tenor saxophone, clarinet

Howard Menken – photography Derick Murdock – bass Marc Paul Simon – art direction, design Jack Skinner – mastering Robert Sonsini – drums The Ultimate Players – strings, horns Ron Vitola – assistant engineer Larry Washington – percussion Bruce Weeden – guitar, recording, mixing Garfield Williams – drums Sharon Williams – backing vocals Jerry Williamson – assistant engineer

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Edition	Label	Ref.
United States	December 31, 1979	LP	Standard	Casablanca Earmarc	[4]
	May 11, 2010	Digital download		Essential Media Group	[4]
	October 21, 2016		Deluxe		[6]

References

Citations

1. Billboard staff (August 18, 1979). "4 Acts Tie with Marc P. Simon, EarMarc Label". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 91 (33): 15. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
2. Score (Liner notes). Carol Lloyd (Vinyl release ed.). Casablanca, Earmarc. 1979. EMLP 4002.CS1 maint: others (link)
3. Billboard staff (May 21, 1977). "Philadelphia is no longer a one studio town". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 89 (20): 39. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
4. "Carol Lloyd – Score (Remastered)". iTunes Store (US). May 11, 2010. Archived from the original on March 20, 2017. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
5. "Carol Lloyd – Score / Shake Me Wake Me – Single". iTunes Store (US). May 27, 2014. Archived from the original on March 19, 2017. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
6. "Carol Lloyd – Score (Expanded Edition) [Remastered]". iTunes Store (US). October 21, 2016. Archived from the original on March 19, 2017. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
7. "Score" / "Dream Dancer" (Liner notes). Carol Lloyd (7" ed.). Casablanca, Earmarc. 1979. EM 5502.CS1 maint: others (link)
8. "Score" / "Shake Me, Wake Me" (Liner notes). Carol Lloyd (12" ed.). Casablanca, Earmarc. 1979. EM 21002.CS1 maint: others (link)
9. Billboard staff (September 29, 1979). "Billboard's Top Single Picks: For Week Ending 9/29/79". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 91 (39): 71. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
10. Billboard staff (December 22, 1979). "Billboard's Top Single Picks: For Week Ending 12/22/79". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 91 (51): 76. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
11. "Shake Me, Wake Me" / "Sundown to Sunrise" (Liner notes). Carol Lloyd. Casablanca, Earmarc. 1979. EM 5504.CS1 maint: others (link)
12. Lederer, Barry (December 8, 1979). "Disco Mix". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 91 (49): 56. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
13. "Carol Lloyd Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 11, 2018. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
14. Arena 2016, p. 231

Bibliography

• Arena, James (March 30, 2016). Legends of Disco: Forty Stars Discuss Their Careers (illustrated ed.). McFarland & Company. ISBN 147666496X.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

External links

• Score at Discogs (list of releases)