The Babys - On the Edge

On the Edge would be the last album by The Babys and their second to be released in 1980. John Waite would go on to a hit and miss solo career, and Jonathan Cain would join Journey. This was the album I liked best when I was a kid. I hadn't heard Union Jacks, so to me this was as good as the band got.

The album opens with "Turn and Walk Away" that must have been a bigger hit in Canada as I'm sure I heard it on the radio. However, in the US it stalled outside the top 40. Too bad it didn't click, it's a hell of a song. This was the band's fifth record, and the band seemed to finally know what it wanted to be. The songs were cohesive and they were good. Sure, they were rooted in '70s rock, but the band seemed to be looking to the future.

The album was produced by Keith Olsen who was pretty busy during the '70s and '80s. There aren't many albums with his name on the jacket that I haven't enjoyed.

I wish I knew what the deal is with bands writing about sixteen and seventeen year old girls. When I was seventeen the song "Sweet 17" wasn't creepy at all. I didn't think it was weird that a bunch of grown ass men were singing about underage girls. However as I turned 18, 19, 20 ... 25 ... 30 ... 50 and now over 60 the songs just feel like the soundtrack you'd hear on a private plane as you journeyed to a private island for a weekend getaway.

I found myself enjoying this one, and it's been a fun trip down memory lane. The Babys are one of those bands who flew just under the radar, but who have managed to achieve a level of cult status. I suspect many people found the band through John Waite and Jonathan Cain and honestly that's not a bad thing.

Tony Brock and Wally Stocker resurrected The Babys in 2013 which just goes to show you can't keep a good band down.

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