Eyes That See in the Dark Review ALBUM REVIEW by Joe Viglione
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Islands in the Stream Review by Joe Viglione
The four minutes and eight seconds of pop majesty which make up "Islands In The Stream" provided an oasis on pop radio in 1983. For The Bee Gees and co-producers Karl Richardson and Albhy Galuten it was the culmination of decades of hard work, polishing a brilliant diamond for two superstars. Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton embrace the opportunity and ride the uplifting melody resplendent in words of love and devotion for all its worth. Racking up more than 2 million sales the single was Rogers only platinum 45 RPM and his biggest success on RCA Records. The same goes for Dolly, who had all her hits on RCA (though Parton's composition "I Will Always Love You" as performed by Whitney Houston was four times bigger than this monster hit, "Islands In The Stream" remains Parton's biggest record as a peformer ). From Rogers' Eyes That See In The Dark album this epic of two lovers pledging forever to each other while the chaotic waters swirl around them is exotic both in lyric and musical accompaniment. It is one of those rare, magical songs that bursts out of the radio speakers and demands you listen from start to finish, and when it's over, it isn't, because that melody just keeps swimming around in your head. Though The Bee Gees' "To Love Somebody" may be their biggest "standard", a song that Nina Simone, Janis Joplin, and so many others interpreted in such a way as to call it their own, "Islands In The Stream" is arguably The Bee Gees and company's greatest production achievement on an outside project from a list that includes gems by Frankie Valli, Dionne Warwick, Andy Gibb, Samantha Sang, along with songwriting and backing vocals for Rare Earth. Two huge country artists who clearly are good friends come together with one of the great pop groups of all time to generate an exquisite achievement in sound. As Marty Balin's "Miracles" and Bobby Hebb's "Sunny" have a special place in pop history as extraordinary works of art, so too does "Islands In The Stream", one of the few songs that can truly be called perfect.
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This is a masterpiece of a pop recording from Kenny Rogers. It is clear that Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb, and co-producers Karl Richardson and Albhy Galuten remembered Rogers' pop roots with the First Edition and, despite the country twang of "Buried Treasure," the slick musicianship and modulation are not your typical country & western. There are four tracks written by Barry and Maurice and five more by Barry, Maurice, and brother Robin Gibb, including the stunning number one hit from September 1983, "Islands in the Stream." It hit number one across the board on adult contemporary, country, and the Top 40, and deservedly so -- the melody is infectious, impeccable, and perfectly recorded. Keep in mind this was five years after they created Frankie Valli's biggest-selling solo record, "Grease" -- the pairing of Dolly Parton with Rogers makes for an amazing vocal sound to carry the melody. "Living With You" features the Bee Gees -- it is Rogers fronting the Bee Gees, and why they didn't seek out more artists, new as well as established, to work their magic on is a pity. It's a lush setting for the country superstar, and as Barbara Streisand and Dionne Warwick enjoyed success thanks to this creative team, Eyes That See in the Dark stands as an important piece of the Rogers catalog and a really timeless recording. The Gatlin Brothers add their magic to "Evening Star" and "Buried Treasure," and these elements bring the Barry Gibb/Richardson/Galuten thousand-tracks production down to earth. "Evening Star" doesn't have the complexities of Samantha Sang's "Emotion," the producers being very careful to keep it simple, something they just weren't doing on all their other records. There are only ten tracks on Eyes That See in the Dark, Jimmie Haskell's strings the major instrument next to Rogers' sympathetic vocal performance. "Midsummer Nights" is co-authored by Barry Gibb and Galuten, making Barry the catalyst and driving force, as he is the only person with a hand in every tune. "Midsummer Nights" brings things back up after "Hold Me," and it is more adult contemporary than country. It would have made a great single but, as it was, the opening track, "This Woman," went Top 25 in early 1984, and by the end of that year Rogers would post his 27th Top 40 hit, ending a string started 16 years earlier in 1968. It isn't clear why they didn't, but the pretty Barry and Maurice Gibb tune "I Will Always Love You" (not to be confused with Parton's hit of the same name) and the title track certainly should have found some chart action as well. Eyes That See in the Dark is not the definitive Kenny Rogers album but, outside of greatest-hits packages, it is absolutely one of his most consistent and one of his best.
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https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-reluctant-dog-mw0000593666 The Reluctant Dog Review by Joe Viglione
Journeyman drummer Steve Holley has provided some of the most solid and creative beats for Paul McCartney, Kiki Dee, Joe Cocker, Julian Lennon, and Ian Hunter over the years, and though he recorded a couple of tracks in the U.K. in January of 1980 (included here), those beats never got the opportunity to be heard backing him up until the release of The Reluctant Dog, a 13-track collection of melodies and feelings that are well worth the wait. For those put off by the manufactured pop that Phil Collins runs off the assembly line, The Reluctant Dog will provide much satisfaction. Produced by Holley and bassist/guitarist Keith Lentin, the album is chock-full of surprises -- the short and sweet instrumental "Punta del Este (with daughter Amanda Holley on flute) and a bubbling Genesis-like "Entertain You" to mention just two. Holley (also listed in many credits over the years as Holly without the "e") delivers splashes of Beatles on one of the early tracks, "For Better or for Worse," which resembles the Fab Four's "Free as a Bird" phase, though recorded 15 years before that classic hit the Top Ten. This early recording features Holley on vocals, glockenspiel, piano, and drums, with Nick Pearson's electric guitar and Phil Curtis on bass. The drummer was concerned about adding the two decade-old tracks into this mix, but they bring much to the set.
"Living for Today," the other number from the British sessions, features Wings bandmate Denny Laine on harmony vocals and, with all due respect to Laine (who has numerous classics on his solo recordings), this particular tune would have fit on a Wings album much better than the items Laine chose to contribute to Paul McCartney's band. The keyboards sound accordion-like, an instrument that Sean Fleming brings to the very next track, "Da Da Da, Dee Dee Dee." If it had the chance, "Just Say Goodbye" might have been the perfect sequel to Julian Lennon's biggest hit, "Too Late for Goodbyes," with a slower tempo and darker tones. It's one of the best of many superior tracks. As Joey Molland's This Way Up and Ian McLagan's Best of British were powerful statements by sidemen who were involved in greatness, Steve Holley's work here also demands attention. Titles like "She Gives to Me" and "What Are You Looking For?" would have certainly made noise in another time. Let's hope this material finds the audience it deserves and doesn't go the way of many a Kiki Dee album -- brilliant work lost in the shuffle that is this business of music. The Angel Air label is intent on releasing all things related to Mott the Hoople and Ian Hunter, and The Reluctant Dog is a nice addition to the collection, resplendent in its colorful eight-page booklet containing lyrics, credits, and photos. It's more than an impressive first album and one that should have seen the light of day long before 2003. "Everything Ends Sometime" and "Living for Today" also deserve mention.
https://www.timcurry.co.uk/read-my-lips
Read My Lips Review by Joe Viglione
On "Sloe Gin," Tim Curry sounds like John Cale playing Lou Reed. That Reed guitarist Dick Wagner and producer Bob Ezrin are involved in Read My Lips, the solo debut from the star of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, should come as no surprise. Wagner's tastefully brilliant guitar on "Sloe Gin" underscores the melancholy vocal, and these journeymen are the perfect crew to work on this "film for the ear" sequel. Dick Wagner sounds very much like Nils Lofgren here, and Lofgren shows up playing accordion. It's a big cast and a big sound, but Bob Ezrin refines it all, keeping the large musical presence as subtle as possible. Perhaps the best compliment one can give this record is that it is almost back to Berlin, the brilliant Lou Reed recording, this time put in a commercial setting. Curry mutates from Cale to Mitch Ryder with his shouting in "Harlem on My Mind," then he mutates midsong to some '30s crooner. Since Berlin (the album, not songwriter Irving Berlin, who composed "Harlem") was the aforementioned film for the ear, it makes sense that some of the crew involved with that epic disc would do another such endeavor when the cat who performed in the ultimate cult film had an album to cut. The sheer drama of "Anyone Who Had a Heart" is the album's zenith, highlight, and treasure. It is so good it takes away from the beauty of the rest of the disc. It's Dr. Frank N. Furter dancing a waltz with Dionne Warwick trapped on the psychic network. It is brilliant. The Regimental Pipers and Drums of the Forty-Eighth Highlanders of Canada are superb, blending their marching-band sounds with Curry's unique voice -- halfway to Alice Cooper but detouring to Robert Goulet's house. This isn't Brian Eno's Portsmouth Sinfonia, nor is it Fleetwood Mac's "Tusk"; this is a mini-epic which should have at the very least appealed to the myriad fans of Berlin and at most sold millions of discs. A reggae version of Lennon/McCartney's "I Will"? It is reverent and works better than Lou Christie running through "If I Fell," to give just one Beatles cover comparison. As an interpreter, Curry is marvelous; he relishes this role as he did Rocky Horror. Roy Wood's "Brontosaurus" might be an oddity, but so is covering Joni Mitchell's "All I Want" or stretching Irving Berlin's "Harlem on My Mind." It's an amazing cast of rock & roll characters who come to the party: Lee Michaels on keyboards, Allan Schwartzberg on drums, and a record that should have been put on video. It works so much better than Bob Ezrin's Kiss venture, Music From "The Elder", and only goes to show that Lou Reed taught them well. Irving Berlin on the sequel to Berlin --- now that's very Lou Reed, and a very clever tip to the master. . https://www.allmusic.com/album/read-my-lips-mw0001879668
