It Begins Again, which was Springfield's debut album for the
United Artists label in the US and
Mercury Records in the UK, was recorded in Los Angeles and produced by Englishman
Roy Thomas Baker, at the time best known for helping create the four first albums by
Queen. Musically
It Begins Again was however geared towards the American
adult contemporary,
pop and
disco markets. Contributing on the album were some of the most renowned American session musicians of the era, such as
Jay Graydon,
Jeff Baxter,
Joe Sample,
Ed Greene and
David Paich and it featured backing vocals by
Pattie Brooks,
Dianne Brooks and
Brenda Russell – all acclaimed recording artists and composers in their own right. The songs on the album were also written by a number of notable composers and lyricists, among others
Nona Hendryx,
Lesley Gore,
Ellen Weston,
Dean Parks,
Peter Allen and
Carole Bayer Sager.
Barry Manilow's "Sandra", often singled out as the highlight of the set, is a gentle piano ballad that portrays the life of a suburban housewife who minutely details her daily chores, all the while assuring both herself and the listener that
"I swear I love my husband and I swear I love my kids" – yet in the last verse she reveals that she one day found herself cutting her wrists
"doing the dishes, quite by mistake. It was real touch and go for a while." Containing a diverse range of styles,
It Begins Again was seen as somewhat experimental by Springfield herself, as well as music critics, who generally gave it favourable reviews. Despite the critical reception, the hopeful album title, as well as a series of promotional performances made in both the US and the UK promoting the up-tempo singles "A Love Like Yours" and "That's the Kind of Love I've Got for You",
It Begins Again only briefly made the charts in Britain, peaking at No. 41, and did not chart in the US. Springfield stated that she had wanted to try something different, but felt that she now needed to move into a different style, a commercial, lightweight R&B, which resulted in the following album
Living Without Your Love. In 2002,
Mercury/
Universal Music UK released the album on CD for the first time, then also including
Tom Moulton's extended remix of "That's the Kind of Love I've Got for You", originally only released as a promotional 12" single, which took advantage of the popularity of
disco at the time. The song which was the closing track on
It Begins Again was, however, the only true disco song on the album. The 12" version was somewhat popular with US
deejays and the track in fact managed to reach No. 31 in the US
Hot Dance Club Play chart. When the
Pet Shop Boys in 2005 released their installment in the mix album series
Back to Mine, they both included a Dusty Springfield track;
Neil Tennant chose "
Goin' Back" – and
Chris Lowe, rather surprisingly, chose the ballad "
I'd Rather Leave While I'm in Love". ==Track listing==