Bob Deakin Short Stories

Sailing, takes me away to where I’ve always heard it could be.

Every time I see a pink flamingo, even a fake one dressed like Angela Lansbury on Murder, She Wrote, I think of Christopher Cross’s tremendously successful self-titled album and smash hit song, “Sailing,” from 1979. The cover features an illustrated pink flamingo perched on one leg in the middle of a pond, encircled in a green background, and I remember it on the floor of many a living room at the time, usually leaning against the base of the stereo having recently been played.

Why I remember this is because the album was so mellow – adult contemporary before the category even existed – and I would see the most unlikely of characters with the album in their possession. My sister had it, and I could understand that, but my brothers did too and they were much more prone to crank Pink Floyd or Steve Miller at the time.

I used to hang around at the local volunteer firehouse at the time too, and even some of the biggest, toughest guys could be seen with the album or cassette in the firehouse or in their car on the way to a football game. I even saw the flamingo album under the arm of the occasional classmate at my junior high school, which blew me away seeing as how image conscious junior high school students were and have always been.

The album may have appealed to such a broad audience because it featured some of the hottest musicians of the time including Michael McDonald of the Doobie Brothers, Don Henley of the Eagles, guitar legends Larry Carlton and Eric Johnson as well as vocalists Nicolette Larson and J.D. Souther. It also had a rocking tune in “Ride Like The Wind,” which made its way into other genres such as NASCAR and the NBA as a theme song for highlight films.

I listened to the album cover to cover many times, as I did with anything my brothers and sisters had in the house, and I always thought it was a rather forgettable album save for the two hit songs. I really liked “Ride Like the Wind” for its steady thumping drum part that I used to play on my own set, and the smoking guitar solo at the end. Speaking of which, with Larry Carlton and Eric Johnson booked for the sessions, why would Christopher Cross play the lead guitar solo in the song? In any event, he nailed it.

I will admit, however, that I always loved the song “Sailing” and its mesmerizing, rudimentary guitar rhythm as the main verse. I was, however, afraid to play it loud enough for anyone else to hear or to be seen with the album because it was so feminine – from Chris’s simpy lead vocals to the wistful title track and more than anything else, the album cover with the pink flamingo.

I wasn’t even sure flamingos really existed except for yard decorations, and further research has taught me that flamingos do exist in colors other than pink. As for the record company, I’d be willing to bet Warner Bros. had second thoughts about the album cover, which may have even pushed them over the edge to spring for Michael McDonald’s and Don Henley’s session fees.

As it turns out, I quickly realized that I was the only one afraid to flaunt my affection for the album. “Sailing” was taking everyone else away to where they always heard it would be, but I was afraid to come out from belowdecks.

Copyright 2009

Nick Heyward’s North of a Miracle was originally released in 1983 following his success with British band Haircut 100. It epitomized the resurgence of that time using real orchestral instruments instead of synthesizers, so prevalent in years previous.

The album was produced by Heyward and Geoff Emerick of Beatles fame as George Martin’s engineer on their later albums. The production quality is brilliant with a full orchestra on every track and a good deal of percussion. The vocal harmonies, guitars, bass, drums, piano, organ and other instruments jump out of the speakers with crisp sonic precision to be appreciated across the audio spectrum.

Most importantly, the songs are great. The CD version includes a few extra tracks as noted and as usual, the extra tracks are forgettable with the exception of “Stolen Tears,” a bright tune with fine acoustic guitar work.

Listeners of college radio or English radio in the early 80s may have heard “When It Started to Begin,” “Atlantic Monday” or other tracks but American pop radio listeners surely heard “Whistle Down the Wind,” which cracked Billboard’s top 20 in late 1983. Opening with piano and a droning fret-less bass (Pino Palladino), this breezy tune grows in energy with each measure and finishes with a beautiful orchestral climax. A pop tune with class.

Every other one of the 10 original songs are exceptional although “The Day It Rained Forever,” the last song on the original album, always made me hit the stop button on my turntable. Speaking of which, I still have the original vinyl LP in mint condition and a good turntable with an Ortofon cartridge and it sounds much better than the CD, which sounds fine. I realize not everyone wants to bother with all the old stuff but the LP does sound better. That’s another story for another day.

As for the songs, “Atlantic Monday” and “When It Started To Begin” are so good and so high energy that one could only wish they were playing in that band, if only as a percussionist or background vocalist. “Blue Hat For a Blue Day” has a wonderful organ part providing the base for a lead vocal and the song contains one of the sweetest refrains imaginable. Mandolin and accordion are featured with a sentimental violin, marimba, saxophones and the fretless bass carrying the rhythm.

It doesn’t get much better than this. As with many of the albums’ tracks, guitar virtuoso Tim Renwick plays guitar (and mandolin) on Blue Hat. As for the words, one might decipher the meaning of the song by the title but I’ve always been too consumed with the sounds to bother. Doesn’t sound like it was recorded on a blue day.

“Club Boy At Sea” is spectacular in its subtle build to a climax with an irresistible rhythm guitar throughout backed by an aggressive orchestral arrangement and yet another outstanding lead vocal performance. What club he’s talking about, who the boy is or what sea he is sailing I don’t care. I’m too consumed with the performances. Just listen to the last two minutes of the song and you won’t care either.

“Two Make It True” and “On a Sunday” are classics themselves – Sunday for the great spoken verse-in-rhythm at the end and True for quality guitar tracks and a fine bass/guitar/percussion break near the end.

“The Kick of Love” is a jazz tune featuring Spanish guitar with piano. It faces stiff competition with the rest of the tracks on the album, which means it’s only a very good song.

Heyward plays guitars on most if not all of the tracks but Renwick takes ordinary parts and makes them spectacular, as he’s always done (See Al Stewart, Allan Parsons, Gilbert O’Sullivan and others).

“Atlantic Monday” and “The Day it Rained Forever” were recorded live in studio, and the album was recorded and mixed at Air Studios and Abbey Road Studios in London, and is undeniably English. Orchestral arrangements are credited to Andrew Powell and Paul Buckmaster and Heyward is credited with the brass arrangements. He wrote all of the songs.

Nothing about this album seems contrived other than creating great tracks. Nick Heyward, Geoff Emerick and everyone else involved should be as proud of making it as I am for having found it so long ago. One of the best albums in the last 20 years if I’m keeping score. I give it four stars out of five. If you like the Style Council or XTC you may like this. Spend the money.

P.S. If I give five stars we’re talking Abbey Road, Pet Sounds, Dark Side of the Moon and a select few in that stratosphere.

Copyright 2009

Brian Wilson's What I Really Want For Christmas was released in 2005.

I know what you’re thinking: This guy’s a Brian Wilson freak and now I have to read his syrupy review of one of his latest albums, a Christmas album nonetheless.

Well I am indeed a major Wilson fan but my fanaticism is based in reality and more so, the 1960s and 70s. Brian Wilson in 2005 is about as far removed from the old Beach Boys as the Space Shuttle is from Apollo 11. As with the Shuttle, the new Brian Wilson sound is a lot brighter and more technologically advanced but doesn’t go as far or to any new places.

What I Really Want for Christmas was released in October 2005 and is mostly new recordings of Christmas classics, a couple old re-recorded Beach Boys Christmas songs and three new Wilson compositions.

As for the new songs, “On Christmas Day” was recorded a couple years ago and released via Wilson’s website. The song is one of two on this album I really like. Nice guitar-driven melody with a familiar background chord progression that harkens back to some of the Beach Boys vocal arrangements of the late 1970s when Carl Wilson was handling Brian’s role when Brian was still in bed. It features Brian’s new style of lead vocal in recent years, farther up in the mix and sounding a tad like Bill Murray’s character from Caddy shack. The voice still sounds good even if he sounds petrified to be singing in front of himself in the vocal booth. Some of the background falsettos are left to other vocalists doing their best Brian, which isn’t fooling me or anyone.

“Christmasey” is the best new track. Great track, in fact. I’d always wondered how you spell that word and now I know. It’s not exactly “Oh Holy Night” but it grows on me the more I listen to it and the lyrics are by Jimmy Webb and pretty clever. It has the trademark Wilson ensemble of style changes throughout, which gives me comfort in knowing he still has it as a songwriter and singer. Best new Christmas song I’ve heard in years.

Temple blocks, tympani, strings, acoustic and electric guitars, multi-layered vocals and even a harmonica solo make for a good listen in this tune. What is more annoying than anything, however, is that he used another vocalist for the falsetto echo of his line at the end of the song. The singer sounds vaguely like him but I hope the intent wasn’t to fool anyone. That one line left me feeling cheated even though the song was wonderful. I could have done a better impersonation myself. I know he could have nailed the notes himself. I guess I’m just kind of pissed, in a selfish way.

Ah, whatever. Is anything sacred anymore? I don’t remember Sinatra using any ghost vocalists. “On Christmas Day” is the other tune worth a listen. Very nice heartfelt melody if you can hear it through the mix, which makes it sound like it was recorded in a giant coffee can. It features his disturbing lead vocal in which he wants to go falsetto but hesitates.

When you’re in your 60s I can understand but he does use his falsetto on the album in spots and still seems to have it. Perfect example of the other vocalists who aren’t Brian not sounding like Brian. Couldn’t they have called Alan Jardine, Bruce Johnston or Mike Love? What better time for a reunion than the holidays?

The title track is also nice with rich overlays in the mix, surprising mood changes and a delicate sound with lyrics penned by Bernie Taupin, which is cool. As with all of the songs there is a distinct fatigue factor common to new Wilson recordings since he got off the couch and began recording again in 1988. Everyone knows Wilson is partially deaf in one ear but obviously that made no difference in the 60s and early 70s. Whether it does now I don’t know for sure but the songs are EQd up so much in the higher frequencies it is at times physically painful if you turn it up too loud.

My guess is that no one is willing to tell the legend that his final mix is way too tinny and abrasive out of fear of setting him off. Who wants to give Brian Wilson a bad vibration?

What I really wanted for Christmas was a good new Brian Wilson album. Maybe I’ll get one next year but it’s wonderful that he’s still making music. It is still a thrill to unwrap a new work from Brian. All I want is a little more warmth of the sun.

(This review was written in 2005 and originally published on Bob Deakin’s blog site.)

Copyright 2009