Here we are in the unusual position of having a Jeremy album which is credited to the whole person, instead of just the Christian name. The reason for that is this is an extended reissue of his debut some 25 years on. This is a mix of progressive with American melodic rock, with influences such as Genesis, ELO/The Beatles and Tom Petty readily apparent. Even though this was a limited edition release when it first came out (5000 copies), it has gained some kudos within the scene as a ‘must find’ album as here Jeremy really concentrated his efforts in one area (these days he can actually be working on five albums at the same time!), and the mix of brass with a harder edged guitar than one often finds in his music these days really works. This isn’t an album to be searched for as it was the starting point for what has been an extremely prolific career, but rather that here is an album full of songs that are extremely accessible and melodic on first hearing. Sure, some of the keyboard sounds are a little dated but they would have been dated when the tracks came out in 1983 so it is quite deliberate.
This is an example of all that was good about mid-Seventies albums, but without a lot of the pomposity and ‘look at me’ mentality. To the point, it is more AOR than progressive, but should easily appeal to those who just want to enjoy their music without having to worry about which particular pigeonhole it should fit under. Yet another Jeremy album worth investigating (as if is there are any that aren’t).
www.jamrecordings.com
