Electricity, released in 1987, is the one album of his I didn't have, and I honestly can't remember why I didn't pick it up. If you lived outside Canada this was his debut, and I suppose it made sense to include "Go to Pieces" as I didn't know at the time High Strung wasn't released outside Canada.
Paul has a distinctive voice, a deft hand with his arrangements and his song craft was impeccable, so it's a head scratcher as to why he didn't really catch on. I think a lot of people bet on him being a big deal too. One of those guys was Michael Godin. He was an executive with A&M who left his position to guide Paul's career. Electricity was mixed by Greg Ladanyi, who's production credits are stuffed into the rock and roll hall of fame like a kid's stuffed animal collection: They're everywhere. His mixing credits include Toto IV and Isolation (also by Toto and one of my favourite records ever). It was also engineered by Bob Rock and Mike Fraser who were fixtures at Little Mountain Sound in Vancouver.
The album is very much of it's time, but it's so good. I mentioned Paul's voice, and for good reason - he had an amazing set of pipes and his range and way of colouring around the music put his voice in the centre of the song without detracting from the supporting musical arrangement. He had cracked the code to creating near perfect AOR (I know you know that's "Album Oriented Rock" - some people use adult, but really, it's album) and he'd weave in out of driving pop songs, to lush power ballads. The standout here is "Believe in Me". He takes his time setting up the emotional payoff that builds to a rather tasty lead guitar solo by Tim McKenzie and culminates with a school choir. Yeah, it's a page out of the Foreigner playbook, and he gives Lou Gramm a decent run for his money.
I was very curious about the remixed version of "Go to Pieces" as I loved that song. It kicks off with the familiar a cappella intro, but then the drums that were so driving on High Strung are nowhere to be heard, instead the snare now sounds like bathroom linoleum being hit with a wooden spoon. I suppose if you had nothing to compare it to it would be okay, but to me it's jarring and not in a good way. But that's the way it is.
Over his short career Paul Janz would release four very good albums. His last release Trust came out thirty years ago (good gravy man, where does the time go?). He would leave the music industry and become Dr. Paul Janz. He taught philosophy at Trinity Western University in Langley, British Columbia, and finished his working career as Professor Emeritus of Philosophical Theology and Head of the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at King's College London
From "One Last Lie" Lyrics by
Pamela Phillips Oland / Music: Paul Janz
You'll leave me with few regrets
It was once as a good as it ever gets
Your light in my eyes remains
That'll never change
Actually, I wonder if he could tell me where the time went?
Treasure Island Oldies is a blog by Michael Godin, who was Paul's manager, and a former exec at A&M Canada. He's been quiet the last couple of years, but he has a nifty little site.
Comments
Post a Comment