John Miles
Band members Related acts
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- John Miles (aka John Errington) (RIP 2021) -- vocals, keyboards, guitar
supporting musicians: (1980) - Barry Black -- drums, percussion - Brian Chatton -- keyboards - Bob Marshall - bass
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- The Influence - The John Miles Set
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Genre: pop Rating: 4 stars **** Title: Music Company: London Catalog: PS
669 Country/State: Jarrow, UK Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: no poster insert Available: 2 Catalog ID: 1390 Price: $10.00
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From the mid-1970s through the earlier 1980s my family lived in Belgium. We had access to American Forces Network radio, but amid between the never ending stream of top-40 tunes, I also discovered the wonders of Radio Luxemburg and Radio Caroline; both which played an array of music that you would never hear on American stations. One of my first discoveries was an English guy by the name of John Miles and the singles 'Highfly' and 'Music'. I'd never heard of Miles and I could never find any of his music through the Army and Air Force base exchanges, but luckily there were lots of records stores in Belgium and it didn't take me too long to track his debut album down. I ran still remember finding a copy of 1976's "Rebel" and thinking that in spite of the fact Miles was shown a-la James Dean posing with an ancient rifle on his shoulders, this skinny, pale English guy looked nothing like a rebel - more like a pissed off clerk typist than a rebel. Not that it mattered since the guy could sing has a** off.
Produced by Alan Parsons, 1976's "Rebel" was simply one of the best mid-1970s pop albums ever released. It remains all but unknown in the States (when released it managed to hit # 171 on the US charts), and didn't exactly make Miles a superstar in the UK. That's probably to be expected given Miles had it all - great voice; talented multi-instrumentalist (lead guitar, keyboards), and a songwriter who was capable of crafting highly commercial material that spanned a broad spectrum of genres and styles. Top-40 pop (the title track), mid-'70s rock ('Highfly'), Stevie Wonder-influenced soul ('Lady of My Life'); it was all represented on the debut album. He was the consummate professional ... While his stuff was simply too mainstream and commercial for hardcore rock fans (occasionally a little too precious for everyone), anyone with an ear for top-40 radio was bound to find something enjoyable on the album. And while I've always enjoyed a good pop tune, it's the Alan Parsons connection that's provided the collection's true charm to my ears. Anyone who's a fan of Parson's early works like "Tales of Mystery and Imagination", "I Robot", "Pyramids" is liable to hear echoes of those works across these ten tracks. Since I'm a big Alan Parsons Project fan, that's a big selling point for me. Like Parson's best material, these songs frequently had entertaining lyrics (check out 'Pull the Damn Thing Down'), included interesting orchestration, yet were highly commercial and radio friendly.
Given the relative absence of American promotion, the album did well in the States, ultimately hitting # 171 on the US charts.
"Rebel" track listing: 1.) Music (John Miles) - 5:58 rating: **** stars Yes, yes, yes the sentiments were incredibly sappy and the over-the-top arrangement came awfully close to MOR territory, but for some reason I've always loved this song. I'm guessing it has something to do with the fact it was the first song I ever heard on Radio Luxembourg when my family moved to Belgium in the mid-'70s. There was just something totally endearing in the way Miles stitched together the sappy ballad portions of the tune and the Live-and-Let-Die-styled orchestration. Add in harpsichord and this was a winner. YouTube has a clip of an April 1976 performance of the tune on the BBC's Top of the Pops: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrrY_vRb7Fc 2..) Everybody Wants Some More (John Miles - Bob Marshall) - 3:58 rating: **** stars 'Everybody Wants Some More' was an interesting ballad that incorporated a mixture of Beatles-styled baroque moves and a hyper-catchy series of melodic snippets that bore more than a passing resemblence to something Paul McCartney might have written. 3.) Highfly - 3:53 rating: **** stars A classic slice of mid-'70s English pop that sounded like a cross between Pilot and Styx ... Maybe his best tune, hearing the killer melody with those quick guitar riffs and the harmony vocals instantly pushes me back to my high school years. 4.) You Have It All - 7:01 rating: **** stars I've always loved Miles' unique bell sounding lead guitar on the epic 'You Have It All'. This was the "big" kind of tune that every band hoped to come up with, though few have done it as well. If you ever wondered where Alan Parsons got the inspiration for The Alan Parsons Project, then I suggest checking this tune out. This is the track Parsons strove to top throughout his career.
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2) With it's martial beat, clipped lead vocal, and pseudo-Broadway-ish melody 'Rebel' was another standout performance. Elsewhere Andrew Powell's unexpected classical arrangement snippet (about two minutes into the tune), always made me smile. Geez, I can remember running cross country with this on my mini-cassette player. 2.) When You Lose Someone So Young - 4:35 rating: *** stars As a youngster who had never lost anyone, I remember thinking this melodramatic ballad sounded like a bad Elton John tune. Years later it's still highly sentimental and the uplifting lyrics are certainly a bit simplistic, but I'll admit to liking it more now than originally. Miles introductory comments are muddy as is the overall sound quality, so all I know is this was recorded for a 1983 charitable event: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihaGFFinorA 3.) Lady of My Life (John Miles) - 4:0 rating: **** stars Kicked along my some sweet, if cheesy synthesizers, 'Lady of My Life' found Miles seemingly turning in his best Stevie Wonder impression. With it's silky double tracked lead vocals, the ballad literally would not have sounded out of place on "Songs In the Key of Life". A bit short on originality, but quite impressive, especially if you were a Wonder fan. 4.) Pull the Damn Thing Down - 7:18 rating: **** stars With Miles weaving his way through what sounded like a dozen different tunes stitched into a rocking McCartney-styled medley, 'Pull the Damn Thing Down' was another personal favorite. Complete with one of his best guitar solos and some none-to-subtle social commentary thrown into the mix, it was another track that was so goofy, you had to eventually surrender to it's charms. Always wondered if Miles sang the segments with the deep vocal ... 5.) Music (reprise) (John Miles) - 2:11 rating: *** stars The earlier tune segued into the closing 'Music' reprise, which came off as a touch MOR-ish.
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Genre: pop Rating: 3 stars *** Title: Sympathy Company: Artista Catalog: AB
4261 Country/State: Jarrow, UK Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: cut lower right corner Available: 1 Catalog ID: 5560 Price: $8.00
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I remember first hearing John Miles as a teenager on Radio Caroline between a Clash track and some weird slice of Britpop and thinking the guy was dynamite. Next time I heard him he was working as a hired gun for The Alan Parsons Project ... he was still pretty friggin' impressive !
Backed by an extensive English tour "More Miles Per Hour" hit # 46 in the UK. "Sympathy" did nothing on the US charts.
"Sympathy" track listing: 1.) Where Would I Be without You (John Miles - Bob Marshall) - 3:52 rating: **** stars A breezy, highly commercial rocker, 'Where Would I Be without You' showcased Miles awesome voice surrounded by a Gospel-tinged refrain that was as sticky as flypaper. Add in some blazing guitar and it was easy to see why Arista tapped it as a single. Why it failed to chart is a different issue.
- 1980's 'Where Would I Be without You' b/w 'Fella In the Cellar' (Arista catalog number AS 0504)
2.) It's Not Called Angel (John Miles - Bob Marshall) - 5:08 rating: *** stars At least to my ears Miles' voice has an instantly recognizable little twang and for some reason I always associate it with his work with Alan Parsons. That's certainly the case on the pretty ballad 'It's Not Called Angel.' My only complaint ois this one would have been better with less of the saccahrine orchestration. 3.) Sympathy (John Miles - Bob Marshall) - 2:55 rating: **** stars Opening up with a piano segment that sounded like it had drifted in from an ABBA album, 'Sympathy' quickly shifted gears into a bouncy rocker with another insidiously catchy chorus. Extra star for the chorus. 4.) We All Fall Down (John Miles - Bob Marshall) - 5:01 rating: **** stars I would suggest 'We All Fall Down' as a primer for folks who didn't realize what a capable guitarist Miles was. The opening and abbreviated closing segments are impressive. And the middle segment of the song sounded like some sort of mash-up between Al Stewart and the Alan Parsons Project. That's meant as a compliment since I love both of those act.
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2) The bubbly 'C'est La Via' reflected Miles at his most pop and commercial. This one could easily have been re-purposed as a soda pop commercial. Another single:
- 1980's 'C'est La Vie' b/w 'Sympathy' (Arista catalog number AB 4261)
2.) Do It All Again (John Miles - Bob Marshall) - 4:36 rating: **** stars One of the album's hardest rocking tune, 'Do It All Again' has always reminded me of something The Sweet might have recorded. The "bell" guitar sound certainly reminded me of The Sweet. Another song with a great chorus hook.
- 1979's 'Can't Keep a Good Man Down' b/w 'Fella In the Cellar' (Decca catalog number 6.12249) 3.) Can't Keep a Good Man Down (John Miles - Bob Marshall) - 4:29 rating: *** stars Another rocker, 'Can't Keep a Good Man Down' added a nice touch of radio commerciality to the mix.
1979's 'Can't Keep a Good Man Down' b/w 'Fella In the Cellar' (Decca catalog number 6.12249 ) 4.) Fella In the Cellar (John Miles - Bob Marshall) - 6:43 rating: *** stars There's a thin line between pretty and schmaltzy and where as 'Music' hit the pretty side of the equation, the ballad 'Fella In the Cellar' struck me as being too precious for it's own good. The song certainly improved when it shifted into the up-tempo mid-section, but even that was marred by the intrusive orchestration.
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BACK TO BADCAT PAYMENT INFORMATION
Continuing
his partnership with producer Alan Parsons 1979 saw Decca release "More
Miles per Hour". I've never understood the
rationale behind the decision, but the album never saw an American
release. Instead, having signed a multi-million dollar deal with
Arista the company inexplicably elected to cannibalize the earlier album,
combining five of that set's songs with three new Gary Lyon produced studio
efforts ('Sympathy', 'Do It All Again', and 'Where Would I Be without
You'). Given new, bland artwork Arista marketing somehow decided it
made sense to re-title the collection "Sympathy"
for US audiences. The album marked a return to a more pop oriented sound similar to Miles
debut with "Rebel". Like the debut, the combination of
Miles' great voice, a strong backing band and his knack for crafting killer
melodies with insidiously catchy hooks made this a wonderful album.
Simply first class pop-rock, material like 'Where Would I Be without You',
the rock edged title track, and 'Do It All Again' was the kind of stuff most
power-pop bands would have killed to have at their disposal. Ironically that
commercial edge may have proven the album's downfall. With audiences
embracing punk, new wave and disco, good old fashioned pop was sooooo
yesterday !!! How unfortunate, though Miles occasionally went
too bubblegummy - C'est La Via'' could have passed for an Elton John outtake
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