Tom Scott feat. Richard Page - Sure Enough (1982)

Sure Enough
Tom Scott feat. Richard Page

Written by: Richard Page, Steve George, John Lang & Tom Scott Produced by: Jeffrey Weber Album: Desire (Elektra/Musician, 1982)

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Not sure if this qualifies as a "deep album cut" as it was apparently released as a single, but I can't find that it charted anywhere.

Tom Scott is a prolific jazz fusion recording artist, TV show theme composer (Starsky and Hutch, Family Ties) and was a first call session musician for pop musicians back when pop songs had saxophone solos (that's him on McCartney's "Listen to What the Man Said" for example).  I started enjoying his work with his 1981 live album Apple Juice and bought the Desire album when it was released in 1982.  As if he didn't have enough to do, I think Scott was the opening act/backing band for Olivia Newton-John while also in the Blues Brothers band at the time.

While most of Scott's music is instrumental, track two of Desire, "Sure Enough," includes vocals from Richard Page of the band Pages. In fact, it's written by three members of Pages (plus Scott) and Steve George sings backup. Let's just admit it: this is essentially a lost Pages track and as such, it's smooth AOR/West Coast goodness with an average verse but a chorus that's catchy as all get-out.

The track gets more impressive when you consider it was recorded in one take: no overdubs, no editing between takes, etc.:

Would this have been better with some Jay Graydon prodcution? Sure, but then Graydon would have fought Scott over who got the solo. This is just fine the way it is and Scott scorches his solo, so I won't pick at nits here.

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Bonnie Raitt - Me And The Boys (1982)

 Me and the Boys
Bonnie Raitt

Written by: Terry Adams Produced by: Rob Fraboni Album: Green Light (Warner Bros., 1982)

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A wonderfully catchy tune written by Terry Adams of NRBQ that keeps you off-balance to create a fun tension.  Most rock songs have 4 measure phrases and each of those measures contains 4 beats with the back beat on beats 2 & 4:

| 1 2 3 4 | 1 2 3 4 | 1 2 3 4| 1 2 3 4|

This song mixes things up quite a bit.  Here's a chart of the first sung phrase ("Just a bunch of guys...")

| 1 2 3 4 | 1 2 | 1 2 3 4 | 1 2 3 |

Writers use this mixed-meter technique so that when they finally switch to the normal 4x4 phrase, the listener gets a sense of relief.  Anyhoo, that catches my ear along with the sweet chorus, rocking accompaniment with Jerry Lee Lewis-ish piano pounding, great harmony vocals, and a hard-charging guitar solo (I'm guessing by Raitt herself) about 3 minutes in.

Lyrically, it's a basic Friday night cruising song, but when a female sings about "just me and the boys," it adds a whole 'nuther dimension.  

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Dave Edmunds covered it the same year:

The NRBQ original:

Pick a favorite or two and buy a copy.

Desdemona - The Kids from "Fame" (1982)

Desdemona
The Kids from "Fame"

Written by: Barry Fasman & Steve Sperry Produced by: Barry Fasman Album: The Kids from "Fame" (RCA, 1982)

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You got big dreams...you want fame? Well, fame costs...and right here's where you start paying...in sweat!

So my sister had this cassette tape and I would steal it from her room (risky business) and listen to it from time to time as I loved the Fame movie and subsequent TV show about 23 year old actors who were still in high school.  I watched religiously as I thought I should attend a school like that (still do).  The album peaked at #146 on the Billboard 200 and didn't produce any top 40 hits here in the US, but it was huge in the UK.  Go figure.

Anyhoo, "Desdemona" quickly became my favorite song on the album.  I guess the students were doing a musical version of Othello?  I'm fuzzy on the details.  The song could be described as baroque power pop with disco strings, but whatever it is, it's full of hooks.  It hasn't aged well and I couldn't care less.  I've listened to it about ten times this morning and now I want to see if the TV series is available on blu-ray.

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Spys - She Can't Wait (1982)

She Can't Wait
Spys

Written by: Spys Produced by: Neil Kernon Album: S·P·Y·S (EMI, 1982)

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At my buddy Jim's place in 1982, I saw the video for this song:

The video certainly wasn't in heavy rotation, but I liked the power pop I was hearing.  On my next trip to Sound Warehouse, I found the album, held it in my hands, and for some reason put it back in the rack (probably because of the unappealing album cover - I was 16, my standards were inexplicable).  My mistake.

Fast forward 33 years and the song somehow enters my subconscious again.  Thanks to streaming music and videos, I quickly become reacquainted through joyous, loud, repeated listenings.  I went to my crack staff and asked if the song had ever been released as a single.  They could find no evidence of a single release, with only one mention in Billboard magazine:

So no single release but a video was produced. How '80s!

How deep is this album cut?  I tried searching for lyrics online and couldn't find any. Anyhoo, this power pop gem is all about a girl who can't wait to see her Romeo (or any guy, for that matter). Ladies, this how guys would like for you to behave; however, my personal high school dating experiences prove otherwise <sad trombone sound>.  The bridge on this song could be stronger but that's picking at nits.  The guitar solo sounds like it's lifted straight from a Cars album.  I'm happy to rediscover this one (although my wife has already stated that she's tired of my "joyous, loud, repeated listenings."

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John Surman - Edges of Illusion (1979)

Edges of Illusion
John Surman

Written by: John Surman Produced by: Manfred Eicher Album: Upon Reflection (ECM, 1979)

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Back in June, this beautiful thing showed up at my doorstep:

It's a box set from ECM Records of compilation discs from their :rarum series, a birthday gift from a good friend. In this series, the artists were given the freedom to pick their personal favorite recordings from any ECM release they've made as a leader or sideman. In other words, the label got outta the way and good for them. I've slowly been making my way through the set and got to the disc by English composer/performer John Surman, with whom I was previously unfamiliar. Most of the disc is free jazz which takes a concentrated listening effort on my part. But when track 6, "Edges of Illusion," starting playing, I started texting friends, telling them to listen to it. I don't quite know what to make of it (yet), but I find it moody, atmospheric, and hypnotizing.

Recorded in Oslo in May 1979, this recording is written and performed entirely by Surman, using overdubs on several instruments: soprano saxophone, baritone saxophone, bass clarinet, and synthesizer.

It's a trip, man.

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John Waite - White Heat (1982)

White Heat
John Waite

Written by: John Waite Produced by: Neil Geraldo Album: Ignition (Chrysalis, 1982)

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Not sure if this thing is really a "deep" album cut since it's the album's lead cut, but no matter.  This thing is high energy rock 'n roll and gets my blood pumping from the get-go.  And with the sweet piano and saxophone licks throughout, it embraced traditional rock instrumentation and steered clear of the synths that were ubiquitous on the radio stations of the time.  It rocks hard for 2 minutes then backs off and simmers a bit with more piano, guitar, and sax play.  Then the sixteenth notes on the snare drum work the piece back into a frenzy and we're off to back to the chorus, then a breakdown, before one more time through the chorus.  The whole thing stops suddenly and I'm exhausted from my awkward mix of air guitar/pogo dancing.

The Ignition album was Waite's solo debut after The Babys broke up in 1981.  The album was produced by Pat Benetar's guitarist/husband Neil Geraldo and while the album doesn't quite live up to the pedigree, it starts off with a fantastic one-two punch of this rocker followed by Waite's cover of Spider's "Change."

Lyrically, it's about a 16 year old kid picking up a hooker and while I can't publicly endorse such shenanigans, I will admit that those thoughts crossed this writer's mind when he was 16.  As such, this thing got a lot of playing time on the Markmobile's much-abused Pioneer deck back at that time.

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Tom Scott - Come Back To Me (1983)

Come Back To Me
Tom Scott

Written by: Tom Scott, Kenny James & Michael Wilk Produced by: Tom Scott Album: Target (Atlantic, 1983)

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Tom Scott is a prolific jazz fusion recording artist, TV show theme composer (Starsky and Hutch, Family Ties) and was a first call session musician for pop musicians back when pop songs had saxophone solos (that's him on McCartney's "Listen to What the Man Said"). I started enjoying his work with his 1981 live album Apple Juice and bought this Target album when it was released in 1983. As if he didn't have enough to do, I think Scott was also in the Blues Brothers band at the time.

While most of Scott's music is instrumental, track two of Target, "Come Back to Me," includes vocals from Kenny James (you can be forgiven for initially thinking it's James Ingram - I made the same mistake). As you can probably guess from the song title, this song isn't breaking any new ground lyrically, but the music is an overlooked West Coast/AOR gem. Formulaic, sure, but that doesn't mean it's bad.

This pop ballad wouldn't be out of place on The Dude by Quincy Jones - slow, sparse start that builds, female background vocals, upward modulation for the last chorus, and of course, a sax solo. This song might not even qualify as a deep album cut because 7" and 12" singles were released by Atlantic. However, I can't find anything that would indicate a chart appearance (please correct me if I'm mistaken about that). Timing may have been issue - this thing sounds straight out of 1979 or 1980. No matter, add this one to your AOR shuffle and it will fit in nicely.

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Brass Fever - Summertime (1976)

Summertime
Brass Fever

Written by: George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin & DuBose Heyward Produced by: Esmond Edwards Album: Time Is Running Out (Impulse!, 1976)

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It's summer, so why not? Brass Fever was an obscure, large jazz/funk studio group made up of some of the top session musicians of the time:

The group cut two albums of mostly covers, then called it quits. This cut is from the band's second and final album. That album didn't crack the Billboard 200 album chart, but it did peak at #98 on the R&B album chart.

From the opening Clavinet playing along with the cuíca drum, everything about this joint screams 1970's. Then the horns come in sounding like something from "Theme from S.W.A.T." and the cheesy fun really gets going. In the late '70s, many studio disco groups would cut dance versions of classical music, show tunes, or standards and I'm guessing that was the thought process behind this cut. During the 6:35 of this piece, we're treated to solos from saxophone and trombone as well as a percussion breakdown section. It's good, not great, but at the very least it's intriguing.

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Simple Minds - Somebody Up There Likes You (1982)

Somebody Up There Likes You
Simple Minds

Written by: Simple Minds Produced by: Peter Walsh Album: New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) (A&M, 1982)

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I couldn't tell you why, but out of all the great songs on this album, I've always gravitated towards this simple, repetitive, moody, instrumental soundscape.  There's not much too it, not even noodling solos over the chords - the main feature seems to be the chord progression itself.

From the Simple Minds website:

The song was based around the Mahler Chords, an idea Charlie [Burchill] developed whilst jamming in a Fife farmhouse for the New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84) album.

"We had words for Somebody Up There Likes You but we took them off - we felt that the music spoke more than the words did. Up until then, Simple Minds always had this ambient side" - Jim [Kerr], Sunday Herald interview, 2008.

I have no idea what "Mahler Chords" they are referencing.  If you have any insight, please comment below.  In the meantime, I'll continue to enjoy.

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Martin Briley - I Feel Like a Milkshake (1981)

 I Feel Like a Milkshake
Martin Briley

Written by: Martin Briley Produced by: Allan Blazek & Martin Briley Album: Fear of the Unknown (Mercury, 1981)

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While in high school, my buddy Jim loaned me the Fear of The Unknown album.  I took it home, gave it one listen and quickly (and mistakenly) dismissed it except for the third track, "I Feel Like a Milkshake."  I don't know if it was the silly suggestive lyrics, the vocal harmonies, or the melody that caught my attention, but I quickly dubbed the one song to a mix tape and subjected friends to it.  They didn't appreciate it as much as I did so forget them.

I hadn't thought of the song in many, many years but it had taken up residence in some part of my brain because as soon as I heard Daniel Day Lewis famously announce "I DRINK YOUR MILKSHAKE" at the end of the movie There Will Be Blood in 2007, this song immediately came to mind.  I still think it's a catchy thing, so now I'm subjecting you to it.

Curiously, former Monkee Peter Tork covered this song on his 1994 solo album, Stranger Things Have Happened.

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