Maps of Music

Mariah Carey (1990)

Where the lyrics of Mariah Carey take you, and where it was really made.

The debut album grew out of a four-song demo Carey wrote in high school, and after she signed to Columbia the four songs were altered and partly re-recorded for the album.

Key places

Tarpan Studios in San Rafael (1990)

Recording site Tarpan Studios — Walden and Carey reworked many of the demo songs into more commercial recordings at this studio in San Rafael, California. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Skyline Recording Studios in New York (1990)

Recording site Skyline Recording Studios — The album's personnel credits list Skyline Recording Studios in New York City as one of the recording locations. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Cove City Sound Studios in Glen Cove (1990)

Recording site Cove City Sound Studios — The album's personnel credits list Cove City Sound Studios in Glen Cove, New York as one of the recording locations. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Power Station in New York City (1990)

Recording site Power Station Studio — The album's personnel credits list Power Station in New York City as one of the recording locations. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

The Plant Studios in Sausalito (1990)

Recording site Record Plant — The album's personnel credits list The Plant Studios in Sausalito, California as one of the recording locations. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

The Hit Factory in New York City (1990)

Recording site The Hit Factory — The album's personnel credits list The Hit Factory in New York City as one of the recording locations. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Debut studio album by American singer Mariah Carey
• Released June 12, 1990 by Columbia Records
• Mixes a range of genres, combining slow ballads with up-tempo tracks
• Five singles released; four of them reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100
• Lead single Vision of Love topped the charts in Canada, New Zealand and the US

Background

• In 1988, Carey, then 19, moved out of her mother's house in Long Island into a small Manhattan apartment
• Her demo of four songs was written with Ben Margulies during her high school years
• She still had no record deal in 1988 and worked several jobs while continuing to write and produce with Margulies
• Carey was signed to Columbia in December 1988 after Tommy Mottola brought her to the label
• Mottola wanted a young female vocalist to rival Whitney Houston or a pop star to match Madonna, and felt Carey represented both
• After Carey was signed, all four demo songs were altered and partly re-recorded and made the final cut for the album

Recording

• Writers and producers on the album included Ben Margulies, Rhett Lawrence, Narada Michael Walden, Ric Wake and Walter Afanasieff
• Walden and Carey worked in New York on I Don't Wanna Cry and slowed it into a gospel-influenced ballad
• Carey wrote There's Got to Be a Way during her first session with Ric Wake
• Walden and Carey reworked many demo songs into more commercial recordings at Tarpan Studios in San Rafael, California
• Love Takes Time was written by Carey and Margulies by May 1990, while the album was already being mastered

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Early life

• Born March 27, 1969 in Huntington, New York, on Long Island.
• Youngest of three children of Patricia Hickey, a former opera singer, and Alfred Roy Carey, an aeronautical engineer.
• Began singing at age three; graduated from Harborfields High School in 1987.
• Worked as a demo singer and backup singer, including for Brenda K. Starr.

Career

• Signed to Columbia Records after Tommy Mottola heard her demo tape in December 1988.
• Debut album Mariah Carey (1990) topped the US Billboard 200 and won Best New Artist at the Grammys.
• Became the first artist whose first five singles reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
• Music Box (1993), Merry Christmas (1994), and Daydream (1995) achieved major global sales.
• Later albums moved toward hip-hop and R&B, including Butterfly (1997) and Rainbow (1999).
• Comeback album The Emancipation of Mimi (2005) was her fifth number-one album in the US.
• Known as the 'Songbird Supreme' and 'Queen of Christmas'; one of the best-selling artists in history with over 220 million records sold.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Mariah Carey received generally positive reviews, with critics praising Carey's vocal performance and technique
• Critics were ambivalent toward the songwriting; reviewers found the material lacked a distinct musical identity
• Entertainment Weekly wrote in 1990 that Carey possessed an "astonishing vocal range and high ideals" but criticized the lyrical content
• The Village Voice's Robert Christgau was more critical, finding much of the material clueless about its love themes
• Chicago Tribune's Jan DeKnock was more impressed, citing sparkling tracks that show Carey's songwriting and production talents
• Some critics found Carey all voice, no substance

Reappraisal

• The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), by Arion Berger, described an album of uplifting dance pop and R&B ballads that gave Carey room to show her wide vocal range
• AllMusic's Ashley S. Battel found the record extremely impressive and said it served as a springboard for future successes
• Battel concluded that Carey set a strong standard of comparison for other breakthrough artists of the genre
• Billboard's Trevor Anderson found the album more concerned with producing hits than introducing Carey, though it achieved that to a remarkable degree

Records

• Entered the US Billboard 200 at number 80 and reached the top 20 in its fourth week
• Topped the Billboard 200 in its 36th week and stayed at number one for 11 consecutive weeks
• Certified nine-times Platinum by the RIAA, denoting nine million shipments in the US
• Sold 4,885,000 copies in the US according to Nielsen SoundScan; the best-selling album of 1991 in the US
• Canada: number one, certified seven-times Platinum by CRIA (700,000 copies)
• UK Albums Chart debut at number six; certified Platinum by the BPI (300,000 copies)
• Australia peaked at number six and went 5x Platinum; New Zealand peaked at number four and was certified 4x Platinum
• Worldwide sales stand at 15 million copies

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Carey first sang Vision of Love on The Arsenio Hall Show on June 1, 1990, her first televised appearance
• On the first pressings, Love Takes Time was not listed on the liner notes, although the song was on the tape and CD
• Carey protested adding Love Takes Time because her album was already being mastered and she meant the ballad for her next release
• Afanasieff recorded the song's music and basics in about a day under a deadline, then Carey recorded her vocals in New York
• The album's Vision of Love performance at the ceremony is often ranked among the greatest award show performances of all time

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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