‘Eddie Money’ peaked at #37 on the charts, establishing Money as a artist to be reckoned with, it spawned two Top 40 singles, ‘Baby Hold On’ and ‘Two Tickets To Paradise’, the later remains one of his most frequently played songs on Classic Rock radio to this day.
Written by: Jeff Duran
ARTIST: Eddie Money
ALBUM: Eddie Money
LABEL: CBS
SERIAL: PC 34909
YEAR: 1977
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA
LINEUP: Eddie Money – vocals * Jimmy Lyon – guitars * Gary Mallaber – drums, percussion * Lonnie Turner – bass * Gene Pardue – drums * Bob (Pops) Popwell – bass * Tom Scott – alto and tenor sax * Alan Pasqua, Randy Nichols, Freddie Webb – keyboards * Kevin Calhoun – percussion * Jo Baker – second vocal on ‘Baby Hold On’
TRACK LISTING: 01 Two Tickets To Paradise * 02 You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me * 03 Wanna Be a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star * 04 Save A Little Room In Your Heart For Me * 05 So Good To Be In Love Again * 06 Baby Hold On * 07 Don’t Worry * 08 Jealousys * 09 Got To Get Another Girl * 10 Gamblin’ Man
WEBLINKS: Site Link
Background
Thankfully ‘Eddie Mahoney’ didn’t follow in his father’s footsteps to become one of Brooklyn’s finest. Although Eddie did attend the New York Police Academy during the early 70’s, at night, he sang in several rock bands under the name Eddie Money. After a few years paying dues, Money decided to quit the Academy, moving to Berkeley, CA to pursue his rock and roll dreams full time.
Money became a regular at Bay Area clubs, where he eventually caught the attention of legendary promoter Bill Graham, who secured him a deal with Columbia Records. Released in 1977, It’s hard to call ‘Eddie Money’ a pure AOR release as the genre was still trying to find a definitive identity. It is however a strong debut filled with great pieces of straight ahead rock and roll.
The Songs
All the ingredients for a great rock record are in place with Money’s ability to lyrically connect with a ‘blue collar’ audience and the stinging axe work of Jimmy Lyon blending alongside. Lyon’s contributions could be easily compared to that of Keith Scott in terms of how he accentuated Bryan Adams career.
Produced by Bruce Botnick (The Doors, Rolling Stones), ‘Eddie Money’ succeeds with infectious driving beats, up tempo radio friendly rockers that introduce a talent who has been fairly consistent for over 30 years. Any self-respecting AOR/Classic Rock fan should know the lead off track ‘Two Tickets To Paradise’ off by heart, on par with ‘Hold The Line’ as an FM rock radio staple that still holds up today.
Smokey Robinson‘s ‘You Really Got A Hold On Me’ follows and proves how Money can effectively personalize covers and make them his own, something he does to this day. ‘Wanna Be A Rock And Roll Star’ best exemplifies Money’s early sound, a swaggering self explanatory anthem about the pursuit of rock and roll dreams. Things slow down for ‘Save A Little Room In Your Heart’, the beginning of many endearing ballads that would become standard throughout the Money man’s career.
It also wouldn’t be a Eddie Money album without a duffer (‘Don’t Worry’) or two (‘Gambling Man’), but fortunately ‘Jealousys’ and ‘Baby Hold On’ (another FM radio staple) overcompensate, showcasing Money’s pop sensibilities. The rest of the album is full of variety, with the majority of the songs setting the tone for an AOR legend in the making!
In Summary
‘Eddie Money’ peaked at #37 on the charts, establishing Money as a artist to be reckoned with. It spawned two Top 40 singles, ‘Baby Hold On’ and ‘Two Tickets To Paradise’, the later remains one of his most frequently played songs on Classic Rock radio to this day. In 1978 Eddie Money released his second album, ‘Life For The Taking’, which featured more of a updated sound to reflect the late 1970’s.
The album charted higher at #17, but neither of its two singles, ‘Can’t Keep A Good Man Down’ and ‘Maybe I’m A Fool’ entered the top 20. While Eddie Money’s AOR Glory-Daze may have occurred between 1981-1991, those who may not be familiar with the Money Man’s discography need to check out his first three releases. The debut ‘Eddie Money’ is probably the best place to start IMO.
Eddie Money on Video
Entire Album (Select Tracks)
