Genre: rock
Rating: 3 stars ***
Title: Sailor
Company: 700 West
Catalog: #761130
Year: 1976
Country/State: Indiana
Grade (cover/record): VG / VG
Comments: includes lyric insert
Available: SOLD
GEMM catalog ID: 5049
Price: SOLD
I've seen this one listed with a psych tag on high priced dealer lists. Let me warn you, there's absolutely nothing psych-ish here ...
That said, 1976's self-produced, "Sailor" offered up a modestly entertaining set of acoustic guitar propelled and harmony-rich pop-rock. With all five members contributing material, songs like the title track, 'Play That Song Forever' and 'I Looked Around You' were quite catchy and commercial and with a bigger label behind them, might have had a shot at the charts. The fact that all five band members handled lead vocals also gave the album a nice sense of versatility. Actually one of the best comparisons I've seen compared the group to America. Not quite as commercial as America, but both Norman Knight and Dan Vincent had voices that bore more than a passing resemblance to Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell and Dan Peek, and acoustic guitar propelled numbers like the title track and 'Run For the Money' were definitely in the musical same ballpark. Probably the most interesting track was the aptly titled closer 'Stealin' Dan'. Musically and lyrically it recalled something out of Steely Dan's catalog (complete with nods to several Becker and Fagen compositions), though with a distinctive America influence. It actually sounded like something that would have fit well on 1972's "Can't Buy a Thrill". Les impressive were the band's stabs at country-rock. Routine and forgettable, tracks like 'North Dakota Morning' were simply dull.
"Sailor" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Sailor (Jim Dicks) - 4:19
2.) Play That Song Forever (Norman Knight) - 3:10
3.) Blue Junkie (Dan Vincent) - 2:47
4.) My Friend (Penny Hooker) - 2:48
5.) Run For the
Money (Jim Dicks) - 3:24
(side
2)
1.) North Dakota Morning (Jim Dicks - Norman Knight - Dan
Vincent) - 2:44
2.) For Karen (Kim Anderson) - 3:48
3.) I Looked Around You (Jim Anderson) - 2:56
4.) I Never Belonged In College (Jim Dicks) - 4:29
5.) Stealin' Dan (Jim Dicks - Dan Vincent) - 4:14