He is, indeed
R. Bourbeau | Maui, Hawaii, USA | 08/22/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"It's great to have Neil Sedaka's breakthrough comeback album in release again after nearly three decades. Along with four bonus tracks, Sedaka's Back was a 1974 compilation of early-'70s British recordings Neil had made with the gents who would go on to become the band "10cc" (remember "I'm Not in Love" and "The Things We Do for Love"?), as well as new songs recorded in L.A. An early-'74 introduction to Elton John would lead Neil to convince Elton to add him to John's newly-founded Rocket Records, and the rest is history. "Laughter in the Rain" would be released in late '74, take its sweet time crawling up the charts, and eventually hit #1 on Billboard and become one of the biggest hits of 1975. Neil Sedaka was truly back, indeed.
As one of New York City's Brill Building composers along with the likes of Neil Diamond, Barry Mann and Ellie Greenwich, Carole King and Gerry Goffin, and Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Sedaka started out in his teens--with neighbor, best friend, and writing partner Howard Greenfield--as the composer of such late-'50s hits as "Stupid Cupid" and "Where the Boys Are" for Connie Francis. But once he began singing and playing piano on his own records, the composer became a bona-fide teen sensation himself with hits like "Stairway to Heaven," "Next Door to an Angel," "Calendar Girl," "Happy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen," "The Diary," "Run, Samson, Run," "Oh! Carol" (dedicated to then-girlfriend Carole King), and his #1 hit from 1962, "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do." But then came 1964, The Beatles, and the British Invasion, and Sedaka's brand of bubble gum became old hat. The hits stopped, and so did the personal appearances.
After languishing for nearly a decade, Sedaka moved his family to Britain in the early '70s, recorded a couple of popular albums, and performed in several sellout, critically-lauded concerts, and suddenly the country that booted Sedaka off the charts had begun to embrace him. Several of those recordings are included here, including "Standing on the Inside," "That's When the Music Takes Me" (a Top 30 hit from '75), and "Solitaire," which was recorded by The Carpenters and became a Top 20 cover hit for the duo. (REVIEWER'S UPDATE 28 Jul 06: Please see my review of Sedaka's Laughter in the Rain: The Best of Neil Sedaka, 1974-1980 for recent news on the song "Solitaire.")
But it's "Laughter" that is the standout here, along with the Top 25 single "The Immigrant" (a bittersweet nod to his Turkish-Jewish heritage and the not-necessarily gold-paved streets of America as viewed by the newly-arrived emigre; he also wrote it as a protest to the U.S. Government for denying his good friend John Lennon permanent resident alien status); "Love Will Keep Us Together," which would be covered by The Captain and Tennille and become a worldwide #1 smash and the biggest hit for all of 1975; and "Our Last Song Together," which Sedaka wrote with lifetime friend and collaborator Howie Greenfield at the time of their breakup, thinking that it would be (it wasn't). "Endlessly" is a pretty ballad and bonus track on this album.
"Sedaka's Back" is the album that started it all--again--for Neil Sedaka. Quality, through and through.
Rating: ***** (out of 5) BOB BOURBEAU"
Glad he came back
Brillant Barbara | 01/27/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"A great recording. Neil no longer sounds like a child but singing mature songs."
How about that hat!
Joseph M. Perorazio | Columbus, OH USA | 11/10/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"A vintage Sedaka collection, originally released on Elton John's custom label, now re-issued with four bonus tracks. Re-mastering is sub-par (some distortion in the vocals) but otherwise this is a welcome addition to the CD catalog. Contains Sedaka's mid-70's classics "Laughter in the Rain" and "Solitaire" as well as the original version of "Love will keep us together", later covered by the Captain and Tennile.
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Track Listings (16) - Disc #1