This is Hammonds third solo album.
I'm looking forward to this … albeit some 45 years after the event.
Hammond is a mixed bag. He has done a lot of stuff which is pure MOR but he does have the gift of finding a pop hook and to squeeze in serious considerations about life, love and the world amongst the fluff and bounce. I can't help but liking his music.
A lot of music Hammond made in the 70s has merit and some of it is exceptional, but, as the 70s wore on he became more MOR so it is his work from the first half the 70s I look forward to especially.
Hammond was on a roll, well, his singles were if not his albums. His first album "It Never Rains in Southern California" (1972) only went to #77US and his second "The Free Electric Band" (1973) went to #193 . But, his singles did better and made him commercially viable, "Down by the River" (#91US 1972), "It Never Rains in Southern California" (#5US 1972), "If You Gotta Break Another Heart (#63US 1973), "The Free Electric Band" (#48US, #19 UK 1973 – his only chart placing single or album in the UK), and "The Peacemaker" (#80 1973) had all charted.
A third album was needed.
Hammond released this and it was more of the same though with a nod to world music which was emerging as a pop music force at the time.
As has been pointed out by other reviewers there is a Paul Simon influence here, and why wouldn't there be? Hammond's old band, Family Dogg, were heavy on vocal harmony and folk rock, just like Simon's Simon and Garfunkel.
And Paul Simon had just recently released two albums that took that folk rock and vocal styling and incorporated world and ethnic music.
Simon's first solo album (post Simon and Garfunkel break-up) "Paul Simon" (1972) started his affair with various world music styles. The albums included Latin, jazz, blues and reggae (with the song "Mother and Child Reunion", recorded in Kingston, Jamaica).
Hi next album "There Goes Rhymin' Simon" released in May 1973 contained a lot of gospel, Dixieland jazz, soul and R&B stylings.
Both, but especially the first have a sound that Hammond uses here.
And, again, why not?
They both did well in the charts. The former went to #4US, #1UK, #5 Australia, #3 Spain in 1972 (the single "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard" hit #22US, #15UK 1972) whilst the latter went to #2US and #4UK in 1973.
Also, at the time, Johnny Nash had Jamaican reggae sounds in his big hit from 1972 "I Can See Clearly Now" (#1US, #1UK, #3 Australia, #1 Canada),
The co-producer of this (Hammond) album, Roy Halee, co-produced those two Paul Simon albums.
Roy Halee was co-producer, engineer on four Simon and Garfunkel albums and a friend of both. He also produced Laura Nyro at the time as well as working as an engineer on albums for The Cyrkle, The Lovin' Spoonful, The Byrds and Sagittarius (and others).
He was well versed in folk rock and folk pop.
How he ended up with Hammond I don't know (who head hunted who?) but I suspect Hammond wanted him.
Hammond was not adverse to world sounds even if he hadn't explored them yet in any depth. Being a Gibraltarian and exposed to US pop, rock and folk, English pop, Spanish music, various localised Mediterranean sounds as well as having lived in the US and travelled the continent exclusively he was bound to be a bucket of world music influences, or at least, not adverse to them.
And, I note that, not surprisingly this album was recorded in San Francisco , Los Angeles, and Kingston, Jamaica.
Halee is central to Hammond on this album but so is another "H", Michael Hazlewood, the co-writer of all the tracks on the album.
Hazlewood was a long time friend and collaborator of Hammonds. He founded the group The Family Dogg, together with Albert Hammond and Steve Rowland, in 1966 and he recorded a a couple of singles with Hammond as a duo called (errr) Hammond-Hazlewood in 1969 ("Hey Love Let Me In", "Broken Hearts Brigade"). Family Dogg broke up in 1972 and Hammond went solo but Hazlewood continued to write with him. He co-wrote all the tracks on Hammonds first two solo albums (including the Hammonds best known songs, and hits, "It Never Rains in Southern California" and "The Free Electric Band").
Hammond was clearly comfortable with him.
After this Hazlewood would co-write songs with Hammond from time to time (or perhaps they were old songs) but Hammond was always comfortable when writing a song with someone else and had good taste in picking out the right partners – Hal David, Carole Bayer Sager, Leo Sayer, and Hazlewood.
He and Hazlewood also wrote songs for others including "Little Arrows" for Leapy Lee (#16US, #2UK 1968), "Make Me an Island" for the Irish singer Joe Dolan (#2 Ireland, #3UK 1969) and "The Air That I Breathe" for Phil Everly of The Everly Brothers, for his 1973 solo album "Star Spangled Springer" (subsequently a hit for the Hollies in 1974, UK#1, US#6). Hazlewood also wrote solo for others including "Southern Lady", which was recorded by Rita Coolidge in 1977.
He is so important his picture is features on the inner sleeve of this album.
I'm not taking anything away from Hammond who is good enough to hold his own but I'm pointing out that music is a collaborative process around a central spark, and, the spark here is Hammond.
There ma be a Paul Simon influence but the introspection, symphonic pop, soft rock and drama are pure Hammond.
It's not quite as folksy as James Taylor, or as soulful as Carole King, or as rustic as John Stewart, or as folkie as Arlo Guthrie, or as world hippie as Jessie Colin Young, or as earnest as Joni Mitchell, or as (bombastically) dramatic as Neil Diamond, or as catchy as Paul Simon, or as emotional as Jimmy Webb, or as country as Mickey Newbury, or as contemplative as David Ackles, or as poppy as Elton John, or as clean as John Denver but there are elements of all of them, and that is more than enough, and ultimately, endearing..
You have to love the sleeve art also. A needle point by artist Delana Betolli. I only point that out because I like needlepoint, and, alas, it is another craft that has been marginalised as paper shuffling in boardrooms and sitting behind office tables becomes the female pursuit of choice (apparently).
Tracks (best in italics)
Side One
- Half A Million Miles From Home – this sounds like something but I can't put my finger on it (a John Denver song?), though the lyrical progression at the start reminds me a little of "MacArthur Park". It's a good song. Rustically evocative regardless of the strings and things.
- I Don't Wanna Die In An Air Disaster – what a song title! Not, specifically about an air disaster but about wishing to avoid pointless death and growing old. It is similar to very Paul Simon generally and similar to his song "Duncan" specifically. A good song that works on it's own.
- Dime Queen Of Nevada – similar to Paul Simon's "Mother Child and Reunion", right down to the pace and phrasing. Still, it's good but, then again, so was Simon's song.
- New York City Here I Come – now Hammond has invaded Simon's home turf. But, this is a wonderfully crafted and contemplative folk pop song with city sounds introduced in the end.
- The Girl They Call The Cool Breeze – This is copyrighted 1968 so I assume Hammond and Hazlewood wrote it then. This is Jamaican flavoured pop and light as but very catchy especially if you are in a Jimmy Buffet mood.
Side Two
- I'm A Train – first recorded in 1967 by French group Les Troubadours as "La chaîne" and then in English by Colors of Love from England in 1968. Another fun song. It is faux folk pop with shades of Simon and Garfunkel and The Kingston Trio. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27m_a_Train
- Names, Tags, Numbers & Labels – This is a new version of a song from Hamilton's "It Never Rains in Southern California" album from 1972. This is slick, big sounding , full bodied singer songwriter goes symphonic.
- Fountain Avenue – Hammond in melancholic mood. Like a folkie singer songwriter version of a 50s Sinatra song.
- We're Running Out – more Caribbean bounce.
- Candle Light, Sweet Candle Light – a slight Carib feel though the song is quite slight.
- Mary Hot Lips Arizona – very Arlo Guthrie. Great observations that sum up a time and a place. Evocative.
And …
This doesn't have the big hits but this is as good as Hammond's first two albums and maybe a little better. A small treasure … I'm keeping it.
Chart Action
US
Singles
1973 "Half a Million Miles from Home" #87US (#26 adult contemporary US)
1974 "I'm a Train" #31 (#15 adult contemporary US)
1974 "I Don't Wanna Die In an Air Disaster" #81 US
Album
—
England
Nothing
Sounds
Half A Million Miles From Home
mp3 attached
I Don't Wanna Die In An Air Disaster
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQe9x_7nMvg
Dime Queen Of Nevada
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXGBG5NkpBU
New York City Here I Come
live
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMS7X12bFHw
live recently
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMrKmeo34ds
The Girl They Call The Cool Breeze
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BDauGkOHAs
I'm A Train
live
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwdvbREwwDc
live recently
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7FL9Iz9GQc
Names, Tags, Numbers & Labels
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlhpaIOC0vk
live recently
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZ3Dx06L91Q
Fountain Avenue
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0aoMEy0fzg
We're Running Out
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V72CZLQEaYc
Candle Light, Sweet Candle Light
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iY7c8X6MfU
Mary Hot Lips Arizona
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpN2csZ0mpE
live recently
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SU2ownYSiRI
Others
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gmq4WIjQxp0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvKlUfVb90Y
Review
https://www.allmusic.com/album/albert-hammond-mw0000844544
Bio
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/albert-hammond-mn0000933781/biography
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Hammond
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Hazlewood
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Halee
https://www.historyofrecording.com/royhalee.html
Website
https://www.facebook.com/AlbertHammondOfficial/
Trivia
- Personnel: Arranged By – Ernie Freeman, Jack Schroer, Jimmy Haskell / Backing Vocals – Edwin Hawkins Singers / Banjo – Tommy Tedesco / Bass – Joe Osborn / Bongos – Armando Peraza / Drums – Hal Blaine, Jimmy Gordon / Guitar – Albert Hammond, Jay Lewis, Larry Carlton, Neal Schoen / Horns – Jack Schroer / Keyboards – Jim Hobson / Alto Saxophone – Bill Green / Piano – Larry Knechtel, Michael Omartian / Rhythm Section – The Jamaican Rhythm Section / Steel Drums – Andy Nerell / Strings – Sid Sharp / Synthesizer [Moog] – Bernie Krause / Vibraphone – Victor Feldman. Producer – Albert Hammond and Roy Halee with the exception of B2 produced by Albert Hammond, Don Altfeld and Roy Halee.
- The English version has a different sleeve, running order and an extra song, "Everything I Want To Do" (a new version of a song from Hamilton's "The Free Electric Band" from 1973).
- Hammond only charted once more in the US after this album , in 1974 with "99 Miles from L.A." #91US (#1 adult contemporary US) and never in the UK. But he was incredible popular on the continent where he also sang Spanish language songs.
- Another Simon and Garfunkel link : Art Garfunkel covered "99 Miles from L.A." for his 1975 album "Breakaway".
