Albert Hammond - Albert Hammond (LP) (1974) - €5,00

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Albert Hammond (1974) is the third album by British singer, songwriter and music producer Albert Hammond. The album peaked at #3 on the Dutch albums chart and produced three singles which charted on the Hot 100.

Albert Hammond displays a heavy Paul Simon influence in how Hammond incorporates Caribbean rhythms and writes stark folk-rock: "Dime Queen of Nevada" is a dead-ringer for "Mother Child and Reunion" and "I Don't Wanna Die in an Air Disaster" recalls "Duncan" so strongly it's fortunate that Hammond didn't sequence these two back-to-back, since that's the only way they'd echo Paul Simon even more. 

Of these two sides, the Caribbean has a bigger presence here: "Everything I Want to Do" rides a chant-along, steel-drum chorus quite cheerfully as does the light-as-air "The Girl They Call the Cool Breeze" while "We're Running Out" bounces along on a white reggae beat, and these sun-kissed songs are balanced by contemplative introspection ("New York City Here I Come") and dramatic symphonic pop with a nearly cinematic pull ("Half a Million Miles from Home"), along with songs that split the difference between these two extremes (the quite excellent soft rock sweep of "Names, Tags, Numbers and Labels," "Candle Light, Sweet Candle Light"). 

At times, it seems like Hammond is in conflict with himself since the sunny world pop doesn't mesh with the introspection or the symphonic pop, but it does make for an interesting listen as it vacillates between nearly bubblegum pop and weighty, almost too-ambitious songs.

Side A

A1.  I’m A Train - 3:22

A2.  Everything I Want To Do - 2:58

A3.  Dime Queen Of Nevada - 3:55

A4.  New York City Here I Come - 3:06

A5.  The Girl They Call The Cool Breeze - 3:53

A6.  Names, Tags, Numbers & Labels - 2:45

Side B

B1.  I Don’t Wanna Die In An Air Disaster - 3:40

B2.  Half A Million Miles From Home - 2:49

B3.  Fountain Avenue - 2:57

B4.  We’re Running Out - 2:53

B5.  Candle Light, Sweet Candle Light - 2:31

B6.  Mary Hot Lips Arizona - 2:38

Personnel

• Albert Hammond - guitar, vocals
• Jay Lewis, Neal Schon, Larry Carlton - guitars
• Tommy Tedesco - banjo
• Larry Knechtel, Michael Omartian - piano
• Bernie Krause - Moog synthesizer
• Jim Hodgson - keyboards
• Joe Osborn - bass
• Hal Blaine, Jim Gordon - drums
• Victor Feldman - vibraphone
• Andy Narell - steel drums
• Armando Peraza - bongos
• Bill Green - alto saxophone
• Sid Sharp - strings

Production

• Produced by Albert Hammond and Roy Halee, except track 6 (Halee/Hammond/Don Altfield)
• Recording and mix: Roy Halee; "Recordist": Mark Freedman
• Mastered by George Horn

Notes

Released: 1974

Format:  Vinyl, LP, Album

Genre:  Soft Pop

Label:  Epic Records 

Catalog#  EPC 80026

Vinyl:  Goed (VG)

Cover:  Goed (VG)

Prijs: €5,00