Jennifer Warnes had been making records since the late 60's, but it wasn't until her 1976 hit "Right Time Of The Night" that anyone took notice. Okay, maybe some of you took notice before that, but I sure didn't.
Then came the now classic Leonard Cohen tribute, "Famous Blue Raincoat," and of course the monster duet with Bill The Righteous Brother for the "Dirty Dancing" soundtrack. Since then, not much. She is alive, thankfully, but there hasn't been much activity musically.
But I am here today, ladies and gentleman, to talk about her 1972 release for Warner Brothes, entitled "Jennifer." It was only recently that I discovered that this record was produced by one of my music heroes, John Cale. And it was only yesterday that I finally got to listen to it. And I really dug it.
Warnes is backed by an all star lineup that features Spooner Oldham, Richie Hayward, Russ Kunkel, Ron Elliott, Jackson Browne, Sneaky Pete Kleinow and Milt Jackson. Musically, this record is very reminiscent of Cale's masterpiece "Paris 1919." The setlist includes covers of Free, Jackson Browne, Procol Harum, The Bee Gees, as well as a John Cale original.
Is "Jennifer" the great lost record of the 70's? No, not at all. But if you are a fan of any of the people involved, this was a really pleasant spin and I am glad it finally found me.
7 comments:
You've missed a lot of great music if Famous Blue Raincoat is the last Jennifer Warnes you've heard. I'm a huge fan, and since FBR, there's The Hunter 1992, The Well 2001, and Another Time, Another Place in 2018. All three are fabulous. One of the greatest voices of her generation.
I admit I stopped at The Hunter, which I thought was a disappointment after Blue Raincoat. I am willing to go back in.
Good get Sal -- thanks. Showing that there is some strange force in the universe ... lately I've been listening to Leonard Cohen's Various Positions on which Jennifer plays such an important part.
That overly familiar with her, but will give it a listen given who the backing musicians are.
Sounds like PARIS 1919? I will check this out ASAP……
I absolutely LOVE stuff like this. Never knew it existed - John Cale, I'll be damned. Thanks Sal!
Not to mention her stellar backup vocals for Alejandro Escovedo. If memory serves (no guarantee at my age), she was also a semi-regular singer on the old Smothers Brothers show as simply Jennifer. --Muzak McMusics
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