1979 Cher – Take Me Home
Take Me Home was Cher‘s first album of 1979, and also her first released by Casablanca Records. It was produced by Bob Esty and Ron Dante, and most of the songs were written by Michele Aller and Bob Esty. This marked the beginning of her brief venture into disco music. Much to Cher’s chagrin, she was pressured into recording an album of this genre. From the album came a major comeback hit, “Take Me Home”. She contributed a lyrically self-penned song about her failed marriage to Gregg Allman on the closing ballad, “My Song (Too Far Gone)”. This album is dedicated to “Butterfly”.
The success of the title track boosted sales of the album and the album is also known for its alluring cover photograph of a scantily clad Cher in a gold Viking outfit which received a lot of attention at the time. “Take Me Home” was also the first album to have three tracks mixed: “Take Me Home” (12″ Mix), “Wasn’t It Good” (12″ Mix) and “Git Down (Guitar Grupie)” (12″ Mix) available on the “Hell on Wheels” single. Gene Simmons, her boyfriend at the time, received a credit on the album owing to his presence on the track “Git Down (Guitar Groupie)”.
Take Me Home has been released on CD together with her second Casablanca Records album, Prisoner, numerous times in a CD entitled The Casablanca Years. This CD unites all the tracks from both albums, merging them onto one single CD. The album was released in 1993 and rereleased in 1996 with a different cover. unreleased songs from the sessions include Oh God America & Sometime Somewhere written by Cher But she didn’t like her contributions so they were left off the inclusion of Take Me Home.
Tracks
1 Take Me Home (Michele Aller, Bob Esty) 6:42
2 Wasn’t It Good (Michele Aller, Bob Esty) 4:22
3 Say the Word (Michele Aller, Bob Esty) 4:56
4 Happy Was the Day We Met (Peppi Castro) 3:56
5 Git Down (Guitar Groupie) (Michele Aller, Bob Esty) 3:45
6 Love and Pain (Richard Bear) 3:23
7 Let This Be a Lesson to You (Tom Snow) 3:15
8 It’s Too Late (To Love Me Now) (Rory Michael Bourke, Gene Dobbins, Johnny Wilson) 3:39
9 My Song (Too Far Gone) (Cher, Brett Hudson, Mark Hudson) 3:56
Biography
Musicians
1 Take Me Home
Bass | Eddie Watkins Jr |
Drums | Ed Greene |
Guitar | Wah Wah Watson |
Fender Rhodes | Alan Lindgren |
Piano | Jai Winding |
Percussion | Victor Feldman |
Background Vocals | Bob Esty |
Background Vocals | David Lasley |
Background Vocals | Jon Joyce |
Vocals | Cher |
2 Wasn’t It Good
Bass | Eddie Watkins Jr |
Drums | Ed Greene |
Guitar | Wah Wah Watson |
Clavinet | Alan Lindgren |
Keyboards | Bob Esty |
Piano | Jai Winding |
Synthesizer | Bob Esty |
Programming | Dan Wyman |
Sax | Ernie Watts |
Percussion | Victor Feldman |
Background Vocals | Bob Esty |
Background Vocals | David Lasley |
Background Vocals | Jon Joyce |
Vocals | Cher |
3 Say The Word
Bass | Eddie Watkins Jr |
Drums | Ed Greene |
Guitar | Wah Wah Watson |
Fender Rhodes | Alan Lindgren |
Piano | Jai Winding |
Background Vocals | Bob Esty |
Background Vocals | David Lasley |
Background Vocals | Jon Joyce |
Vocals | Cher |
4 Happy Was The Day We Met
Bass | Bob Glaub |
Drums | Ed Greene |
Guitar | Wah Wah Watson |
Fender Rhodes | Alan Lindgren |
Piano | Jai Winding |
Sax | Ernie Watts |
Percussion | Victor Feldman |
Background Vocals | Bob Esty |
Background Vocals | Jon Joyce |
Background Vocals | Loren Farber |
Vocals | Cher |
5 Git Down (Guitar Groupie)
Bass | David Hungate |
Drums | Jeffrey Porcaro |
Guitar (solo) | Jerry Doucette |
Guitar | Jay Graydon |
Guitar | Steve Lukather |
Piano | Greg Mathieson |
Percussion | Victor Feldman |
Background Vocals | Bob Esty |
Background Vocals | Michele Aller |
Vocals | Cher |
6 Love And Pain
Bass | Will Lee |
Drums | Ron Zito |
Guitar | Ben Benay |
Guitar | Tim May |
Keyboards | Jai Winding |
Keyboards | Paul Schaffer |
Percussion | Alan Estes |
Vocals | Cher |
7 Let This Be A Lesson to You
Bass | Bob Glaub |
Drums | Ed Greene |
Guitar | Ira Newborn |
Guitar | Thom Rotella |
Accoustic Guitar | Ira Newborn |
Clavinet | Jai Winding |
Fender Rhodes | Alan Lindgren |
Percussion | Victor Feldman |
Vocals | Cher |
8 It’s Too Late (To Love Me Now)
Bass | Bob Glaub |
Drums | Ed Greene |
Guitar | Thom Rotella |
Accoustic Guitar | Ira Newborn |
Fender Rhodes | Alan Lindgren |
Steel Guitar | Al Perkins |
Piano | Jai Winding |
Percussion | Victor Feldman |
Background Vocals | Bob Esty |
Background Vocals | Jon Joyce |
Background Vocals | Stan Farber |
Vocals | Cher |
9 My Song (Too Far Gone)
Bass | Will Lee |
Drums | Ron Zito |
Guitar | Ben Benay |
Guitar | Tim May |
Keyboards | Greg Mathieson |
Keyboards | Paul Schaffer |
Percussion | Alan Estes |
Vocals | Cher |
Liner Notes
Producer – Bob Esty (Tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
Producer – Ron Dante (Tracks 6, 8)
Producer (Executive)- Charles Koppelman (Tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
Arranged By – Bob Esty (Tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8)
Arranged By – Paul Shaffer (Tracks 6, 9)
Arranged By (Background Vocals) – Bob Esty, Michele Aller (Tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8)
Arranged By (Horns) – Jimmie Haskell (Track 6)
Concert Master – Sidney Sharp (Track 1)
Concert Master – James Getzoff (Tracks 3, 4)
Concert Master – Murray Adler (Track 8)
Conductor – Bob Esty (Tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8)
Conductor – Paul Shaffer (Tracks 6, 9)
Contractor (Musical) – Trevor Veitch (Tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8)
Coordinator – Darryl Peck (Tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8)
Coordinator – Linda Gerrity (Tracks 6, 9)
Engineer (Additional) – Stephen Marcussen (Tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8)
Engineer (Recording) – Larry Emerine (Tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8),
Engineer (Recording) – Michael De Lugg (Tracks 6, 9)
Engineer (Remix) – Larry Emerine
Mastered By – Allen Zentz
Graphics – Stephen Lumel/Gribbitt!
Photography – Barry Levine
Recorded At Studio 55, Los Angeles
Remixed At Studio 55, Los Angeles
Mastered At Allen Zentz Mastering
Recorded At A&M Studios
Phonographic Copyright Casablanca Record And Filmworks Inc
Copyright Casablanca Record And Filmworks Inc