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NEIL!!!'S DISCOGRAPHY

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studio neil
Electronic Musician article:
some of NEIL!!!'s production secrets!

NEIL!!! GIRALDO appears on all of Pat Benatar's albums, as lead and
rhythm guitarist, keyboardist, percussionist, producer, songwriter,
and/or musical arranger- just to list a few of his duties!
Check the Pat Benatar Fan Club Discography page 
for a listing of those albums.

These are the albums that NEIL!!! has appeared on, other than Pat Benatar.


©Joe Cross

NEIL!!!'s first major recording was Rick Derringer's GUITARS AND WOMEN.
Derringer auditioned over 300 musicians, and Neil got the job because of his versatility.
NEIL!!! with Derringer
Rick Derringer "Guitars and Women"  1979
NEIL!!! Geraldo, piano:  Something Warm
                         Everything
                         Hopeless Romantic
         rhythm guitar:  Desires of the Heart
                         Timeless
(Myron Grombacher- drums, songwriter)

Rick Derringer "Required Rocking" 1996 (greatest hits type package) NEIL!!! Geraldo, piano: Something Warm The Best of Rick Derringer-Rock and Roll Hootchie Koo 1996 NEIL!!! Geraldo, piano: Everything

derringer cover
Derringer : Live At The Paradise Theater

Boston, MA -- July 7, 1978
Neil Geraldo -- Guitar, Keyboards & Vocals
Myron Grombacher -- Drums

Mike Chapman, the producer of GUITARS AND WOMEN, asked NEIL!!! to come to NY
to be the lead guitarist and musical arranger on his next project --
Pat Benatar's debut,"In the Heat of the Night," which would be the first
of many albums and years to come for Pat and Neil!
The first song that NEIL wrote for Pat to sing would become a top 40 hit--
"We Live For Love!" Their second album,"Crimes Of Passion," was produced by Keith Olson (with a whole lot of help from NEIL!!!). Keith was asked to produce a couple of tracks for Rick Springfield. Because he was still working on ,"Crimes,"
he could only do it on a couple of weekends. The 2 cuts are "Jessie's Girl" and "I've Done Everything For You."
They did Jessie's Girl first with NEIL!!! on bass and guitar.

working class dog

From the liner notes of the 25th Anniversary Edition of
Rick Springfield's "Working Class Dog" 2006

Keith Olsen:
"When anyone thinks of Jessie's Girl, you first think of the guitar riff.
With Mike Baird's cool drum feel, just a high-hat and kick drum,
and that riff, we had the hook in the first two bars of the song.
After we cut the basic track everyone knew we had something special.
We recorded the two songs over a couple of weekends.
I used really good players, including Rick, so the instrumental portion
went quite fast. On the vocal side, Rick sang the songs very well
and his vocals (along with Tom Kelly's) made the backing vocals quick and easy."

Jessie's Girl went number one.

For "I've Done Everything For You," Rick Springfield:
"Keith Olsen tried to get Pat Benatar to cut this first, but she thought
it was too macho for her, so he gave it to me and I went,
'Okay, Keith Olsen, I guess he must know what he's doing.'
That's the least I had to do with any song on Working Class Dog.
Neil Geraldo basically arranged it."

Rick Springfield "Working Class Dog"  1980
NEIL!!! Geraldo, guitar and bass
*Selections from Working Class Dog appear on:
  Rick Springfield's Greatest Hits  1989
  Rick Springfield: The Encore Collection  1997
*Jessie's Girl appears on Billboard Top Hits - 1981
  Boogie Nights - Vol. 2-Soundtrack

"Precious Time," released in 1981, was the first Benatar album that gave NEIL!!! credit as producer. And he's produced every one since then! His first production, outside of Benatar, was for ex-Babys singer, John Waite. From the liner notes of Essential John Waite: "From the ashes of The Babys, John Waite threw himself head first into his debut solo project 'IGNITION.' Produced by Neil Geraldo, the songs on 'IGNITION' are powerful autobiographical tales life in New York City. 'That's my favorite record of the four solo albums that I did, 'Waite asserts. 'It's the most honest because it was written from the perspective of being in a strange town-- New York. It was very much like coming back onto the street in a very ungraceful manner.' Highlights include 'White Heat,' a song written about hookers on Eighth Avenue and 'Mr. Wonderful' which is about fascism. 'Change,' featuring background vocals by Scandal's Patty Smyth, reaped considerable airplay but was not enough to put Waite over the top.
John Waite  "Ignition"   1982, reissued 1985
Produced by NEIL!!! Geraldo
Spyder Downtown Butane James: guitar solo on Mr. Wonderful
(Donnie Nossov plays bass on the album)
*Songs from Ignition are contained on-
Vision Quest- Soundtrack (1983)  "Change"  Produced by Neil Geraldo
Essential John Waite 1976-86--Compilation (1991)
    White Heat
    Make It Happen
    Change
    Mr. Wonderful
  All produced by NEIL!!!
Falling Backwards-The Complete John Waite Volume 1 (1996)
    Change  Produced by:Neil Geraldo

Neil Geraldo and John Waite
John Waite and producer Neil Geraldo in 1982
(Billboard Magazine)


From the liner notes of ROCKCANDY RECORDS
UK 2006 re-issue of John Waite's IGNITION:

"The lead guitarist with Pat Benatar's band, Geraldo had drifted into
production work when recording sessions with the renowned Keith Olsen
failed to go according to plan. In fact, it was Geraldo (also Benatar's husband)
who had produced most of the tracks that, by 1982, had made her a household
name from Timbuktu to Thailand, and it was his ability to add the all-conquering
cross-genre edge that made him the right choice for 'Ignition' -- actually, his first
production job away from his wife. A much-admired guitarist in his own right,
Geraldo (under the pseudonym 'Spyder Downtown Butane James') also
receives a playing credit on the opening rack."



NEIL!!! played lead and rhythm guitars for Kenny Loggins. One of the songs he performed on was the Loggins/Steve Perry Collaboration, "Don't Fight It." Kenny Loggins wrote this in the liner notes for this song:
"What can I say? Hats off to Steve Perry and Neil Geraldo on this one! Written by Steve, me and Dean (Pritchford) expressly for hot shows on summer evenings..."Now we're having a good time!"

Kenny Loggins "High Adventure"   1982
NEIL!!! Geraldo, lead and rhythm guitar:  Don't Fight It
                                          It Must Be Imagination
*Don't Fight It also appears on 
  Kenny Loggins' Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow...  1997


Steve Forbert chose NEIL!!! as producer for his fifth album, but it 
was never released. 
From the liner notes of the Best of Steve Forbert:

"[Steve Forbert] asked to be released from the small label [Nemperor
Records] and signed directly to Columbia, the big company that 
distributed it.
Forbert set out to make an album Columbia could really sell.  He 
hooked up with producer Neil Geraldo, then flying high with Pat 
Benatar, and went to work.  What followed generated in a battle 
that lasted years, cost lots of money, and kept Steve Forbert out
of the public eye for most of the '80s.  Depite repeated efforts 
by Forbert and Geraldo to deliver the album the label sought, the 
two camps were never able to agree on repertoire.  In spite of the
abundance of material that resulted, an album was never released.
In the aftermath, Forbert asked to be, and was eventually, 
released from his contract.  One song from that lost record, 
'Samson and Delilah's Beauty Shop,' is included here.  Maybe 
someday we'll hear the rest." 
Steve Forbert's "The Best Of Steve Forbert: What Kinda Guy?" 1993
  Samson and Delilah's Beauty Shop
  Produced by Neil Geraldo
  Recorded 1983 at the Boogie Hotel, Port Jefferson, NY.
  Previouly unreleased.


NEIL!!! produced two albums for the Del-Lords, also providing some
keyboards, and wife Pat for some vocals.
del lords johnny comes marching home del lords based on a true story
The Del-Lords "Johnny Comes Marching Home"  1986
Produced by NEIL!!! Geraldo
Pat sings on "Soldiers Home" (with Frank Linx)
From Billboard:
"Classic, guitar-driven pop/rock with flashes of humor and
moments of topical bite. Solid sequel to their critically
well-received label debut could find AOR converts, thanks to
producer Geraldo's presence."

The Del-Lords "Based on a True Story"  1988
Produced by NEIL!!! Geraldo
Spyder Curtis James, keyboards: Poem of the River
                                Judas Kiss
                                Ashes to Ashes
(Pat did vocals on Poem of the River
                   Judas Kiss
Frank Linx and Kevin Savigar, former Benatar band members,
also appear on the CD)
From Billboard:
"Back on the label that first nurtured them, the Del-Lords
deliver their most inspired album yet. First single, "Judas Kiss,"
is that most remarkable of achievements, a purebred rock'n'roll
song that never compromises melody for energy. Geraldo has
once again done a first-rate job, and wife Pat Benatar turns in a
few backing-vocal guest shots." 

get tough
The Del-Lords "Get Tough--The Best of the Del-Lords" 1999

from the liner notes:

"...For the next album, Pat Benatar's partner, guitarist-husband Neil Geraldo was brought in to produce, raising eyebrows in some hipness circles, but rather than turn the band slick, he pumped everything up on 1986's Johnny Comes Marching Home ...Also dating from the sessions is a cover of Dr. John's Carry On.

Following a business debacle at EMI America, the band was among a number of acts who were dropped, though they remained tied to Enigma, surfacing as an indie label, as the Del-Lords' released their most fully-realized album with 1988's Based On A True Story. Working once again with Geraldo, the passion, power and wry humor of their live show finally translated fully."

Tracks 6-9: Heaven, St. Jake, Love Lies Dying, and Everlovin' (from the album Johnny Comes Marching Home) produced by NEIL GERALDO Mixed by MICHAEL FRONDELLI & NEIL GERALDO
Track 10: Carry On is a previously unreleased recording, produced by NEIL GERALDO
Tracks 11-13: Crawl In Bed, Cheyenne, Judas Kiss (from the album Based On A True Story) produced by NEIL GERALDO
(Charlie Giordano plays keyboards on selections from Lovers Who Wander)

05/26/09 -- The Del-Lords albums--"Frontier Days," "Johnny Comes Marching Home" and "Based on a True Story"
were reissued on May 26. The CDs include five bonus tracks
each and new liner notes from Scott Kempner.


eastern bloc

Eastern Bloc's self-titled 1987 album (from Passports Records) lists:
"NEIL GERALDO--The Perfect Mix"



from BILLBOARD Reviews & Previews: ERIC MARTIN "I'm Only Fooling Myself" Producer(s): Richie Zito Capitol ST-12521 Genre: POP RECOMMENDED Originally reviewed for week ending 3/21/87 Solid, singles-deep set from well-regarded rock crooner who was reportedly offered lead-singer slot in Van Halen before Sammy Hagar. Smooth, nonthreatening material written by Neil Geraldo and Dan Hartman, among others, stretches across several formats.
In 1989, NEIL!!! produced 2 songs on a solo CD from the former keyboardist/vocalist with The Michael Stanley Band
kevin raleigh cd
Kevin Raleigh - Delusions Of Grandeur Track 4: I Should Have Known Better Track 5: The Art of War Produced by Neil Geraldo

In 1996, NEIL!!! teamed up with long-time friend and band-mate Myron Grombacher to produce.

Manning & Rafferty "The Exiles" 1996 Produced by Neil Geraldo and Myron Grombacher, who also plays drums on the album.
Besides his producing and instrumentation duties, NEIL!!! is also a prolific songwriter. He and wife Pat have been writing songs from the beginning of their career together, and continue to do so. They wrote all of the songs on their 1997 album INNAMORATA. And NEIL!!! still managed to write songs for other artists.


The Corrs "Talk On Corners"  1998
NEIL!!! Giraldo, co-writer:  Intimacy

Real McCoy "One More Time"   1997
NEIL!!! Giraldo, co-writer:  Love Save Me

I finally got a hold of one of the CD's from Japan
that NEIL!!! was a guest musician on.
hard pressed cover
"HARD PRESSED" by Nobuteru Maeda
released in Japan by SONY MUSIC, 1997

Track Listings
1. Go For Broke
2. Try Boy Try Girl
3. Dont You Got Big Balls
4. Nobody Can Press My Soul
5. Get No Answer
6. Saga
7. Why
8. Lilibit
9. Heaven
10. Tomorrow
11. (?)

NEIL!!! in Japan
NEIL!!! plays electric guitar on Tracks 1, 2, 3, and 7

Other musicians include Peter Frampton, Duff McKagan, and Craig Chaquico

Tim Pierce with NEIL!!!
Guitarrist Tim Pierce and NEIL!!!

NEIL!!! and others
Photos are © Neil Zlozower

light of day uk
US release of the Bruce Springsteen Tribute album, Light Of Day
NEIL!!! collaborated with The Del-Lord's Scott Kempner
on the track "Souls of the Departed"
They appear as the The Paradise Brothers
Scott Kempner: lead vocal & acoustic guitar
Neil Giraldo: everything else
--also available in the UK (www.badlands.co.uk).
story at ROLLINGSTONE.COM
light of day.org Logo
Go to Light of Day.org for more information!
Proceeds from LIGHT OF DAY benefit the Parkinson's Disease Foundation

"The Paradise Brothers (Scott Kempner and Neil Giraldo)
Kempner, the ex-Dictators guitarist/vocalist who founded the Del-
Lords in the early 1980s, is known as a great storyteller of rock music.
Kempner was also the guitarist for the band, the Little Kings.
The Little Kings also featured the legendary Dion.

Neil Giraldo, is an incredible guitarist, producer, songwriter, and
husband of Pat Benatar. In addition to working with Benatar, Giraldo
has produced albums for John Waite, and Kempner’s band, the Del-Lords.
He has also played lead and rhythm guitars for Kenny Loggins."


In addition to putting together a demo for daughter Haley's band, *GLO*, currently on hiatus,
NEIL!!! has been writing and producing music for movies.
The Last Request, which I don't have any info on since
their site is down, might not have been finished or released.
He is also writing music for the film "Five Stones"
starring Val Kilmer, and another Jeffrey Kramer film
A FLOWER IN BRAZIL both still in production.

nailed dvd
NAILED
Music Supervisor--Neil Giraldo
Original Score by Neil Giraldo and Mark Binder
nailed credits
NEIL!!!'s in the opening credits!
Listen to the remake of "California Dreamin'"--
NEIL!!!'s collaboration with Beth Hart for the movie NAILED
Available on home DVD and VHS!


NEIL!!! smile creditssmile dvd
Available NOW on home video -- the movie SMILE, with Musical Composer NEIL!!! GIRALDO!. The film was directed by Jeffrey Kramer and stars Beau Bridges, Linda Hamilton, and Sean Astin. NEIL!!! wrote and produced the music for SMILE, and it features an original song from the PARADISE BROTHERS,
(NEIL!!! and Scott Kempner), titled "Something Beautiful"! Check the website www.smilethemovie.com for more information, including trailers and credits. Yes, there's a bio on NEIL!!! under "cast and crew!" Proceeds from the movie go to OPERATION SMILE.
smile music credits something beautiful credits


According to a press release for Pat and NEIL!!!'s
recent appearance at Caesars Tahoe,
NEIL!!! "is writing and producing songs for (Beth) Hart’s upcoming
album on Lava/Atlantic Records."

In 2003, Pat and Neil released an album of new material, GO!
NEIL!!! produced the album, and he and Pat wrote all the songs together,
with the exception of GIRL, a collaboration between Neil and Holly Knight.
Holly Knight was a co-writer of one of Pat Benatar's biggest hits,
"Love is a Battlefield." Pat won her 4th Grammy in 1984 for this song.
There's an article online from 2005 where Neil explains how he came
up with the arrangement for "Love is a Battlefield" at MIXONLINE.COM.

They continue to tour every summer, with NEIL!!! taking on guitar, piano, and now drums in their set.

on the rock banner
In addition to all this stuff, he now has a vitamin supplement company,
ON THE ROCK NUTRITION


KITCHEN HOME NEIL!!! FILES DISCO- GRAPHY PHOTOS EVENTS I WANT MY NTV! PAT&NEIL'S 20TH ANNIV GUITARS COLLECTIBLES LINKS BENATAR FAN CLUB