Yo Frankie
Studio album by
Dion
Released1989
Recorded1988
GenrePop, rock and roll
LabelArista[1]
ProducerDave Edmunds
Dion chronology
Velvet & Steel
(1986) 		Yo Frankie
(1989) 		Dream on Fire
(1992)

Yo Frankie is an album by the American musician Dion, released in 1989.[2][3][4] The album marked a popular comeback for Dion, who had spent much of the 1980s recording Christian music.[5][6] Lou Reed, who had inducted Dion into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame a couple of months prior to the release of Yo Frankie, was one of the many musicians who made guest appearances on the album.[7][8]

The album peaked at No. 130 on the Billboard 200.[9] The lead single was "King of the New York Streets", which peaked at No. 74 on the UK Singles Chart in May 1989.[10][11] "Written on the Subway Wall"/"Little Star" (featuring Paul Simon) peaked at No. 97 in October 1990.[12]

Production

The album was produced by Dave Edmunds.[13] Dion cowrote many of its songs with the lyricist Bill Tuohy.[14] Bryan Adams cowrote and produced "Drive All Night".[15] A music video for "And the Night Stood Still" and "Written on the Subway Wall" (with Paul Simon) aired on MTV and VH1.[16][17]

In 2021, Dion released a blues version of "I've Got to Get to You" on his album Stomping Ground.[18][19]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[20]
Chicago Tribune[21]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[22]
Hi-Fi News & Record ReviewA/A*:1*[23]
MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide[24]
Orlando Sentinel[15]
Ottawa Citizen[25]
Record Collector[13]
Rolling Stone[26]
Vancouver Sun[27]

Rolling Stone called the album "merely pleasant, just like most of DiMucci’s post-Sixties solo work," writing that "it comes with all the spineless instrumentation and ersatz-doo-wop harmonies of a Huey Lewis single."[26] The Ottawa Citizen thought that "every time the New Yorker returns, it is as a new rock and roll character, each more believable than the last and through each, offering a significant contribution to pop."[25]

The Los Angeles Times wrote that "some of the tracks seem too polished and predictable, but the heart of the album—including the romantic innocence of 'And the Night Stood Still', the playful nostalgia of 'Written on the Subway Wall' and, especially, the wry introspection of 'King of the New York Streets'—bursts forth with a sense of triumph and survival."[28] The Chicago Tribune lamented the album's "overproduction," but wrote that the opening track's "combination of street-tough attitude wrapped in churning guitars and razor-sharp lyrics is riveting."[21]

AllMusic wrote that "the album fits together so well and coherently that the contemporary and the nostalgic elements merge seamlessly into a pleasing whole."[20]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."King of the New York Streets"4:50
2."And the Night Stood Still"4:20
3."Yo Frankie (She's All Right With Me)"3:35
4."I've Got to Get to You"4:32
5."Written on the Subway Wall"/"Little Star"3:54
6."Drive All Night"3:00
7."Always in the Rain"4:21
8."Loving You Is Killing Me"3:39
9."Tower of Love"4:18
10."Serenade"4:16

Personnel

References

  1. ^ Popoff, Martin (September 8, 2009). Goldmine Record Album Price Guide. Penguin. ISBN 9781440229169 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ "Dion Biography & History". AllMusic.
  3. ^ Buckley, Peter (August 8, 2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. ISBN 9781843531050 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ "King of the NY Streets: Dion's Yo Frankie Turns 30". 7 May 2019.
  5. ^ Cusic, Don (November 12, 2009). Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music: Pop, Rock, and Worship: Pop, Rock, and Worship. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9780313344268 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ "Dion DiMucci | Christian Music Archive".
  7. ^ Holden, Stephen (18 Jan 1989). "The Pop Life". The New York Times. p. C19.
  8. ^ Heim, Chris (5 May 1989). "Well-known artists return with old favorites, new issues". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. 78.
  9. ^ "Dion". Billboard.
  10. ^ "Choices". Weekend. Newsday. 1 Sep 1989. p. 2.
  11. ^ "Dion". Official Charts. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  12. ^ "Written on the subway wall/Little star EP Official Charts Company". Official Charts.
  13. ^ a b "Yo Frankie". Record Collector.
  14. ^ "Beyond Nostalgia: Dion's Back". The Washington Post. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  15. ^ a b Fields, Curt (23 July 1989). "Diom". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 6.
  16. ^ "And the Night Stood Still | Dion | Music Video | MTV". www.mtv.com. Archived from the original on 21 August 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  17. ^ "Written on the Subway Wall | Dion | Music Video | MTV". www.mtv.com. Archived from the original on 21 August 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  18. ^ "Dion Releases New Track "I've Got to Get to You" with Boz Scaggs". 18 August 2021.
  19. ^ "Dion - I've Got to Get to You".
  20. ^ a b "Yo Frankie". AllMusic.
  21. ^ a b Silverman, David (1 June 1989). "Recordings". Chicago Tribune. p. 15D.
  22. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 3. MUZE. p. 13.
  23. ^ Kessler, Ken (September 1989). "Review: Dion — Yo Frankie" (PDF). Hi-Fi News & Record Review. Vol. 34, no. 9. Croydon: Link House Magazines Ltd. p. 100. ISSN 0142-6230. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 September 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2021 – via World Radio History.
  24. ^ MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 169.
  25. ^ a b Erskine, Evelyn (12 May 1989). "Dion Back Again". Ottawa Citizen. p. B6.
  26. ^ a b Browne, David (June 15, 1989). "Yo Frankie!". Rolling Stone.
  27. ^ Mackie, John (27 May 1989). "Recordings". Vancouver Sun. p. E2.
  28. ^ Hilburn, Robert (30 Apr 1989). "Dion: The Wanderer Finds His Way Home". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 4.
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