Released in '85, this was an album that marked the end of Nick's initial run. Between 1977 and 1981, he dropped an album a year and was signed with Chrysalis and then Casablanca Records before taking a four-year break and resurfacing with this self-titled effort on RCA. Gone was his longtime writing partner and guitarist James McCulloch. All that remained was his bass player Eric Nelson who was still holding down the bottom end.
Nick did pull together some stellar musicians, from Mr. Mister's Pat Mastelotto on drums to Mitchell Froom (I wonder if this was a typo? I'm sure this is Mitchell Froom) on keyboards. The two guitar players, Jeff Silverman and Steve (Psycho) Sykes, are pretty solid and there are some tasty licks to be heard.
I remember CFOX playing a track from this album ... once, but my memory is really fuzzy on this next bit. I keep confusing a memory of hearing Giuffria's "Call To The Heart" with whatever song they played by Nick Gilder. The common thread is both songs sounded like they were sung by Steve Perry. I always sort of figured I would remember it when I heard it.
I was wrong. I can't tell the songs apart. It may have been "Scream of Angels" but who knows? It was just as likely to be "Let Me In." In my defence, I only heard it once, and that was almost forty years ago now ... regardless those are two strong songs. I do remember "Call To The Heart," though, which in and of itself is at least worth part marks.
So what does this have to do with Nick Gilder's Nick Gilder? Well, a lot actually. The album is a wonderfully realized middle of the road rock effort with journeyman rock songs, decent musicianship and more than a passing wink and a nod to the vocal stylings of one Mr. Steve Perry. Now before you write this off as a rather long diss of Mister Gilder's album, don't be too hasty.
Nick Gilder started as a glam guy, and his impossibly high vocals and girlish squeaks were sort of his shtick. Now, instead of the little mouse, here was the lion. Who knew a full throated singer was lurking in there, waiting to be unleashed now and then? His huge rock voice on "You Really Rock Me" from Frequency back in '79 is a great example. Maybe that was the issue with Nick Gilder. It was an album without any of Nick's previous hallmarks, and I suspect people weren't willing to accept this new Nick Gilder sound.
Which was a shame.
This was '85 and Mister Gilder's Sweeney Todd replacement Bryan Adams, who was night and day from his early glam incarnation, was at the top of his game, and rock with a little spit and polish was a sweet spot for radio play. While I wonder what kind of alchemy would have resulted if James McCulloch and Nick had written the songs, I have to admit that this was a far better record than I expected and I wasn't expecting anything at all.
I love it when my expectations are exceeded.
It really is too bad that this one didn't give Nick a boost. I suspect people just wanted him to stay in his lane and sing "Hot Child in the City" in a local mall.
While this isn't a lost classic, it is certainly an album that deserves a better fate, and like the rest of Mr. Gilder's back catalogue it's out of print, out of sight, and unavailable, which to me is unbelievable. If you want to hear it you're out of luck unless you can find an old vinyl copy.
If his past albums continue to be forgotten, he truly will only be remembered for "Hot Child in the City" and, of course, "Roxy Roller" (maybe not, that's hard to find too) but there's so much more to Mister Gilder's resume and no one will hear it.
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