Pirates and Poets

Pirates and Poets is an album by the American singer-songwriter Bertie Higgins, released in 1983. The first single was ""When You Fall in Love (Like I Fell in Love with You)".

Roy Orbison sang on "Leah". The CD version of the album includes Higgins's hit single Key Largo as a bonus track.

Critical reception

The Philadelphia Inquirer called Higgins "just about the most weepy, sentimental, insufferable singer-songwriter in existence," and ironically deemed the album, "in its own way, a demented masterpiece."

Track listing

1. "As Time Goes By" (Herman Hupfeld) - 0:45
2. "Pirates and Poets" (Bertie Higgins, Sonny Limbo) - 3:11
3. "When You Fall in Love (Like I Fell in Love with You)" (Higgins, Limbo, Jeff Pinkham) - 3:36
4. "Leah" (Roy Orbison) - 3:28
5. "Under a Blue Moon" (Gary Baker, Quentin Powers) - 3:55
6. "Tokyo Joe" (Higgins, Limbo) - 3:25
7. "Beneath the Island Light" (Higgins, Limbo) - 4:04
8. "Only Yesterday" (Higgins) - 3:50
9. "Marianna" (Higgins) - 4:09
10. "Pleasure Pier" (Higgins) - 3:28
11. "Never Looking Back" (Higgins, Deniece Dupey) - 7:18
12. "As Time Goes By (Reprise)" (Hupfeld) - 1:15

Personnel

Musicians

• Bertie Higgins – vocals, acoustic guitars
• John Healy – acoustic piano, organ, synthesizers
• Steve Nathan – acoustic piano, organ, synthesizers
• Ken Bell – acoustic guitars, electric guitars
• Shelton Irwin – acoustic guitars, electric guitars
• Kenny Mims – acoustic guitars, electric guitars
• Jeffrey Dale Pinkham – bouzouki, mandolin
• Gary Baker – bass guitar
• Owen Hale – drums
• Mickey Buckins – percussion
• Edward Higgins – percussion
• Doug Johnson – percussion
• Mark O'Connor – fiddle
• Ed Leamon – saxophones
• Scott MacLellan – flute
• Linda Penny Baker – oboe
• Albert Coleman's Atlanta Pops – orchestra (1)
• The Atlanta Strings – strings
• Wayne Mosley – string arrangements and conductor
• Karen Norwood – copyist
• Roy Orbison – vocals (4)

The "Doo-Bobs" (backing vocals)

• Gary Baker – BGV arrangements and conductor
• Cathy Dover, Bertie Higgins, Beverly Higgins, Edward Higgins, Gloria Higgins-Burke, Mike Jones, Phyllis & Manny Loiacono, Scott MacLellan, David Powell, Mike Sullivan and Cheryl Wilson – singers

Production

• Sonny Limbo – producer, additional engineer
• Scott MacLellan – producer, additional engineer
• Doug Johnson – engineer
• Brent Maher – additional engineer
• Jim Stablie – additional engineer
• Glenn Meadows – digital consultant at Masterfonics (Nashville, Tennessee)
• Bertie Higgins – cover concept
• Mike McCarty – cover concept, cover artwork, design
• Joe Kahl – cover photography
• Tom Corcoran – additional photography
• Joel Cherry – direction

References