Great Rock Albums of 1985: Eric Clapton- Behind the Sun

 

In my last few posts, I have recollected how back in 1985, I thought several great rockers from the 1970s had sold out and gone too commercial only to realize that I was wrong when finally getting around to listening to their album. However, I never said this about guitar god Eric Clapton when his “Behind the Sun” album came out in the same year. Ironically, all the music critics at the time said he did exactly that, citing his collaboration with Phil Collins on the album. One said that Eric was in danger of turning his back on his faithful following and liable to end up playing his greatest hits on the Vegas circuit. What do critics know?

It was on tour for this album when I finally got to see Eric Clapton in his full glory in concert. I do make a passing comment about it in “Rock And Roll Children.” Memories from that piece of history have brought up two items from that night. One, Eric did play a lot of his greatest hits that evening but he did play some from the album too. The other and I think this might be down to management, his two female backing singers were dressed kind of new wave but that didn’t affect his brilliant music played that evening. If anything, I thought the biggest act of sacrilege from the show was that he let the rhythm guitarist play a solo on “Cocaine.”

If Eric Clapton sounds new wave or too commercial on the “Behind the Sun” album, I sure as hell don’t hear any evidence of it. To me, this was Eric Clapton at his usual best. Even looking at the two singles released from the album, “She’s Waiting” and “Forever Man” do not give me any thought that he was trying to go too commercial 80s here. “She’s Waiting” is everything I had always remembered and liked about his music and “Forever Man” reminds me of his great hit with Derek and the Dominoes, “Layla.” So again, I shoot down the accusation that Eric was trying to sound too commercial. One song that totally refutes that claim is my vote for hidden gem, “Same Old Blues.” Here, he shows how he got the nickname ‘Slow Hand’ as he solos all through the song, classic blues guitar at its very best.

Some my counter claim by citing his cover of the 1979 disco hit by one hit wonder Amii Stewart, “Knock on Wood.” Clapton’s version of this song sounds nothing like the original disco tune. He puts his own spin on the song, that’s a certainty. If there’s any variation from traditional Clapton, it has to be with “See What Love Can Do” which sound rather calypso but it’s played very well with a classic Clapton guitar solo it. In fact, what I love about the album is the fact that he solos his way all the way through it and that’s what I have always liked about him. He is truly a guitar god.

Amii Stewart

Track Listing:

1. She’s Waiting
2. See What Love Can Do
3. Same Old Blues
4. Knock On Wood
5. Something’s Happening
6. Forever Man
7. It All Depends
8. Tangled In Love
9. Never Make You Cry
10. Just Like a Prisoner
11. Behind the Sun

Eric Clapton

Eric Clapton- lead guitar, lead vocals

Phil Collins- drums (tracks 1,3,4,9,10), shaker (tracks 7 & 9)

Donald Dunn (From the Blues Brothers)- bass (tracks 1,3,4, 7-10)

Jamie Oldake- drums (tracks 1,3,4, 7-10)

Chris Stainton- synthesizers, organ, piano (tracks 1,3,4, 7-10)

Marcy Levy- backing vocals (tracks 1-3 and 6-9)

Lyndsey Buckingham- rhythm guitar (track 5)

James Newton Howard- synthesizer (track 5)

Jerry Lynn Williams- backing vocals (tracks 2 & 5)

Lenny Castro- congas, percussion (tracks 2 & 6)

Ray Cooper- percussion, gong, bongos (tracks 1,3,7,8)

Nathan East- bass, backing vocals (tracks 2,5,6)

Steve Lukather- rhythm guitar (tracks 2 & 6)

Shawn Murphy- backing vocals (tracks 1,3,7,8)

Michael Omartian- synthesizer (tracks 2 & 6)

Jeff Procraro- drums (tracks 2 & 6)

Greg Phillinganes- synthesizer, backing vocals (track 5)

John JR Johnson- drums (track 5)

J. Peter Robinson- synthesizer (tracks 1,3,4 7-10)

Ted Templeman- shaker, tambourine, timbales (tracks 5 & 6)

When “Behind the Sun” came to my attention, I was glad that a classic album from a great musician was able to fill the gap in what was a few metal starved months for me. This album was never too 80s pop in my view, it just cooks.

Next post: Lone Justice

To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com 

Great Rock Albums of 1985: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers- Southern Accents

 

My first thought when the "Southern Accents" album from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers first came to my attention in early 1985 was that they hadn't gone into obscurity. It turns out that their 1981 and 82 albums had totally passed me by. I blame being in the service at the time. The second thought I had came via the video on MTV for the first single, "Don't Come Around Here No More" and that was that Tom Petty had sold out and gone commercial, especially since he plays The Mad Hatter in the video which has an "Alice in Wonderland" theme. The further fact that Tom co-wrote the song with Dave Stewart from The Eurythmics only cemented that belief further. Thankfully, I am glad that I was completely wrong on both accounts.

I think my motivation behind me belief was that I was still remembering the band for their excellent "Damn the Torpedoes" album and expected the single to sound somewhat like "Refugee" or "Don't Do Me Like That." "Don't Come Around Here No More" doesn't sound like either and although I'm more open to it these days, at the time, I was looking for power chords. So listening to it recently with a more open mind, I am able to deliver a more favourable report on "Southern Accents."

Let's start with the not so positive: "Southern Accents" doesn't topple "Damn the Torpedoes" from the top spot in my mind. Does that make it a bad album? Certainly not! There is many a good jam to be had on it. The first two songs, especially the opener, "Rebel," really cook. Then again, Mike Campbell plays his best guitar solo on the second song. The irony here is that Petty also co-wrote that one with Stewart and likewise another great song, "Make It Better (Forget About Me.)" So, it's been thirty years in coming but I must apologize and withdraw my accusation that Dave Stewart was trying to turn Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers into an 80s synth pop band. He wasn't in any way.

Other tracks on "Southern Accents" go further in highlighting the band's diversity and talent. The title track is a decent ballad and I like the Southern rock leanings of "Spike." However, my vote for hidden gem has to be "Dogs on the Run" because it's the song which reminds me of my favourite album the most. That song alone is proof that the band didn't sell out in 1985. "Mary' New Car" does come a close second.

Track Listing:

1. Rebel
2. It Ain't Nothin' to Me
3. Don't Come Around Here No More
4. Southern Accents
5. Make it Better (Forget About Me)
6. Spike
7. Dogs on the Run
8. Mary's New Car
9. The Best of Everything

[caption id="attachment_1457" align="aligncenter" width="331"] Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers[/caption]

Tom Petty- lead vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards, percussion

Mike Campbell- lead guitar, backing vocals, Dobro, keyboards

Benmont Tench- piano, keyboards, vibraphone

Stan Lynch- drums, percussion, backing vocals

Howie Epstein- bass, vocals

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x19fW4yC324

If I was so wrong about the "Southern Accents" album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in 1985, I wonder how many other albums I was wrong about. Don Henley for one. Still, I was a different person back then and the lack of heavy metal played on the radio and MTV back in early 1985 only poured fuel on those feelings. This is a great album!

Next post: Eric Clapton- Behind the Sun

To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com 

Great Rock Albums of 1985: Van Morrison- A Sense of Wonder

Here's another example of how I was so focused on heavy metal in early 1985 that I didn't fully appreciate a good non-metal album. I have to admit, back then I didn't have much experience of the legend that is Van Morrison. My most memorable experience of him was his performance in the film, "The Last Waltz" where he sang with The Band. Other than that, what I knew of him was virtually zero.

While by 1985, I had become totally fed up with commercial radio, I have to thank it for this one. The single from the 1985 album, "A Sense of Wonder," "Tore Down a la Rimbaud" got a considerable amount of airplay in the early part of the year. It was only after a few listens that I got past my "it's not metal" mentality and realized that "Hey, this song is pretty good." However, for some reason, I never bought the album, which was a bit of a shame because I missed out on a good one.

Wikapedia puts Van's "A Sense of Wonder" album in the category of Celtic Soul. Well the man is from Northern Ireland and he does put his soul into the album so it's hard to disagree with that label. Back then, I would have put it into either or both of the categories of soft rock or mellow out rock. It covers both. While the deafening power chords I was so into in 1985 and still am today are absent, one can't fault the quality of the musicianship on it. Here's another myth I believed about Van which this album has obliterated. I thought that he only sang because that's what he did in "The Last Waltz." But he plays guitar and piano and rather well judging from the instrumentals "Evening Meditation" and "Boffyflow and Spike," the latter sounding like true Irish folk music.

While the single remains my favourite song on the album, the rest of the album keeps up as well. In my opinion, "Ancient of Days" could have been released as a single too because it's almost as good. After the first mentioned instrumental, he goes very almost gospel soul softer though I think the title track goes on a bit too long for me. The second instrumental does pick things up a pace after and "If You Only Knew" keeps that pace going with "A New Kind of Man" closing the album out with a good feeling.

Track Listing:

1. Tore Down a la Rimbaud
2. Ancient of Days
3. Evening Meditation
4. The Master's Eyes
5. What Would I Do
6. A Sense of Wonder
7. Boffyflow and Spike
8. If You Only Knew
9. Let the Slave (Incorporating the Price of Experience)
10. A New Kind of Man

Van Morrison

Van Morrison- vocals, guitar and piano

John Allair- organ

Bob Doll- trumpet

Tom Donlinger- drums

Pee Wee Ellis- tenor saxophone

David Hayes- bass

Chris Michie- guitar

Pauline Lazano- backing vocals

Bianca Thornton- backing vocals

The group Moving Hearts performs on tracks 6 and 7

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oF3PMHq-Nk

I'm now a believer. Again, it could be me mellowing a tiny bit with age but I now appreciate how good the "A Sense of Wonder" album from Van Morrison really is. Perhaps I should delve into his discography a little more.

Next post: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers- Southern Accents

To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com