Bish is the second album by singer/songwriter Stephen Bishop. The lead single, "Everybody Needs Love", peaked at No. 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.[1] and number five on the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart. It did better in Canada, reaching No. 29 and peaking at number two on the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart.[2] The album itself rose to No. 35 on the Billboard pop albums chart.[3]
| Bish | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio albumby | ||||
| Released | 1978 | |||
| Recorded | ||||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 44:25 | |||
| Label | ABC | |||
| Producer | Stephen Bishop | |||
| Stephen Bishop chronology | ||||
| ||||
Notable contributors to the album include Art Garfunkel, Chaka Khan, Natalie Cole and Michael McDonald. At the end of the track "Vagabond from Heaven", a large group, "The Whistling Bishettes", is heard. The group includes several famous non-musicians: actress Carrie Fisher, film director John Landis and then-Rolling Stone writer Cameron Crowe.
"Looking for the Right One" was the second single from Bish. It was released in both Canada and the UK but it did not chart. Three years earlier, Art Garfunkel had recorded the song. His original rendition [1] of Bishop's composition was included as the B-side of his 1975 cover hit, "I Only Have Eyes For You" (U.S. #18, #1 AC). Bishop contributed backing vocals on Garfunkel's version, who returned the favor on Bishop's rendition.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [5] |
Rolling Stone's Ken Tucker wrote, "Stephen Bishop's second album is so ambitious and self-assured that it's easy to overlook the chances it takes." Adding that its "mixture of sentiment and aggressiveness... makes it so intriguing a pop disc." Concluding that "Stephen Bishop is well on his way, and he possesses something all his exemplars lack: a serenely nutty sense of humor."[6]
All songs written by Stephen Bishop, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "If I Only Had a Brain" | Harold Arlen, Yip Harburg | 1:40 |
| 2. | "Losing Myself in You" | 3:58 | |
| 3. | "Looking for the Right One" | 3:50 | |
| 4. | "Everybody Needs Love" | 3:42 | |
| 5. | "Guitar Interlude" | 0:27 | |
| 6. | "A Fool at Heart" | 5:34 | |
| 7. | "What Love Can Do" | 2:53 | |
| 8. | "Vagabond from Heaven" | 4:24 | |
| 9. | "Bish's Hideaway" | 3:57 | |
| 10. | "Only the Heart Within You" | 4:11 | |
| 11. | "Recognized" | 0:53 | |
| 12. | "I've Never Known a Nite Like This" | 4:24 | |
| 13. | "When I Was in Love" | 4:32 |
Musicians
Backing vocals
"The Whistling Bishettes" on "Vagabond from Heaven"
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[7] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
