I didn't know about this guy at all … with more research than was required I found:
He was bass player in Gary Puckett and the Union Gap … the whitest and slickest of the soft pop groups from the late 60s.
He is Canadian (born 1945 in Vancouver).
He released 2 solo albums, of which this is the second.
He had a reasonable career as a songwriter writing for Joe Cocker, Kenny Rogers,
The Carpenters, Alabama, Dolly Parton and many others.
There are a couple of strikes against him above but the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Unfortunately you are not going to feel well fed after this. This is strictly MOR pop rock 70s style with some slight country overtones and it's easy to see why mainstream Nashville picked up on his songs for covers. There is very little I can say here, the best being that Chater sings well enough. The trouble is the material on this album isn't catchy and the smooth late 70s sounds are borderline offensive (the screechy AOR rock guitars of the time were arguably worse).
Chater co-wrote most of the songs but apparently the economic upheavals, terrorism, environmental degradation and general dissipation of the stable world order had little effect on him lyrically as this is all 70s style torch songs or up-tempo love songs. No questioning, even, of the rampant hedonism of the sun, sex and me lifestyle of the 70s.
Chater's sound isn't that far removed from the mainstream pop rock of the 80s … and that is, unfortunately, another mark against him.
Steve Barri who produced all sorts of good stuff in the 60s and all sorts of crap in the 70s produces this. The backing band are slick and bloodless even though they contain some well known session muso types like Michael Omartian, Ernie Watts, and Jim Horn (real name – he plays sax) …
Tracks (best in italics)
- Well On My Way To Loving You – if you want mainstream 70s defined here it is … the horns give it a slight (very slight) Caribbean feel … I could see Billy Ocean doing this on one of his albums … and everything that implies.
- Quicksilver – soft rock.
- No Room In My Life (For Anyone Else But You) – sounds like a song that may have been covered by someone else but then again it sounds like a lot of songs.
- Once Is Enough – this is killing me … why, why (exclamations not questions).
Wakin' up is such a hard thing to do
When all you ghot is pain to see you through
You played it safe
Enjoyed the Game
You had it planned to get me tame
Oh Babe, if that's love
Once is enough
- Leave Well Enough Alone – covered by Leo Sayer (though before this album was released) this has a very slight funky feel and is bearable. No, wait, the synths keep repeating on (and haunting) me …
- Ain't Nothin' For A Heartache – or a headache as a result of this record. Awful keyboards. Like bad Hall & Oates.
- Easy Love – soft rock.
- Say Your Mama Won't Mind – soft rock with "atmospheric" guitars … terrible.
- Little Girls – soft rock with faux meaningful lyrics which comes out as bad Jimmy Webb.
- Love On A Shoestring – A big soft rock "meaningful" ballad and despite the lack of anything catchy in the song it is still probably the best track on the album. Obviously someone else thought so also – hence the albums title.
And…
Sorry this is awful … this makes Phil Collins sound like punk … but at least it's probably more sincere than Phil Collins..
Chart Action
US
Singles
Album
Singles
Album
nada
England
Singles
Singles
Album
nada
Sounds
Leave Well Enough Alone
attached
Love On A Shoestring
attached
Others
I think that's Chater on bass here with the Union Gap
Review
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(originally posted: 19/12/2010)
