NUMBER ONE ALBUMS WEEK (MAY 5-11, 2014)
Note: the CD I listened to was the 1999 release containing 6 bonus tracks.
Bette Davis Eyes was the #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 for 9 weeks and this so-so album rode that single's coattails all the way to the top spot as well. To be fair, the arrangement of Bette Davis Eyes was like nothing else on the radio at the time; me and my friends sang along with Kim every time we heard the thing. Problem is, nothing else on the album sounds like Bette Davis Eyes or even comes close. There's no real identity in this album, mistaken or otherwise. We've got soft rock, New Wave, Rod Stewart-sounding stomps, country rock, power pop, Bonnie Tyler-sounding ballads, and road house blues. But lemme tell ya: Bette Davis Eyes still sounds as good today as it did over 30 years ago.
Press of the time:
- Roadrunner: "a very good effort"
- Rolling Stone (★★★): "New Wave MOR"
- Record World: "a wide pop-rock range"
- Billboard: "upbeat rock'n'roll"
- Stereo Review: "they're trying for a sound acceptable for today's radio programming"
- CashBox: "almost an avant garde approach to soft rock"
Album chart peaks:
- US Billboard 200: #1
- Billboard Rock: #13
- CashBox: #1
- Rolling Stone: #1
Tracks: In addition to Bette Davis Eyes, I like Draw Of The Cards, and the soft rock title track.
Bonus tracks: for this reissue/hits hybrid, they tacked on 6 other singles, including my favorite Carnes track, a cover of Smokey Robinson's More Love. Good call.
- More Love - 1981, #10 pop, #6 AC
- Invisible Hands (Dance Mix) - 1983, #40 pop
- Voyeur - 1982, #29 pop, #52 dance
- Crazy In The Night (Barking At Airplanes) - 1985, #15 pop, #24 dance
- I Pretend - 1984, #74 pop, #9 AC
- Don't Fall In Love With A Dreamer - 1980 duet with Kenny Rogers, #4 pop, #2 AC
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None
First off: How great is Kim's reading of "Bette Davis Eyes"? Its got more hooks than Uncle Charlie's tackle box. We are in complete agreement that the song has passed the test of time and still sounds great four decades later.
ReplyDeleteSecondly: I seem to be more enchanted by Carnes' raspy voice than you are as I am a fan of the album. Sure the material is scatter-shot (I've always compared it to Ronstadt's similarly all over the place Mad Love) and, as you cleverly noted, the album lacks an identity but I listened to it a lot back then and after a spin this morning, still find I know all the songs.
Third: Still loving this theme week as it has given me the impetus to revisit several albums I haven't listened through in years. Thanks.