Hal Davis

Harold Edward "Hal" Davis (February 8, 1933 – November 18, 1998) was an American songwriter and record producer. He is best remembered as the key figure in the latter part of the Motown career of The Jackson 5.

Davis was the co-writer and producer of Jackson 5 hits such as "I'll Be There" and "Dancing Machine," and Eddie Kendricks' "Can I". Davis also produced for Bette Midler (her Motown record of 1975, produced by Davis, was never released), Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers, The Supremes, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Brenda Holloway, Thelma Houston, Joy Holden, Diana Ross, Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson, Marvin Gaye, Little Stevie Wonder, Four Tops, Junior Walker, and The Miracles.

Hal Davis was a producer and writer for Motown Records for nearly thirty years. He and Marc Gordon opened Mowest, Motown's west coast office division, in the late 1960s. He first had some regional hits with "Do The Del Viking" by Patrice Holloway and "Moment to Remember" by Jenell Hawkins on his own label.

So Tough

So Tough (1993) is the second studio album by British band Saint Etienne. It is their highest-charting album to date, reaching No. 7 on the UK Album Chart. The album takes its title from the Beach Boys album Carl and the Passions – "So Tough".

The album was indebted to sixties classics, The Who Sell Out by The Who, Smile by The Beach Boys and Head by The Monkees. The album was originally intended as a concept album which starts at Mario's Cafe in London then travels around the world, however it came to be viewed as a solely London album.

Samples and references

One of the distinctive features of the album is the use of samples between the songs. The band were keen to use linking dialogue, similar to that used in The Who Sell Out or on contemporary hip-hop albums. They are taken from a variety of sources including dialogue from film and television. The original sources include the films Peeping Tom, Billy Liar, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Lord of the Flies and That'll Be the Day, as well as the television series The Family and the 1958 stereo demonstration album A Journey into Stereophonic Sound. Additionally, the track "Conchita Martinez" features a recurring sample from the opening riff of Rush's 1980 hit "The Spirit of Radio".