Search - England Dan, John Ford Coley :: Dr Heckle & Mr Jive

Lost Classic Resurfaces For CD Release

Duane | Nashville, TN | 07/29/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Slowly but surely, more ED & JFC albums are indeed seeing the light of day on CD. A moderate fan would understandably be content with one of the many "Best Of" complications from this dynamic, yet underrated, duo; however, if you are looking for something slightly different from this pair, "Dr. Heckle & Mr. Jive" is the answer

( no pun intended!) This albums texture is like a Louisiana Gumbo - just chopped full of the expected and the unexpected. Dan & John were truly gifted, gifted songwriters, but unfortunately these guys were not given creative control often enough. ( Seals' country solo career finally gave him the accolades he truly deserved regarding his song writing, but that's another review! ) "Love Is The Answer" is the only true radio hit from this album. At the time, when the Billboard Singles Chart was engulfed by the BeeGees - during "Answers" top-10 entry, ED & JFC were indeed lucky... "Love Is The Answer" is just one of those great songs that says volumes about its subject in a matter of minutes. "Name your price, a ticket to paradise..." That's just an awesome opening hook. This particular tune was also written by the great Todd Rundgren. "Love Is The Answer" also shows-off Dan & John's harmony range - sort of in the same prior fashion as "Westward Wind" & "It's Sad To Belong". Seals once revealed that this album almost did not happen, that He & John were changing musically, and that the harmonic & business partnership was clearly over; However, all agreed, that "Love Is The Answer" seemed to be the glue that held the ship together. Some of the chords and riffs are a bit dated on this CD, but going past that, the writing is just about perfect. The semi- up tempo "What Can I Do With This Broken Heart" should have been at least a top-10 hit. It was released to radio barely cracking the top-50. It's just a good song. Period. It's also has Dan & John's "signature predictability" written all over it. The same goes for another song titled "Running After You". Again, up -tempo melody with a catchy hook- easy top-10. Dan & John were singer-songwriters, and unfortunately, in order to "stay alive" on the charts in 1979, record labels were demanding that it's acts followed the trend (Disco). It's obvious today, that Dan & John were not a dance craze act and should have never been pushed in such a direction. Now, lets talk about more of the expected. Anne Murray & Michael Martin Murphy must have both purchased this album and liked it. Murray had a smash with "Broken Hearted Me" and Martin-Murphy had a smash with "What's Forever For". Both of these songs appear on this CD, and the recording of these records in ED & JFC fashion are just as good, if not better, than the hits of the aforementioned artist. "Love Is The Answer", "Running After You", "What Can I Do With This Broken Heart", "Broken Hearted Me", and "What's Forever For" are songs all truly worth the CD purchase. Now, lets talk about the unexpected. I am just a huge fan of a song called "Rolling Fever". The opening hard core guitar riffs sounds like a cross between the Doobie Brothers & Badfinger. I'm sure for most ED & JFC fans, this must have sounded like metal. This tune should have made Seals a huge star. He was the sole writer, and this truly stretched him as a performer, and as a rocker. How interesting that Dan & John's sound also blended well together on the more edgier material. ..."Stopped at a café on the road to eat, waitress looked like she was easy street" and the chorus " Lady luck's got a way to make you believe her, She'll take a young boy, give him rolling fever". This was truly # 1 record material without a doubt. No disco here. This tune would have opened up another world for Dan & John. Mr. Cougar-Melloncamp could have had a field day with this record. Still could. Another surprise is the near perfect ballad "Only A Matter Of Time". From the opening "Don't say goodnight, we've got to work this thing out right" (been there) to "It's only a matter of pride that keeps us thinking we're on different sides" (been there) to "you going your way and me going mine Isn't what we came here for" (been there, too) Again, not one ounce of disco tinged, machine drummed, synthesized crap. This tune could have also gone to the top of Billboards page.

( Fortunately this tune saved Coley's 1981 solo outing titled Leslie, Kelly and John Ford Coley. Of course, in my opinion only, possibly ranking as the worst record ever put onto my turntable). The albums partial title cut / opening number also seems to switch gears. The tune titled "Hollywood Heckle & Jive"kind of infuses some water-downed disco licks, but surprisingly finds Seals hitting rocker like notes, especially towards the end of the "I've just gotta be a star" anthem. Again, this song was cleverly written. ... "City of the Angles won't you please set me free". And, "I've been working and I've been trying to talk to the people on Sunset and Vine". Considering the fact that this record almost didn't happen, someone apparently thought enough about it to re-release the album in a CD format. And truly, I'm glad they did!"

Dan

periscope | colorado springs, co United States | 07/30/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"this was a cd bought for a friend overseas who had not been able to obtain it, plus a fan of England Dan etc. It was recommended"