Five for Fighting No.5 - Dave Loggins, Rick Derringer, Cliff Richard, Little River Band, Harlequin

Here we are, five months in and holding steady. I'm not sure this is worth continuing, but for me these little snack size tidbits are perfect when I don't have a lot to say, but there was something worth jotting down. Whether it was worth your time or not is a separate issue, and I make no guarantees this will be a worthwhile. For all you know, this is a cheese shop, or I could just be deliberately wasting your time, and I don't have any cheese.

Five for Fighting No.5

• Dave Loggins - Apprentice (In a Musical Workshop) (1974)
• Rick Derringer - Sweet Evil (1977) 
• Cliff Richard - I'm Nearly Famous (1976)
• Little River Band - First Under the Wire (1979)
• Harlequin - Harlequin (1984)
  

Dave Loggins - Apprentice (In a Musical Workshop) (1974) I still find it strange looking at cover pictures from the early '70s, everyone looked so wise and world weary - and old. Looking at the stylized photo of Dave Loggins on the cover you'd think you were looking at an elder statesman and seasoned vet. He was probably all of 27 when this came out, and yes at this point he was a seasoned vet. Apprentice was his second, and arguably his most successful album, thanks largely to the wonderful "Please Come to Boston" a song I've liked since first hearing it on Out of Sight (the Canadian version that had Stampeders, Hudson Brothers and Chilliwack among others on it) as a kid. Thank you K-Tel, your ability to somehow cram 20 songs onto a single record filled my room with music - no guitar solos or instrumental breaks, but most of the songs were there. Ah, those were the days. For whatever reason Mr. Loggins got me right in the feels with his signature song. In later years I'd wonder if he and Kenny were related. Apparently they're second cousins, but had never met as kids. I had always wanted to pick up a copy of this album, and I wasn't expecting a lot to be honest. I was only after one song, and got an album full of pleasing singer songwriter tunes that were as much country as they were pop.

Rick Derringer - Sweet Evil (1977) Released in 1977 and produced by the legendary Jack Douglas, known for his work with bands like Aerosmith and Cheap Trick, and Canada's Harlequin (I remember him for this one), Derringer's Sweet Evil was a pleasant surprise. The album's cover art exudes swagger, and featured the talents of Vinny Appice on drums, Kenny Aaronson on bass, and Danny Johnson on guitar. Rick Derringer's guitar skills shine through on this record, although at times I wonder if that flash is making up for a lack of substance at times.

It always seemed like Rick Derringer's wanted to be a frontman, and there were times he really was the centre of attention. To many he's known more for his supporting role in other bands, particularly Edgar Winter, and as a producer - "Weird Al" Yankovic comes to mind. Although the album doesn't necessarily contain any real standout tracks, it still provides an enjoyable listening experience for fans of guitar-driven rock with a bit of attitude.

The opening riff of "Sittin' By the Pool" is particularly impressive, showcasing Derringer's mastery of the guitar. The title track is also a highlight, but overall the album presents a consistent and solid sound. It may not be as memorable as some of Derringer's other works, but it still holds up as a decent example of mid '70s rock. One reviewer totally shit on the album calling it a collection of Joe Walsh cast offs, and made a point of eviscerating the closing track, "I Didn't Ask to Be Born" as disco. That wasn't disco, that was rocked up funk and R&B and would have been at home on a White Trash album. I thought it was pretty cool.

For those looking for a reminder of Derringer's prowess, All American Boy is an excellent place to start. When he's firing on all cylinders, Derringer is really sweet evil.

Cliff Richard - I'm Nearly Famous (1976) After playing Rock 'n' Roll Juvenile recently I got to thinking about "Devil Woman" and figured why not put it on. I'd probably not listened to I'm Nearly Famous in its entirety in decades. The dollar store replacement I'd snagged had cleaned up pretty good, and it was nice to have it again. This was the album that jump started his career and I'm sure long time fans from his teenybopper years weren't quite sure what to think of this new fangled sound Cliff Richard was toying with. Produced by Bruce Welch who was a member of his old backing band The Shadows. "Devil Woman" was co-written by Terry Britten who also played guitar, and Alan Tarney who was also a member of The Shadows at the time, played bass. I had always hoped the album would be chalk full of similar songs, but that wasn't the case. Where many bands would have a ballad thrown in amidst a slew of scorching rockers, Cliff threw in a couple of rockers and kept mostly to mid tempo songs that showcased his voice. At the time I didn't care for that at all. I wanted rock. However, "Devil Woman" was a song I never forgot and a few years later when he was charting through the early '80s I snapped up the albums as they came out, and I pretty much wore out his 1987 release Always Guaranteed so even though this may not have been an album I liked as much as I wanted to it but it did make him famous.

Little River Band - First Under the Wire (1979) It was a goofy year  for me. I mean the good part was while disco was still a pain in the ass, rock was everywhere and it was good. Heck The Cars' "Let's Go" was big, and The Knack were being overplayed, but "My Sharona" was infectious, as was the much maligned "Good Girls Don't." Between Styx and Van Halen life's been good (thank you Mister Walsh). Then again for all the great music, weird songs would emerge too. Abba had Bjorn singing "Does Your Mother Know" and despite myself I really liked it. Then in the midst of all this Little River Band released First Under the Wire, and I was totally into "Lonesome Loser" but it would be years and years before I'd pick their greatest hits disc. The guys were just enough rock to make things fun, and just enough '70s minstrels to appeal to the middle of road folks who didn't know any better. "Cool Change" was a song some friends and I (on a borrowed 12 string, thank you Tammy) played at our high school graduation ceremony. I still have a pretty strong attachment to the song. I know the band is known for their harmonies and vocals, which are honestly top shelf, but I was actually surprised at how much this album actually rocked. I suppose credit is due to lead guitar player David Briggs who actually steals the show more often than not. These guys had a decent run through the late '70s.

Harlequin - Harlequin (1984) Go figure, by 1984 Harlequin was old news to me. I fell off the wagon after Love Crimes. Now, I did like "I Did It For Love" but I didn't pick up the album. "Take This Heart" which was the single from their self titled album, this album actually, was pretty cool, but again it wasn't enough to go out and get the record. I did however pick up their Greatest Hits on CD which was an expanded version of  Harlequin - Radio Romances (Greatest Hits) and that frankly hit all of the high points. A while back I found their first self titled record and figured, it was worth a shot. So of course I bought it, and was actually really looking forward to catching up and seeing what I'd missed. Listening to Harlequin for the first time I'm actually surprised at how good it is. This album saw a change in producers, Jack Douglas who had been with the band through their first three records was out, and Alfie Agius was in. Alfie had played bass with The Fixx on a couple of the band's early hits, notably "One Thing Leads to Another" and "Saved by Zero." Alfie would co-write four of the albums nine tracks, and the album sounds very much like a lot of the '80s new wave infused rock that was hitting at this time. The interplay between vocalist George Belanger and guitarist Glen Willows - who to me was always an incredibly tasteful player was at the core of Harlequin's sound - at least to me it was. While the album only generated the one minor hit "Take This Heart" which is a solid song, the rest of the album is far from filler. It was a much better album than I had expected. This would be the last album released by the band for a couple of decades, not counting the new track recorded for their greatest hits that was just George Belanger and session players. It was the end of an era.