Pages (1978)

Japanese import

After discovering the self-titled 1981 Pages album, I dove into their back catalog, starting with this self-titled 1978 Pages album. It's not the greatest debut album, but there are a couple of smooth West Coast/Adult Oriented Rock cuts to be found. The guys in Pages - specifically Richard Page and Steve George - had been session vocalists and back-up musicians for a number of artists, including Andy Gibb. So they had no problems finding some familiar names to help out with this album, to wit: Randy & Michael Brecker, Philip Bailey, Victor Feldman, Lani Groves, and Dave Grusin. More filler than killer with choruses better than verses, but the band improved with each successive album.

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "smooth, efficient and musically well-oiled"
• Record World: "a very potent debut album"

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: The song that initially grabbed me and hasn't let go yet is It's Alright. After a 30 second string introduction, the piano and vocal enter. The verse has a beautiful melody over a simple, stepwise bass pattern, but the song really kicks in with the gorgeous chorus sung by a female voice. Then, as if it wasn't good enough already, we're treated to a sweet saxophone solo from Michael Brecker, who keeps playing for the remainder of the track. The only single released from the album was track 6, If I Saw You Again; it failed to chart, even on the Adult Contemporary chart and I struggle to understand why. The album ends with a decent ballad, I Get It From You, which Herb Alpert later covered on his Magic Man album. As you could probably guess, Richard Page has a much nicer singing voice than Herb Alpert. Other good parts are the choruses of Let It Go, Listen For The Love, and Room At The Top.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Pages (1981)