Kevin Eubanks - Guitarist (1983)

Note: this release was originally purchased as a LP, later replaced by a CD.

From the Eubanks website (gently edited for clarity):

His first album as a leader, Guitarist, was released on the Elektra/Musician label when Kevin was 25. It documented a sophisticated, nuanced voice on the instrument and was graced by the presence of some peers who are still performing with him today: tenor saxophonist Ralph Moore (Tonight Show Band member) and Kevin's brother Robin. Kevin’s cousins, the late bassist David Eubanks and the pianist Charles Eubanks, also appeared on the recording, which was so well received that it lead to a seven record recording contract with the GRP label, owned by Dave Grusin and the late Larry Rosen.

Not sure about "sophisticated" and "nuanced," but promotion is promotion. To me, the album is sort of a mixed bag of compositions with lots of flashy technique, but that's what I would expect from someone trying to find his voice. To my ears, he was heavily influenced by Wes Montgomery and I can't say as I blame any guitarist for listening to a lot of Montgomery's work. The playing is better than the writing on the Eubanks originals but he'd get better at both. Guitarist isn't something I come back to often, but we all gotta start somewhere.

Liner notes written by Eubanks himself.

Reviews/ratings:

• Musician: "enterprising, low-key hard bop"
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: Did not chart
• Billboard Jazz: #32
• Record World Jazz: #14

Tracks: 8 tracks, 4 of them Eubanks originals. My favorite tracks are the two on which Eubanks shines on solo acoustic guitar - the appropriately titled The Novice Bounce and the cover of Miles Davis's Blue In Green. Robin Eubanks shines on his arrangement of Jerome Kern's Yesterdays.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Clarke/Corea/Henderson/Hubbard/White - The Griffith Park Collection 2: In Concert (1983)

A 2 CD live version of the group's 1982 studio album, recorded Friday, April 3, 1982 at the Circle Star Theater, near San Francisco. The band performs 4 of the tunes from that first album and takes the opportunity to stretch out - everybody gets a solo! - doubling and sometimes tripling the length of the tunes: the shortest track clocks in at 12 minutes, the longest almost 20. As drummer/producer Lenny White writes in his liner notes, Freddie Hubbard steals the show and "reaffirms his claim to fame as the premier trumpeter in the world." I could use less saxophone, but think it's a better overall album than the earlier studio release. Plus we're treated to great cover art, a 1937 oil painting entitled "Sheridan Theatre" by one of my favorite artists, Edward Hopper.

Stanley Clarke - bass
Chick Corea - piano
Joe Henderson - tenor saxophone
Freddie Hubbard - trumpet & flugelhorn
Lenny White - drums

Press of the time:

• Downbeat (★★★★½): "It's great to hear these guys hitting their stride on some fiercely creative extended jamming."

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: did not chart
• CashBox Jazz: #29

Tracks: The first four tracks are taken from the first album and includes what I think is the group's best original, Why Wait. The final two tracks are I Mean You, written by Thelonious Monk, and Here's That Rainy Day, a 1953 standard written by Jimmy Van Heusen for the short-lived, quickly forgotten musical Carnival In Flanders. 

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None, but on April 3, 1982, I was recovering from a bad case of the measles. More on those adventures here: Adventures in One Act Play - Spring 1982. But that really doesn't have much to do with this live album other than coincidental timing, so never mind. As you were.

Previously revisited for the blog:
The Griffith Park Collection (1982)

Shadowfax - Shadowdance (1983)

Note: The disc I own is the made in Japan-for-US market pressing in a smooth sided jewel case.

For whatever reason, I didn't jump on the Shadowfax train when it passed my station in the '80s, but this CD was in the clearance bin and I thought I'd take a chance on some relaxing, acoustic Windham Hill New Age music. While there's some of that here, there's also a bit of electronic jazz-rock that took me by surprise. Maybe in an effort for more commercial success? And even though I'm not crazy about the timbre of an electric jazz violin, I like this album even more than I thought I might. In my little world, this sort of stuff is more appropriate for background music than active listening, but the CD is worth more than the 50¢ I shelled out for it.

Reviews/ratings:

• Billboard: "taps enough rock, jazz and Third World elements to straddle more conventional commercial jazz formats"
• CashBox: "exotic and accessible enough to penetrate the mainstream"
• High Fidelity: "quite a departure from the music of the acoustic soloists who dominate [the Windham Hill] roster."
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★

The group and album were also featured in the December 1983 issue of DownBeat magazine.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #145
• Billboard Jazz: #13
• CashBox: #170
• CashBox Jazz: #9

Tracks: It's an ethno-fusion mixed bag of acoustic, electric, Western, Eastern, upbeat, ballad, odd meters, etc., but the writing is generally good, and overall, relaxing and enjoyable. My top picks today are Distant Voices and the cover medley of Don Cherry's songs Brown Rice & Karmapa Chenno.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I probably heard this album as a college undergrad as some of my peers were into Shadowfax at the time, particularly the 1984 album The Dreams Of Children.

Michael Sembello - Bossa Nova Hotel (1983)

Japanese import

Note: this release was originally purchased as a LP, later replaced by the 2018 reissue using SHM-CD materials/technology.

Michael Sembello is a legend in my book, based solely on the fact that he was hired at age 17 to play guitar in Stevie Wonder's band and greatly contributed to Songs In The Key Of Life. This album was his debut solo release, a highly enjoyable album of synth-based, jazzy, adult contemporary music in which the big hit is the outlier in terms of overall sound and mood. Back in '83, I greatly preferred Maniac to the Flashdance theme, but not enough to seek out this album. But if someone had handed me this LP and simply said, "You like Sergio Mendes and As We Speak, right? Then you'll like this one." Most likely, I would have dubbed the thing to one side of a c-90 cassette and put it in rotation in my car. Coulda woulda shoulda, but it didn't happen and I didn't discover Bossa Nova Hotel until much later. File this one under "better late than never."

The music all goes down easy with tasteful production from Phil Ramone. However, the quality of lyrics varies greatly, with topics ranging from Godzilla, robot homewrecker, the Wild West, ménage à trois, and ending the album using Superman as a metaphor for Jesus Christ. Better to ignore the lyrics and lyric sheet here.

If you dig Bossa Nova Hotel, I highly recommend the 1983 album Without Warning by Marilyn Scott.

Press of the time:

• Musician: "You could sum up Sembello's sound as Michael McDonald with a rhythm machine, but that would be unnecessarily cruel to McDonald. And the rhythm machine."
• CashBox: "There's a little something for everyone's taste on this disc, and as a result it should be a natural crossover success."

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #80
• Billboard R&B: #53
• CashBox: #124

Tracks: I enjoy the whole thing. Today, I'm thinking the lead track, Automatic Man (#34 pop, #14 dance) is the best tune on the album, but it is entirely possible that I suffer from the fatigue of hearing too much Maniac (#1 pop, #34 rock, #6 dance, #34 AC). Track 7, Talk (a duet with then-wife Cruz Baca Sembello), was also released as a single, peaking at #25 on the adult contemporary chart.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Nothing comes to mind, but will note here that my LP has a different cover than the one on the CD. No idea why.

And here's an obi strip for ya:

Oregon (1983)

When you pick up used CDs based solely on the record label, you're bound to win some, lose some. This jazzy world fusion album on the ECM label just doesn't do much for me as a whole.

You wouldn't guess this was an ECM release by looking at that cover art, huh?

Reviews/ratings:

• Billboard: "an auspicious work"
• Downbeat (★★★½): "often music of sonorities, reverberations, and subliminal moods, rather than lyrical melodies."
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz (5th ed., 2000): ★★★
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: Did not chart
• Billboard Jazz: #21
• CashBox Jazz: #15

Tracks: I enjoy the lead track, The Rapids, but that's about it.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Various Artists - Now 12" 80s: 1983, Part Two (2024)

EU Import

If a little is good, more is better.

Tracks plus chart peaks on the Billboard dance/disco charts and, if a particular remix has previously appeared on the blog, a link to that other disc (★):

CD 1 (71:54)
Artist	Song	Time	Dance	CD
Wham!	Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do) (Special U.S. Mix)	6:41	-
Spandau Ballet	Gold (12" Mix)	7:14	-	★
Eurythmics	Who's That Girl (Extended Mix)	6:53	-
Bananarama	Cruel Summer (Extended Version)	4:56	11
Culture Club	I'll Tumble 4 Ya (US 12" Remix)	4:39	14
Marilyn	Calling Your Name (Extended Version)	6:54	-
Kajagoogoo	Too Shy (Midnight Mix)	5:28	25
The Lotus Eaters	The First Picture Of You (12" Version)	5:30	22
Nick Heyward	Take That Situation (Rhythm Mix)	3:52	-	★
Men Without Hats	The Safety Dance (Extended Version)	4:33	1	★
Flash And The Pan	Waiting For A Train (Disco Version)	5:38	79
Joe Jackson	Steppin' Out (Full Length Version)	4:23	45
Mike Oldfield	Moonlight Shadow (12" Version)	5:13	-

CD 2 (71:44)
Artist	Song	Time	Dance	CD
New Order	Blue Monday	7:30	5
The Cure	The Lovecats (Extended Version)	4:37	52
Echo & The Bunnymen	Never Stop (Discotheque)	4:45	-
Public Image Ltd.	This Is Not A Love Song (12" remix)	4:27	-
Aztec Camera	Walk Out to Winter (Extended Version)	7:47	-
Madness	The Sun And The Rain (12" Extended Version)	4:40	-
The Belle Stars	Sweet Memory (Extended 12" Remix)	6:36	-
Tracie Young	Give It Some Emotion (Extended Version)	5:28	-
Tracey Ullman	Breakaway (Monitor Mix)	4:57	-
Paul Young	Love Of The Common People (Extended Version)	5:52	42
Rick Springfield	Human Touch (Extended Mix)	7:13	23
Yes	Owner Of A Lonely Heart (Special Remix Dance Version)	7:50	3	★

CD 3 (73:08)
Artist	Song	Time	Dance	CD
Lionel Richie	All Night Long (All Night) (12" Version)	6:42	5
KC & The Sunshine Band	Give It Up (John Luongo Disco Mix)	5:17	24
Donna Summer	She Works Hard For The Money (Club Mix)	6:18	3
Indeep	Last Night A DJ Saved My Life	5:41	2
Divine	Love Reaction (Extended Version)	5:33	-
Malcolm McLaren	Double Dutch (12" Version)	8:03	47
Rock Steady Crew	(Hey You) The Rock Steady Crew (Extended Version)	5:26	38
Modern Romance	High Life (Extended Version)	8:16	-
Shalamar	Dead Giveaway (12" Version)	5:01	18
Booker Newberry III	Love Town	5:16	66
Billy Griffin	Hold Me Tighter In The Rain (Extended Version)	5:23	-
Level 42	The Sun Goes Down (Living It Up) (Extended Version)	6:10	-

CD 4 (72:15)
Artist	Song	Time	Dance	CD
Duran Duran	Is There Something I Should Know (Monster Mix)	6:42	34	★
Heaven 17	Temptation (Extended Mix)	4:39	34	★
Tears For Fears	Change (Extended Version)	5:55	-
O. M. D.	Telegraph (Extended)	5:37	-
Blancmange	That's Love, That It Is (Extended)	6:34	56
Japan	All Tomorrows Parties (Steve Nye Extended Remix)	5:16	-
Annabel Lamb	Riders On The Storm (Extended Version)	5:59	-
Limahl	Only For Love (12" Mix)	5:43	28
Thompson Twins	Love On Your Side (Rap Boy Rap Full Length Version)	7:28	6
Yello	I Love You (Extended Version)	7:05	16
Talk Talk	My Foolish Friend (Extended Mix)	5:29	-	★
Midge Ure & Mick Karn	After A Fashion (Extended Version)	5:44	-

Bold move putting Love Reaction in the same compilation with Blue Monday.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: See previous post.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Now 12" 80s: 1983, Part One (2024)
Now 80s Alternative (2023)
Now That's What I Call 12" 70s (2022)
Now That's What I Call Christmas! (2001)
Now That's What I Call Music! 1981: The Millennium Series (1999)

Various Artists - Now 12" 80s: 1983, Part One (2024)

EU Import

The title is self-explanatory: 12" mixes of songs from 1983. Over 5 hours of music across 4 discs. This particular compilation attracted me for several reasons: 1) 1983 is smack dab in the middle of my high school days, 2) there's a nice mix of familiar and unfamiliar tunes here, and 3) there are at least three extended versions on the compilation that I've been looking for on CD for a good long while. Those three are the Jellybean Benitez remix of Say Say Say by Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson, which should have been included on the 2015 Archive Collection edition of Pipes Of Peace.

The Jellybean Benitez remix of Billy Joel's Tell Her About It, which I owned on vinyl back in 1983, I mentioned in my post on An Innocent Man, and should have been included in the mediocre box set, My Lives.

The Special Remix Version of Our Lips Are Sealed by Fun Boy Three. I also owned that 12" single and played both sides frequently back in '83 and '84. Side one contained the mix found here on CD Three, track 9. Side two had the single edit and a mesmerizing Urdu version which I tracked down on the 1997 compilation disc, Really Saying Something: The Best of Fun Boy Three.

So for a guy like me, this purchase was a foregone conclusion. And for anyone who danced their ass off to these tracks at school dances, this is fantastic set and well worth the price (I paid $22.64, your mileage may vary.)

Tracks: Speaking of dancing, I've included chart peaks on the Billboard dance/disco charts and, if a particular remix has previously appeared on the blog, a link to that other disc (★).

CD 1 (78:42)
Artist	Song	Time	Dance	CD
Wham!	Bad Boys (12" Version)	4:58	28
Eurythmics	Right By Your Side (12" Remix)	12:22	32
Duran Duran	Union Of The Snake (The Monkey Mix)	6:27	33	★
Spandau Ballet	Communication (Club Mix)	4:27	59	★
The Human League	(Keep Feeling) Fascination (Extended Version)	4:58	1
Howard Jones	New Song (Extended Version)	5:36	4
O. M. D.	Genetic Engineering (312MM Version)	5:10	-
Blancmange	Blind Vision (Long Version)	9:38	3
Ultravox	We Came To Dance (Extended Version)	7:38	-	★
Tears For Fears	The Way You Are (Extended Version)	4:33	-
Thompson Twins	Hold Me Now (12" Version)	9:46	1

CD 2 (77:45)
Artist	Song	Time	Dance	CD
Adam Ant	Puss 'N Boots (Extended Version)	5:05	-
Bananarama	Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye (12" Version)	9:46	14
The Belle Stars	Sign Of The Times (Remixed Extended 12" Version)	5:36	43
Bucks Fizz	When We Were Young (Extended Club Mix)	6:27	-
Thompson Twins	We Are Detective (More Clues)	5:49	-
Haysi Fantayzee	Shiny Shiny (US Dance Mix)	4:34	-
Altered Images	Don't Talk To Me About Love (Extended Version)	6:59	-
Kajagoogoo	Ooh To Be Ah (The Construction Mix)	6:37	-
Paul Young	Come Back And Stay (Extended Club Mix)	7:24	42
Heaven 17	Crushed By The Wheels Of Industry (Extended Dance Version)	6:19	34	★
Soft Cell	Soul Inside (12" Mix)	11:57	-
Taco	Puttin' On The Ritz (Extended Version)	6:04	37

CD 3 (79:13)
Artist	Song	Time	Dance	CD
Irene Cara	Flashdance...What A Feeling (Remix)	7:11	1
Freeez	I.O.U. (Megamix)	8:44	3
New Order	Confusion (12" Version)	8:14	5
Rockers Revenge	The Harder They Come (Extended Version)	8:35	13
Forrest	Rock The Boat (High Dynamic Re-Mix)	8:44	9
Modern Romance	Don't Stop that Crazy Rhythm (Extended Version)	6:33	-
Level 42	The Chinese Way (Extended Version)	7:03	-
Madness	Wings Of A Dove (12" Blue Train Mix)	6:09	-
Fun Boy Three	Our Lips Are Sealed (Special Remix Version)	6:06	-
The Style Council	Long Hot Summer (Extended Version)	7:02	-
Nick Heyward	Whistle Down The Wind (12" Version)	4:52	-	★

CD 4 (77:46)
Artist	Song	Time	Dance	CD
Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson	Say Say Say (12" Version)	5:42	2
Billy Joel	Tell Her About It (Special Remix Version)	5:36	38
The Fixx	One Thing Leads To Another (Extended Version)	8:00	14
Debbie Harry	Rush, Rush (Extended Version)	4:47	28
Laura Branigan	Gloria (12" Version)	5:55	4
Miquel Brown	So Many Men, So Little Time (12" Vocal)	8:14	2
Divine	Shake It Up (12" Vocal)	6:08	-
Ryan Paris	Dolce Vita (Extended Disco Mix)	7:31	-
Lydia Murdock	Superstar (Long Version)	9:07	-
Phil Fearon & Galaxy	Dancing Tight (Dance Mix)	6:14	-
Donna Summer	Unconditional Love (Extended Version)	5:16	-
Tina Turner	Let's Stay Together (Album Version)	5:15	1

With very few exceptions, my personal sweet spot for lengths of "extended mixes" is somewhere between 5½ - 7 minutes, so when we get to 9+ minutes, my cup runneth over.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: After home high school football games on Friday nights, a school club (Interact, maybe?) sponsored "Victory Dances." Admission: $2. The dances were held in an old city-owned building simply known as the "Service Center" which was a former USO building built during World War II. Amazingly, it is still in use today. I'm not sure when the victory dances kicked off after the end of the football game (pun intended and I apologize for nothing), but by the time I got home from the game, changed out of my marching band uniform into an outfit that more than likely included a skinny tie, and made it to the Service Center, it was usually 10:45 or 11 PM. Stairway To Heaven was normally scheduled for 11:50, so that doesn't leave much dance time for young Mark. Nevertheless, I danced as if I was hopped up on cocaine and returned home sufficiently exhausted.

Postscript: at my recent high school reunion, I was once again a dancing fool and one female classmate commented that I "still got it" so I've got that going for me, which is nice. The aforementioned fool at the aforementioned 40 year reunion:

Previously revisited for the blog:
Now 80s Alternative (2023)
Now That's What I Call 12" 70s (2022)
Now That's What I Call Christmas! (2001)
Now That's What I Call Music! 1981: The Millennium Series (1999)

Big Country - The Crossing (1983)

Note: this release was originally purchased as a cassette tape, later replaced by a the 2002 remastered CD that includes 5 bonus tracks.

Released in the summer (July 29), I didn't purchase the album until the following winter, so it's always been a 'cold weather' album for me. I rarely listened to the whole album back in 1983-84, instead, I focused on the two singles In A Big Country (#17 pop, #3 rock) and Fields Of Fire (#52 pop). Not that there isn't good material outside of those two tracks, it's just that Steve Lillywhite's aggressive production, the bagpipe guitar effects, and the faux-Celtic folk song sound wears thin very quickly for this guy. Back in 2010, I even wrote that this album only had "two good songs on it." So I wasn't necessary looking to pick up a second copy of the album, but when I saw this CD, I nabbed it to see if I possibly missed anything the first time around, when I mentally grouped Big Country with bands like U2 and The Alarm.

These days, I will admit I missed a couple of good tunes back in the '80s, but I still get tired of the band's characteristic sound eventually so a 74 minute CD is a bit much even though this remaster sounds fantastic. Plus, if you're a nostalgic fool like me, you can't put a price on music that immediately takes you back to another time and place.

Press of the time:

• Trouser Press: "a welcome contrast to a lot of current soundalike bands, but they're not the ultimate panacea."
• High Fidelity: "Big Country could prove to be an important outfit. In the meantime, buy the eponymous single."
• Rolling Stone (★★★★): "the big sound is truly unique, and the best songs speak to real subjects."
• Smash Hits (4 out of 10): "the material's a bit weak. This is dated and predictable."
• Billboard: "dense and textured rock that is somewhere between the old mainstream and the new wave."
• Stereo Review: Recording of Special Merit
• Robert Christgau (B): "With its bagpipe guitars and Celtic blues lines, Stuart Adamson's Skids-U2 hybrid avoids any hint of rock purism."

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #18
• Billboard Rock: #7
• CashBox: #12
• Rolling Stone: #8

Tracks: The lead track, In A Big Country, is still the cream of the crop, followed by Fields Of Fire, Harvest Home, Close Action, and the great ostinato guitar lick that dominates track 2, Inwards.

Bonus tracks: Includes all 4 tracks from the 1984 EP, Wonderland, which peaked at #65 on the Billboard 200 and #45 on the Rock Album chart. The titular single also charted #86 pop, #48 rock, and it's the best bonus track here, followed by Angle Park. The fifth bonus track is the "re-recorded single version" of Chance, the fourth and final single from The Crossing.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I not only remember buying this cassette in late December 1983, I remember the location: Sound Warehouse near the corner of the Southwest Freeway and Shepherd Drive in Houston, probably during the week between Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Mercury cassettes always had those beige cases, right?

For more on the album cover art, check out this article: Rocking In The Norselands.

Chuck Mangione - Journey To A Rainbow (1983)

Note: this release was originally purchased as an LP, later replaced by a CD. The disc I own is the original made in Japan-for-US market pressing in a "Patent Pending" smooth sided jewel case.

Mangione's second of five albums released on the Columbia label, 1982-1988. Mangione hadn't had a hit since 1980 and I completely missed Mangione's 1982 album, Love Notes, when it was released. So this album was an impulse buy - I was at the record store with Burger-King-paycheck money to burn and finding no New Wave/New Romantic synthpop albums to buy, I switched gears to smooth jazz and saw this new release from a familiar artist. And even though was I trying my best to dress like Ren McCormack, Jeff Spicoli, or a member of Duran Duran, I still enjoyed my smooth jazz and must have listened to this thing quite a bit because when I put the LP on again after a couple of decades, I remembered every tune. Within the first few seconds, you can tell you're listening to a Mangione release. It's a happy thing with light jazz/pop melodies and hardly any improvisation. Feels So Good fans would be happy with the purchase - I was and am. Hardly essential, but a nice flashback, nostalgia listen every now and then.

Reviews/ratings:

• Stereo Review: "It's strictly for hard-core Mangione fans, of which I'm told there is a surprisingly large number."
• CashBox: "another fine sampling of frothy free-flight music"
• Billboard (6/4/83): "Mangione's unabashed romanticism brings the usual warmth to this latest smaller group outing."
• Billboard (6/18/83): "Mangione is back on the upswing with his bumptious brand of intoxicating pop-jazz."
• DownBeat (★★★½): "a good album - pleasant, worth a listen, and refreshing for its acoustic quality."
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #154
• Billboard Jazz: #10
• CashBox Jazz: #6
• Radio & Records Jazz Radio National Airplay: #4

Tracks: The title cut, track 1, was released as a single but never gained traction on either the pop or adult contemporary charts. It's decent enough, but my favorites here are the ballads Do I Dare To Fall In Love and Please Stay The Night.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: see above

Previously revisited for the blog:
Everything For Love (2000)
Eyes Of The Veiled Temptress (1988)
Classics, Volume 6 (1987)
Love Notes (1982)/Disguise (1984)/Save Tonight For Me (1986)
An Evening of Magic: Live at The Hollywood Bowl (1979)
Feels So Good (1977)
Land Of Make Believe (1973)

Tim Finn - Escapade (1983)

European Import

Note: this release was originally purchased as an LP, later replaced by a CD.

I recently had this brief exchange on one of the socials:

I'm not sure exactly what in my memory prompted me to mention this album as a comparison to the Palmer, but I've since been listening to it frequently. Like many, I first heard of Finn in his role as lead singer of Split Enz. This debut solo album was understandably bigger in New Zealand (#1) and Australia (#8) but grossly overlooked in the States. It's an enjoyable, lightweight gem - much poppier than Split Enz, but just as many hooks. Comparisons in the reviews (below) mention McCartney, Elton John, The Police(?), Nick Lowe, Billy Joel, Steve Perry, Gerry Rafferty and to that recipe I'll add a dash of early '80s Daryl Hall & John Oates. While we're needlessly dropping names, a few familiar credits show up in the notes: Richard Tee on piano and Vince Gill on mandolin.

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone (★★★½): "pop compositions that sparkle with deft, buoyant melodies"
• Trouser Press: "a gorgeous album chock full of classic pop songs Elton John or Paul McCartney would be proud to claim."
• High Fidelity: "he shows a penchant for sunny, sappy pop"
• Billboard: "disciplined, not indulgent."
• CashBox: "a cross between brash Nick Lowe and The Police's rakish reggae."

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #161

Tracks: 10 tracks in only 38 minutes, so you can hit play and just kick back. There's at least one catchy hook in every cut, but my favorite cuts today are Fraction Too Much Friction (#2 NZ, #8 Aus), Through The Years, Made My Day, and Growing Pains.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I was introduced to this album through its final track, Growing Pains, which was chosen by director John Hughes for inclusion in the school dance scene of Sixteen Candles. For more on the soundtrack, please check out my complete breakdown here over at My Favorite Decade.