Restless Nights

Studio album by

Released

September 1979

Studio

The Sound Factory (Los Angeles, California)

Genre

Pop, MOR

Length

37:19

Karla Bonoff chronology

Karla Bonoff
(1977)

Restless Nights
(1979)

Wild Heart of the Young
(1982)

Restless Nights is the second album by singer/songwriter Karla Bonoff. The album peaked at No. 31 on the Billboard albums chart^[1] and number 66 on the Australian Kent Music Report.^[2]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[3]

Rolling Stone's Don Shewey dismissed Bonoff's work as "sappy, MOR schlock," but noted that "Trouble Again" and "Baby Don't Go" are "fast, fun and disposable — i.e., everything a pop single should be... The remainder of Restless Nights is insufferable sludge."^[4] The New York Times called Restless Nights "one of the most lovely albums of the year," writing that the songs "are sung with elegance, and their instrumental support is similarly pristine."^[5]

AllMusic's William Ruhlmann retrospectively called "Trouble Again" "a gem (as Linda Ronstadt proved when she recorded it)" but concluded that the album "did not represent the leap that would have been required to vault Bonoff into the ranks of her star friends."^[3]

Track listing

All songs written by Karla Bonoff, except where noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Trouble Again"	Bonoff, Kenny Edwards	3:37
2.	"Restless Nights"		5:18
3.	"The Letter"		2:47
4.	"When You Walk in the Room"	Jackie DeShannon	3:00
5.	"Only a Fool"		6:07
6.	"Baby Don't Go"	Bonoff, Kenny Edwards	3:19
7.	"Never Stop Her Heart"		4:49
8.	"Loving You"		3:26
9.	"The Water Is Wide"	Traditional	4:56

Personnel

Karla Bonoff – vocals, backing vocals (1, 4, 7, 8), acoustic guitar (1, 2, 4-7, 9), acoustic piano (8)
Don Grolnick – acoustic piano (1, 4), electric piano (3, 5)
Andrew Gold – electric piano (2), electric guitar (6, 7), percussion (6), backing vocals (6)
Garth Hudson – accordion (9)
Dan Dugmore – electric guitar (1, 4)
Waddy Wachtel – electric guitar (1, 4, 6, 7)
Danny Kortchmar – electric guitar (2, 8)
David Lindley – acoustic guitar (5)
Ed Black – electric guitar (8)
James Taylor – acoustic guitar (9), backing vocals (9)
Kenny Edwards – bass guitar (1, 2, 4-9), backing vocals (1, 6, 8)
Russ Kunkel – drums (1, 4, 5)
Rick Marotta – drums (2, 6-8)
Steve Forman – percussion (1, 7)
David Campbell – string arrangements and conductor
Don Henley – backing vocals (2)
J. D. Souther – backing vocals (2, 9)
Jackie DeShannon – backing vocals (4)
Wendy Waldman – backing vocals (7)

Production

Kenny Edwards – producer
Greg Ladanyi – recording, mixing
Jim Nipar – recording
Ernie Sheesley – assistant engineer
Bernie Grundman – mastering at A&M Studios (Hollywood, California)
Melanie McDowell – production assistant
John Kosh – art direction, design
Aaron Rapoport – photography

References

^ Whitburn, Joel (1995). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Albums, 3rd Edition, p. 41. Billboard Books, New York. ISBN 0-8230-7631-8
^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 42. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
^ ^a ^b Restless Nights at AllMusic
^ Shewey, Don. "Restless Nights", Rolling Stone, December 13, 1979, p. 86.
^ Rockwell, John (7 Sep 1979). "The Pop Life". The New York Times. p. C19.