Joe Egan
Band members Related acts
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- Joe Egan -- vocals, guitar, keyboards
supporting musicians: (1979) - Vicky Brown -- backing vocals - George Chandler -- backing vocals - Sylvia Egan -- backing vocals - Jimmy Ellis -- backing vocals - Benny Gallagher -- accordion - Bill Livsey -- keyboards - Graham Lyle -- mandolin - Dave Markee -- bass - Phil Palmer -- guitar - Alan Parker -- guitar, dobro - Paul Pilnick -- guitar, bass - Henry Spinietti -- drums - Charles Spitteri -- percussion - Joy Yates -- backing vocals
supporting musicians: (1982) - Stan Behrens -- harmonica - Dennis Bellfield -- bass - David Courtney -- keyboards, synthesizers, vocoder - Chuck Finely -- trumpet - Ralph Hammer -- guitar - Nicky Hopkins -- keyboards - Jim Horn -- sax - Jerry Jummerville -- sax - Steve Madeo -- horns - Tom Saviano -- sax - Rich Schlosser -- drums percussion - Freddy Tackett -- guitar
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Genre: pop Rating: 4 stars **** Title: Out of Nowhere Company: Ariola Catalog: SW
50064 Country/State: Scotland Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: promo stamp on front and back covers Available: 1 Catalog ID: 5444 Price: $15.00
Best time to play: Spring Sunday morning, before the rest of the neighborhood is up
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I forget the name of the Hugh Grant flick where he plays half of what had been a famous pop duo. Naturally Hugh plays the half of the group whose post-breakup solo career went into the toilet while his partner went on to become a mega star ... Think Wham!'s Andrew Ridgeley versus George Michael; though credit Ridgeley for having kept his life together while Michael's become a self-pitying mega mess before his early death. I know that's not exactly a perfect way to start an entry on Joe Egan, but relatively speaking his post-Stealers Wheel career hasn't done much when compared to partner Gerry Rafferty (yeah, I can hear many of you asking 'Gerry' who).
Stealers Wheel (a band I've always enjoyed) called it quits in 1975. Ongoing litigation kept the the prime members from releasing new material for three years. Singer/songwriter Gerry Rafferty waited until 1978 to release a post-Stealers Wheel solo career. His former compatriot Joe Egan held out until 1979.
Produced by David Courtney (best known for his work with Leo Sayer), 1979's "Out of Nowhere" was worth the wait. The result was a record that's overflowing with charm. I'll readily admit it took awhile for me to recognize the set's charms, but once I did, they hit me like a ton of bricks. That said, a word of warning - this isn't in-your-face rock. In fact, it makes much of the Stealers Wheel catalog look like heavy metal. Propelled by Egan's dry voice (which I've always thought was one of Stealers Wheel's strengths), exemplified by material like 'Back On the Road', 'Ask No Favours' and the slinky Gospel-tinged 'Pride' (with a killer dobro solo) the collection showcased a low-keyed charm that blended Egan's reflective lyrics, pop sensibilities, and some of the year's prettiest melodies. Occasionally almost pastoral, it made for a great record to sit back and relax with ('No Time for Sorrow' was a country-flavored song I actually liked). Ironically the atypical rockers 'Why Let It Bother You' and 'Leaving It All Behind' (which may have been a swipe at ex-partner Rafferty), were also the best songs on the album. And that's probably what sunk the collection. In an era of punk aggression, disco metal, and hair metal flatulence, Egan's low-keyed, thoughtful take on life just couldn't find a spot with audiences.
"Out of
Nowhere" track listing: 1.) Back On the Road (Joe Egan) - 4:25 rating: **** stars 'Back On the Road' was one of those songs that took awhile to make itself felt. I can remember think it was a pretty but forgettable ballad. Just mindlessly sappy lyrics with strumming guitars ... Well, there were certainly plenty of strumming guitars, but like the best Stealers Wheels, this one had staying power. Powered by Egan's instantly recognizable voice, the song had a pastoral melody that forced you to slow down and listen. Wonderful. Neither the sound, or video quality are very good, but YouTube has a bunch of clips that appear to have been filmed at a concert in front of a small television audience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIoFb7cvYVg The song was also released as the album's third single:
- 1979's 'Back On the Road' b/w 'My Mama Told Me' (Ariola catalog number 100 599-100) 2.) Ask No Favours (Joe Egan) - 4:37 rating: **** stars Crowd noises, acoustic bass, whistling ... what the hell? And just when you thought this was going to be a throwaway, the song's old-timely charm smack you across the face. Simply charming harmonies with a killer lead guitar solo and some rollicking barrelhouse piano. 3.) Natural High (Joe Egan) - 4:30 rating: *** stars 'Natural High' was the first mild disappointment. In spite of a spidery lead guitar solo (echoes of David Gilmour), this one never shifted out of first gear. Once, again, neither the sound, nor video quality are very good, but YouTube has a live performancne of the song at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9y0fdmtQUg 3.) Why Let It Bother You (Joe Egan) - 4:08 rating: **** stars With a full-tilt rock sound, 'Why Let It Bother You' should have hit the mark for folks wondering what had happened to the Stealers Wheel sound. Too my ears this one of the album's standout performances and had everything you'd look for in a killer 45, including a great groove and a wonderful electric guitar solo. The YouTube clip was taken from the same performance as the two earlier clips and suffered from the same quality lapses: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSdukj7nx4k 4.) The Last Farewell (Joe Egan) - 2:59 rating: **** stars With backing from Graham Lyle (mandolin) and Benny Gallagher (accordion), 'The Last Farewell' was the kind of country-tinged ballad for folks who didn't like country tinged-ballads. YouTube has a clip of Egan lip-synching the tune for an unknown television performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruPWnqLolr8 The track was tapped as the album's second single:
- 1979's 'Last Farewell' b/w 'Pride' (Ariola catalog number ARO 107)
(side
2) With a sweet melody, nice harmony vocals, and Graham Lyle providing the rocking, background mandolin, 'Freeze' may have been the album's most commercial tune. Guess that was why it was tapped as the third single.
- 1979's 'Freeze' b/w 'Pride' (Ariola catalog number ARO 171) And here's the live YouTube clip for the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HIXwkpYNTA 2.) Pride (Joe Egan) - 3:36 rating: **** stars With a slinky Gospel-soaked vibe, 'Pride' was another unexpected album highlight. Darn, the song's back in my head again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuoULfJcU9w 3.) No Time for Sorrow (Joe Egan) - 3:30 rating: ** stars The country-tinged ballad was another "also ran" performance. Good, but lacked that extra punch to push it over the line. 4.) Leaving It All Behind (Joe Egan) - 3:43 rating: **** stars 'Leaving It All Behind' was another atypical return to a full fledged rock sound and all the better for it. should have been tapped as a single. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k110oq_hef4 5.) Out of Nowhere (Joe Egan) - 3:24 rating: *** stars Admittedly, by the time you got to the end of the album, you were at risk to ballad burn out. Swallow hard, dig down into you guts and you'll make it through this one.
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Genre: pop Rating: ? Title: Map Company: Ariola Catalog: ARL
39122 Country/State: Scotland Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: -- Available: -- Catalog ID: -- Price: --
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For anyone interested there's at least one more Egan album - 1981's "Map". Produced by David Courtney who also co-wrote most of the ten songs and contributed keyboards to several tracks,, the album was recorded in California with an extensive list of sessions players including keyboardist Nicky Hopkins and guitarist Fred Tackett. I guess it's just me, but after all these years I still can't hear Egan's dry, gravelly voice without thinking of Stealers Wheel (which is a good thing in my book). That said, Egan sounded in a great form on this album. Perhaps feeling he didn't have much to lose, Egan sounded loose and comfortable throughout the album turning in a collection that was surprisingly diverse and enjoyable. Highlights included the opening rocker 'Tell Me About It', the Stealers Wheel-esque 'Maker On the Make', a rocked-up cover of The Everly Brothers classic 'The Price of Love', and the unexpected reggae-tinged 'Diamonds'. Was it a monster ? Nah, not by a mile, but it was a nice late inning album that surpassed most of Gerry Rafferty's solo releases).
"Stay As You Are" track listing: (side 1) 1.) Tell Me About It (Joe Egan) - 3:56 To be honest, for a guy best known for commercial pop material, 'Tell Me About It' came as kind of a surprise since it showcased a straight ahead rocker. Great tune that climbed into your head and wouldn't leave. I've always wondered why it wasn't tapped as a single. rating: *** stars 2.) Survivor (Joe Egan - David Courtney) - 4:14 Pleasant mid-tempo rocker that was burdened with one of those isn't-rock-music-tough-on-everyone lyrics. Funny that Egan would still have an ounce of sympathy for anyone associated with the business side of music. rating: *** stars 3.) Stay As You Are (Joe Egan - David Courtney) - 3:56 'Stay As You Are' started out as a bleary adult contemporary ballad that might have slotted on a Gerry Rafferty solo album) (complete with sax solo, but was saved from total anonymity by a catchy top-40 pop chorus. Funny, the chorus is really the only part of the song that's stuck with me. The song was tapped as an instantly obscure single. rating: *** stars 4.) Diamonds (Joe Egan - David Courtney) - 3:25 Hum, who would have expected a reggae-tinged number on an Egan album ? You weren't going to throwaway your Bob Marley albums, but if 10c.c. could get away with it, why not Egan ? Another tune that was pleasant. rating: *** stars 5.) Maker On the Make (Joe Egan - David Courtney - Hunter) - 4:15 With strumming guitars and multi-tracked lead vocals, 'Maker On the Make' was probably the album's most Stealers Wheel-ish composition. Highly commercial and another song that would have sounded good on early-'80s radio, though it would have been better without the horn arrangement. rating: **** stars
(side 2) 1.) Miss March (Joe Egan) - 3:05 Probably that album's most outright pop tune, I've always loved the stuttering Supertramp-styled electric piano on 'Miss Match'. Bouncy pop tune that would have sounded good on the radio. rating: **** stars 2.) Heat of the Moment (Joe Egan) - 3:37 Initially 'Heat of the Moment' didn;t make much of an impression on me, coming off as another slice of adult contemporary that might have been used for a Miami Vice soundtrack. It's since grown on me, though still isn't a great tune. rating: *** stars 3.) Price of Love (The Everly Brothers) - 3:47 The lone cover, Egan's take on The Everly Brothers 'Price of Love' was actually one of the album's more interesting performances - in this case he gave the tune a heavy rock feel. On the surface that may not have sounded all that promising, but the results were quite impressive - I certainly like it better than Brian Ferry's version. rating: **** stars 4.) A Little Bit of Magic (Joe Egan - David Courtney) - 4:00 With a folky feel, 'A Little Bit of Magic' was another tune that recalled Stealers Wheel. I'm guessing the song had personal roots, but who knows. Stan Behrens provided the harmonica solos. rating: *** stars 5.) Front Line (Joe Egan - Hunter) - 3:35 Every '80s album seemingly had to have at least one big, AOR ballad and 'Front Line' was Egan's contribution to the genre. Pretty, but forgettable. rating: *** stars
For whatever reason, the album never saw an American release. For whatever reason, in 1982 the California-based The Goods Records decided to change that. Somehow acquiring distribution rights to the collection, they slapped it with a new title ("Stay As You Are")and new cover art. The song listing remained unchanged. From a marketing standpoint it certainly seemed suicidal. By 1982 Egan didn't have much of a fan base left in the States and as a small label, the company certainly didn't have much in the way of promotional capabilities. Needless to say, that didn't stop the project.
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Genre: pop Rating: *** stars Title: Stay As You Are Company: The Goods Records Catalog: TGR
9304 Country/State: Scotland Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: cut lower right corner Available: 1 Catalog ID: 1015 Price: 25.00
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So how obscure is the repackaged version of Joe Egan's second solo album ? Well, for one thing, it doesn't show up on the man's brief Wikipedia entry. Also, as far as I can tell, there isn't a single review of the album to be found on the web (except for this one). Yeah, it's pretty obscure.
For whatever reason, 1981's "Map" never saw an American release. For whatever reason, in 1982 the California-based The Goods Records decided to change that. Somehow acquiring distribution rights to the album, they slapped it with a new title and new cover art. The song listing remained unchanged. From a marketing standpoint it certainly seemed suicidal. By 1982 Egan didn;t have much of a fan base left in the States and as a small label, the company certainly didn't have much in the way of promotional capabilities. Needless to say, that didn't stop the project.
Produced by David Courtney who also co-wrote most of the ten songs and contributed keyboards to several tracks,, 1982's "Stay As You Are" was recorded in California with an extensive list of sessions players including keyboardist Nicky Hopkins and guitarist Fred Tackett. I guess it's just me, but after all these years I still can't hear Egan's dry, gravelly voice without thinking of Stealers Wheel (which is a good thing in my book). That said, Egan sounded in a great form on this album. Perhaps feeling he didn't have much to lose, Egan sounded loose and comfortable throughout the album turning in a collection that was surprisingly diverse and enjoyable. Highlights included the opening rocker 'Tell Me About It', the Stealers Wheel-esque 'Maker On the Make', a rocked-up cover of The Everly Brothers classic 'The Price of Love', and the unexpected reggae-tinged 'Diamonds'. Was it a monster ? Nah, not by a mile, but it was a nice late inning album that surpassed most of Gerry Rafferty's solo releases). Let me add the album is surprisingly hard to locate.
"Stay As You Are" track listing: (side 1) 1.) Tell Me About It (Joe Egan) - 3:56 To be honest, for a guy best known for commercial pop material, 'Tell Me About It' came as kind of a surprise since it showcased a straight ahead rocker. Great tune that climbed into your head and wouldn't leave. I've always wondered why it wasn't tapped as a single. rating: *** stars 2.) Survivor (Joe Egan - David Courtney) - 4:14 Pleasant mid-tempo rocker that was burdened with one of those isn't-rock-music-tough-on-everyone lyrics. Funny that Egan would still have an ounce of sympathy for anyone associated with the business side of music. rating: *** stars 3.) Stay As You Are (Joe Egan - David Courtney) - 3:56 'Stay As You Are' started out as a bleary adult contemporary ballad that might have slotted on a Gerry Rafferty solo album) (complete with sax solo, but was saved from total anonymity by a catchy top-40 pop chorus. Funny, the chorus is really the only part of the song that's stuck with me. The song was tapped as an instantly obscure single. rating: *** stars 4.) Diamonds (Joe Egan - David Courtney) - 3:25 Hum, who would have expected a reggae-tinged number on an Egan album ? You weren't going to throwaway your Bob Marley albums, but if 10c.c. could get away with it, why not Egan ? Another tune that was pleasant. rating: *** stars 5.) Maker On the Make (Joe Egan - David Courtney - Hunter) - 4:15 With strumming guitars and multi-tracked lead vocals, 'Maker On the Make' was probably the album's most Stealers Wheel-ish composition. Highly commercial and another song that would have sounded good on early-'80s radio, though it would have been better without the horn arrangement. rating: **** stars
(side 2) 1.) Miss March (Joe Egan) - 3:05 Probably that album's most outright pop tune, I've always loved the stuttering Supertramp-styled electric piano on 'Miss Match'. Bouncy pop tune that would have sounded good on the radio. rating: **** stars 2.) Heat of the Moment (Joe Egan) - 3:37 Initially 'Heat of the Moment' didn't make much of an impression on me, coming off as another slice of adult contemporary that might have been used for a Miami Vice soundtrack. It's since grown on me, though still isn't a great tune. rating: *** stars 3.) Price of Love (The Everly Brothers) - 3:47 The lone cover, Egan's take on The Everly Brothers 'Price of Love' was actually one of the album's more interesting performances - in this case he gave the tune a heavy rock feel. On the surface that may not have sounded all that promising, but the results were quite impressive - I certainly like it better than Brian Ferry's version. rating: **** stars 4.) A Little Bit of Magic (Joe Egan - David Courtney) - 4:00 With a folky feel, 'A Little Bit of Magic' was another tune that recalled Stealers Wheel. I'm guessing the song had personal roots, but who knows. Stan Behrens provided the harmonica solos. rating: *** stars 5.) Front Line (Joe Egan - Hunter) - 3:35 Every '80s album seemingly had to have at least one big, AOR ballad and 'Front Line' was Egan's contribution to the genre. Pretty, but forgettable. rating: *** stars
Yes, the album was tapped for an equally obscure single:
- 1982's 'Stay As Your Are' b/w 'Survivor' (The Goods Records catalog number TGR93012
Egan seems to have dropped out of the music business, reportedly focusing his attention on a publishing company he owns and operates in Scotland.
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