Rick Springfield was the real deal, and the record business knew it.  Already a veteran of multiple bands including Zoot, the Australian singer-songwriter had good looks and good songs - not to mention a great voice and strong chops.  Yet international superstardom didn't come easily for the future General Hospital star and chart-topping "Jessie's Girl" artist.  He paid his dues, including a short-lived, uneasy tenure at Columbia Records.  Rick had scored a top 20 Pop and AC success of 1972's "Speak to the Sky" on the Capitol label before moving to Columbia with sophomore solo album Comic Book Heroes (which was actually released first on Capitol and quickly withdrawn).  But the glam-inspired effort wasn't what the Columbia brass was looking for.  He acquiesced to the wishes of his manager Steve Binder and the label and wrote and recorded "Streakin' Across the USA," a single with a whiff of novelty about it that was credited to Rick Springfield and Springfield Mass (get it?). But Springfield's heart was in a new album that would more accurately reflect his true musical personality.  The result was an exciting slab of gutsy rock and roll called, simply, Springfield.  Unhappy with the change in direction for their young star, the label consigned the LP to the shelf.  It's remained there...until now.  On May 12, Iconoclassic Records will premiere Springfield on an expanded CD with the original, unreleased album plus nine tracks from a concert appearance and the CD premiere of both sides of the "Streakin' Across the USA" single.

Springfield wasn't just musically hard-hitting; its often-suggestive lyrics resulted from the heady experience of the 25-year old artist's life on the road.  He was joined on the sessions by producer Robie Porter and a band including Peter Leinheiser (a.k.a. Peter Lyon) on guitar, Gabriel Katona on keyboards and saxophone, Lee Smith on bass, and Eddie Rodriguez on drums; veteran Jimmie Haskell provided the string arrangements.  The single "American Girls" was released as a single in May 1974 with "Weep No More" from Comic Book Heroes as the B-side; sessions for the rest of the album commenced in July at Crystal Sound in Hollywood.  Porter captured the electrifying immediacy of the band's live sound on a wide range of material on which Springfield leapt from strength to strength: edgy rockers, anthems, and ballads alike.  A prog-styled reimagining of "Eleanor Rigby" (an old favorite of Zoot's) was the sole cover, nodding at Springfield's love of The Beatles.  Yet Columbia soured on the fact that Springfield didn't want to be the new David Cassidy; he wanted to be the only Rick Springfield.

In December 1974, Columbia sent Springfield into the studio for a session with producers Hank Medress and Dave Appel (The Tokens, Tony Orlando and Dawn, Melissa Manchester).  The results weren't inspiring, and in early 1975, the label shelved Springfield.  He moved on to Wes Farrell's Chelsea label (ironically, producer Farrell had been instrumental in the recordings of David Cassidy and The Partridge Family) for a 1976 LP before joining with RCA with the multi-platinum Working Class Dog which spun off the Grammy-winning chart-topper "Jessie's Girl."

Over the years, just three tracks from Springfield have escaped the vault (including "American Girls").  Iconoclassic's world premiere of the complete album includes his previously unreleased 1974 performance at Post Falls, Idaho's Northwest Speedway as well as the "Streakin' Across the USA"/"Music to Streak By" single.  Everything has been mastered by Vic Anesini at Battery Studios, and the package is adorned with striking artwork by John Sellards.  Ken Sharp provides the liner notes in the 20-page booklet which is stuffed with photos and memorabilia from the era as well as track-by-track memories from Springfield and bandmates Katona and Leinheiser.

Look for the debut of Springfield on May 24 from Iconoclassic Records!  It's currently available for pre-order from Collectors' Choice Music; we will update with Amazon links as soon as they go live.

Rick Springfield, Springfield (Iconoclassic ICON 1062, 2023) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

1. Trash *
2. Call The Fire Brigade *
3. Eleanor Rigby
4. Child Within
5. Beethoven Street *
6. Sukaya *
7. Sweet Teezer *
8. Pearly And Me *
9. American Girls
10. Elektra *

Bonus Single

11. Streakin' Across The U.S.A.
12. Music To Streak By

Live at Northwest Speedway, Post Falls, Idaho, 1974

13. Wolfman Jack Introduction *
14. Music To Streak By *
15. Trash *
16. Call The Fire Brigade *
17. Sukaya *
18. Eleanor Rigby *
19. American Girls *
20. Elektra *
21. Beethoven Street *

(*) previously unreleased​