Note: this release was originally purchased as a cassette tape, later replaced by a CD.
Until this point, Steve Winwood's solo albums were very dense synth-driven music. I'm a fan of both albums that preceded this one, Arc Of A Diver (1980) and Talking Back to The Night (1982). This 1986 album was different than those two, bringing in influences and instrumentation new to Winwood's repertoire. The new sounds led to commercial success, but I preferred the older sound. Still, even though I usually pull out Arc Of A Diver, there's some good songs on this album and I enjoy hearing it every now and again.
Press of the time:
- Smash Hits (3 out of 10): "ideal American rock background for perfecting paella or getting the rigatoni to separate properly."
- Billboard: "worth the wait"
- CashBox: "a soulful rock and roll masterpiece"
- Rolling Stone: "his finest work"
- Stereo Review: "it's great to have him back"
- Robert Christgau: C
Chart peaks:
- US Billboard Top 200 chart: #3
- Billboard Pop CD chart: #1
- Billboard R&B albums chart: #46
- CashBox CD chart: #1
- Rolling Stone chart: #1
Tracks:
| Song | Hot 100 | AC | Rock |
| Higher Love* | 1 | 7 | 1 |
| Freedom Overspill | 20 | - | 4 |
| The Finer Things | 8 | 1 | 5 |
| Back In The High Life Again | 13 | 1 | 19 |
| Split Decision | - | - | 3 |
| Take It As It Comes | - | - | 33 |
| *Winner of 2 Grammy Awards: Record of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male | |||
My favorite tune on the album is the mandolin-led title track. The other singles (Higher Love, The Finer Things, and Freedom Overspill) are enjoyable, but I prefer the Joe Walsh collaboration Split Decision to those because Walsh sounds fantastic and Winwood hits the B-3 hard. The second track, Take It As It Comes, is clearly the forerunner of Winwood's later R&B-driven hit, Roll With It. The final track, My Love's Leavin', is filler but I enjoy the song because it, like the title track, harkens back to Winwood's previous sound. Despite a halfway decent chorus, I usually skip Wake Me Up On Judgement Day.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: This album is closely tied to the summer of 1986. I was head over heels in love with the girl who would become my wife three years later. My parents had moved to San Antonio the previous winter and when I came home from college for the summer, I washed dishes part-time at a Sizzler steakhouse and spent the rest of my time exploring that wonderful city.
I spent most of my Sizzler earnings at malls, in particular Windsor Park Mall (which is now the corporate headquarters of Rackspace) and North Star Mall (where the Texas-sized cowboy boots are located).
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| photo from RoadsideAmerica.com |
Apart from dishwashing, I have fond memories of that time. Other albums I closely associate with that summer:
- Yellowjackets - Shades
- Genesis - Invisible Touch
- Sting - Bring On The Night
- Steps Ahead - Magnetic
- Joe Jackson - Big World
- Billy Joel - The Bridge
- R.E.M. - Lifes Rich Pageant
- Peter Cetera - Solitude/Solitaire
- Wayne Shorter - Atlantis
Previously revisited for the blog:
Arc of a Diver (1980)
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