Guy (album)
| Guy | ||||
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| Studio album by Guy | ||||
| Released | June 14, 1988 | |||
| Recorded | October, 1987–March, 1988 | |||
| Studio |
Chung King Studios Sound Works Studios Unique Studios New York City, New York Hillside Studios Englewood, New Jersey Quantum Studios Jersey City, New Jersey |
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| Genre | New Jack Swing | |||
| Length | 45:08 | |||
| Label |
Uptown, MCA Geffen (2007 reissue) |
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| Producer | Guy (exec.), Andre Harrell (exec.), Gene Griffin, Teddy Riley | |||
| Guy chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Guy | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  |
| The Village Voice | A– |
Guy is the 1988 eponymous debut studio album by American R&B band Guy. Released on June 14, 1988 by Uptown Records, It was produced by group founder Teddy Riley and manager Gene Griffin. The album peaked at number 27 on the Billboard 200 chart. In July 1994, it was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, for shipments of two million copies in the United States. In 2007, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the album, Geffen Records reissued the recording complete with a remastered version of the original album and a second CD of remixes.
The origins of Guy came about when Aaron Hall and Timmy Gatling worked at the same clothing store, Abraham & Straus in New York. Riley was introduced to Hall by way of Gatling and the three then decided to form a group. Riley and Gatling were in a group prior to forming Guy called Kids At Work. Producer and manager Gene Griffin introduced them to Uptown Records founder Andre Harrell, who immediately signed the trio. After they were signed, they moved to Washington, D.C. to live with Griffin. However, things went south after Hall and Gatling were fighting the entire time of the recording. Gatling then left the group and was replaced by Aaron's younger brother Damion Hall.
The album was recorded at several studios in New York—Chung King Studios, Sound Works Studios, and Unique Studios in New York City, Hillside Studios in Englewood, and Quantum Studios, Jersey City. The recording sessions were engineered by Tony Bennett's son Dae Bennett and Dave Kowalski. The album was mixed by Timmy Regisford, who would work with Riley on a number of projects over the next few years.
Guy was initially recorded at the house of Riley's mother. The reason for it was because the group had no money to record like they wanted in a professional studio. Although they did get around to recording in a professional setting, in the end, they used most of the vocals recorded from home because Riley felt they sounded better. One of the songs on the album- "You Can Call Me Crazy"- was originally intended for singer Al B. Sure! for his debut album In Effect Mode. Griffin took the song back as he felt the album needed to be filled. In the end, they decided to keep the song on the album with Sure!'s background vocals still on the recording. Another song on the album "Piece Of My Love" was the source of an urban legend for a number of years. It was assumed that Hall sang the words "dumb bitch" at the beginning of the track. The rumor was so widespread, it was even referenced by Common in his song "Reminding Me (Of Sef)", the first single from his 1997 album One Day It'll All Make Sense. In a 2000 interview with Vibe Magazine, Riley insisted that it wasn't what Hall was saying, but rather "come on, babe". To further support his claim, he played the master tapes and isolated Hall's vocals to prove otherwise. The album started recording in October 1987 and was completed in March 1988. A new jack swing album, Guy incorporates hip hop, R&B, and funk styles.
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