Exotica (Bananarama album)

Exotica
Studio album by Bananarama
Released	March 2001
Recorded	July 1999 - May 2000
Genre	Pop rock, dance-pop, Latin pop
Label	M6 Interactions
Producer	Pascal Caubet
Bananarama chronology
Master Series (1996) Exotica (2001) The Very Best of Bananarama (2001)

Exotica is the eighth studio album released by the British female vocal duo Bananarama. This is Bananarama's third album as a duo, and was produced by Pascal Caubet and issued only in France in 2001 on the M6 Interactions label. The work is a combination of new compositions along with re-recordings of past Bananarama hits, including a Latin pop version of the U.S. and UK Top 10 hit, "Cruel Summer".

Two promo-only singles were released from the album: "If" (which was abandoned mostly before release) and a cover version of George Michael's "Careless Whisper". The album was not a commercial or critical success for Bananarama, but the few copies of "If" which made it to the French market have become one of the rarest items ever by the band, heavily sought after by fans and collectors.

Track listing

France CD version

1. "If" — 3:52 (P. Caubet/S. Dallin/K. Woodward)
2. "Starz" — 3:45 (S. Dallin/T. Moran/Bassey Walker)
3. "What You Gonna Do" — 4:32 (S. Dallin/B. Walker)
4. "Cruel Summer" — 4:05 (S. Jolley/T. Swain/S. Dallin/S. Fahey/ K. Woodward)
5. "Crazy" — 4:01 (S. Dallin/P. Hampartzyoumyan/K. Woodward)
6. "Boom" — 3:15 (S. Dallin/P. de Havilland/B. Walker)
7. "Robert De Niro's Waiting..." — 3:24 (S. Jolley/T. Swain/S. Dallin/S. Fahey/ K. Woodward)
8. "Careless Whisper" — 4:02 (George Michael/Andrew Ridgeley)
9. "Sleep" — 4:06 (S. Dallin/P. Statham/B. Walker/K. Woodward)
10. "I Heard a Rumour" — 3:53 (S. Dallin/S. Fahey/K. Woodward/M. Stock/M. Aitken/P. Waterman)
11. "Got a Thing for You" — 3:41 (P. Caubet/S. Dallin/B. Walker/K. Woodward)
12. "Venus" — 3:38 (R. V. Leeuwen)

Unreleased songs and demos

1. "What You Gonna Do"
2. "Boom"
3. "Venus" '97"
4. "Sleep"
5. "You and I"
6. "You Are Not Me"
7. "U R My Baby" #:Available on the Disco Brothers CD album Disco Brothers Present Stars of the '80s.
8. "Your Love Tastes So Sweet"
9. "Breathe"
10. "Finally"
11. "Blue Sky"
12. "Middle of Nowhere"
13. "Waterloo" #:Available on the CDs A Song for Eurotrash and ABBA: A Tribute, The 25th Anniversary Celebration.
14. "I'm Waiting"
15. "I Like It"

Personnel

Bananarama

• Sara Dallin - Vocals
• Keren Woodward - Vocals

Produced by

• Krysty Music Ltd.

Vocal arrangements

• Sara Dallin on most songs
• Keren Woodward on most songs
• Bassey Walker on most songs

Recorded at

• Krysty Music Studios, Paris
• Pat Studio, Paris

Voices recorded at

• Matrix Studios, London
• North London Studios
• Studio du Palais des Congres, Paris
• Big Onion Studios, London

Guitars

• Vasken Sayrin on "If", "Boom", "Careless Whisper" and "Got a Thing for You"
• Alejandro Otero on "Cruel Summer"
• Juan-Carlos Pellegrino on "Careless Whisper", "Sleep" and "Venus"

Keyboards

• Pascal Caubet on most songs
• Juan Carlos Pellegrino on "Cruel Summer"
• Florent Enfer on "Robert De Niro's Waiting...", and "I Heard a Rumour"
• Patrick Hampartzoumian on "Crazy"

Programming

• Florent Enfer on most songs
• Patrick Hampartzoumian on "Crazy"

Arrangements

• Pascal Caubet and Florent Enfer on most songs
• Bassey Walker and Peter de Havilland on "What You Gonna Do"
• Patrick Hampartzoumian on "Crazy"

Executive producer

• Pascal Caubet

Sound engineer

• Juan Carlos Pellegrino

Mixed by

• Juan Carlos Pellegrino and Pascal Caubet on most songs
• Patrick Hampartzoumian on "Crazy"