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/ News

Reissue Theory: Whitney Houston, "Whitney"

January 25, 2012 By Mike Duquette 10 Comments

We remember Whitney Houston (1963-2012) and her timeless legacy of song.  We're sharing this feature in her memory, and will return with a tribute to this musical legend, gone too soon.

Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we focus on notable album and the reissues they could someday see. Today's entry: a 25th anniversary spotlight on one of the best dance-pop albums of any era, and a tribute to a powerhouse R&B voice. In a word: Whitney.

Around this time in 2010, right when The Second Disc was starting out, one of the most surprising reissues from a major label was Arista/Legacy's 25th anniversary edition of the self-titled 1985 debut by Whitney Houston. Though she had a rich musical legacy in her blood - her mom, Cissy, was a prominent gospel singer, Dionne Warwick was her cousin and Aretha Franklin was a family friend - the 21-year-old's sudden rise to fame was something of a surprise to much of the public. (It was less so to Arista Records head Clive Davis, a consistent champion for her throughout her storied career.) Whitney Houston topped the charts for weeks, earned four Grammy nominations (with one win) and took three singles - ballads "Saving All My Love for You" and "Greatest Love of All" as well as uptempo smash "How Will I Know" - to No. 1.

It seemed like a tough album to top - which makes it all the more impressive that it did, hands down.

Never one to abandon a successful formula, Clive Davis, as executive producer of Houston's sophomore album, recruited a lot of the same players that made Whitney Houston so popular. Returning producers Kashif, Michael Masser and Narada Michael Walden were all on board, along with John "Jellybean" Benitez for one track ("Love Will Save the Day"). Session legends were voluminous, from bassists Randy Jackson and Nathan East and strings by Gene Page to Roy Ayers on vibes and Walter Afanasieff on keyboards. (The tenor sax work on "Just the Lonely Talking Again" was that of none other than smooth-jazz icon Kenny G!)

Like its predecessor, Whitney packed a lion's share of club-ready movers and wistful, theatrical ballads. (In some cases, the songs were truly of the theatre; "I Know Him So Well," a duet with Cissy Houston, was written by ABBA's Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus and Tim Rice for the musical Chess, while "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" was co-written by Frank Wildhorn, later known for his hit musical Jekyll & Hyde.) Sam Dees, writer of "One in a Million You" for Larry Graham, penned "Just the Lonely Talking" (previously recorded by New Jersey vocal group The Manhattans); several legendary pop partnerships also contributed tunes. Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly wrote "So Emotional" while George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam, who penned "How Will I Know" for Whitney, wrote an impressive sequel in "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)."

While critics were quick to pick up on the similarities between both records, Whitney was still a major commercial success. It became the fourth album to debut at the top of the Billboard 200 - the first by a woman - and spun off four No. 1 singles, "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)," "Didn't We Almost Have It All," "So Emotional" and "Where Do Broken Hearts Go." (This gave Houston seven chart-toppers in a row, counting the singles off Whitney Houston.) Though the singer's most successful days were still ahead of her, namely with 1992's record-smashing soundtrack to The Bodyguard, Whitney stands as a landmark in Houston's career which would do well to be recognized as an expanded edition.

While the 25th anniversary edition of Whitney Houston was a CD/DVD affair, our vision of a similar set for Whitney is all about the music, including three non-LP tracks - chief among them "One Moment in Time," a Top 5 hit written for the 1988 Summer Olympics - and a host of remixes from the vault.

Whitney Houston, Whitney: 25th Anniversary Edition (Arista/Legacy)

Disc 1: Original album (released as Arista AL-8405, 1987)

  1. I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)
  2. Just the Lonely Talking
  3. Love Will Save the Day
  4. Didn't We Almost Have It All
  5. So Emotional
  6. Where You Are
  7. Love is a Contact Sport
  8. You're Still My Man
  9. For the Love of You
  10. Where Do Broken Hearts Go
  11. I Knew Him So Well

Disc 2: Bonus material

  1. I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) (12" Remix)
  2. So Emotional (Extended Remix)
  3. For the Love of You (Extended Version)
  4. Love Will Save the Day (Extended Club Mix)
  5. Moment of Truth
  6. Shock Me - Whitney Houston and Jermaine Jackson
  7. One Moment in Time
  8. I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) (A Cappella Mix)
  9. So Emotional (The Voice)
  10. Love Will Save the Day (A Cappella)
  11. Didn't We Almost Have It All (Live)

Disc 2, Tracks 1 and 8 released on Arista 12" AD1-9599, 1987
Disc 2, Tracks 2 and 9 released on Arista 12" AD1-9641, 1987
Disc 2, Track 3 released on Arista 12" AD1-9632, 1987
Disc 2, Tracks 4 and 10 released on Arista 12" AD1-9721, 1988
Disc 2, Track 5 was the B-side to "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" - Arista AS1-9598, 1987
Disc 2, Track 6 first released on Perfect: Original Soundtrack (Arista AL-8278, 1985). Later used as the B-side to "Didn't We Almost Have It All" (Arista AS1-9616, 1987)
Disc 2, Track 7 from 1988 Summer Olympics Album: One Moment in Time (Arista AL-8551, 1988). Released as Arista single AS1-9743.
Disc 2, Track 11 released on Arista 12" 609 973 (Germany), 1987

Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Pop, R&B/Soul Tags: Reissue Theory, Whitney Houston

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Mike Duquette

Mike Duquette (Founder) was fascinated with catalog music ever since he was a teenager. A 2009 graduate of Seton Hall University with a B.A. in journalism, Mike paired his profession with his passion through The Second Disc, one of the first sites to focus on all reissue labels great and small. His passion for reissues turned into a career, holding positions at Legacy Recordings and Rhino Records and contributing to Allmusic, Discogs, City Pages, Ultimate Classic Rock and Mondo Records, for whom he penned liner notes for his favorite piece of music: John Williams' Oscar-winning score to 'E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.' Born and raised in New Jersey, Mike lives in Astoria, Queens with his wife, a cat named Ravioli, twin daughters and a large yet tasteful collection of music.

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Comments

  1. Hank says

    January 26, 2012 at 9:58 am

    I always found it odd that those 80's-format radio stations never play anything from this album--it was all over top-40 radio back in the day.

    Reply
  2. Timothy says

    January 27, 2012 at 10:46 am

    I wonder when this will come out. I'm hoping that the live version of Didn't we almost have it all is the version from the video of the title.

    Reply
  3. Robbert says

    February 13, 2012 at 2:25 am

    Just The Lonely Talking was not written for this album:
    it was already done by the Manhattans in 1983 for the album Forever By Your Side!

    Reply
    • muffy says

      November 7, 2013 at 1:12 pm

      Good catch, I remember that song by the Manhattans and was impressed with Whitney's version as well.

      Reply
  4. Giuseppe says

    March 7, 2012 at 4:15 am

    Why not tack the three bonus tracks onto the first disc and also include the radio/remix edits of "I Wanna Dance With Somebody", "So Emotional" and "Love Will Save The Day" - thus making more room for additional remixes on the second disc 🙂

    Reply
  5. Brew says

    June 28, 2012 at 10:17 pm

    Most major Whitney fans have heard "Moment of Truth," the remixes, etc. Surely she recorded more than the 11 album tracks, "Moment of Truth" and "Dancin' on the Smooth Edge." I want to see the outtakes and the truly unreleased material on disc 2.

    Reply
  6. brewthepoet says

    June 28, 2012 at 10:19 pm

    Most hardcore Whitney fans already have "Moment of Truth" and the remixes. I'd rather see some of the outtakes and truly unreleased material added to disc 2.

    Reply
  7. Alex says

    November 12, 2015 at 3:34 am

    I hope someone took this advice on reissuing WHITNEY. I see that Amazon has a pre-order of WHITNEY that's going to be released on Jan 1, 2016, but I it doesn't have any info other than Sony Japan.

    Reply
  8. MJ Gray says

    May 6, 2016 at 4:48 am

    Hopefully they'll include the EXTENDED VERSION of "Just The Lonely Talking Again." I know quite a few people that are looking for that version.

    Reply
  9. Michael Khalsa says

    September 30, 2018 at 11:34 am

    There is also a 12” of For The Love Of You. Would also love an expanded I’m Your Baby Tonight. Think Whitney’s first 3 albums are her best. Voice is jaw dropping.

    Reply

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