Or ‘Wyatt Earp’ as they used to say, Another AOR demi-god well worthy of a GDM hall of famer is LA singer/songwriter Jeff Paris.
Written by: gdmonline
ARTIST: Jeff Paris
ALBUM: Wired Up
LABEL: Mercury/Polygram
SERIAL: 832188-2
YEAR: 1987
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA
LINEUP: Jeff Paris – vocals, guitars * Michael Thompson – guitars * Gary Moon – bass * Matt Sorum – drums
TRACK LISTING: 01 Saturday Nite * 02 One Night Alone * 03 Trial By Fire * 04 Cryin’ * 05 Wired Up * 06 Charmed Life * 07 I Can’t Let Go * 08 Heart To The Flame * 09 A Matter Of Time * 10 Illusions
WEBLINKS: Site Link
Background
Or ‘Wyatt Earp’ as they used to say, Another AOR demi-god well worthy of a GDM hall of famer is LA singer/songwriter Jeff Paris. Seems Jeff has been in the biz for years, with song writing credits all over the place, plus he was a member of obscure 70’s outfit Pieces under his real name Jeffrey Leib.
‘Wired Up’ was in fact Jeff’s second solo album, he released the fantastic ‘Race To Paradise’ the previous year, and if you’ve heard tracks like ‘I’m Better’ and ‘Back On My Knees’ off that album, it certainly is evidence of his songwriting class.
Well, what can we say about the lineup? Pretty awesome isn’t it. Thompson is an LA session guitar god, Moon himself is a California veteran while Matt Sorum found future fame and glory with Guns ‘N’ Roses. This is well produced melodic rock riffarama, and there’s not a weak track to be seen. All the songs are so strong.
The Songs
Where do we start then? The party kicks off with ‘Saturday Night’ which sounds like Bryan Adams on steroids, or more’s the point, this is the stuff Bryan Adams should be doing! ‘One Night Alone’ is very much an anthem, one of those songs blasted out the back of the chevy in every US town during the 80’s.
‘Trial By Fire’ has a Danger Danger groove to it, while the Paris AOR classic ‘Cryin’ is the same one covered by perfume rockers Vixen. Title track ‘Wired Up’ is a fast and furious workout while ‘Charmed Life’ is another Paris trademark song.
However, the strength of this album in my opinion lies in the ability of the last four songs: all wonderful moments. ‘I Can’t Let Go’ is an infectious sing along romp, ‘Heart To The Flame’ is another trademark song, and is by far the superior version released in comparison to other artists (Van Zant being one).
‘A Matter Of Time’ is a gorgeous ballad with subtle keyboards and lilting choruses. The finale ‘Illusions’ is the heaviest track on the album and lays to waste all before it. What a way to finish, an absolute stormer of a track! Turn it up loud!
In Summary
Despite the fact this album fared well with the rock press, it didn’t convert into a commercial success story, though Paris’ songwriting career did not suffer any.bHe later signed up with Now And Then Records (UK) and then USG Records in Germany for future releases. However, this album and ‘Race To Paradise’ are by far his superior works.
Jeff Paris on Video
Click to go to YTM album page.
