Album Liner Notes
Take Me Back
Take Me Back is a compact six-song AOR mini-album aimed at the Japanese market, and Jeff Berlin's credit is deliberately narrow: he plays bass only on tracks 1 and 6 while Bill Bodine covers the interior songs.
Overview
This is exactly the kind of credit that needs track-level precision. Listing Jeff as 'on the album' without the split would overstate his footprint relative to Bill Bodine's four tracks in the middle.
The production architecture reinforces the split: Watanabe is credited as producer on tracks 1 and 6, while Katsunori Nagasawa appears as producer on the same release page for the broader program context.
Warren's own role is front-and-center as lead vocalist with harmonica and backing vocal work, which makes the record a singer-led session with ringers in the rhythm section rather than a bassist-led project.
Quick Snapshot
- Issued July 1, 1988 in Japan on H.I.T. Avenue Records / Fun House as CD 25GD-7013 (mini-album), with a parallel promo LP (25GB-7013) listed on Discogs.
- Discogs credits Jeff Berlin and Bill Bodine together on bass with an explicit track split: Berlin on tracks 1 and 6, matching the production split that pairs Hidefumi Watanabe as producer on those same tracks.
- Recording locations on the release page include Sunset Sound and Ocean Way Recording, with Gary Mallaber on drums and a multi-guitarist Los Angeles session stack.
Two-bassist design
Berlin on the bookends and Bodine on tracks 2–5 is explicit on the Discogs Japan CD entry.
Dual California studios
Sunset Sound and Ocean Way Recording both appear in the release's recording-location metadata.
Guitar bench depth
George Doering is credited on guitars for tracks 1 and 6 alongside Kevin Dukes and Michael Thompson elsewhere.
Listen For
Take Me Back
The title track is one of Jeff Berlin's two credited bass appearances, with Doering on guitar on the same tracks.
Into The Night
A middle-album cut that sits in the Bodine/Mallaber pocket without Jeff in the bass chair.
Tell Me Now
The closer brings Berlin back on bass under the same producer and guitar pairing as the opener.
Track Listing
- 1. Take Me Back — 3:55
- 2. The Love Beat — 4:05
- 3. Into The Night — 3:41
- 4. Carry On — 3:29
- 5. I'll Do Anything For You — 3:26
- 6. Tell Me Now — 4:08
Musicians
- John Warren: lead vocals, backing vocals, harmonica
- Jeff Berlin: bass (tracks 1, 6)
- Bill Bodine: bass (tracks 2–5)
- Gary Mallaber: drums
- George Doering: guitar (tracks 1, 6)
- Kevin Dukes, Michael Thompson: guitar
- Bill Elliott, Mark Davis: piano, synthesizer
- Steve Forman: percussion
- David Woodford: saxophone
- Chuck Wansley: backing vocals
- Hidefumi Watanabe: producer (tracks 1, 6)
- Katsunori Nagasawa: producer
- Bill Elliott, Junko Koyama: co-producer
- Bruce Albertine, Steve Shelton: engineers
- Brian Soucy: assistant engineer
- Robin Loggie: production coordination
Technical Credits
- Recorded at Sunset Sound and Ocean Way Recording (Discogs Japan CD 25GD-7013)
- Art direction and design: Shigeru Yamaguchi
- Photography: Ron Pownall
- Manufactured by Fun House Inc.