Ric Ocasek - This Side of Paradise

Although released in 1986, I didn't get it until I found this on sale back in '87. This was when CDs were having a bit of a packaging issue and because most record stores weren't configured for them, somewhere some smartass must have figured that creating a full reproduction of the artwork in a disposable long box was a good idea.

Yeah, it lasted about as long as you think it would last - not long.

Regardless, I found myself in the possession of This Side of Paradise and I did remember hearing "Emotion in Motion," which was a cool track, and even knew that Roland Orzabal from Tears for Fears provided the guitar. It was a pretty decent song, and oddly not the best song on the album.

I always found it cool when a guy did a solo album and then brought along the guys from the band to play on some of the tracks. Ric brought everyone from The Cars except for David Robinson to guest on at least one track. Poor David, everyone forgets about the drummer.

"True to You" is probably the most Cars sounding song on the entire album with Greg, Elliot and Ben all showing up to help. Elliot Easton as usual killed it, although I have to say while it was the most Cars like, it also felt really derivative (it's always pretty bloody catchy). Comparisons to The Cars is kind of unavoidable, especially when you're the singer and songwriter - however I have to say Ric manages, aside from "True to You," to craft a really cohesive album that is a great mix of rock and technology. The songs are a little longer, a little darker and I still find myself enjoying what I hear. It's been a long time since I've played this, and when I found the record I couldn't help myself. I already had it, but having readable liner notes was too much to pass up ... so I didn't. Although readable is a bit of a stretch given the font and colour choices ... sigh. Still, easier than the CD booklet.

Among the guests, G.E. Smith appears on this album as well, and I have to admit that I was always irritated by G.E. Smith. Mainly because of his ubiquitous appearances on SNL as bandleader. He just bugged me ... I don't know why. Jealousy? The guy was a monster player, but he always seemed to be mugging for the camera. Over the years I've found his name in the credits on albums as varied as Desmond Child and Rouge to his long-time association with Daryl Hall & John Oates. I've had to reluctantly revise my opinion. Here's to you, Mr. Smith.

The unsung hero here was Steve Stevens. He brought his array of space gun effects and guitar wizardry to several songs on the record. To me the centrepiece was the album's title track and closing song. "This Side of Paradise" was over eight minutes of brooding pop goodness and one of the best songs Ric ever wrote. Of course, I've not heard everything he ever wrote, so I suppose I should amend that to the best song I've heard by Ric. The song takes time to build, the droning drum loop is almost hypnotic, and Greg Hawke's bass and keyboard work is right in the pocket. When Chris Hughes (also known in some circles as Merrick) overlays the acoustic drums, the song adds another dimension. The cherry on top is Steve Stevens, who adds his familiar but effective sonic textures on guitar. The song's instrumental coda doesn't feel tacked on, it actually gives the listener a moment to process everything that's just happened. Like I said, this was my favourite piece back then and hearing it now simply reaffirms my long-held opinion.

What I didn't expect was to discover the entire album in a way I'd not really heard before. Ric once mentioned that he saved his moodier songs for his solo work, and that rings true on the songs here. The balance between his penchant for quirky blended with the brooding tone of the album is really pretty cool.

This is wicked all the way from the start to the big finish. A nice slice of pop wizardry that landed just this side of paradise.

Styx - Paradise Theater

Styx was hands down one of my favourite bands as a kid. They were a strange band, even back then. They were a hard rock band, almost progressive at times, who had a penchant for sucky ballads. I know there's a tendency for people to zero in on "Babe" as the song that killed the band's credibility. The roots go way back to almost the beginning when Styx released "Lady" on their second album. It showed a side to the band that needed to be kept in check, and for the most part the band kept things on a pretty tight leash. The band had been setting a gruelling pace, releasing an album a year (two in 1972) and by the time they released Paradise Theater (if I end up writing theatre later it's because that's how we spell it here) in 1981 they'd dropped ten albums in less than a decade. I snapped this up as soon as I saw it, and it became a fixture on my turntable. Like the band had announced on "Borrowed Time" from 1979's Cornerstone , ...

David Baerwald - Bedtime Stories

The little sticker on the shrinkwrap says, "You may remember David Baerwald from David & David's Boomtown ..." You bet, I remembered David Baerwald. Back in 1986 Boomtown was an album with moments of sheer brilliance. The whole album may not have been as top shelf as the first few tracks, but that didn't matter - it is an excellent album. I waited for a follow-up ... and waited, and then in 1990 it was a solo David, David Baerwald, who dropped Bedtime Stories . I snapped it up. "All For You," the opening cut, is still my favourite song on the album. It was mesmerizing. I'm not sure if the song got any airplay, it may have, but that may have been wishful thinking on my part as it was on a lot of mix tapes at the time and I heard it a lot in the car. The CD had a great booklet with all of the musician credits and lyrics. Oddly, when I found a sealed copy of the record (a great score), it just had a plain paper insert - the picture of David walking wit...

Gary Numan - The Pleasure Principle

"Cars" was really the only song I knew by Gary Numan. I knew the name of the album the song came from. Over the years bits and pieces of trivia are accumulated, but in terms of his music it was still distilled down to one song ... It would be too easy to write Mr. Numan off as a one hit wonder, and I suppose in terms of actual chart hits this was his defining moment as a solo artist. Of course this really means nothing, as Gary Numan would drop an album a year pretty much through to the end of the '80s. He'd then slow down a little but continued to make music. While The Pleasure Principle was Gary Numan's debut solo release in '79, he actually cut his teeth on a couple of albums in a band called Tubeway Army, first with the band's self-titled release in 1978, and then on Replicas that came out in April of '79. By the end of Tubeway Army's run most of the band would follow Gary into his solo career. Paul Gardiner, who had been with Gary from the b...

Old Enough to Forget

Search This Blog