- Joey Dee (aka Joseph DiNicola) -- vocals

- Joey Dee and the Starlighters

- Joey Dee and the New Starlighters

- Hawk

Genre: pop

Rating: 1 star *

Title:  Joey Dee

Company: Tomorrow

Catalog: TVI 135
Year: 1977

Country/State: Passaic, New Jersey

Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+

Comments: small cut out hole top right corner, someone wrote '10' in black magic marker on top right corner

Available: 1

Catalog ID: 5777

Price: $15.00

Yes, this is the same guy as in Joey Dee and the Starlighters.

By the early-1970s Joey Dee's career had largely run out of steam.  He was still recording occasional 45s for a slew of smaller labels.  As a result I have no idea if it was a self-financed effort that got shelved, or perhaps reflected material that had been recorded as part of early-1970s deals with small labels like Tonsil, Steady, or Sunburst.  If anyone knows, drop me a line.  Unfortunately there's not much information out there on this mid-1970s LP - it doesn't even show on Dee's own website discography, or any of the fan sites I've looked into.   

About all I can tell you is that the cleverly titled "Joey Dee" was co-produced by John Gomez and Elliot Rosoff and judging by the album's overall feel this was a mid-1970s effort.  I own some of Dee's earlier efforts and I'll tell you they're not half bad.  Accordingly, take this review with a grain of salt.  Dee may not have had much to do with the final results; in fact there's a good chance he didn't even know this album existed.

"Joey Dee" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) I Can't Quit    rating: * star

'I Can't Quit' was a pedestrian slice of disco that could have easily been mistaken for something out of the K.C. and the Sunshine Band catalog.  Mindless disco rhythm, equally mindless lyrics, drum machine, cooing female backing vocals ...

2.) Looking for the Man    rating: * star

Thankfully 'Looking for the Man' found Dee moving away from disco.  Unfortunately, this horn-propelled slice of pop wasn't any great shakes.  For his part Dee didn't seem particularly comfortable with the key, or the song which might explain why he was all but drown out by the arrangement.    

3.) Brooklyn    rating: * star

So what could you do to make this any worse?  Well deciding to turn in an old-fashioned Vaudeville-styled number with lyrics that were largely built around 'I want to get back to Brooklyn U.S.A.'  probably wasn't the choice to make.  It was also pretty clear that Dee should stay away from using his falsetto.  Cute gone horribly astray ...  Yech.    

4.) On My Own    rating: * star

Well, I'm kind of struggling to find something nice to say here.  I've reviewed thousands of records only come across one or two that didn't have at least one or two songs that warranted at least two star ratings.  Um, well this one opened up with a bit of  nice lead guitar, though the mid-section solo was hysterically inept.  The rest of 'On My Own' was so sappy that it could have easily put a diabetic into instant diabetic shock.  Billy Joel couldn't even write something this bad.    

5,) Ain't It Crazy    rating: ** stars

Having survived this far into the album is quite an achievement and in a fit of generosity I'd give 'Ain't It Crazy' a nod as the best song on side one.  The baseline for comparison purposes was pretty low and this one wasn't any great treat, but it had kind of a mindless toe tapping melody.  What the hell ...      

(side 2)
1.) Slow That Fast Song    rating: * star

To be honest 'Slow That Fast Song' really wasn't a half bad effort.  Easy to imagine this crashing into mid-1970s top-40 radio.  The problem is that Dee just couldn't wrap his voice around the melody giving the performance a weird, out-of-phase feel.    

2.) Jump Back    rating: * star

Back to disco-flavored material with 'Jump Back'.  Next ...    

3.) Together    rating: ** stars

Time for a big ballad in the form of 'Together'.   Giving credit where due, Dee's voice actually wasn't half bad this time out.  Unfortunately the song sucked.   Horribly over-the-top lyrics and the female backing singers were simply irritating.   This one did have a nice lead guitar !   

4.) Daytime Friend, Nighttime Lover     rating: *** stars

Yeah, 'Daytime Friend, Nighttime Lover' was another disco-flavored effort, but this time out Dee managed to find a song that was actually kind of funky.  Backed by some nice horn arrangements he actually turned in an engaging performance.  Easily the best song on the album.

Unless you're a Joey Dee fanatic, or a tax scam label collector, it's hard to imagine you'd have any interest in this one.  As I said, if anyone's got some insight on this one, drop me a line.

In case anyone cares, Dee has a small website at: http://www.joeydee.com/

d "Joey Dee, Volume 1" was released on Mohawk.