Stylus over Substance (Volume 6) - The Who, Rick Springfield, Gino Vannelli, Red Rider & Doucette

I'm still digging myself out from the pile of records in the basement. Not that I mind, but my goodness there's a lot of stuff to go through, and frankly I don't want to short myself on anything so I'm still trying to spend time with them before putting them away. Oh, some will stay put for a long time I suspect, but there are always hidden gems and treasures among the old things that are new to me,

A mixed bag this time of the familiar and not so much.

• The Who - Face Dances (1981)
• Rick Springfield - Hard to Hold (1984)
• Gino Vannelli - Brother to Brother (1978)
• Red Rider - Breaking Curfew (1984)
• Doucette - Coming Up Roses (1981)
  

The Who - Face Dances (1981) This would be the band's first album after the death of drummer Keith Moon. Sitting on the throne behind the kit was Kenny Jones, who had been a member of The Small Faces. The album was produced by Bill Szymczyk and yielded the classic, "You Better You Bet" that helped pull the album to platinum status in the US. For me this is the best song on the album, and the reason I bought the record. There rest of the songs are decent, a few of them bordering on really good, and "Another Tricky Day" was an unexpected ear worm. It makes me wonder what could have been if Pete had saved some of the best songs from Empty Glass and worked them up with The Who. We'll never know, and for all that Face Dances still showed a band who knew what they were doing, and seemed to positioning themselves to weather another decade. Of course, hindsight being what it is, we know there was the infamous final tour back in '82 after their final album It's Hard. It would be harder to quit as Roger and Pete would find out.

Rick Springfield - Hard to Hold (1984) Boy howdy, 1984 and Rick was riding the top of the wave. Hard to Hold would be his fourth platinum album in a row - it would also be his last. Oh, I didn't fall off the bandwagon, but I would find there was less to enjoy as I went for the ride. I guess the plan was for Rick to make the jump to the big screen, playing a tortured version of himself. I don't know, I think I saw it ... I don't remember. I do though remember really liking "Love Somebody" but was much less enamoured with "Bop 'Til You Drop" a song that would be more in line with what was coming down the pipe. The album for the most part is pretty slick power pop, and Tim Pierce was all over this. His flourishes and guitar work just cannot be understated when it comes to describing his fit with Rick's music. If I'm being honest the album is okay and all, but feels listless and rather paint by numbers outside of a couple of tracks (one actually, but there are those who liked the "Bop" song a lot). I know Rick was on a hot streak, but aside from "Love Somebody" the rest are filler. Even the instrumental track "S.F.O." that I'd forgotten about was a near miss - it was on to something, but for whatever reason Tim Pierce never lets loose to put it over the top. Maybe it was just composed as an incidental piece for the movie and made the album. To add to the experience the album closes with a couple of other artists. It was a soundtrack album after all, although it is considered a Rick Springfield release. The first was "Heart of Woman" by Nona Hendryx. It's generic and lifeless, even Dan Huff's solo didn't help. Then there was a live version of Peter Gabriel's "I Go Swimming" that seems like it's on the wrong album.

Gino Vannelli - Brother to Brother (1978) Man, time has really worn down the edges of my opinion of Gino Vannelli. I'm not completely without my prior baggage, but most of it has been unpacked and put away. Fifteen year old me, is likely more than a little betrayed by this revision. Although to be fair, the opening sequence to "I Just Wanna Stop" did generate a momentary reaction akin to the sensation of rising bile before I swallowed it down. Okay, maybe I haven't completely unpacked all of the old baggage. I can appreciate that it's a classic, but it's not a song I'll ever really like, but it is growing on me. Mainly because the rest of the album, that is new to me, is so much better and more complicated and musically intricate than I would have ever imagined. I'm not sure if this is fusion, or funk or what it is. What it is, is scorching just listen to "Love & Emotion" written by brother Ross (who also wrote "I Just Wanna Stop") that features some absolutely face melting guitar work by Carlos Rios, who is a monster throughout the album, and was still in his teens. Just when you think it won't get better side two opens with the title track "Brother to Brother" it is insane. All of this is made more impressive considering Gino was only in his mid 20s when this came out. The album was produced by Gino, Joe and Ross Vannelli. While this would be his most successful release in the US and his last studio album on A&M, he wasn't quite done. Through the '80s would drop two more gold and one platinum album at home here in Canada.

Red Rider - Breaking Curfew (1984) With their fourth album Red Rider deliver a raw album that was the natural extension of their two previous albums. The songs were raw, and the band seemed poised for great things. The band had signed with Bruce Allen Management, the guy who cut his teeth with B.T.O., looked after Loverboy and was about to steer Bryan Adams to world domination with Reckless, an album that would come out a couple of months after Breaking Curfew. The only fly in the ointment was the album itself. This was the woulda coulda shoulda album, except the album itself didn't have the legs to make the journey to the top. Oh, back in the day "Young Thing, Wild Dreams (Rock Me)" did get some moderate airplay on the rock stations, but the song itself was clunky and plodding and despite my attempts to make it work, it just felt like a car with square tires. This isn't to say the album is a turd. This was produced by David Tickle and the guy was good at what he did. For shame! There are some delicious deep cuts here that I am still quite fond of, especially "Breaking Curfew" a song that should have been a bigger single than it was. It's moody, has texture and was an unabashedly '80s rock song. The album's closer "Hold Tight" is one of those dark songs that just gets better with time. Ken Greer was all over the album, and his guitar work was a perfect fit for Tom's writing. The album was more alternative than mainstream, and there was a bite and an edge to the songs. The problem was to a lot of people Red Rider was a commercial band, despite all the evidence to the contrary. This would mark the end of Red Rider as a band that was pushing the boundaries. After this it would be Tom Cochrane and Red Rider, and then just Tom Cochrane.

Doucette - Coming Up Roses (1981) While this isn't technically Doucette's last album, it was the end of his commercial run. From his debut in 1977 to Coming Up Roses in 1981 Doucette went for the brass ring and came up short. I didn't realize that his 1979 follow up had charted higher in Canada than his debut, but sold half the number of units ... how does that work? Time has more or less buried this album, which may be due more RIO Records and licensing than anything. His first two albums are out there which is something at least. It's funny, I thought I'd have gotten to the debut by now, but nope. I'll get to it, you'll see. Right now though I'm spinning his '81 release, and it's pretty much stock and trade rock and roll, although there is a tinge of new wave to a few of the songs. Most notably "She's My Girlfriend" that is actually pretty catchy. John Roles, who was once in Chilliwack, takes the vocals one which was kind of cool. Jerry would take a couple of years between releases, and music was changing pretty fact back in the late '70s. By the time he released Coming Up Roses, the landscape had changed considerably and while a few hard rock stalwarts were transitioning into the '80s most would find themselves out of step by the early '80s. This '81 release was still close enough to the late '70s that it could have found an audience, but it didn't. The songs here are all quite good, but there just isn't that moment where you stop and go, "What was that?" Listening to this now for the first time it was a nice trip down memory lane and will likely get a few plays before I file it. He was a really decent player. RIP Jerry, 1951 - 2022.