Whenever You Need Somebody

Alex Henderson of AllMusic stated that SAW "should definitely be proud of their work" on this "often captivating debut album" which "proved [the singer] to be a welcome addition to the British R&B scene"; he added that the "music approach is very much a production of the '70s" and underlined tracks like "Together Forever", "Never Gonna Give You Up" and "Don't Say Goodbye". Carmen Keats of Melody Maker described the album as "Yuppie-boy muzak for those too poor and thick to be Yuppies." According to a reviewer of British magazine Music Week, the album proves Astley to be "a respectable if so far unexceptional writer", but concluded that the tone of the whole album is given by SAW's team. Chris Heath of Smash Hits praised the album full of songs with "the same straightforward, deliriously catchy dance music as his first two hits", and underlined "Don't Say Goodbye" and "When I Fall in Love" as "brilliant" songs. ==Track listing==

All tracks written and produced by Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman, except where noted. 2010 expanded remaster 2022 Remaster 2022 remaster (digital) Track listing per Apple Music ==Personnel==

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Whenever You Need Somebody. Musicians • Rick Astley – vocals; guitars on "No More Looking for Love" and "You Move Me" • Mike Stock – keyboards • Matt Aitken – keyboards, guitars • Paul Cox – guitar on "Together Forever" • A. Linn – drums (e.g.: Linn 9000 on "Never Gonna Give You Up" and LinnDrum on "It Would Take a Strong Strong Man") • Ian Curnow – Fairlight programming; keyboards on "The Love Has Gone" and "Slipping Away" • Daize Washbourn – keyboards and drums on "No More Looking for Love" and "You Move Me" • Gary Barnacle – saxophone on "Slipping Away" • Shirley Lewis, Dee Lewis, Mae McKenna, Suzanne Rhatigan – backing vocals Technical • Stock Aitken Waterman – production on "Never Gonna Give You Up", "Whenever You Need Somebody", "Together Forever", "It Would Take a Strong Strong Man", "Don't Say Goodbye", and "When I Fall in Love" • Phil Harding – production and mixing on "The Love Has Gone" and "Slipping Away" • Ian Curnow – production on "The Love Has Gone" and "Slipping Away" • Daize Washbourn – production on "No More Looking for Love" and "You Move Me" • Mark McGuire – engineering and mixing on "It Would Take a Strong Strong Man" and "When I Fall in Love" • Phil Harding, Karen Hewitt, Mike Duffy, Jamie Bromfield – additional engineering • Yoyo, Jonathan King, Peter Day, Boky, Gordon Dennis – engineering assistance • Pete Hammond – mixing on "Never Gonna Give You Up", "Whenever You Need Somebody", "Together Forever", "Don't Say Goodbye", "No More Looking for Love", and "You Move Me" • Paul Cox – photographer on "Never Gonna Give You Up" ==Charts==

Weekly charts Year-end charts ==Certifications==