Union (Toni Childs album)

1988 studio album by Toni Childs

Union

Studio album by

Toni Childs

Released| June 10, 1988
Genre|

* Pop[1]
* folk[1]
* blues[1]
* world[1]

Length| 44:52
Label| A&M
Producer| David Ricketts, David Tickle, Toni Childs
Toni Childs chronology
|  | Union
(1988)  | House of Hope
(1991)

|
|

Singles from  Union

1. "Stop Your Fussin'"
Released: July 21, 1988[2]
2. "Don't Walk Away"
Released: August 1988
3. "Walk and Talk Like Angels"
Released: 1988
4. "Zimbabwae"
Released: 1989

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [3]

Union is the debut album by American singer-songwriter Toni Childs. Released in 1988, the album peaked at number 63 in the US (where it has since been certified Gold for sales of over 500,000 copies). It also peaked at number one in New Zealand, where it was certified platinum. Four singles were released from the album: "Stop Your Fussin'", "Don't Walk Away", "Walk and Talk Like Angels", and "Zimbabwae". "Stop Your Fussin'" reached the top 20 in Australia, New Zealand, and Germany while "Don't Walk Away" became Childs' only single to chart in the United States, reaching number 72 there.[4][5]

The album was recorded in London, Paris, and Swaziland. Childs collaborated with David Ricketts and David Baerwald (who recorded the 1986 album Boomtown as David + David) in the writing and production of the album. Time Magazine described Union as an album that "catches the sweet, scary feelings, all the uncertainty and release, that can come when the sun goes down", and "a diary of dashed love and stubborn hope set into layers of melody that will never let the memory loose".[6] Following its release, Childs was nominated for two Grammy Awards for 'Best New Artist' and for 'Best Rock Vocal Performance (Female)' for the single "Don't Walk Away".[7]

## Track listing

[edit]

All songs written by Toni Childs and David Ricketts except as indicated.

1. "Don't Walk Away" (Childs, Phil Ramacon) 4:00
2. "Walk and Talk Like Angels" 5:48
3. "Stop Your Fussin'" 4:40
4. "Dreamer" 5:01
5. "Let the Rain Come Down" (Childs, Ricketts, David Batteau) 4:51
6. "Zimbabwae" 6:18
7. "Hush" (Childs) 4:04
8. "Tin Drum" 5:41
9. "Where's the Ocean" (Childs) 4:42

## Personnel

[edit]

* Toni Childs – vocals, guitar, bass
* David Ricketts – bass, guitar, keyboard, drum programs
* Rick Marotta – drums
* Alex Acuña – percussion
* Hans Christian – cello
* Paul Hanson – bassoon
* Gary Barlough – synthesizers, synclavier programs
* George Lee – saxophone, percussion
* Steve Hogarth – keyboards
* David Rhodes – guitar
* Alex Weir – guitar
* Dann Huff – guitar
* Gary Barnacle, Pete Thoms, John Thirkell – horns [8]

## Charts

[edit]

### Weekly charts

[edit]

| Chart (1988-1990)  | Peak
position

|

Australian Albums (ARIA)[9] | 8
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[10] | 19
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[11] | 1
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[12] | 40
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[13] | 27
UK Albums (OCC)[14] | 73
US Billboard 200[15] | 63

### Year-end charts

[edit]

| Chart (1988)  | Position

|

Australian Albums (ARIA)[16] | 39
Chart (1989)  | Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[17] | 35
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[18] | 93
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[19] | 2

## Certifications

[edit]

Region  | Certification | Certified units/sales

|
|

Australia (ARIA)[20] | 2× Platinum  | 140,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[21] | Platinum  | 15,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d Zarov, Joshua (1998). "Toni Childs". In Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds.). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. pp. 229–230.
2. ^ "ストップ・ユア・ファッシン | トニー・チャイルズ" [Stop Your Fussin' | Toni Childs] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
3. ^ Allmusic review
4. ^ "Toni Childs – Stop Your Fussin'". australian-charts.com. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
5. ^ "Toni Childs Chart History: The Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
6. ^ Cocks, Jay (June 6, 1988). "Music: Catching The Sweet, Scary Feelings". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
7. ^ "Toni Childs". Grammy Award.
8. ^ "Union". Toni Childs. Retrieved March 12, 2012.
9. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Toni Childs – Union". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
10. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Toni Childs – Union" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
11. ^ "Charts.nz – Toni Childs – Union". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
12. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Toni Childs – Union". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
13. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Toni Childs – Union". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
14. ^ "Toni Childs | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
15. ^ "Toni Childs Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
16. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 1988". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
17. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 1989". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
18. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
19. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1989". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
20. ^ "1989 ARIA Albums Chart". ARIA. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
21. ^ "Official Top 40 Albums". Recorded Music NZ. April 16, 1989. Retrieved December 6, 2022.