Artist: Springfield, Rick
Label: RCA Records
Released: 2005
Most people only see Rick Springfield as the teen idol of screaming teenage girls. From the early eighties on, Rick Springfield’s photos were practically mandatory wall decor in teenage girls’ bedrooms all over the world. And yet his music is way more than just teenage fun. This first proper compilation proves it, with Rick himself involved and even writing a ton of liner notes for the hefty booklet that comes with the double CD. The Australian rocker kicked off his musical journey in the late sixties back home in Australia, in the heavy rock outfit ZOOT. In 1972 he launched his solo career and, with his very first single Speak To The Sky, landed at number 14 on the Billboard chart. In 1976 he turned to acting and spent a few years playing Dr. Noah Drake in the soap opera General Hospital. Only in 1981 did he get back to making music, and with the song Jessie’s Girl he hit number 1 on the Billboard singles chart and picked up a Grammy for Best Male Vocal Performance. Years of success followed, with tracks like Don’t Talk To Strangers, What Kind Of Fool Am I, Affair Of The Heart, Human Touch, Souls, Love Somebody and others earning him five Top 10 hits on the most prestigious chart in the US. In 1988 he released the album Rock Of Life, which his fans rate as his best work. After a motorcycle accident and trouble in his private life, he decided to put his music career on the back burner for a while and tried his hand at acting again. He came back to the music scene with the project Sahara Snow, working with Tim Pierce and Bob Marlette, and then in 1999 his first album in eleven years landed in the shops – Karma. In 2001 and 2004 it was followed by Greatest Hits…Alive and Shock / Denial / Anger / Acceptance.
The 42 tracks on the compilation give a cross-section of this Australian’s 35-year career, and if you appreciate good AOR and guitar pop, this compilation is made for you to get to know one of Australia’s better songwriters.
Production
Various
Track List
CD 1:
1. Eleanor Rigby
2. Speak To The Sky
3. Believe In Me (Single Version)
4. American Girls
5. Take A Hand
6. Jessie’s Girl
7. I’ve Done Everything For You
8. Carry Me Away
9. Love Is Alright Tonite (Single Version)
10. Light Of Love
11. Everybody’s Girl
12. Inside Silvia
13. Don’t Talk To Strangers
14. Calling All Girls
15. I Get Excited
16. What Kind Of Fool Am I?
17. Kristina
18. Living In Oz
19. Souls
20. Affair Of The Heart (Single Version)
21. Alyson
22. Me & Johnny
CD 2:
1. Human Touch
2. Love Somebody
3. Don’t Walk Away (Single Version)
4. Bop ‘Til You Drop (Single Version)
5. Dance This World Away
6. Celebrate Youth
7. State Of The Heart
8. Written In Rock
9. Walk Like A Man
10. Power Of Love (The Tao Of Love)
11. Rock Of Life
12. Honeymoon In Beirut
13. World Start Turning
14. Itsalwaysomething
15. Ordinary Girl
16. April 24, 1981 / My Father’s Chair
17. Free (Live)
18. Will I?
19. Beautiful You (Edit)
20. For No One
