Robbie Nevil 1986-1991

[Ragin]

Robbie Nevil burst on to the scene with his big #3 pop hit C'est la vie in 1986 from his self-titled album. His follow up single Dominoes hit #11 though I don't remember it at all. The third single, Wot's It To Ya hit #13 and I remember that single pretty clearly. His self titled album didn't sell very well though, as the RIAA has no record of any certifications for Robbie Nevil. His second album, A Place Like This flopped hard with Back On Holiday making it barely to #28 on the pop chart. We like to claim that record labels gave artists back then more opportunities, but is it true? Robbie Nevil followed up with an outstanding album, Day 1 which yielded the hits, For Your Mind, Just Like You, and Tell Me Something Good in 1991. Looking at the pop chart only Just Like You made it on at #26. Robbie Nevil was never heard from again.

Any fans out there? I'm trying to figure out why it is that his best album of the three received little support. Perhaps he just didn't have the fans, I don't know. What I do know is I remember him from the start of his career and Day 1 is the only album I felt worthy of a purchase. I have it on cassette somewhere.

I can't help but think of how Smash Mouth followed the horrendous self-titled album up with a great one in Get the Picture and got no support for it because of the previous album. It seems to me that's what happened to Nevil here, but maybe someone else has a better recollection.

[Ragin]

Hmmm, maybe it's a little easier to understand why he flopped now.

[mst3k]

LOL... I actually have his first two albums on CD, never got the third unfortunately, so I can't comment on it (although I do love "Just Like You"). His debut LP did manage to spend nearly a year on the album chart (peaking at #37), so it is a bit surprising that it (or even the "C'est La Vie" single, which hit #1 on the sales chart) didn't at least go gold.

And when I first saw the thread title, I thought he had died (until I read the years again).

[Ragin]

On CD? I actually don't think you can find Day 1 on CD, but maybe I'm wrong. If you like Robbie Nevil and you like Just Like You, I'd highly recommend giving that album a listen.

[jaxxalude]

"C'Est La Vie" is one hell of a great pop song! :)

Nowadays, Robbie Nevil is back to what he already did, even when he had a singing career: producing, writing and performing for other people. Credits include people like Jeremy Jordan (which reminds me... ), Wild Orchid, K-Ci & JoJo, Aaron Neville, Deborah Cox, Jessica Simpson, Mandy Moore, Willa Ford, Ricky Martin, LeAnn Rimes, Luther Vandross and Britney Spears (he was one of the main writers of "I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman").

[mst3k]

Ragin said:

On CD?  I actually don't think you can find Day 1 on CD, but maybe I'm wrong.  If you like Robbie Nevil and you like Just Like You, I'd highly recommend giving that album a listen.

Yeah, aside from an import greatest hits collection, his albums are out of print, but there are some used CD's floating around:

www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000008IVY/qid=1100536024/sr=1-5/ref=sr_1_5/102-3206580-0826516?v=glance&s=music

Wow, I'll definitely be buying it for those prices. :)

[jimmy74747]

jaxxalude said:

Britney Spears (he was one of the main writers of "I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman").

I thought Max Martin & Dido penned that gem.

Anyways, I was never a big Robbie Nevil fan. "C'est La Vie" was pretty good, but I didn't like any of the other 2 or 3 songs I know by him. "Wot's It To Ya" was terrible.