Zipper (album)
| Zipper | ||||
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| Roger Chapman's studio album | ||||
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Publication |
1986 |
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| Label (s) | Polydor | |||
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Format (s) |
CD, LP |
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Title (number) |
8th |
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running time |
39:59 |
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| occupation |
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Roger Chapman / Geoff Whitehorn |
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Studio (s) |
The Workhouse Studios London |
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Location (s) |
London |
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Zipper is Roger Chapman's sixth solo album and his third to reach the German charts. It was released in 1986 on the music label Polydor and is assigned to the genre blues rock . Zipper is the last album on which his longtime musician and songwriter Geoff Whitehorn took part.
Music genre
Zipper (German: zip) is a colloquially ambiguous title and was a small musical turn towards harder rock. Chapman, however, disrupted this musical direction as he preferred R&B, which eventually led to his break with longtime musician and songwriter Geoff Whitehorn.
In contrast to his last four albums, the album cover was not kept in Pop Art style, but a photograph of a sports shoe in motion and was designed by Quinton / Kite & Associates.
On Zipper, Chapman sings about the futile connection of different worlds ( Zipper , Never Love a Rolling Stone ), describes the “run” through life in four songs and makes biblical references in almost all songs. The music is mainly assigned to the harder, rhythmic blues rock in mid-tempo. Chapman uses his voice in a variety of ways according to his style. From a warm, darkened chest voice with its typical vibrato to the screaming song in Woman of Destiny , or a mix of head and chest voice in the song Never Love a Rolling Stone .
The title song Zipper , which was also the single from the album, describes the narrator's encounter with an impressive born-again Christian who wants to teach him the gospel, but he refuses with the words "no dice" (Eng .: no chance). Everyone can have their opinion, but wanting to play with the soul is going too far ("But messing with the zipper to my soul, no, no, no, it just ain't on"). From his point of view, Chapman sings about the futile connection of two different worlds with different concepts of life.
Running with the Flame uses the image of a victorious runner in an ambivalent sense and is structured like a hymn in terms of text. The song consists of quatrains that end with "Salute the brave - running with the flame" (German: Salute the brave, who run with the flame). In this sense, it is a song of praise to the people who bravely master their lives, but also, as Chapman sings about it, a spiritual light over an open grave.
On Do-Die-Day describes the “ups” and “downs” of life and the realization: “you've gotta walk before you run” (you have to walk first to run). On the basis of this life experience, Chapman gained his attitude towards life "I've seen the light, Come Judgment Day" (idiomatically: "to have understood something) and therefore fear neither death nor the coming Judgment Day. He literally shouts it out, to be at peace with yourself.
Never Love a Rolling Stone is a ballad and tells of repeated encounters between a down-to-earth woman and a showman over the course of 20 years. However, they cannot get together because she cannot love a traveling showman ("She'd never love a rolling stone"). Similar to the song Zipper , different life concepts prevent a relationship between two people who appreciate each other.
Let the Beat Get Heavy is a classic mid-tempo blues rock song and expresses Chapman's real musical longing: music with a powerful beat.
It's Never Too Late to Doo Ron Ron . 'the do do ron ron' has the meaning of an erotic dance, having a good time sexually or just having sex. Chapman produces 'the do do ron ron' in various historical contexts.
In Woman of Destiny , a biblical term, a confident woman with a unique identity and pure soul is described.
Hoodoo Me Up is an ironic statement of being different. There are people who cannot be classified into common categories and are therefore special.
History of origin
Roger Chapman, who already produced his last two albums with Whitehorn, did not have the patience to produce the album to the end and in the end left it to Whitehorn ("The problem was the production. Believe it or not I hate producing." ). In retrospect, however, Chapman was dissatisfied with the result, which ultimately led to a musical break between the two. The songs were mixed too hard for him and sounded more like metal than R&B. However, the separation had already indicated after the production of The Shadow Knows . For Chapman, this album was already too rock-produced - "too much Whitehorn, too little Chapman" and so there were always tensions between the two due to the musical direction. "Geoff has a strong personality, according to Chapman, I don't blame him for anything ... I love rock'n'roll ... but no metal" Nevertheless, Whitehorn stayed on the shortlists on tours until November 10, 1988 (concert in Zwingenberg) and is to be heard as a guest musician on Chapman's album Under No Obligation (1990). They performed on September 3, 1988 in the line-up of Geoff Whitehorn (guitar), Steve Simpson (guitar, mandolin), Peter Stroud (bass), Tim Hinkley (keyboard), Poli Palmer, Nick Pentelow (sax) and John Lingwood (drums) in front of 250,000 spectators at the Werner Festval in Hartenholm.
Track list
1. Zipper (Whitehorn / Chapman) 6:18
2. Running with the Flame (Chapman) 4:21
3. On Do-Die-Day (Whitehorn / Chapman) 6:09
4. Never Love a Rolling Stone (Chapman) 4:00
5. Let the Beat Get Heavy (Chapman) 4:54
6. It's Never Too Late to Doo Ron Ron (Chapman) 4:39
7. Woman of Destiny (Chapman) 6:21
8. Hoodoo Me Up (Chapman) 3:24
Chart successes and reception
The album Zipper was well received by the fans and was able to stay in the top 100 charts in Germany for two weeks. It rose to number 48 on April 7, 1986 and reached the last chart position a week later at number 49.
The user rating on AllMusic was 3½ stars out of 5, while the AllMusic editorial team only gave 2 1/12 stars. Music critic Pete Feenstra ( Real Music Magazine , 1992) thought the album was made during a period of Chapman's musical volatility.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Official German Charts - Official German Charts. Retrieved August 22, 2019 .
- ↑ Roger Chapman - Zipper. Retrieved August 22, 2019 .
- ↑ Roger Chapman - Zipper. Retrieved August 22, 2019 .
- ↑ Roger Chapman - Zipper. Retrieved August 22, 2019 .
- ^ Urban Dictionary: The Do Do Ron Ron. Retrieved August 22, 2019 (American English).
- ↑ Urban Dictionary: Da-do-ron-ron. Retrieved August 22, 2019 (American English).
- ↑ 9. Accessed August 22, 2019 .
- ↑ 3. Accessed August 22, 2019 .
- ↑ 3. Accessed August 22, 2019 .
- ↑ 9. Retrieved August 25, 2019 .
- ↑ Roger Chapman & The Shortlist - Shadow on the Wall 1988. Retrieved August 25, 2019 .
- ↑ Roger Chapman - Zipper. Retrieved August 22, 2019 .
- ↑ Official German Charts - Official German Charts. Retrieved August 22, 2019 .
- ^ Zipper - Roger Chapman | User reviews. Retrieved August 22, 2019 (American English).
- ↑ 3. Accessed August 22, 2019 .