Label: HNE Recordings Ltd (Europe), HNECD067
Style: Pop, Pop Rock
Country: Lincolnshire, England (23 December 1947)
Time: 61:20
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 439 Mb
In 1979, Bonnet was approached to join UK glam rock band Sweet to
replace Brian Connolly. However, he was chosen by Ritchie Blackmore to
replace Ronnie James Dio as the vocalist of hard rock band Rainbow. This
was something of a musical departure for Bonnet, who had previously
identified himself more as an R&B singer. Bonnet would later credit
his time in Rainbow and his collaboration with Blackmore, in particular,
as fundamentally changing his musical outlook to a more hard rock
focus. He sang on the Down to Earth LP, which would become his most
successful album. It spawned two hit singles in 1979 and 1980: "Since
You Been Gone" and "All Night Long". During Bonnet's time in the band,
Rainbow also headlined the inaugural Monsters of Rock festival at
Donington Park, Castle Donington.
Bonnet's time with Rainbow was
short and he left to resume his solo career, releasing the Line-Up album
in 1981, handled by producer John Eden. Following on from his time in
Rainbow, the album had a markedly more rock-based sound than his
previous solo recordings, whilst retaining some of his former R&B
influences. For the recording of Line Up Bonnet enlisted several
well-known rock musicians including Whitesnake guitarist Mick Moody,
Whitesnake and Rainbow drummer Cozy Powell, Deep Purple and Whitesnake
keyboard player Jon Lord, and Status Quo guitarists Francis Rossi and
Rick Parfitt. The album reached No. 62 in the UK Albums Chart. The
album's lead single, "Night Games", reached No. 6 in the UK Singles
Chart, with the follow-up single, "Liar", reaching No. 51. Around this
time Bonnet sang on an advertisement for Levi's jeans (the song was
entitled "These Eyes"), although his version has never been released.
(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham_Bonnet)
Best
known as a hard rock singer for acts such as Rainbow, Alcatrazz, The
Michael Schenker Group and Blackthorne, at heart Graham Bonnet is an old
fashioned rock and roll man. Originally slated for release in 1974,
Back Row In The Stalls, which illustrates that R&R side of the
frontman's skills, suffered from label indecision. Not the usual stories
of not knowing how to promote the album, or whether to back the singer
with a tour, but instead whether the powers that be wanted to be running
a record label or a film studio! Not long after this intended debut
release from Bonnet (although he had released some solo singles and had
prior chart success in the band The Marbles) was due, DJM took the
plunge and went down the film route. Bonnet did actually have a part ?
and one single line ? in the resultant (and by all accounts terrible)
Three For All and the music from his album did too, a single even being
released, but under the name Billy Beethoven (the band Bonnet fronts in
the film). The film flopped, the single flopped and then a further 7"
under Bonnet's name did likewise, the singer told to record 60 (yes,
that's sixty) songs the label liked in order for them not to drop him?
Duly
dropped, the album was shelved and that was that until forty years
later when Bonnet went looking for the master tapes in hope of finally
setting his debut album free. However they were nowhere to be found and
instead the album's producer, Kaplan Kaye, unearthed a cassette of the
finished recordings. Thankfully they were in a good enough condition
that Bonnet managed to clean them up to the extent we hear here, this CD
version a distinct sonic improvement on that released digitally a
couple of years back as Private-I, although the transfer from cassette
to CD is far from cutting edge. Fans of the singer's later output will
find the jump back to Bonnet's early years a jolt; twee cutsie
pop/soul/R&R the order of the day. However rest assured that Bonnet
shows time and again the strength, range and clarity of his then young
voice.
From the thirteen tracks originally cut for the album, "Here's
Comes The Rain", "Private Eye" and "Mamma Mine" do at least offer a
rockier side that still hints at the edges of the chart scene of the
time, while the album's title track and "Ade's Song" bring a slightly
more sophisticated swagger. However, in truth, there's nothing here that
stands out. The closing three, "Don't Drink The Water", "Dreams (Out In
The Forest)" and "We're Free" all featured in the Three For All movie,
although here too the formula remains uninspired, even if Bonnet's
vocals remain top notch.
A further six cuts (which would appear
judging by the crackles and pops to be vinyl transfers) are added as
bonus tracks, the first four the a and b sides to Bonnet's earlier post
Marbles singles, which if anything, outshine the album itself. While the
final two are actually songs by Adrienne Posta (who Bonnet was married
to at the time) that he was heavily involved with. The pair adding
further interest, if not really a whole lot more ? although Posta too
can sing.
The liner notes, by Malcolm Dome no less, suggest that it
would be a stretch to call Back Row In The Stalls a lost classic,
although going on to state it stands up to the harsh glare of modern
critique. Personally as a long term Graham Bonnet fan I'm delighted to
have this release in my collection, but even taking that into account,
it's hard to see this as much more than an interesting glance back at
the early years of a singer who would go on to record much better solo
and band material. In that light Back Row In The Stalls has a place,
however as an album in its own right, there's not really much to
recommend here? other than that voice!
(seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=18867)
No comments:
Post a Comment