line up 1  

- unknown

- none known

Genre: pop

Rating: 3 stars ***

Title:  Fall Out

Company: Swann

Catalog: AW 14010
Year: 1977

Country/State: US

Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+

Comments: --

Available: SOLD

Catalog ID: SOLD 1608

Price: SOLD $50.00

1977's "Fall Out" was kind of an interesting tax scam release ...  This is nothing more than speculation on my part, but I'm guessing producer Kach Phillips (if he actually existed), simply gathered up demos lying around his studio and slapped them together to pad out this collection.   That's a pretty well known tax scam album trick which makes perfect sense given the seemingly haphazard and random selection and sequencing of these eight tunes.  To my ears the eight tracks sounded like they been cobbled together from at least five separate un-credited acts.  The cover art certainly led you to believe this was some sort of country-tinged album.   Who knows why it was chosen since side one of the album featured an odd mixture of Aretha Frankllin-styed blues and soul numbers ('What Have You Got' and "My Man") and cocktail jazz instrumentals ('Hot Fun In the Summertime' and 'I'll Never Fall In Love Again').  The anonymous female singer on the first two songs was actually quite good and to be honest, the two cocktail jazz numbers weren't bad in a George Benson kind of fashion.  Side two started out with an okay jazz instrumental ('Melody Night'), followed by a pair of poorly recorded soul tunes (this time out with an anonymous male singer). The final track 'The Queen' sounded like a throwaway television theme song.  Interestingly the last three tunes were credited to Philip Kachaturian who had a tax scam track record.  He'd recorded incidental music for the late H.B. Halicki's 1974 archetype car chase film "Gone In 60 Seconds" which reappeared on an Album World album credited to Viva under the title "Automobile Downstairs".   Kachaturian also had some of his material show up on the Album World Sunshine "Makes My Day" LP. 

"Fall Out" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) What Have You Got   (Harry Mitchell) - 2:30

'What Have You Got' came off as a surprisingly enjoyable slice of Aretha Franklin-styled soul.  Complete with women-got-the-power lyric, this one kicked with quite a bit of energy.  Shame it was faded out just as it go going.   rating: **** stars

2.) My Man   (Harry Mitchell) - 3:10

Again, no idea who the anonymous female lead singer was, but she had some major chops.   'My Man' found her dividing into Franklin-styled Gospel blues.   Nice, except for the abrupt end to the tune.   rating: **** stars

3.) Hot Fun In the Summertime (instrumental)   (Sly Stone) - 4:00

Clearly having nothing to do with the prior two tunes, 'Hot Fun In the Summertime' offered up a jazz-guitar take on the Sly & the Family Stones hit.   As mentioned, imagine George Benson playing this one and you'd know what to expect.  There was nothing wrong with the performance, other than you had to ask yourself why you'd want to hear this rather than the original.    rating: ** stars

4.) I'll Never Fall In Love Again (instrumental)   (Burt Bacharach - Hal David) - 3:17

Same comments as above - George Benson-styled cocktail jazz cover of this classic MOR tune.  rating: ** stars

(side 2)
1.) Melody Night (instrumental)- 3:30

Well, I'm not a big jazz fan, but 'Melody Night' wasn't too painful.  Nice drumming; nice jazz guitar ...   kind of a Steely Dan flavor.   rating: *** stars

2.) Tripping On the Mountain  (Philip Kachaturian) - 3:30

Nice Gospel-soul tune by an anonymous male singer.  Yeah, his vocals were a bit rugged and the backing singers we flat, but with a bit of work this could have been a radio-friendly performances.   rating: *** stars

3.) Your Pleasure   (J Kirkland - Philip Kachaturian) - 4:30

The song itself wasn't bad, but the singer was flat and the sound quality was ...  well, lacking.  The singer sounded like he'd actually swallowed the microphone.   rating: ** stars

4.) The Queen (instrumental) (Philip Kachaturian) - 2:45

Complete with backward guitars and shrill production sound, 'The Queen' sounded like a mid-'70s crime and law television theme song.  rating: **** stars

Ultimately this one was simply too diverse and weird to be consider anything other than a middling tax scam release.