First up, this absolutely genius take on Iggy Pop from the late, great Nick Curran. I forgot just how good this is, as is just about everything from Curran's way too short career.
Before Robert Palmer's career skyrocketed thanks to MTV, he was making some pretty interesting records. Honestly, I genuinely like Palmer's hits, even if the videos are now (and maybe even then) looked upon as terrible. But before the 80's really stepped into high gear, Robert Palmer was recording everything from R&B and funk to world music and punk. This track, if memory serves, was a b-side that I know I paid little mind to back in '83, but hearing again 35 years later, really blew my mind. Palmer excelled in phrasing. It was his strongest asset as a vocalist, and more often than not, he turned a mediocre tune into something special because of how he was singing it. "The Silver Gun" is an odd tune, but I just love the programming, which like Palmer's vocals, is just special enough to stand out.
5 comments:
Thank you for the share, Sal. With your help (again!), I’ve a soundtrack for the day. Nick Curran will be a fun discovery, and those early Robert Palmer albums are an amazing ride. The list of artists he was associating with during this period is insane - though, personally I feel he lost his footing a bit with the Duran Duran/Power Station scenario. Nobody’s perfect. Lol! Grateful!
Just this morning Palmer's Johnny and Mary shuffled on my iPod. It's such a great tune, and he's such an under-rated singer, that I repeated it a few times. Spot on about his phrasing.
"No Fun" is pure genius in every way.
Robert Palmer was one of the best and this track had me scratching my head. He pulls it off.
Thanks for sharing.
Robert Palmer is definitely on the list of underrated/underappreciated...he was an exceptional vocal and musical talent....and sounding a bit Peter Gabriel on Silver Gun...
Thanks very much for these. I recently popped my pre-Heavy Nova Robert Palmer cherry courtesy of a great mix by Zappology over on the Internet Archive. But Nick Curran I've been a big fan of for about 10 years after hearing his playing with Kim Lenz. Man he is SO great. What a shame to not have seen his career and playing blossom further.
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