On this second album from Ned Doheny there is a star-studded lineup, a lot of them personal friends of Ned’s, and the result is as cool as a cucumber.
Written by: gdmonline
ARTIST: Ned Doheny
ALBUM: Hard Candy
LABEL: Columbia
SERIAL: PC 34259
YEAR: 1976
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA
LINEUP: Ned Doheny – lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitar, lead guitar, lyrics * Ernie Corello – guitar * Steve Cropper – guitar, backing vocals * David Foster – keyboards, moog synth * David Garland, Craig Doerge – keyboards * Jimmy Claire – piano * Dennis Parker, John Heard, Bryan Garofalo, Colin Cameron, Lazslo Wicky – bass * Gary Mallaber, John Burton – drums * Steve Forman – percussion * Victor Feldman – percussion, vibraphone * Chuck Findley – horn arrangements, trombone, flugelhorn, trumpet * Greg Adams – horn arrangements * Tower Of Power Horn Section – horns * Jim Horn, Tom Scott, Don Menza – sax * H.B. Barnum – backing vocal arrangements * Larry Muhoberac – string arrangements * Brooks Hunnicutt, Fleming Williams, Rosemary Butler, Don Henley, Glenn Frey, J. D Souther, Linda Ronstadt, Hamish Adams – backing vocals
TRACK LISTING: 01 Get It Up For Love * 02 If You Should Fall * 03 Each Time You Pray * 04 When Love Hangs In The Balance * 05 A Love Of Your Own * 06 I’ve Got Your Number * 07 On The Swingshift * 08 Sing To Me * 09 Valentine (I Was Wrong About You)
WEBLINKS: Site Link
Background
Ned Doheny (Edward) is a name synonymous with the west coast and folk rock genres from the mid 70’s. He is an alumni of the legendary Laurel Canyon scene, that spawned the likes of Andrew Gold, Linda Ronstadt, Wendy Waldman, Jackson Browne and members of the Eagles plus many more. In 2019, Doheny was recently featured on the BBC4 documentary ‘Yacht Rock – I Can Go For That’, hosted by Katie Puckrik, which is half the reason he is featured here. The other half being is that this album was identified as one that was overdue for a review here, so here it is.
The Songs
His first album was released in 1973 on Asylum, but strangely, it took another three years to land his second effort ‘Hard Candy’ for new label Columbia. On this second album there is a star-studded lineup, a lot of them personal friends of Ned’s, and the result is as cool as a cucumber.
The lead-off track ‘Get It Up For Love’ is as slinky as it gets for the mid 70’s era, a kinda Steely Dan vibe but the acoustic guitar keeps it down to earth. There are numerous arrangements going on with ‘If You Should Fall’, with a load of brass and horns underpinning this happy-go-lucky tune. ‘Each Time You Pray’ navigates that west coast sound with ease, a perfect fit for the El-Lay scene at the time. Acoustic guitar features for the mellow and orchestral ‘When Love Hangs In The Balance’, the energy is also noticeably laid back for ‘A Love Of Your Own’.
The cruisy ‘I’ve Got Your Number’ is a cool listen, just a touch behind the opening track in the highlight Stakes. ‘On The Swingshift’ increases the tempo markedly, with faster-paced acoustic guitar strumming, amid a decidedly funky style to boot. ‘Sing To Me’ goes through several styles during its run-time, fusing acoustic guitar, funky bass lines and big vocal choruses. ‘Valentine (I Was Wrong About You)’ is the closer, and goes down the barroom ballad pathway thanks to the jazzy piano. Another mellow affair to wrap it up.
In Summary
Without doubt, the albums high watermark is ‘Get It Up For Love’, which incidentally, was recorded by disco artist (and former alumni of notorious tax scam Tiger Lily label) Tata Vega, in 1979. Also, ‘A Love Of Your Own’ was co written with Hamish Stuart of the Average White Band, and was also released by that band during 1976. Along with ‘Hard Candy’, the other album of Doheny to obtain is 1979’s ‘Prone’ which just about contains the same personnel used here. That album was released solely in Japan at the time.
Ned Doheny on Video
Get It Up For Love
