The Babys - Broken Heart (1977) (LP) - €10,00

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Broken Heart is The Babys second album, released in September 1977. The album produced The Babys first big hit "Isn't It Time", which reached No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100.

After debuting with the Bob Ezrin and Brian Christian produced The Babys LP, John Waite and company turned to Ron Nevison to man the board for the Broken Heart recording sessions in 1977.

Nevison's deft studio touch is all over the ten-song sophomore effort from The Babys, as evident by the strings that accompany album opener "Wrong or Right" and grandiose closer "A Piece of the Action". The sound is cleaner, and Waite's vocals are given more attention on Broken Heart.

Broken Heart is a deceptively heavy combination of 70’s AM pop and FM muscle, and definitely the most satisfying listen in The Babys catalog.  

This is a big, symphonic stab of searing guitar rock and sugar-laden pop gems.

Starting off with orchestral arrangement of “Wrong or Right,” John Waite’s voice is in impeccable form.  No matter where the guy took his music, no one can claim that Waite can’t sing, and here’s he’s inspired.  

Over a gently strummed acoustic guitar, strings rising and falling in the background, Waite sings, “when he takes you babe/oh when he loves you babe/my whole world comes apart/when he loves you babe” with dripping feeling.  

Nothing maudlin or whiny about it, this is the song of a man who’s heart and soul are torn apart by the loss of a woman. We've all been there, and Waite captures it dead on.  

Then, midway in, when the band kicks in, the song elevates to a powerful mid-tempo rocker with a great and steady groove.  

Guitars slash in amongst the strings, leading up to a true searing solo. Throughout the melody is captivating.  A truly stunning album opener

Then, lest you think you got the album pegged as AM radio fodder, “Give Me Your Love,” percolates out next all mean, dirty, and nasty.  

Nevison really spins the dials well here with a huge drum sound and a surprisingly heavy guitar tone.  Sure the lyrics are sappy 70’s pap, but there’s nothing sappy about those end-verse spasms of Stocker’s guitar.  

Taking a tip Nevison must’ve picked up from working with Schenker on Light’s Out, Stocker totally surprises here.  

Bring on that big drum sound and this is a true heavy melodic rocker of the first order.  “And If You Could See Me Fly,” is also totally huge in its sound; big and raucous and totally sleazy in guitar tone.  

Waite really breaks it down to gruff up a rock-and-roll vocal here and I don’t know what Tony Brock is pounding on but his drums sound like they’re being beaten by ogres. 

Another big-time rock guitar riff and some more inspired electricity coming from Stocker’s fingertips and this song is simply mean and nasty. 

Perhaps more nasty than you ever thought The Babys could be.

And in between these two slabs of AM metal, we get the sublime beauty of “Isn’t it Time.” Following a delicate piano intro, Waite again sounds pristine. 

Bring in the flurry of gospel-tinged female backing vocals, raise the whole affair in a fury of strings and drums to that knock-em out chorus and we’ve got one of the best “lost” songs of 70’s radio. Forget the band on this one; this is all Waite carrying the song, giving his most soulful performance through 4:03 of pop perfection.

Perhaps one of the most unexpected aspects of the album is the weight of it.  If you were expecting that The Babys were simply bright AM fluff, you got another thing coming.  Think back to UFO’s "Lights Out" and think about how that album felt like no other of the day.  

A certain melancholy and meatiness to it, a dark sobriety. That’s all here again. Whether on the fun-as-a-kick-in-the-ass pop rocker of the title track “Broken Heart,” the gentle orchestral strains leading to the crunch of the power ballad, “I’m Falling,” the street-wise grit rock of “Rescue Me,” or on their big UFO “Love to Love”-stab at epic rock “A Piece of the Action,” Broken Heart is an infinitely listenable album. Waite never lets up on those stellar vocals and while you may not think of The Babys as a guitar band, Wally Stocker has got the chops to prove you wrong.

Side A

A1.  Wrong Or Right - 3:26

A2.  Give Me Your Love - 3:37

A3.  Isn’t It Time - 4:03

A4.  And If You Could See Me Fly - 2:50

A5.  The Golden Mile - 5:01

Side B

B1.  Broken Heart - 3:02

B2.  I’m Falling - 3:55

B3.  Rescue Me - 3:50

B4.  Silver Dreams - 3:00

B5.  A Piece Of The Action - 4:35

Recorded at Hidden Valley Ranch and the Record Plant, L.A., California.
The Babettes are: Lisa Freeman Roberts, Pat Henderson and Myrna Matthews.

Companies, etc.

• Record Company – Ariola Benelux B.V.
• Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Chrysalis Records
• Copyright © – Chrysalis Records
• Lacquer Cut At – Bovema / EMI Studios – 33683
• Lacquer Cut At – Bovema / EMI Studios – 33684
• Recorded At – Hidden Valley Ranch
• Recorded At – Record Plant, Los Angeles
• Produced For – Gadget Productions Inc.

Credits

• Arranged By [Strings, Horns], Conductor [Strings, Horns] – Alan MacMillan
• Backing Vocals – The Babettes (tracks: A3, B4), Tony Brock
• Bass – John Waite
• Design [Album Design] – Charles W. Bush
• Drums – Tony Brock
• Lead Guitar – Wally Stocker
• Lead Vocals – John Waite (tracks: A1 to B3, B5), Tony Brock (tracks: B4)
• Photography By – Charles W. Bush
• Piano – Tony Brock (tracks: B4)
• Producer – Ron Nevison
• Recorded By – Ron Nevison
• Recorded By [With] – Mike Beiriger, Pete Carlson 
• Rhythm Guitar, Keyboards – Michael Corby

Notes

Release: 1977

Format:  LP, Vinyl

Genre:  Rock, AOR

Label:  Chrysalis Records

Catalog#  511150

Vinyl:  Goed (VG)

Cover:  Goed (VG)

Prijs: €10,00