Genre: pop
Rating: 3 stars ***
Title: David Courtney's First Day
Company: United Artists
Catalog: UA
LA553-G
Year: 1974
Country/State: UK
Grade (cover/record): VG / VG+
Comments: cut top right corner; include original lyric inner sleeve
Available: 1
Catalog ID: 125
Price: $10.00
I bought this album for 25 cents at a yard sale even though I knew David Courtney was responsible for writing many of those ghastly mid-1970s radio successes Leo Sayer enjoyed, I'm not sure why I bought it - perhaps because I own a copy of the debut Roger Daltry album that Courtney largely wrote and produced, Perhaps I was wondering if Courtney's solo work could be as bad as Sayer's stuff. Maybe the album's '70s vibe attracted my attention ... Needless to say, my expectations were limited.
Courtney apparently started out as a drummer, recording and touring with Adam Faith in the mid-1960s, but I'm guessing that Courtney's successes working with Daltry and Sayer played a role in being signed to United Artists and the release of this album ... So here's the funny thing - 1976's self-produced "David Courtney's First Day" wasn't exactly awe-inspiring, but at the same time it was not nearly as bad as it could have been. Certainly better than your standard Leo Sayer album and judging by the extensive performance credits, Courtney seemingly knew every professional musician in the UK. It would certainly be interesting to know how he got the likes of David Gilmour and Frank Monkman to guest on the album. Anyhow, Courtney's talents were clearly in the songwriting vein which may explain why Tony Burrows handled lead vocals on 'Don't Look Now'. To be fair, Courtney's voice wasn't half bad. Yeah, it took a little getting use to, but ultimately I didn't find it any more irritating than Sayer's. As a songwriter Courtney's material was way too sensitive singer/songwriter oriented for my tastes which meant the album's atypical offerings provided the highlights - notably the Beach Boys influenced 'Don't Look Now' and the straight forward pop number 'My Mind'. All told it was entertaining enough to make you wonder what would have happened had he been given a chance to record a follow-up.
- Opening up the album with the overblown, symphonic instrumental 'Silverbird' (also the title of one of Leo Sayer's albums) was simply a bizarre decision. Sounding like some sort of throwaway film score, it wasn't exactly the kind of song to get you psyched up for a rock and roll set. I've reviewed thousands of songs over the years and never given a song a 'no stars' rating. So here's a first. rating: no stars
- With Tony Burrows handling lead vocals, 'Don't Look Now' had a surprisingly attractive Beach Boys feel. Very unexpected, but quite commercial and likeable, it's easy to see why EMI tapped it as the album's second single. rating: **** stars
- Since there were no credits for the lead vocal on 'Everybody Needs a Little Loving' I'm guessing the Kermit-the-Frog voice belonged to Courtney. Okay, the performance wasn't that bad, though the heavy use of female backing singers was clearly meant to supplement his limited voice.. Imagine early David Bowie (when he was still torn between being cabaret singer and a rock star) or a slightly more tuneful Lou Reed and you'd have a feel for what this mid-tempo number sounded like. The song actually improves with age ... rating: ** stars
- Dripping pretense and sappiness, 'Stranded' sounded like it had been written for Sayer. Young female English majors may have found it fascinating, but for everyone else it was just painful. Song highlight - Francis Monkman's synthesizer solo. rating: ** stars
- One of the album's more commercial tunes, 'It's All For You' had a bouncy melody; some nice Latin flavored percussion and more Monkman synthesizer. Abandoning his croaky delivery for a fragile falsetto may not have been a great move, but after you got accustomed to it, the song was actually kind of fun. rating: *** stars
- A pretty ballad that featured Aixa Courtney on vocals (his late wife ?) and some wonderful Alan Parker slide guitar, 'Life Is So They Say' sounded a bit like a lysergic soaked 10CC track. One of the album's standout performances. rating: **** stars
- Sounding like something coming out of the Chinn-Chapman writing machine, 'My Mind' was a glistening slice of power-pop than would have made Slade or T-Rex green with envy. Kicked along by Parker's fuzz guitar riff, it was hard to believe United Artists didn't release it as a single. EMI (his UK label) did release it as a single. rating: **** stars
- 'Don't Let the Photos Fool You' returned to overly sensitive singer/songwriter territory. Pass. rating: ** stars
- Hum, let's add a country flavor to the mix .... Judging by 'You Ain't Got Me' - let's not. Well, if you like flat sounding Bob Dylan, this might be up your alley. I did like B.J. Cole's pedal steel guitar work ... rating: ** stars
- Simply drowning under self-anguish, 'Take This Mask Away' sounded like a truly bad Mott the Hoople song. If Ian Hunter ever went off the deep end, this might be what the results sounded like. Another Leo Sayer-ready track. rating: ** stars
- Just when you thought it couldn't get much worse, 'If You Wanna Dance' showed up. With a cloying, bouncy melody, this one sounded like the poor cousin to Sayer's hit 'You Make Me Feel Like Dancing'. rating: ** stars
- 'When Your Life Is Your Own' was probably the track that attracted the most attention - not that the song was any great shakes, but as a result of David Gilmour guesting on the song. Yes, his guitar work was instantly recognizable and gave the song a much need sense of credibility. With a 'Space Oddity' era Bowie vibe the song would have been even better without the weird echo vocal effects, Still, with a strong melody, this one was certainly worth hearing. rating: *** stars
As mentioned, EMI tapped the album for a pair of singles in the UK:
- 1975's 'My Mind' b/w 'The Road'' (EMI catalog number 2349)
- 1975's 'Don't Look Now' b/w 'Don't Let the Photos Fool You'' (EMI catalog number 2391)
So, all told call Courtney's debut diverse and a pleasant surprise. Plus you can still find cheap copies.
"David
Courtney's First Day" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Silverbird (instrumental) (David Courtney) - 2:15
2.) Don't Look Now (David Courtney) - 3:12
3.) Everybody Needs a Little Loving (David Courtney) - 5:12
4.) Stranded (David Courtney) - 3:42
5.) It's All For You (David Courtney) - 5:13
6.) Life Is So They Say (David Courtney) - 4:00
(side
2)
1.) My Mind (David Courtney) - 2:21
2.) Don't Let the Photos Fool You (David Courtney) - 3:40
3.) You AIn't Got Me (David Courtney) - 4:54
4.) Take This Mask Away (David Courtney) - 3:38
5.) If You Wanna Dance (David Courtney) - 3:38
6.) When Your Life Is Your Own (David Courtney) - 5:12
The album actually hit the US top-200 charts (#194), but that wasn't enough for United Artists which quickly dropped him from its recording roster. Courtney then returned to songwriting and production. In 2005 the small The White Room label began releasing material Courtney had recorded and shelved over the years. As far as I can tell, there have been a series of five collections including a reissue of the debut LP with some bonus material.
:
- 2005's "Shooting Star" (The Whiteroom UPC number ???)
- 2005's "Midsummer Madness" (Whiteroom UPC number 634479212970)
- 2006's "Here's One I Made Earlier" (Whiteroom UPC number 634479350566)
- 2009's "First Day - The Complete Story" (Air Angel UPC number 5055011703155)
- 2012's "The Show Must Go On" (Air Angel catalog number SJPCD 381)
He's also written an audiobiography - 2011's "The Truth Behind the Music" (Courtney Productions, Ltd.).
For anyone interested, Courtney has a small website at:
http://www.davidcourtney.co.uk/