A man with an very impressive resume, but for this listener the self-titled debut is Andrew Gold’s finest achievement.
Written by: Eric
ARTIST: Andrew Gold
ALBUM: Andrew Gold
LABEL: Asylum
SERIAL: 7E 1047
YEAR: 1975
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA
LINEUP: Andrew Gold – vocals, guitars, bass, organ, piano, drums, percussion * Dan Dugmore – pedal steel * Peter Bernstein – bass * Kenny Edwards – guitar, bass, backing vocals * Mike Botts, David Kemper, Gene Garfin – drums * Gene Garfin, Don Francisco, Linda Ronstadt – backing vocals * David Campbell – strings and woodwind arrangements * Bobby Keyes, Trevor Lawrence – horns
TRACK LISTING: 01 That’s Why I Love You * 02 Heartaches In Heartache * 03 Love Hurts * 04 A Note From You * 05 Resting In Your Arms * 06 I’m A Gambler * 07 Endless Flight * 08 Hang My Picture Straight * 09 Ten Years Behind Me * 10 I’m Coming Home
WEBLINKS: Site Link
Background
Andrew Gold should be a familiar name to most of you. If not (and shame on you!), here’s some background. Gold joined Linda Rondstadt‘s band in the early 70’s as arranger, writer and player during the peak of her career.
In the 1980’s he formed Wax with Graham Gouldman of 10cc (a band he was asked to join at one point), scoring two hit singles over the course of three albums. Gold’s greatest commercial success was with the hit single ‘Lonely Boy’ and 1978’s ‘Thank You For Being A Friend’ which later became the theme music for the US television series ‘Golden Girls’.
The Songs
A very impressive resume indeed, but for this listener the self-titled debut is Andrew Gold’s finest achievement. For fans of Kenny Loggins and Stephen Bishop, this album is a must.
From the pure pop of ‘That’s Why I Love You’ and ‘Hang My Picture Straight’ to the heartfelt ‘Ten Years Behind Me’ and ‘Endless Flight’ (later covered by Leo Sayer), it’s an album that I have played often over the years, and it still sounds fresh and creative.
There’s even a slight hint of early Beatles thrown in the music here and there only adding to the albums appeal in my opinion. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for Gold’s following solo albums which are patchy at best, despite producing the massive hit singles mentioned earlier.
In Summary
‘Andrew Gold’ was available on CD in Japan a few years ago and it’s becoming scarce, but not impossible to find. Just expect to pay a little more, but it’s worth every penny and effort to track down.
Video
That’s Why I Love You
