Ready or Not (Lou Gramm album)

Ready or Not is the solo debut studio album by American rock singer-songwriter Lou Gramm, released in February 1987 by Atlantic Records.

Ready or Not
Studio album by Lou Gramm
Released	January 29, 1987[1]
Recorded	1986
Studio	Bear Tracks Recording, Suffern, New York The Hit Factory Recording, New York City
Genre	Pop rock
Length	40:40
Label	Atlantic
Producer	Pat Moran Lou Gramm
Lou Gramm chronology
Ready or Not (1987) Long Hard Look (1989)
Singles from Ready or Not
"Midnight Blue" Released: January 1987 "Ready or Not" Released: May 1987

Production

Eight of the ten songs, which comprise Ready or Not, were written by Gramm in partnership with former Black Sheep bandmate Bruce Turgon.^[2] The album was recorded in 1986 at Bear Tracks Recording in Suffern, New York and The Hit Factory Recording in New York City. It was produced by Gramm and Pat Moran, who is known as an engineer on recordings by such performers as Rush and Robert Plant.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]

Ready or Not was a commercial success, reaching number 27 on the US Billboard 200. It generated two hit songs. The lead-off single, "Midnight Blue", peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100^[4] and climbed to the top of the Mainstream Rock chart.^[5] It has been Gramm's only song to have charted in the United Kingdom.^[6] The second single from the album was the title song, which reached number 54 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 7 on the Mainstream Rock charts.

The album has enjoyed critical acclaim. Bret Adams of AllMusic described it as "rich with melody and snap".^[3]

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Ready or Not"	3:29
2.	"Heartache"	4:29
3.	"Midnight Blue"	3:58
4.	"Time"	3:23
5.	"If I Don't Have You"	4:39

All tracks are written by Lou Gramm and Bruce Turgon, except "She's Got to Know" and "Lover Come Back" written by Gramm.

Side two

No.	Title	Length
6.	"She's Got to Know"	4:02
7.	"Arrow thru Your Heart"	3:47
8.	"Until I Make You Mine"	3:31
9.	"Chain of Love"	4:02
10.	"Lover Come Back"	5:19
Total length:		40:40

Personnel

• Lou Gramm – vocals, percussion
• Philip Ashley – keyboards, programming
• Bruce Turgon – keyboards, rhythm guitars, bass, lead guitar (on "Lover Come Back")
• Nils Lofgren – lead guitar
• Ben Gramm – drums

Additional musicians

• Richard Grammatico – lead guitar (on "If I Don't Have You"), additional guitar (on "Time")
• Don Mancuso – additional guitar (on "Chain of Love")
• Eddie Martinez – additional guitar (on "Ready or Not", "Midnight Blue" and "Chain of Love")
• Stanley Sheldon – bass (on "Midnight Blue" and "If I Don't Have You")
• Mark Rivera – soprano saxophone (on "Lover Come Back"), tenor saxophone, backing vocals
• Crispin Cioe – baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone
• Ben Grammatico Sr. – lead trumpet
• Ben Grammatico Jr. – trumpet
• Sherryl Marshall – backing vocals
• Cookie Watkins – backing vocals

Production

• Lou Gramm – producer
• Pat Moran – producer, engineer
• Ted Jensen – mastering at Sterling Sound (New York, NY).
• Timothy White – cover photography
• Bob Defrin – art direction, design

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1987) Peak position Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[7] 34 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[8] 24 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[9] 66 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[10] 14 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[11] 28 US Billboard 200[12] 27

Year-end charts Chart (1987) Peak position US Billboard 200[13] 99

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[14]	Gold	50,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.