She's So Unusual [Bonus Tracks] [Remaster] (CD - 1984)

Personnel: Cyndi Lauper (vocals); Eric Bazilian (guitar, saxophone, bass, background vocals); Neil Jason (guitar, bass); Rick De Fonzo, William Wittman (guitar); Rob Hyman (keyboards, background vocals); Peter Wood, Richard Termini (synthesizer); Anton Fig (drums); Maeretha Stewart, Dianne Wilson, Krystal Davis, Ellie Greenwich, Jules Shear (background vocals).

Recorded at the Record Plant, New York, New York. Includes liner notes by Amy Linden.

This is a Super Audio CD playable only on Super Audio CD players.

Personnel: Cyndi Lauper (vocals); Eric Bazilian (guitar, saxophone, bass, background vocals); Neil Jason (guitar, bass); Rick De Fonzo, William Wittman (guitar); Rob Hyman (keyboards, background vocals); Peter Wood, Richard Termini (synthesizer); Anton Fig (drums); Maeretha Stewart, Dianne Wilson, Krystal Davis, Ellie Greenwich, Jules Shear (background vocals).

Recorded at the Record Plant, New York, New York.

Personnel: Cyndi Lauper (vocals, background vocals); Eric Bazilian (vocals, guitar, saxophone, bass guitar, background vocals); Rob Hyman (keyboards, background vocals); Ellie Greenwich, Diane Wilson, Krystal Davis, Maretha Stewart, Jules Shear (vocals, background vocals); Neil Jason, Rick DiFonzo, William Wittman (guitar); Peter Wood, Richard Termini (synthesizer); Anton Fig (drums, percussion); Rick Chertoff (percussion).

Liner Note Author: Amy Linden.

Recording information: Irvine Meadows, Irvine, CA (1984); Record Plant Studios, New York, NY (1984); Record Plant, New York, NY (1984).

Photographer: Annie Liebovitz.

Arrangers: Cyndi Lauper; Eric Bazilian; Erie Brazilian; Rick Chertoff; Rob Hyman ; William Wittman.

Once the orange-haired Lauper dropped the contrived, dumb, cutesy, lispy broad persona, Cyndi Lauper was seen as a credible artist, and has subsequently become highly respected as a terrific songwriter. On this, her pen was sharpened with the magnificent song of unconditional love, "Time After Time," a track that has since been recorded by others, including beautiful cover versions by Miles Davis and the jazz husband-and-wife duo, Tuck And Patti. Less sophisticated, but of equal fun, is "She Bop," and then there are well-chosen covers such as Jules Shear's "All Through The Night" and Prince's "When You Were Mine."

Once the orange-haired Lauper dropped the contrived, dumb, cutesy, lispy broad persona, Cyndi Lauper was seen as a credible artist, and has subsequently become highly respected as a terrific songwriter. On this, her pen was sharpened with the magnificent song of unconditional love, "Time After Time," a track that has since been recorded by others, including beautiful cover versions by Miles Davis and the jazz husband-and-wife duo, Tuck And Patti. Less sophisticated, but of equal fun, is "She Bop," and then there are well-chosen covers such as Jules Shear's "All Through The Night" and Prince's "When You Were Mine."

One of the great new wave/early MTV records, She's So Unusual is a giddy mix of self-confidence, effervescent popcraft, unabashed sentimentality, subversiveness, and clever humor. In short, it's a multifaceted portrait of a multifaceted talent, an artist that's far more clever than her thin, deliberately girly voice would indicate. Then again, Lauper's voice suits her musical persona, since its chirpiness adds depth, or reconfigures the songs, whether it's the call to arms of "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" or the tearjerking "Time After Time." Lauper is at her very best on the first side, all of which were singles or received airplay, and this collection of songs -- "Money Changes Everything," "Girls," "When You Were Mine," "Time," "She Bop," "All Through the Night" -- is astonishing in its consistency, so strong that it makes the remaining tracks -- all enjoyable, but rather pedestrian -- charming by their association with songs so brilliantly alive. If Lauper couldn't maintain this level of consistency, it's because this captured her persona better than anyone could imagine -- when a debut captures a personality so well, let alone a personality so tied to its time, the successive work can't help but pale in comparison. Still, when it's captured as brightly and brilliantly as it is here, it does result in a debut that retains its potency, long after its production seems a little dated. [The 2000 reissue contains three live bonus tracks, all enjoyable, all not really necessary.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine minimize