Old Enough to Forget

"A Good Heart" was a big song in Canada back in '85. The single would sell 50,000 copies here, and the album itself would crack the top 20, but I don't think it sold enough to be certified. For me this would be the one and only time I heard the warbling Irishman on the radio.  After making his splash in the pool, there was no follow-up and in time Mr. Sharkey would be firmly relegated to the bin of one-hit wonders. It was an okay song, but honestly not one that resonated with me. Feargal was out of sight and out of mind, and he remained there. So it was a surprise when decades later it popped into my brain and I got curious. As it happened I found the album in a cheap bin and couldn't help myself.  Which is the only way you can hear the album. His streaming footprint is surprisingly thin. The album was produced by Dave Stewart who had co-produced Southern Accents with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and his own band's (The Eurythmics) Be Yourself Tonight. He...

The Eurythmics were always a band I respected and often found myself liking what I heard on the radio. Then there was "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves" a song I suppose was an anthem but to me was right up there with Springsteen's "Pink Cadillac" in terms of how many notes could play on the radio before I could change the station. If you're curious the answer was not many. Over the years I'd pick up a few of Annie's solo releases, the exceptional Medussa , and the decent follow up Diva , and even get her rather excruciating A Christmas Cornucopia and I love Christmas music, but this was next level cringe with none of Annie's quirky charm. In terms of The Eurythmics stuff I had The Ultimate Collection and that checked off all the boxes for me. Heck, Dave's work as a producer was pretty stellar from Tom Petty to Ringo Starr. If you'd have asked me what their debut record was I'd have confidently proclaimed Touch , but then I...