Fra Lippo Lippi

Fra Lippo Lippi - Light And Shade - 1987 - Virgin

Let's celebrate a brand new day," proclaims vocalist Per Oystein Sorensen on "Crazy Wisdom," and that statement easily sums up Fra Lippo Lippi's surprisingly smooth evolution from gothic rock to reflective, jazzy pop on Light and Shade. Fra Lippo Lippi already began shedding their black clothes on Songs, but Light and Shade has the breezy air and sunny disposition of a walk in the park. Released during a decade wherein yuppies stressed the importance of work and money over love and leisure, Light and Shade mainly focuses on life's simple pleasures. It is an uplifting, stylish LP that swings like a pendulum between joy and sorrow. The fetching "Angel" soars with a sad yet hummable chorus; it features some of Fra Lippo Lippi's most charming piano work. "Some People" recalls the Beatles with its singalong melodies. Much of Light and Shade resembles the late '80s efforts of China Crisis, especially its relaxed, mellow grooves and touches of jazz. The lyrics unfold like short stories. In the moving "Beauty and Madness," Sorensen sings about a homeless man and wonders if anybody will ever see his inner worth. Sorensen manages to avoid being either saccharine or preachy because of the sincerity and soulfulness in his voice. On Light and Shade, Fra Lippo Lippi part the curtains and let the sunshine beam through the window. © Michael Sutton, All Music Guide

Light and Shade was recorded in Los Angeles, California and produced by Steely Dan's Walter Becker. Following the success of Fra Lippo Lippi's 1985 album Songs, Virgin had the band work on "Light And Shade" hoping to achieve success Stateside. The first single "Angel" received moderate airplay in Los Angeles. However, during this time, the U.S. arm of Virgin Records dropped several artists including Fra Lippo Lippi. Frustrated by the album's commercial failure to capture the U.S.the band left Virgin Records in 1988. Later that year the title track "Beauty and Madness" became immensely popular in the Philippines, prompting the band to visit the country and perform sell-out concerts there.

TRACKS

A1 Angel (5:07)
A2 Freedom (5:25)
A3 Don't Take Away That Light (4:32)
A4 Beauty And Madness (4:16)
A5 Home (4:43)

B1 Light And Shade (4:46)
B2 Some People (4:25)
B3 Crazy Wisdom (4:33)
B4 Stardust Motel (4:46)
B5 Indifference (5:37)

All tracks composed by Rune Kristoffersen & Per Øystein Sørensen except "Crazy Wisdom" and "Indifference" by Rune Kristoffersen

CREDITS

Walter Becker - Guitar
Tim Weston - Guitar
Dean Parks - Guitar
Rune Kristoffersen - Bass
Jimmy Haslip - Bass
James Johnson - Bass
Abe Laborial - Bass
Per Øystein Sørensen - Keyboards, Vocals
Mark Morgan - Keyboards
Robbie Buchanon - Keyboards
Leroy Clouden - Drums
Claude Pepper - Drums
Jeff Porcaro - Drums
Carlos Vega - Drums
Paulinho Da Costa - Percussion
Tom Scott - Saxophone
Mark Isham - Trumpet

Produced by Walter Becker. Roger Nichols - Engineer and Chief Mixer

BIO

The Norwegian band Fra Lippo Lippi swam in the depths of despair before diving into pop and jazz. Per Oystein Sorensen (vocals, synthesizer, keyboards), Rune Kristoffersen (guitar, bass, keyboards, piano), and Morten Sjoberg (drums, keyboards) formed Fra Lippo Lippi in 1978. Fra Lippo Lippi enveloped their first album, In Silence, with ominous bass lines, death-march percussion, pensive keyboards, and sinister, indecipherable vocals. However, by 1983's Small Mercies, Sorensen's pop background helped the group to become increasingly melodic. In 1985, Fra Lippo Lippi signed with Virgin Records in the U.K., releasing their third album, Songs. Fra Lippo Lippi jettisoned the gloom of their earlier efforts on Songs, experimenting with synth-pop and romantic balladry powered by Kristoffersen's piano. The transformation enabled the group to achieve minor chart success in England and Canada, but in the Philippines many of their singles became staples on the country's new wave radio stations. Tracks such as "The Distance Between Us" and "Come Summer" topped request lines. When the jazz-inflected Light and Shade was released in 1987, Fra Lippo Lippi had become superstars in the Philippines, much to the band's surprise. Largely unknown throughout most of the world, Fra Lippo Lippi performed to sold-out audiences of thousands in Manila, Philippines, in 1989. Fra Lippo Lippi released two more albums, 1989's The Colour Album and 1991's Dreams, before the lack of commercial success forced the group into indefinite hiatus. Since Fra Lippo Lippi's departure from the recording studio, Kristoffersen released two instrumental albums, Elephant Song and Monolight, and started his own label, Rune Grammofon. Sorensen has worked with fellow Norwegian artist Trine Rein. © Michael Sutton, All Music Guide

BIO Per Øystein Sørensen (WIKI)

Per Øystein Sørensen is best known as the vocalist of the New Wave/synth pop band Fra Lippo Lippi. Per Øystein Sørensen raised the bridge for Fra Lippo Lippi to cross from desolate goth rock to a piano-laden amalgam of new wave and light jazz. When Fra Lippo Lippi formed in Norway in the late '70s, the group seemed obsessed with the droning rhythms and morose lyrics of Joy Division. In fact, Fra Lippo Lippi's debut album In Silence was so bleak that it could've been mistaken for a Joy Division record. However, by Fra Lippo Lippi's second LP, Small Mercies, Sørensen's sweet tooth for pop began to brighten the band's somber mood. While Small Mercies was still a sad album, hooks and melodies started to penetrate the group's initially impermeable wall of gloom. On Songs, Sørensen found his voice -- and so did the band. No longer limiting himself to the ominous tones of Joy Division's Ian Curtis and Bauhaus' Peter Murphy, Sørensen's vocals became more soulful on Songs, equally capable of expressing joy ("Come Summer") or emotional resignation ("Coming Home"). The lyrics gained clarity as well. Fra Lippo Lippi ceased recording in the early '90s. However, in 2000, Fra Lippo Lippi performed in the Philippines, a country where the band landed numerous hits during the '80s. Sørensen has also worked with Trine Rein.

BIO Rune Kristoffersen (WIKI)

Rune Kristoffersen is the guitarist of the Norwegian band Fra Lippo Lippi. Rune Kristoffersen spent the eighties playing bass in Norwegian pop outfit Fra Lippo Lippi, signed to Virgin Records and had an album produced by Walter Becker from Steely Dan in LA. As Fra Lippo Lippi's popularity waned in the nineties, he returned to Norway to teach primary school children, before embarking on a career as a label owner of Rune Grammofon.