Look Sharp! is the second studio album by Swedish pop rock duo Roxette, released on 21 October 1988 by EMI, two years after their debut Pearls of Passion (1986). It was recorded at EMI Studios in Stockholm and at Trident II Studios in London between March and September 1988. The album was an immediate commercial success in Sweden, debuting at number one and eventually being certified 6× platinum there.
Although commercial success elsewhere was initially modest, the album was the duo's international breakthrough. It went on to be certified platinum or multi-platinum in numerous territories, while four of its singles attained commercial success. In the United States, the album was certified platinum and the singles "The Look" and "Listen to Your Heart" both topped the Billboard Hot 100, while "Dangerous" and "Dressed for Success" reached numbers 2 and 14, respectively, on the same chart.
Background and release
"Dressed for Success" and "Listen to Your Heart" were released as the album's first two singles in Sweden, with Per Gessle and EMI choosing to highlight Marie Fredriksson as Roxette's lead vocalist. They were immediate hits in Sweden, peaking at numbers two and three, respectively. "The Look" quickly became popular, and the station began distributing the track to their sister radio operations. EMI America had previously rejected the duo as unsuitable for the American market, and Roxette did not have a recording contract there.
"The Look" had already entered the top 50 of the Billboard Hot 100 before the duo began official promotion. It would go on to peak at number one eight weeks later. It gradually became a global hit over the next year, topping the charts in 25 countries. It also spent six weeks at number one on the Australian Singles Chart. The album's previous singles (excluding "Chances") were re-released internationally. Roxette would go on to have four number ones on the Billboard Hot 100, including "Listen to Your Heart"; while the album's final single, "Dangerous", peaked at number two.
Critical reception
The album received mixed reviews from critics. In a retrospective review, AllMusic complimented its singles, but said that the album tracks "aren't necessarily filler, but they also aren't as strong as many of the cuts that made up Roxette albums that followed. [...] Only 'Chances' and 'Shadow of a Doubt' show glimmers of the skills the duo would soon flourish." Both Roxette and Fredriksson won numerous Rockbjörnen awards during this period. They were awarded Best Swedish Album and Best Swedish Group at the 1988 ceremony, and won the latter award again the following year. Fredriksson won the award for Best Swedish Female over four consecutive years, from 1986 to 1989.
Commercial performance
Look Sharp! was an immediate commercial success in Sweden, selling over 140,000 copies within ten days of release. It spent seven weeks at number one, It peaked at number four in the UK, where it spent over a year on the charts.
Track listing
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Look Sharp!.
- Roxette are Per Gessle and Marie Fredriksson
- Recorded at EMI Studios, Stockholm, Sweden and Trident II Studios, London, England
- Remastered by Alar Suurna at Polar Studio, Stockholm (2009 reissue)
- All songs published by Jimmy Fun Music, except: "Dance Away", "Cry" and "Half a Woman, Half a Shadow" published by Shock the Music/Jimmy Fun Music
Musicians
- Marie Fredriksson – lead and background vocals, piano, keyboards, mixing
- Per Gessle – lead and background vocals, mixing
- Per "Pelle" Alsing – drums and hi-hat
- Erik Borelius – Spanish guitar
- Graham Edwards – bass guitar <small>(tracks 6, 7 and 10)</small>
- Erik Häusler – saxophone <small>(track 3)</small>
- Anders Herrlin – background vocals, bass guitar, engineering, programming
- Jonas Isacsson – electric and acoustic guitars
- Henrik Janson – talkbox <small>(track 8)</small>
- Jarl "Jalle" Lorensson – harmonica <small>(track 8)</small>
- Adam McCulloch – saxophone <small>(tracks 6 and 10)</small>
- Morris Michael – electric and acoustic guitars <small>(tracks 6, 7 and 10)</small>
- Adam Moseley – engineering, production <small>(tracks 6, 7 and 10)</small>
- Clarence Öfwerman – background vocals, keyboards, programming, production
- Jan "Janne" Oldaeus – slide guitar
- Alar Suurna – engineering, mixing
- Andrew Wright – keyboards, programming <small>(tracks 6, 7 and 10)</small>
Technical
- Julian Adair – production assistant <small>(tracks 6, 7 and 10)</small>
- Kjell Andersson – sleeve design, executive producer
- Carl Bengtsson – photography
- Lennart Haglund – engineering assistant
- Mikael Jansson – photography
- Rolf Nygren – executive producer
- Pär Wickholm – sleeve design
Charts
Weekly charts
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ 1988–1990 weekly chart performance for Look Sharp!
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (1988–1990)
! scope="col"|
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
! scope="row"| European Albums (Music & Media)
| 12
|-
! scope="row"| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)
| 7
|-
|-
! scope="row"| Japanese Albums (Oricon)
| 85
|-
|-
|-
! scope="row"| Spanish Albums (AFYVE)
| 6
|-
|-
|-
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ 2020 weekly chart performance for Look Sharp!
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (2020)
! scope="col"|
|-
|}
Year-end charts
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ 1989 year-end chart performance for Look Sharp!
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (1989)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
! scope="row"| Australian Albums (ARIA)
| 17
|-
! scope="row"| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)
| 17
|-
! scope="row"| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)
| 20
|-
! scope="row"| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)
| 38
|-
! scope="row"| Norwegian Russefeiring Period Albums (VG-lista)
| 2
|-
! scope="row"| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)
| 4
|-
! scope="row"| US Billboard 200
| 81
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ 1990 year-end chart performance for Look Sharp!
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (1990)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
! scope="row"| Australian Albums (ARIA)
| 10
|-
! scope="row"| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)
| 58
|-
! scope="row"| European Albums (Music & Media)
| 27
|-
! scope="row"| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)
| 11
|-
! scope="row"| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)
| 21
|-
! scope="row"| UK Albums (OCC)
| 34
|-
! scope="row"| US Billboard 200
| 45
|}