Omnivore Relights Billy Steinberg's Eternal Flame with "Billy Thermal"

Billy Steinberg might not be a household name – but if you don’t know the name, you certainly know the songs: “Like a Virgin,” “True Colors,” “So Emotional,” and “Eternal Flame,” among them. But before Steinberg teamed up with Tom Kelly for those hits and more, he was signed to producer Richard Perry’s Planet Records as part of the band Billy Thermal. Though the band recorded an entire album for Planet in 1980, only a handful of tracks ever saw release. Omnivore Recordings has stepped up to finally deliver the original Billy Thermal album for the first time anywhere - plus bonus material!

When Perry formed Planet Records and signed its marquee act The Pointer Sisters, the producer was riding high from hit productions for everybody from Tiny Tim to Harry Nilsson to Barbra Streisand. Though he didn’t produce the sessions for Billy Thermal, ceding those duties to frontman Steinberg and guitarist Craig Hull, Perry was an early champion of the oddly-named group featuring Steinberg, Hull, Efren Espinosa on drums and future “Butterfly Kisses” artist Bob Carlisle on bass. (The moniker was reportedly derived from Steinberg’s first name and the city of Thermal, California to which his family had ties.) Billy Thermal was featured with a host of other young groups such as The dB’s, The Know, and Single Bullet Theory on Planet’s 1980 sampler Sharp Cuts – New Music from American Bands.

Steinberg’s big break, however, came when Linda Ronstadt heard Billy Thermal’s “How Do I Make You” and recorded the song for her new wave-flavored Mad Love album alongside tracks by Elvis Costello and Neil Young. “How Do I Make You” made the Top 10. Two other songs first recorded by Billy Thermal, “Precious Time” and “I’m Gonna Follow You” found fans in Pat Benatar. The rocker titled her third record after “Precious Time,” while “Follow You” appeared on her fourth LP, Crimes of Passion. Even Rick Nelson was hip to Steinberg’s songs; he recorded “Don’t Look at Me” on his final album of original material.

There's more after the jump including the complete track listing!

Just five songs from Billy Thermal appeared on the band’s self-titled EP; Omnivore’s first-time release of the complete album includes all 12 tracks. It adds three demos including the original of “Don’t Look at Me.” The package is topped off with new liner notes from Billy Steinberg and photographs from the original album photo shoot.

Billy Steinberg went onto bigger things after Billy Thermal; in addition to the previously mentioned songs from Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Whitney Houston and The Bangles, he also has The Pretenders’ “I’ll Stand by You,” Heart’s “Alone” and Divinyls’ “I Touch Myself” all to his credit. Billy Thermal – described by Omnivore as “a record that still sounds fresh and energetic” – allows a listen to the talent at the ground floor of all those future hits (including five No. 1s). It’s due from Omnivore on August 12 and can be pre-ordered below!

Billy Thermal, Billy Thermal (Omnivore, 2014) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

I Tell You My Dream
How Do I Make You
Control
The Price I Pay
Precious Time
I’m Your Baby
They Didn’t See It
I Need You
I’m Gonna Follow You
Julie
Mirror Man
No Connection
Don’t Look at Me (Demo)
Chez Metz (Demo)
Fa Fa Feelings (Demo)

All tracks previously unissued except Tracks 1-2, 6, 8 & 10 previously released on EP

Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with Real Gone Music, has released newly-curated collections produced by Joe from iconic artists such as Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Chet Atkins, and many others. He has contributed liner notes to reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, and Andy Williams, and has compiled releases for talents including Robert Goulet and Keith Allison of Paul Revere and the Raiders. Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray. Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.