Who was Guitarist on song Imagination by Laura Branigan?

[Sculpt]

You guys always impress me with your research skills. I think this might be a small challenge...

Who was Guitarist on song Imagination by Laura Branigan (Flashdance soundtrack)?

I think it's impressive guitar interplay, but I don't know who performed it.

 

[Fatman LOU]

i use to dream about her back in ............................1984?

 

[Sculpt]

i use to dream about her back in ............................1984?

Yep, 1984. She had a somewhat short span of 10 years. She always seemed a bit older to me (in the 80s), and I guess she was.

 

[Xuder O'Clam]

Michael Sembello. Session guitarist, and composer. Worked with Stevie Wonder, and the guy who wrote and sang Maniac from Flashdance. He wrote the lyrics to Imagination.

 

[number51]

Michael Sembello. Session guitarist, and composer. Worked with Stevie Wonder, and the guy who wrote and sang Maniac from Flashdance. He wrote the lyrics to Imagination.

LOTR Sauron eye avi, nerd.

 

[Xuder O'Clam]

LOTR Sauron eye avi, nerd.

No, it's the first image ever taken of a black hole. Astronomy nerd maybe.

 

[Sculpt]

Michael Sembello. Session guitarist, and composer. Worked with Stevie Wonder, and the guy who wrote and sang Maniac from Flashdance. He wrote the lyrics to Imagination.

Thanks for your answer, but what's your source? Can you provide a link?

From what I've read, there's multiple composers on this song, in fact it's mostly attributed to Boddicker as composer. Wiki list these as composer: "Michael Boddicker, Jerry Hey, Phil Ramone, Michael Sembello", which is in alphabetical order. On a picture of the LP jacket it reads Sembello was lyricist, and is not listed as composer at all.(https://www.etsy.com/listing/677151...MIkO-w9PTL4QIVTrXACh2hQgdjEAQYASABEgKeKvD_BwE). Anyway, you have a source/link that reads Sembello is session guitarist? thanks!

 

[Xuder O'Clam]

Thanks for your answer, but what's your source? Can you provide a link?

From what I've read, there's multiple composers on this song, in fact it's mostly attributed to Boddicker as composer. Wiki list these as composer: "Michael Boddicker, Jerry Hey, Phil Ramone, Michael Sembello", which is in alphabetical order. On a picture of the LP jacket it reads Sembello was lyricist, and is not listed as composer at all.(https://www.etsy.com/listing/677151...MIkO-w9PTL4QIVTrXACh2hQgdjEAQYASABEgKeKvD_BwE). Anyway, you have a source/link that reads Sembello is session guitarist? thanks!

No. I can't find a link to give you the satisfaction of confirmation.

You may have misread my post a bit. I meant he was a session guitarist and composer in general. And lyricist for Imagination, not composer. I saw an interview with him years ago talking about working with Stevie Wonder, and how Stevie helped him "pop" up his Maniac song, and he spoke about the soundtrack for Flashdance.

There is a good vid on youtube of him playing Superstition with Stevie.

Best I can do Sculpt.

 

[airtime143]

That is a tough ask!

https://www.discogs.com/composition/8487a36f-7fd8-429c-bca1-f7aab075ceda-Imagination

I went there, and looked at the discography of everyone credited as involved in the song.
None of them show a credited performance on the song.
My guess would be Giorgio Moroder, Michael Sembello, a combination of the two, or an uncredited studio musician.

It appears there is zero crediting to the performance.

 

[Rory Sparrow]

Steve Stevens

 

[BearFanJohn]

Sembello would have been my guess.

 

[Xuder O'Clam]

That is a tough ask!

https://www.discogs.com/composition/8487a36f-7fd8-429c-bca1-f7aab075ceda-Imagination

I went there, and looked at the discography of everyone credited as involved in the song.
None of them show a credited performance on the song.
My guess would be Giorgio Moroder, Michael Sembello, a combination of the two, or an uncredited studio musician.

It appears there is zero crediting to the performance.

Richie Zito played guitar on all the Moroder songs. They worked together a lot, Donna Summer, Blondie, Berlin, American Gigolo, Scarface, etc. Sembello played on the Ramone produced tracks.

 

[Sculpt]

That is a tough ask!

https://www.discogs.com/composition/8487a36f-7fd8-429c-bca1-f7aab075ceda-Imagination

I went there, and looked at the discography of everyone credited as involved in the song.
None of them show a credited performance on the song.
My guess would be Giorgio Moroder, Michael Sembello, a combination of the two, or an uncredited studio musician.

It appears there is zero crediting to the performance.

I know, right?! It is surprising the guitarist isn't listed anywhere. It's not like Flashdance is obscure, it won a Grammy. And even the song Imagination had radio play and praise, with Laura Branigan being quite popular at the time. Not to mention the roving guitar playing is a significant part of the song.

Richie Zito played guitar on all the Moroder songs. They worked together a lot, Donna Summer, Blondie, Berlin, American Gigolo, Scarface, etc. Sembello played on the Ramone produced tracks.

Excellent, Xuder! Richie Zito played guitar on the 'What a Feeling' track, produced by Moroder, where Zito is credited with guitar solo, but there isn't one, unless that synth sounding solo was played with a guitar with pitch-to-midi?

Imagination was produced by Phil Ramone, who also produced Maniac, where Sembello played solo. So probably was Sembello.

Now that we know this, it's really not that hard. Just have to match the guitar sound to the song. To my ears, the lead guitar tone and effect in Imagination sounds like Maniac.

 

[Xuder O'Clam]

Ramone produced Imagination.

Various - Flashdance (Original Soundtrack From The Motion Picture)

View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 1983 Vinyl release of "Flashdance (Original Soundtrack From The Motion Picture)" on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

Ramone and Sembello worked together a fair bit on Sembello's solo albums and a couple of songs for soundtracks.