There’s been a bit of a saxophone purple patch recently. Pete Christlieb last album, Dick Parry on Wish You Were Here, Clarence Clemons from the E-Street Band, all doing very different things with the instrument. And the opening track on this episode has some great sultry saxophone from Nino Tempo.
Yes, this is the same Dion as Runaway and The Wanderer from the Fifties, teaming up with Phil Spector in an attempt to reboot his career from being a teen idol. Which was not such a great move in the end, since Spector’s alcoholism and unpredictability hampered the production, Dion disavowed the album, and it was a commercial flop. Not long after, Dion moved into Christian music – there are rumblings of that on this album already with a version He’s Got The Whole World In His Hand.
Spector really does layer on his wall of sound production here – the drums sound like cannons going off, Dion’s voice is sometimes distorted or drowned out, most of the tracks could have benefited from a lot less. Notably one of the better tracks is Your Own Back Yard, mostly because it is a simpler number around the acoustic guitar. There’s a certain John Denver quality to Dion’s vocals (most notable on New York City Song which ironically has a country flavour to it).
Otherwise it didn’t really do a lot for me, regardless of personal feelings about Phil Spector as a person. I don’t think his production style worked for the kind of slow and soulful ballads that are on this album, they would have benefitted from a lighter touch in my opinion. Except maybe the last track, a rock and roller called Good Lovin’ Man (with a good rock apostrophe in the title there for good measure). With some soul backing vocals. Oh, and the album features eleven credits for guitar – are they all on the same tracks? But no wonder it sounds crowded.
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