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Eddie Money - Eddie Money

Eddie Money always seemed like a guy who was just on the cusp of being a really big deal. He'd get close, but he never really quite made it to the front of the line. His debut album was released in December of 1977, but the album gained traction well into 1978 with songs like "Baby Hold On" and "Two Tickets to Paradise," which were arguably two of his biggest songs.

I found this one in a bargain bin that warned me the album was sold "as is" and buyer beware. The vinyl looked fine to me ... and there were a couple of copies. I asked if I could swap covers, as one of them had Eddie sporting a wonderful ballpoint pen moustache, and the cover I ended up with had an old CFUN radio station sticker on it. I was fine with that, as CFUN had a lot of nostalgia associated with it - there was a time the two stations worth listening to in the early '70s were CKLG and CFUN, and you could bounce between them on your radio and find something worth listening to.

Oddly, the first album I bought of his was No Control, and I bought it because I loved the slide guitar solo on "I Think I'm in Love." The rest of the album was okay, although "Shakin'" was a pretty awesome song. I can't really remember much about the rest. This seemed to be a pattern, even on his debut - which, if I'm being honest, is a really solid effort and very enjoyable. It really comes down to two extraordinarily good tunes that have stood the test of time, and those are the two aforementioned songs: "Two Tickets to Paradise," the first cut from side one, and "Baby Hold On," the first cut from the second side.

I guess this is why, when I think of Eddie Money, I think of a guy who had some awesome songs, but I don't really think of the albums they came from. Which is unfair, I know, but it is what it is. The fact I'm sitting in my basement with the album cranked actually runs counter to everything I've just written. Life is full of little contradictions. While it's playing, it's very enjoyable. The production still sounds crisp, and the songs are all really quite good. If I was to play this really loud with Marc Cohn in the room and I asked him if he was a fan, I suspect he'd say something like, "Man, I am tonight."

I've played this through a few times, and each time I find myself enjoying it more than the time before - but I know that as soon as I put this back in its sleeve, it's like Tommy Lee Jones used his memory eraser on me, and I'll look at the album and only remember the two big hits. I'll play it again and wonder why I don't play it more often.

My friend Gail really likes Eddie Money, and when I found this album I thought of her. At some point when she and the gang are over, I'll put this one on and live vicariously through her reaction.

Mister Eddie Money passed away back in 2019, and he left behind a legacy of solid songs that would be the envy of many artists.

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