Search - Deke Leonard :: Before Your Very Eyes

Great rock songs

John Peter O'connor | 04/08/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is Deke's third and, so far, final solo album. It was released in the early eighties though most or perhaps all of the recording was done in the late seventies.Unlike the longer tracks that are the staple of Deke's work as a member of the Man band, this solo album is a collection of short, sharp songs. Deke's voice and lyrical style are unmistakable though.There are no weak songs here but one or two, especially "Someone is Calling", "The World Exploded in My Face" and "What am I Going to do When the Money Runs Out?" are really very good. If you listen to "Big Hunk of Love" you could easily imagine that a timewarp brought a young Elvis back to make a guest appearance.The only thing that is wrong with this album is that it was released almost a decade too late. Listen to the third track, "Marlene", and try to imagine what would have happened had it been released in the early seventies and given some radio exposure. We could have seen Deke on Britain's "Top of the Pops" dancing with Pan's People!Of course, most of the people who buy this CD will do so because they know of Deke from the Man band but it really deserves a wider audience. If you think that Queen, Mott the Hoople and Marc Bolan all sounded best before they found fame, you should give Deke a listen.Finally, a word of praise for the label. They included two bonus tracks on the CD which are actually worth having. No pointless remixes here instead we get two great tracks which are not otherwise available today."