what Frank is listening to #49 – DAVID JOHANSEN – In Style – (Epic) – 1979
I suppose no musical biography of Johansen is necessary but I will copy this from allmusic.com as a chameleon like quality applies to this LP:
Best known for his tenure fronting the hugely influential New York Dolls, David Johansen was a true chameleon; throughout the course of a career which saw him transform from a lipstick-smeared proto-punk hero into an urbane blue-eyed soul man and finally into a tuxedo-clad lounge lizard, he remained a rock & roll original, an unpredictable iconoclast and a true cultural innovator.
I was particularly interested in this as I have Johansen's first solo LP and even some of the Buster Poindexter albums (which are patchy) … "In Style" was Johansen's second album and was a grab for some mainstream success which unfortunately eluded him.
The sound is "big" and there are punk overtones to go along with some the 70s glam excesses, both probably due, in part, to producer (the legendary) Mick Ronson (co-produced by Johansen). It's a credit to him and Johansen that they can get away with this type of stuff without falling over into mind numbing chest thumping Meatloaf / Jim Steinman territory. Regardless of the song Johansen sings in a bluesy "world weary" though very "urban street" way, despite the fact that none of the tracks are blues or punk … it's as if he was the bastard child of Iggy Pop and Tom Waits. His voice, a little frayed around the edges is more harsh than on the Dolls recordings but there is genuine affection for the material. The tracks are all written or co-written by Johansen (some with ex-Doll Sylvain).
The tracks:
- Melody – very weird , very Motown, and very good.
- She – a straight forward rocker from the New York Dolls era.
- Big City – a big ballad with saxes – almost "uptown soul".
- She Knew She Was Falling in Love – a strange ditty with reggae / Caribbean beats.
- Swaheto Woman – rock disco in the Rolling Stones "Some Girls" mould.
- Justine – another "street" ballad (a bit Springsteen-ish, a little "Have you Ever seen the Rain", and even a little like Roky Erikson).
- In Style – a medium tempo rocker which stands as a statement of faith.
- You Touched Me Too – someone described it as a tribute to the girl bands of the 60s that Johansen loved … and that's very apt.
- Wreckless Crazy – another "Dolls" style rocker.
- Flamingo Road – a big "punk" ballad in a very Lou Reed way, and one of the best tracks on the album.
Not one of these tracks is bad … all are well above average and a couple are great.
Ian Hunter from Mott the Hoople and Dan Hartman (!) are doing some guest work on the LP also.
A definite keeper.
Sounds:
The weird:
And attached:
(originally posted: 20/06/2009)
