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Reaching Out (Menudo album)

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Reaching Out
Studio album by
Menudo
ReleasedJanuary 1984
Recorded1983–1984, Kirios, Spain (Music) and Ochoa, Puerto Rico (vocals)
GenreLatin pop
Length33:19
LabelRCA
ProducerEdgardo Díaz; additional production by Mary Lynne M Pagan
Menudo chronology
A Todo Rock
(1983) 		Reaching Out
(1984) 		Mania
(1984)

Reaching Out is the fourteenth studio album by the Puerto Rican boy band Menudo, released in 1984 by RCA. The album stands out as their first English record in their discography,[1] and marks the group's phonographic debut in Brazil.[2] This lineup featured members Ricky (16), Charlie (15), Ray (14), Roy (14), and new member Robby (14).[2] The latter replaced Johnny Lozada after he reached the group's age limit of 16.[3]

The album's songs consist of tracks selected from their last four Spanish language albums, translated into English, with the exception of the original song "Like A Cannonball," recorded for the soundtrack of Burt Reynolds’ film Cannonball Run II.[4][5] In addition to the mentioned track, singles included "If You're Not Here (By My Side)", "Heavenly Angel,", and "Motorcycle Dreamer."

The album received a positive reception from audiences and critics alike. Sales surpassed 425,000 copies in the United States and 1 million in Brazil, earning it a diamond certification in the latter.

Background and production

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The album was the group’s first release after signing a six-year deal (for 12 LPs) with RCA, valued at a multimillion-dollar amount comparable to artists such as Kenny Rogers and Diana Ross.[6] The campaign supporting their first English album was part of the label's strategy to expand its market beyond its southern borders,[7] particularly targeting American audiences.[8] By 1983, Menudo had already sold 750,000 copies of all their albums in the U.S.,[9] while their next album, A Todo Rock, sold 250,000 copies in the country within a month.[10]

The success of this transition greatly depended on the group's ability to sing well in English, prompting the members to undergo an intensive language training program aimed at minimizing any traces of a Spanish accent.[7] The group even recorded the English version of the theme song for the film *Cannonball Run II*, starring Burt Reynolds.[7] Another challenge identified was maintaining the group's popularity in a volatile market, especially considering the rotation of members since Menudo's concept involved replacing members as they aged.[7] According to music critic Stephen Holden, although this formula could theoretically ensure eternal youth, concerns remained about the durability of their music, which followed a pre-packaged pop style that limited its longevity in the music market.[7] Beyond the album, RCA planned the release of two music videos directed by Paquito Cordero, who also produced TV specials featuring the group.[11]

As written in the LP's credit section: Reaching Out was a collaborative production, arranged and conducted by Alejandro Monroy and Carlos Villa. The main production was handled by Edgardo Díaz, with additional contributions by Mary Lynne M. Pagan. Vocal recordings were engineered by Jaime Camacho, while José Vinader managed the music engineering. Carlos Martos was responsible for the album's mixing.

Promotion

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On October 19, 1984, TV Globo aired a special titled Menudo Especial, in which eight of the ten songs from Reaching Out were performed live.[12] The recordings took place during the II Festival Internacional do Menudo, held in August 1984 in Puerto Rico.[12]

The group performed ten sold-out shows at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City.[13]

Singles

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"If You're Not Here (By My Side)" was released as a single in 1983. The track is the English version of the Spanish single "Si Tú No Estás," featured on the 1983 album A Todo Rock.[14] This love song features Robby Rosa as the lead vocalist.[14] According to Cashbox magazine, the song "features a classic pop melody sung by a youthful, high-pitched, and exceptionally clear male voice, accompanied by an orchestral background with 101 string instruments."[15] In the United States, the song reached number 36 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[16]

In Brazil, the song was included in the soundtrack of the TV Globo soap opera Partido Alto, serving as the theme for the character Fernando, played by Roberto Bataglin.[17] According to Veja magazine, the song "topped the charts as one of the most played songs on FM radio stations across the country."[18][a] The single sold 270,000 copies in Brazil,[20] and reached number one on the Nelson Oliveira Pesquisa e Estudo de Mercado (Nopem) list.[21]

According to the Correio Braziliense newspaper, the songs "If You're Not Here," "Heavenly Angel," and "Because of Love" were frequently requested on the radio in 1985, even though the group had released a more recent album in the country.[22]

Critical Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[23]
Diário de PernambucoFavorable[24]
Jornal do BrasilUnfavorable[6]

Reviews from music critics were mostly favorable.

Although AllMusic did not publish a written review, the site rated the album four out of five stars.[23] Sérgio Nona from the Diário de Pernambuco described the album as very well-produced, with joyful songs likely to appeal to both adults and children.[24]

Journalist Tárik de Souza from Jornal do Brasil noted that the album mixes rock and ballads in the "shrill voices" of the quintet, accompanied by a "standardized and outdated" sonic backdrop.[6] He mentioned that the track "Motorcycle Dreamer" "is the album's sole moment where the drums break free from the danceable constraints for a brief dry solo,"[6] but he pointed out that the group was far from artists like The Beatles, to whom they were often compared.[6]

Commercial Performance

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The album peaked at number 108 on the Billboard 200, becoming the group's first album to chart in the United States.[25] According to *Rolling Stone*, the album's and singles' modest success on U.S. charts did not prevent the group from becoming "a cultural phenomenon driven by marketing prowess and the sale of essential non-musical merchandise."[26]

In Brazil, it appeared on the Nopem charts as one of the best-selling albums.[27] By mid-1985, *Billboard* reported sales of 425,000 copies in the country.[28] According to Jornal dos Sports on March 28, 1985, after their final concert in São Paulo, the group received a diamond disc from the vice president of RCA International's Latin American Division for selling 1 million copies of the album.[29]

Tracklist

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No.TitleWriter(s)PerformerLength
1."Like a Cannonball"Snuff Garrett, Steve Dorff, Milton BrownRobby Rosa3:18
2."Indianapolis"Alejandro Monroy, Carlos VillaCharlie Massó3:34
3."Heavenly Angel"Monroy, Villa, Mary Lynne M PaganCharlie Massó3:34
4."Because of Love"Pagan, Villa, Julio Seijas, Eddy GuerinRobby Rosa3:46
5."Motorcycle Dreamer"Pagan, Villa, Edgardo DíazRicky Meléndez3:20
6."If You're Not Here - By My Side"Díaz, Monroy, Pagan, VillaRobby Rosa4:27
7."That's What You Do"Monroy, Pagan, VillaRay Reyes2:38
8."Gimme Rock"Monroy, Pagan, Seijas, VillaRobby Rosa2:30
9."Gotta Get On Moving"Monroy, Pagan, VillaRicky Meléndez3:23
10."Fly Away"Díaz, Monroy, Pagan, VillaRobby Rosa3:08

Charts

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Weekly Charts

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Chart (1984) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[30] 108

Certifications and sales

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Region Certification Sales
Brazil Diamond[29] 1,000,000[29][31]
United States — 450,000[32]

Production

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  • Arranged and conducted by Alejandro Monroy and Carlos Villa
  • Produced by Edgardo Díaz, with additional production by Mary Lynne M. Pagan
  • Engineered by Jaime Camacho (vocals) and Jose Vinader (music)
  • Mixed by Carlos Martos

Notes

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  1. ^ According to Diário de Pernambuco journal, "If You're Not Here (By My Side)" appeared in the lists of most-played songs on FM radio stations in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.[19]

References

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  1. ^ Halfoun, Eli (July 3, 1984). "País bonzinho". Jornal dos Sports. No. 16, 915. Rio de Janeiro. p. 11. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Cunha, Wilson (September 1, 1984). "São uns fenômenos..." Manchete. No. 1, 689. Rio de Janeiro. p. 82. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  3. ^ Fernandez, Enrique (June 30, 1984). "Solo Deal For Menudo Graduate Lozada" (PDF). Billboard. p. 31. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  4. ^ Portela, Wilde (February 28, 1985). "Menudo: o conjunto-empresa que está dominando o mundo". Diário de Pernambuco. No. 57. Pernambuco. p. B-1. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  5. ^ "Gente en la noticia". El Siglo de Torreón. April 24, 1985. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d e Souza, Tárik de (June 21, 1984). "Vem aí a Beatlemania hispânica". Jornal do Brasil. No. 74. Rio de Janeiro. p. 2 (Caderno B). Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d e Holden, Stephen (November 23, 1983). "The pop life; Menudo signs long term RCA pact". The New York Times: 18. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  8. ^ Prado, Zélia (March 3, 1985). "Um fenômeno chamado Menudo". Jornal do Brasil. No. 325. Rio de Janeiro. pp. 6, 7. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  9. ^ Andersen, Kurt; Simpson, Janice C. (June 27, 1983). "Show Business: American Pop Music Machine". Time. Archived from the original on April 8, 2008. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
  10. ^ Fernandez, Enrique (January 7, 1984). "Menudo Fever Grips New RCA Division VP" (PDF). Billboard. p. 41. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  11. ^ Fernandez, Enrique (7 January 1984). "Menudo Fever Grips New RCA Division VP" (PDF). Billboard. p. 41. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Em cartaz". A Tribuna. No. 297. São Paulo. 19 January 1985. p. 15. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  13. ^ "Menudomania: discos, vídeos, broches, shows". O Bairro (5). São Paulo: 6. 15 November 1984. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  14. ^ a b Swadedavillan (May 2, 2022). "OLDIES SUNDAY: Menudo – If You're Not Here (By My Side) (1984)". 13th Street Promotions. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  15. ^ "Feature picks" (PDF). Cashbox: 9. March 31, 1984. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  16. ^ Menudo | Biography, Music & News | Billboard Billboard.com. Accessed October 23, 2024.
  17. ^ Sarib, Patricia (May 17, 2021). "MENUDO, a Boy Band Latina da década de 80". BSB Times. Archived from the original on December 5, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
  18. ^ "Pequeno Gigante". Veja. October 10, 1984. Editora Abril. p. 110.
  19. ^ "Variedades". Diário de Pernambuco (216 ed.). Pernambuco: B-6. August 9, 1984. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  20. ^ Lage, Miriam (October 19, 1984). "Menudo: TV mostra hoje especial dos sucessos". Jornal do Brasil (in Portuguese): 1. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  21. ^ Soares, Elias (October 18, 1984). "Som". Última Hora (11,416 ed.). Rio de Janeiro: 33. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  22. ^ Silveira, Ana Luiza (March 1, 1985). "A contagiante febre do Menudo". Correio Braziliense (8,005 ed.). Brasília. p. 19. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  23. ^ a b "Reaching Out - Menudo | Album | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  24. ^ a b Nona, Sérgio (June 12, 1984). "Reachingout". Diário de Pernambuco (188 ed.). Pernambuco. p. B-2. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  25. ^ "ALLMusic Awards >> Menudo". AllMusic. Archived from the original on June 29, 2012. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
  26. ^ Dansby, Andrew (March 10, 2004). "Menudo to Be Resurrected". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 17, 2022. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  27. ^ "Menudo Total". Jornal do Brasil (286B ed.). Rio de Janeiro. January 21, 1985. p. 8 (Caderno B). Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  28. ^ Fernandez, Enrique (March 23, 1985). "Billboard - Latin Notes". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. pp. 58–. ISSN 0006-2510.
  29. ^ a b c Waltinho (March 28, 1985). "Televisão". Jornal dos Sports (17,179 ed.). Rio de Janeiro. p. 8. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  30. ^ "Menudo Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  31. ^ "Grupo musical Menudo chega no Rio hoje". Diário do Pará (709 ed.). Pará: 6. February 26, 1985. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  32. ^ Matre, Lynn Van (August 3, 1985). "Is Iglesias the start of Hispanic invasion in pop music world?; Other Latin acts hope they'll be able to penetrate North American market". The Gazette: D5. ISSN 0384-1294. 431244257. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
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