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Review: Andrew Gold, “The Late Show – Live 1978”

May 22, 2015 By Joe Marchese 5 Comments

Andrew Gold - Late ShowIsn’t it about time for an Andrew Gold renaissance?  Then again, the late artist’s music is still very much a part of today.  Just tune in to TV Land, Hallmark, or Logo TV and you’ll hear Cynthia Fee’s rendition of Gold’s “Thank You for Being a Friend” introducing the exploits of Dorothy, Rose, Blanche and Sophia on every episode of The Golden Girls.  And when “yacht rock” playlists started popping up, reviving breezy, laid-back 1970s soft rock sounds (many of which emanated out of California), Gold’s bright, crisp, pure-pop tunes were rarely far away.  Though the man himself died in 2011 at the all-too-young age of 59, his music has endured.  Now, Omnivore Recordings has gifted his fans with his first-ever full-length live LP, The Late Show – Live 1978 (OVCD-128).

The Late Show captures the singer, songwriter and in-demand multi-instrumentalist’s second set at West Hollywood’s famous Roxy Theatre on April 22, 1978.  The concert came just one week after the release of All This and Heaven Too, his third solo LP on Asylum Records.  Gold, born to composer Ernest Gold (Exodus, It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World) and actress-singer Marni Nixon (onscreen as Sister Sophia in The Sound of Music, the singing voice of Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady, Natalie Wood in West Side Story, Deborah Kerr in The King and I) was clearly on his home turf at the Roxy, playing with vivacity for this 14-song set in front of a hometown crowd.  He was backed for the show by his crack band consisting of George Marinelli on guitar and vocals, Brock Walsh on keyboards, guitar and vocals, Bryan Garofalo on bass and vocals, and Stan Kipper on drums and vocals.  The band was able to bring to life Gold’s signature blend informed by British pop, American country, folk, and rock and roll.

While the U.K. No. 5/U.S. No 67 hit “Never Let Her Slip Away” from All This and Heaven Too doesn’t appear on The Late Show, three of the album’s tracks do.  Though it was hardly the familiar, even ubiquitous song it is today, the unabashedly heartfelt and warmly sentimental “Thank You for Being a Friend” is greeted here with audience screams.  “Oh Urania (Take Me Away)” is an attractive ballad with a rich vocal arrangement inspired by Gold’s fascination with what might be up there in space; like “Thank You,” it’s utterly sincere and all the more moving for it.  And Gold brought his interpretive talents to Mark Goldenberg and Mark Safan’s bittersweet but catchy rocker “How Can This Be Love” (“if it makes us cry?”).

The artist reached back to his 1975 self-titled debut for “Endless Flight,” which later appeared on Leo Sayer’s hit 1976 album of the same name, “That’s Why I Love You,” the uptempo “A Note from You,” and the opening track here, “I’m a Gambler.”  In his excellent, candid liner note reflections, Brock Walsh confirms that the latter title was true of Gold.  “Gambler” is the name of another track here, written by Kenny Edwards of The Stone Poneys and also recorded by Gold in a couple of studio versions..

A trio of songs came from 1976’s Peter Asher-helmed What’s Wrong with This Picture.  “One of Them is Me” epitomizes Gold’s light-and-heavy pop-rock style, and “Go Back Home Again” is a tight, taut rocker.  “Lonely Boy,” like “Thank You for Being a Friend,” showcases Gold’s ability to communicate directly with his audience.  The Top 10 hit drew on just enough autobiographical details, marrying the heart-on-its-sleeve and seemingly personal lyric to an infectious pop melody and sparkling arrangement.  (Gold admitted to drawing on his own life but commented that he wasn’t, in fact, a lonely boy.)  Despite Walsh’s self-deprecating comment in the notes that “my part on the ARP at the end of the bridge is so lame,” the band delivers a crackling performance of the pop-rock classic that’s a little less slick than the smooth studio version.

Listening to Gold’s impeccably crafted studio pop creations, it could be no surprise that the singer-songwriter was a Beatles fan.  He pays tribute to John, Paul, George and Ringo with a romp through “Doctor Robert” and goes back even further in Beatle lore to pay homage to the Fab Four’s cover of Chuck Berry’s indelible “Roll Over, Beethoven” in raucous, rocking-and-rolling style.

The Late Show has been wonderfully mastered by Michael Graves and sounds terrific despite the disclaimer that audio anomalies do exist on this live recording.  Greg Allen has designed the attractive eight-page booklet which features Brock Walsh’s essay and track-by-track notes.  Whether you call it Laurel Canyon/SoCal pop, soft rock, yacht rock or something in between, Andrew Gold’s body of work brims with melody, accessibility, craft and musicianship – attributes in any era or any genre.  The Late Show celebrates the late artist’s spirit and heart in high style.

Andrew Gold’s The Late Show – Live 1978 can be ordered at Amazon U.S. and Amazon U.K.!

Categories: Reviews Formats: CD Genre: Pop Tags: Andrew Gold

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.

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Comments

  1. Mike Pasqua says

    May 22, 2015 at 1:23 pm

    I was fortunate to have attended many of his shows (including this one) and Andrew was one of the most multi-talented (and funny) people that I have ever encountered. The show was superb and this brings back a lot of fond memories.

    Reply
  2. Suzanne says

    May 22, 2015 at 7:31 pm

    Don’t forget his wonderful genes…He is the son of the great Marni Nixon, whose voice was heard in many musical movies of the fifties and sixties.

    Reply
    • Zubb says

      May 24, 2015 at 12:25 am

      And don’t forget his Academy Award winning father, Ernest Gold who scored the film Exodus. Andrew was a great talent. I had the pleasure of meeting him at a Bryndle concert in the 90s along with Karla Bonoff, Wendy Williams and Kenny Edwards. They were all very nice but Andrew was exceptionally warm and kind and I think he enjoyed our conversation as much as I did. His is missed. Glad to get this live recording.

      Reply
      • Zubb says

        May 24, 2015 at 12:27 am

        Wendy Williams? Crap! Of course I meant Wendy Waldman. Good grief.

        Reply
  3. Sean Anglum says

    May 26, 2015 at 12:56 pm

    Thank you, Omnivore, great job! This is a MUST for Gold fans and those that have ears for the Southern California sounds of the 70s and 80s. That said, these tunes have stood the test of time and sound just as fresh TODAY! Andrew Gold was a kick ass live act. I agree that Brock Walsh’s exceptionally heartfelt and revealing liner notes are great. They even hint at what a NUT Andrew Gold was. I had the pleasure of exchanging email and phone calls with AG in the early 2000s, and he never failed to totally crack me up. He was one of the funniest and most sincere guys I have encountered in SHOWBIZ (as he referred to it). For those Goldophiles that kept up with his occasional (constant?!) musings, he once mentioned on his blog of a triple threat release of Christmas/Holiday CDs…with the center hub being a collection he dubbed “Ho, Ho, Ho!” I hope his dear wife Leslie, Andrew’s Estate and Cheryl and the wizards at Omnivore can fight through the legal mounds and release this in time for this upcoming (or a future) holiday season. The smattering of Christmas stuff he DID release in his time was all FAB worthy (if you know what I mean). We would love more. We miss you, Andrew!

    Reply

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