I decided to launch a new series to imagine myself as a critic at the end of the 60s and start of the 70s, and to rectify certain reviews from Rolling Stone magazine and Creem. This not meant to be contrarian, but to offer a more balanced perspective. All the albums reviewed are indeed classic albums. This is part one of a two part tribute to the pop legend Mr. Sedaka, may he rest in peace.
Neil
Sedaka – Sedaka’s Back (1974)
***3/4
Producers:
Neil Sedaka, Robert Appere, 10CC
Musicians:
Neil Sedaka, Ben Benay, Eric Stewart, Lol Crème, Kevin Godley, Graham Gouldman,
Milt Holland, Jim Horn, Dick Hyde, Danny Kortchman, Russ Kunkel, Don Menza, Del
Newman, Dean Parks, Brenda Russell, Brian Russell, Leland Sklar, William Smith,
Chuck Findley
Songs:
Standing On The Inside, That’s Where The Music Takes Me, Laughter In The Rain,
Sad Eyes, Solitaire, Little Brother,
Love Will Keep Us Together, The Immigrant, The Way I Am, The Other Side Of Me,
A Little Lovin’, Our Last Song Together
Reviewed
By Matthew Anthony Allair
This album
represents a resurgence for early sixties star Neil Sedaka, from the end of the
50s and though the early 60s, Neil had a string of hit singles and a few
albums, then it all started to wane for him commercially with the resurgence of
the British Invasion in sixty-four. Yet Neil was already important after the transition away from the great American songbook, along with Rock N Roll, he was part of the Brill building circle of songwriters - a tradition of real craft. He was in a kind of wilderness commercially
until he moved to Britian at the start of this decade and started recording a
group of albums that gained attention and respect in the UK. Elton was
impressed enough by his work to sign him to his Rocket record label and gather
together this album. Technically, the album is more or less a compilation from
his three UK albums, Solitaire, The Tra-La Days Are Over, and Laughter
In The Rain. But this decision has allowed them to cut out the extra fat
from those albums, and gather an impressive group of songs. The collective
impression is one that is captivating, there’s just about nothing to skip over,
and being that this is designed for the American market. This should help
people to remember what an excellent singer and pianist Sedaka is. But Neil
isn’t relying on nostalgia, he is a contemporary song writer that is on par
with Elton John himself.
The
opening track “Standing On The Inside” seems to be a statement of intent as
well as acknowledging his wilderness years, the playful piano and Wah guitar is
a nice trace of coloring, as well as some claves. “That’s When The Music Takes
Me” is a nice driving pulse with his piano, a great track about how music
revitalizes him. The lush “Laughter In The Rain” has become the single, while
the lyrics are simplistic, there’s a real lifting quality to the record and
orchestration that acts as embellishment. “Sad Eyes” starts off as a deceptive
blues with a shuffle and dobro, but some sophisticated chords belie the
assumptions about the track rather quickly, the track leans into a New Orleans
quartet, and sultry horns. The plaintive ballad “Solitaire”, a lost love tale
where the card game is used as a metaphor, there’s a bottomless sadness to the
track, and Neil delivers a strong vocal, there’s the additional touch with the
Oboe ensemble . The side one closer, “Little Brother” is pretty self explanatory,
probably told from a child who complains about his younger sibling, the Latin
feel, the description and Spanish dialogue really captures a sense of place.
Regarding
side two, if “Love Will Keep Us Together” is not released as single, I would be
quite surprised, some surprisingly good writing with a playful tone. “The
Immigrant” has another full arrangement and some sincerity to remind westerners
that America was founded on immigrants. The gospel infused “The Way I Am”
paints a vivid image of a less than pleasant fellow, but there’s a real
relatability that is similar to “Little Brother”. The rolling piano ballad “The
Other Side Of Me” has some real drive during the chorus and almost hints at
McCartney with it’s approach. The rocker “A Little Lovin’” has a Jerry Lee
Lewis feel and some good guitar work that illustrates he can dabble in the
genre, another vivid narrative song energetic number. The closer and final
ballad “Our Last Song Together” can be about an ending relationship, but it
also seems to acknowledge Sedaka’s need to move forward as a writer and not be
tied to his early 60s past.
Something
should be said about the supporting musicians, especially the band mates of 10CC, they really
enhance and uplift the material. While there’s some sonically uneven material
as this was culled from three albums, the mixture of intimate numbers along
with sweeping orchestrations gives the album a good balance and keeps it
interesting. The lyrics written by Cody and Greenfield makes much of the songs
relatable and this album should have a broad appeal. The mix pop, ballads,
Latin and Gospel, lite jazz, and even a romantic classical makes this a
pleasant and compelling listen. It ends up being quite a pleasure to see Mr.
Sedaka back in the spotlight and I will be curious to see his next release.
