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Two of a Kind (soundtrack)

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Two of a Kind
Soundtrack album by
Olivia Newton-John / Various artists
ReleasedNovember 21, 1983
GenrePop, pop rock, adult contemporary
Length40:49
LabelMCA
ProducerDavid Foster
Olivia Newton-John chronology
Olivia's Greatest Hits Vol. 2
(1982) 		Two of a Kind
(1983) 		Soul Kiss
(1985)
Singles from Two of a Kind
  1. "Twist of Fate"
    Released: October 1983
  2. "Ask the Lonely"
    Released: 1983 (Japan)
  3. "Livin' in Desperate Times"
    Released: January 1984
  4. "Take a Chance"
    Released: 1984
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

Two of a Kind: Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack album of the film of the same name released in 1983 by MCA Records and features songs by the film's star Olivia Newton-John, as well as songs from various other artists.

Although the film was a critical and commercial disappointment, the soundtrack was successful, especially in the United States, where it was certified Platinum by RIAA.[2]

Overview

The soundtrack was produced by David Foster. The album contains songs recorded by Olivia Newton-John, John Travolta, Patti Austin, Steve Kipner, Boz Scaggs, the bands Journey and Chicago.

Newton-John and Travolta had previously worked together on the film Grease, which became a box office hit, the same success awaited the soundtrack and singles from it, including their duet "You're the One That I Want."[3] This time around, they reteamed for another duet, "Take a Chance", which was released as a single in some territories, the very first a-side of a single to credit Newton-John as a writer (she, in fact, wrote the lyrics; the music was written by Foster, Toto's Steve Lukather, and Newton-John herself). In the US the song was a B-side and only serviced to radio. On the strength of the latter, it entered the top three of the Adult Contemporary chart.[4] In Canada, it hit number one on the Adult Contemporary chart.[5]

Newton-John's American top 5 hit "Twist of Fate" was nominated for Best Short Form Music Video at the 27th Annual Grammy Awards.[6] The song also hit number four in both Canada and Australia. "(Livin' in) Desperate Times" was issued as the second single in the US and reached number 31 in the Hot 100.

In support of the album, two additional singles were issued. "Ask the Lonely" by Journey, which was originally intended for the album Frontiers (1983) hit number three on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Chart.[7] "It's Gonna Be Special" by Patti Austin, hit number 82 on the Hot 100 and also entered the Hot Black Singles chart at number 15 and top 5 of the dance chart in 1984.[8]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]

In their review, Billboard noted that "Newton-John's "Twist Of Fate," produced by David Foster, is the first top 40 smash from this soundtrack to her forthcoming third film. Since both of the first two soundtracks ( "Grease" and "Xanadu ") went platinum and yielded a series of hit singles, the prospects are strong for this latest effort. Besides Newton-John, the album features John Travolta, Patti Austin, Steve Kipner, Journey, Chicago and David Foster. Most of the material is sprightly and sassy, reflecting the direction in which Newton-John has been steadily moving in recent years."[10]

Cashbox stated that "although Travolta and Newton-John get top billing on this LP, it is important to note that Travolta only appears on one duet with Newton-John while the rest of the record features such varied artists as Journey, Chicago and Patti Austin. Two Of A Kind represents more a collection of singles than an actual soundtrack...the record does, however, have a unified sound since David Foster produced most of the tracks. The songs fit into the AOR/Adult Contemporary league although many of the tracks, especially the Newton-John songs, have a rougher, more upbeat feel for the dance oriented market." [11]

Allmusic gave the album a mixed review, stating that "the soundtrack to Two of a Kind is devoted to forced mainstream pop and soft rock, none of which is as memorable as the hits from Newton-John's Physical. Her three hits from the soundtrack - "Twist of Fate," "Take a Chance," "Livin' in Desperate Times" - are not bad, but they're surrounded by filler from Patti Austin, Steve Kipner, Boz Scaggs, Chicago and David Foster; only Journey's "Ask the Lonely" offers enjoyably trashy mainstream pop. As a result, the soundtrack falls flat, functioning only as a reasonably entertaining pop artifact from the early '80s."[12]

Track listing

Two of a Kind track listing
No.TitlePerformerLength
1."Twist of Fate"Olivia Newton-John3:44
2."Take a Chance"John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John4:09
3."It's Gonna Be Special"Patti Austin4:14
4."Catch 22 (2 Steps Forward, 3 Steps Back)"Steve Kipner3:34
5."Shaking You"Olivia Newton-John4:16
6."(Livin' in) Desperate Times"Olivia Newton-John4:06
7."The Perfect One"Boz Scaggs4:31
8."Ask the Lonely"Journey3:56
9."Prima Donna"Chicago4:28
10."Night Music"instrumental by David Foster3:51

Charts

Chart performance for Two of a Kind
Chart (1983–1984) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[13] 33
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[14] 30
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[15] 29
US Billboard 200[4] 26
US Cash Box Top Albums[16] 20

Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales for Two of a Kind
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Japan — 85,120[15]
United States (RIAA)[2] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Twist of Fate video

Twist of Fate
Video by
Olivia Newton-John
Released1983
Recorded1983
GenreMusic video
Length25 minutes
LabelMCA Home Video
DirectorBrian Grant, David Mallet
ProducerChrissie Smith, Frank Hilton
Olivia Newton-John chronology
Olivia in Concert
(1983) 		Twist of Fate
(1983) 		Soul Kiss
(1985)

Twist of Fate is a 1983 video collection of the music videos from the Two of a Kind soundtrack by Olivia Newton-John. The video was released on VHS and LaserDisc by MCA Home Video. All videos of standard release are directed by Brian Grant except for "Take a Chance", which was directed by David Mallet.

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Twist of Fate"3:43
2."Take a Chance" (w/ John Travolta)4:09
3."Livin' in Desperate Times"4:07
4."Shaking You"4:15
US / LaserDisc release bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
5."Heart Attack" (from Olivia's Greatest Hits Vol. 2)3:07
6."Tied Up" (from Olivia's Greatest Hits Vol. 2)4:32
UK release bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
5."Introductions by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John" 

References

  1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Two of a Kind at AllMusic
  2. ^ a b "American album certifications – Newton-John & Olivia and John Travolta – Two of a Kind (soundtrack)". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  3. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Grease (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) Review at AllMusic. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  4. ^ a b "John Travolta Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  5. ^ "Item: 7433 - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  6. ^ "Olivia Newton-John". Grammy Awards. Archived from the original on 20 March 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  7. ^ "Journey". Billboard.
  8. ^ "Patti Austin - Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  9. ^ Erlewine, PStephen Thomas. Two of a Kind at AllMusic. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  10. ^ "Top Album Picks" (PDF). Billboard. No. 19 November 1983. p. 66. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  11. ^ "Album Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. No. 19 November 1983. p. 8. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  12. ^ "Two of a Kind - Olivia Newton-John, John Travo... | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  13. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 283. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  14. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4432a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  15. ^ a b Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. p. 349. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  16. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Cash Box. p. 18. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
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