Arguably, he's the inventor of technical
AOR. And with the help of UK label
Angel Air, producer, writer and performer
Robin George has remastered and reissued three albums from his considerable (and often confusing) back catalogue.
First, the band Life. Formed with vocalist Nick Tart (who eventually joined Diamond Head), this was essentially a vehicle for George to create an album from the songs he'd written and demoed with giants of British rock, like Robert Plant, Sean Harris and Glenn Hughes.
Tart steps up to the challenge with confidence, seemingly hitting his stride as the album progresses. You can hear all 3 of those revered Brit vocalists in his raspy, emotional tones, with the sweet cadences of a fourth -
John Waite - percolating through several of his performances here, most notably,
'Oxygen' and
'Losing You'.
George never knowingly underdoes an arrangement and a production.
He shoehorns in almost as much as Phil Spector, then squeezes it all into a very tight dynamic.
Neither does he skimp on melodies. '
Cocoon' is brimful of sharp hooks, all quite capable of carrying a song from inception to conclusion.
The breathtakingly good '
Dangerous Music', '
Don't Come Crying' and '
The End Of The Line' are the standouts. That said, every track here is accessible, immediate and capable of fulfilling the dreams of the most exacting melodic rock fan.
'
Cocoon' was first released in 1997. Don't miss out again. Get it now.
George released another batch of quality songs on his 'Rock Of Ageists' album in 2000. This was reissued in 2006 on Majestic Rock Records with additional tracks, and has now again been reissued. This time a remastered version's been reissued on
Angel Air as the first half -
'Crying Diamonds' - of a double CD set, with
'Dangerous Music Live '85' the other disc, and with yet more bonus tracks added.
And again, George's skill as a writer is mightily impressive. Never a hostage to North American melodic rock, even in his mid 80's, Dangerous Music phase, he developed his own style, a style that owed as much to his Britpop heritage as it did to
AOR.
One, the sound is clear, sharp and beautifully balanced, and two, the measured arrangements are full of crisp invention, colourful flourishes and an irresistible bounce.
That said, he doesn't write instantly memorable tunes. His melodies are often gossamer thin, but he spins them out and expands them into something more substantial. Later, you find yourself humming his songs without realising that they've insinuated their way inside.
Opener,
'Learn The Dance' is a mesmeric entry point, an object lesson in the powerful use of backing voices to reinforce the lead vocals. Add strident, multi layered guitars and a pounding percussive thump and you've made this track probably the album's most immediate cut.
'Thanks For The Memories' betrays a whole bunch of influences, from Stealers Wheel to The Move, or maybe it's just that George takes all the most exciting elements from the most accessible pop music and shapes them in his own likeness.
Elsewhere, the late Phil Lynott's ode to Elvis,
'King's Call' gets covered in all its floating, acoustic splendour.
Lynott collaborated with George on the album's title track, the Lennonesque
'Crying Diamonds'. It's a delicate tune, held together by slick chord changes, a slowburn build and sweet, psychedelic flavouring. George's slender but wiry voice glides gracefully through a wordy lyric and provocative themes that are clearly and heavily influenced by Lynott.
And there are some really outstanding tracks among the co-writes and bonuses.
The heartstring-tugging
'Haunted', cowritten with George's keyboard man and sometime backing vocalist, Daniel Boone, went on to be recorded by Glenn Hughes.
'Machine' and '
Red For Danger' were both covered by a soloing Robert Plant. The latter featured on his 'Sixty Six To Timbuktu' compilation.
The originals are sleek, purring, powerful tracks, even though the production now sounds like it's crept past its sell by date.
Back in 1985, George created something of a stir with his band, Dangerous Music and the self titled debut.
It gained them support slots with
REO Speedwagon and
Uli Jon Roth as well as considerable airtime on UK Rock Radio.
Readily riding the crest of the melodic rock wave that was sweeping over the UK and USA, Dangerous Music delivered 12 sturdy, compact
AOR songs, very much of their time, but with enduring hooks and melodies to die for.
The fabulous single, 'Heartline' was picked out both by Alan 'Fluff' Freeman and Tommy Vance (both RIP) as their record of the month.
Live, the album sounds tougher, hardier, prepared to survive whatever came down the line.
With the addition of 4 bonus tracks, all taken from BBC 1's Live Concert archives, this is a marvellous, value-for-money, double disc package
Written by
Brian Tuesday, September 7, 2010
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