MICHAEL DINNER – Tom Thumb The Dreamer – (Fantasy) – 1976

Another 1970s singer songwriter.

Clearly there are a million stories out there that need telling.

Dinner put out two albums in the mid 70s, this being the second one. Apart from that there seems to be little information on him. He eventually went on to a successful career, though not in music. He ended up producing and directing in film and television and directed the great underrated “Catholic Boys” in 1985 and has gone on to direct episodes of Grey’s Anatomy, Sons of Anarchy, Law & Order, Chicago Hope, Kidnapped etc

Dinner mixes his singer songwriter shtick up with California soft rock and a touch of country rock. And it works. Normally this type of stuff can date badly and bring on nausea but Dinner is clearly quite smart musically. There are also Caribbean influences (as you would expect from the Jimmy Buffet popular 70s), and soul (also to be expected).

The songs are all story songs, well written with something to say. What is most appealing is his demeanour and voice. He comes across a little like (and you can hear it) John Sebastian,

Jackson Browne or Elton John (at his least bombastic). His voice however has, to my ears, a noticeable Rick Nelson, circa “Garden Party” (ie: early 1970s), tone to it.

I Iove Rick Nelson in his “Dylan country” period,  so Dinner’s voice appeals …it’s a clean voice with a tinge of husk.

There is also good backing great musicians : Bill Champlin, Waddy Wachtel, Nigel Olsson.

The album does not trigger an emotional response but it is so easy on the ears that maybe that’s enough. That is, it sounds good and is so easy on the ears it is deceptive. Is there anything more there? Does there need to be anything more?

Tracks (best in italics)

• Tom Thumb the Dreamer – Bouncy singer songwriter song transformed into an up tempo soft rock song with horns and backing vocals. Not too bad.
• Julye – low key singer songwriter, much like Danny O’Keefe.
• The Promised Land – not the Berry classic…sounds like Ricky Nelson from the early 70s
• Thrown Out Of the Paradise Ballroom – Caribbean reggae calypso – normally I wouldn’t like this stuff but in small doses it is infectious …and it mentions John Wayne
• The Swallow – reminiscent of Ricky Nelson circa “Garden Party”
• Sitting in Limbo- (P. Bright, J. Chambers) – A Jimmy Cliff song.
• Apple Annie – a country-ish tunes
• Silver Bullets – more Ricky Nelson vocals and some nifty lyrics re drugs
• Pale Fire – a long story song – very much like Danny O’Keefe but with lots of grandiose orchestration. 

And …

Hard to say whether I should keep this or not – there are some good tunes but how much of this stuff can one have? How many times will I listen to it? Maybe I will keep it…. but I’m not sure it will survive a future cull.

Chart Action

US

England

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Sounds

Tom Thumb the Dreamer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaUKpIq49jM&feature=related

Julye

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yg1_Jnt9Zqw&feature=related

The Promised Land

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_D9ItAMKBVA&feature=related

and attached

Michael Dinner – The Promised Land 

Thrown Out Of the Paradise Ballroom

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GH5OCrIl_ok&feature=related

The Swallow

Sitting in Limbo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53MBnY3NdvE&feature=related

Apple Annie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNPNNsobTII&feature=related

Silver Bullets

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxSrBmBS1TA&feature=related

Pale Fire

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PU-nTF5OXH4

Others

Review

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Bio

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Dinner

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0227781/

http://waddywachtelinfo.com/MichaelDinner.html

Website

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Trivia

• Not to be confused with the Swiss pan flutist, also Michael Dinner.