Come together right now, over me...

In honor of John Lennon's 72nd birthday, I decided to write another Beatle-y entry, this time about Abbey Road. Even though it is the last Beatles album ever recorded, it's much more optimistic than the earlier recorded Let It Be. I bought Abbey Road during the summer before my senior year in high school and loved the entire album immediately. There's a lot of different kinds of songs featured, jumping around a bit in genres, but still unified and strong.

 

"Come Together" I'm sure is a song I'd heard before I got the album, but I didn't really know the song. It kicks off the album forcefully with the bass riff and drum beat and John's whispered "shoot me." It's got a great, bluesy feel and typical vague, seemingly nonsensical, Lennon lyrics. It's a pretty great rock song and I love the ending with the repeated "Come together, yeah" and George's super-clean guitar. "Something" is, in my opinion, one of George's best songs. There's a fabulous bass line, sweet lyrics, a clean slide guitar solo and intro, lovely sweeping orchestral backing, and a very cool drum part during the middle eight (and love that descending part taken by the bass and piano). And I know I already mentioned it, but I love the guitar solo – and slide guitar does something to me I don't know how to explain! "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" was the song I most remember singing loudly in the car with my friends, driving home from school (the chorus is a bit anthemic, after all). It's kind of a silly song – and not one that John particularly liked – in fact, I don't believe John made any contributions to the recording, aside from making Paul laugh during "writing fifty times". The song tells the tale of a guy who bashes in the heads of anyone who he feels threatened by. I like the piano arpeggios leading up to the last verse. "Oh! Darling" is kind of 1950s R&B throw back. Paul does a pretty amazing scream-y vocal performance. John does a great job on the piano and the lead guitar is fantastic as is the drumming. Pretty cool bass line, too. "Octopus's Garden" is a Ringo composition that's a fun, happy jaunt. There's a pretty awesome lead guitar part, some groovy drumming, and I dig the piano part. "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" is a very bluesy Lennon song about Yoko, with just the same lyric repeated throughout the 7 and a half minutes and has a little bit of a jam session feel. Paul contributes some great bass lines and Billy Preston is featured on organ (and he does an amazing job!). My favorite part is the "She's so heavy" bit. I also kinda dig how it ends, a repeated guitar riff, cool drumming, and then an abrupt cut, ending both the song and side A in sudden silence.
 

The B-side of this album is so fantastic – and I adore it! I think part of what gets me so excited is that I saw a Beatle cover band do the entire B-side, with "fake George" playing all three solos during "The End". It was an awesome performance – but The Beatles do a tremendous performance here. "Here Comes The Sun" is the great George track that opens the B-side of the album. It's got lovely, optimistic lyrics, an exquisite melody, and some very interesting time signatures over the bridge (Dhani mentioned that the bridge is very reminiscent of Indian music). George had really come so far as a composer by this point. There's a pretty orchestral accompaniment – I love the deep, mellow sound of violas and cellos. George Martin played the harpsichord on "Because." The choir of Beatle voices is pretty cool and I love the harmonies – particularly Paul's line. The song was influenced by Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" – worked around the chords reversed. "You Never Give Me Your Money" was instantly one of my favorite songs on the album – and one of my favorite songs to play on the piano. I initially thought it was sung by 2 different people, since I didn't recognize Paul's "Lady Madonna" voice as his. I love how the song shifts through so many styles and moods. My favorite part is when Paul segues into the swingy part – and the bass line… and then proceeding into that fantastic guitar riff – George does an amazing job here! There is so much in this song, it's hard to believe it's only 4 minutes. It's still one of my favorite Beatles tracks. "Sun King" features lush, multi-tracked harmonies and a made-up language reminiscent of Spanish. It fades into a drum fill by Ringo and is suddenly "Mean Mr. Mustard". There's some great John-Paul harmonizing and a pretty great fuzz-bass line. "Polythene Pam" is a fun song with John singing with a prominent Scouse accent. There's a nice guitar solo by George before John's "Oh, look out!" and Paul's "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window." George does some more fabulous lead guitar work and as always, Paul's bass line is exceptional. "Golden Slumbers" is a song that Paul called "Trad-Arranged McCartney" since the lyrics were based on an old lullaby. Paul plays piano, George is featured on bass, and Ringo on drums. There's a very lovely orchestral backing too. "Carry That Weight" is fantastic with its reprise of "You Never Give Me You're Money" and more great orchestra work. "The End" is noteworthy for the featured instrument solos by all 4 members of the band – and Ringo's only drum solo on a Beatles album. Of course, me being the guitar solo whore I am, I'm captivated by the guitar solos. I was so proud of myself when, in 2002 after realizing that the solos weren't played by one person, I could pick out which solo was performed by which Beatle – Paul is first, George is second, and John is last with the distorted guitar. The solos end with piano chords and the infamous line, "And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make." "Her Majesty" is the hidden and final track on the album. It was originally placed between "Mean Mr. Mustard" and "Polythene Pam", but didn't work there. That's the reason for the rather abrupt beginning and ending. Paul is the only Beatle featured on this 23 second track.
 

 

All in all, it's a fantastic album that anyone who loves music should own.

 

So until next time.... Happy Birthday, John!

 

 

Anytime at all, all you have to do is call...

In 1963, my boys had already had some tremendously impressive songwriting skills, chops, and contagious melodies under their belts. A Hard Day's Night is notably different though. Please Please Me was literally a run-through of all the songs they played live at the Cavern, all recorded in one day. With the Beatles was much of the same. Both albums definitely demonstrated The Beatles songwriting ability, but there were a number of covers included. (On a side note, I think "Twist and Shout" and "You've Really Got A Hold On Me" are 2 of the best covers The Beatles ever did.) A Hard Day's Night is the very first Beatles album comprised of only Lennon& McCartney material.

The instrumental landscape is graced with driving acoustic guitars, John and Paul's unmistakable voices and harmonies, Paul's characteristic bass lines, Ringo's steady backbeat and of course, George's ringing 12-string guitar. George's playing was so influential -- especially on the classic title song --that seemingly an entire generation of young guitarists made the 12-string a part of their arsenal.

 

The album (and film) opens with that explosive and instantly recognizable chord. And from there, we are taken on an exhilarating ride. Both Paul and John take lead vocals on "A Hard Day's Night." It is a primarily John written song and the title came from Ringo. John gave the middle bit to Paul since he couldn't reach the notes comfortably. "A Hard Day's Night" is an infectious rocker and a lot of good fun. Great beat, catchy melody, easy to dance to, love the guitar solo, and adore the screams. "I Should Have Known Better" is another super-catchy pop song with a bright melody and John demonstrating his talents on the jaunty harmonica line, as was customary in the early Beatles albums. The guitar solo is a bit lacking, but there's plenty of ear candy to keep me amused – Including double tracked Lennon vocals (and just a side note: Love the way he sounds when singing "When I tell you that I love you, oh. You're gonna say you love me too, oh". Those "oh's" totally get to me!) and appealing lyrics. "If I Fell" is a beautiful ballad with an unusual song structure. John and Paul were definitely growing by leaps and bounds in their songwriting abilities. There's no obvious chorus, just versus with a lovely melody, sweet lyrics, and fantastic harmonies by John and Paul. Considering how distinctive and different their voices were, they had an amazing ability for their voices to blend and wrap around each other, forming heavenly harmonies. "I'm Happy Just To Dance With You" is, while not a well-respected Beatles song, I love it and have always considered it one of my favorites from the album. I'm aware that it's a "basic formula" song and that John wrote it as a throw away song and never cared for it, but it's so catchy and George's performance is absolutely adorable. I can't help but picture him in A Hard Day's Night, doing his little jig during the song. I love the Bo Diddley guitar part during the verses and I think my favorite part is when the background vocals come in during the chorus (The "Ohhh ohhh's").

 

"And I Love Her" is a classic Paul ballad – infused with a bossa nova rhythm. It has the typical, sweet lyrics that are customary of McCartney love songs. The middle eight is fantastic (though, there's some debate over whether John or Paul wrote that) and while the guitar solo does nothing more than repeat the melody, it is done on acoustic guitar – which I love! Also, I love the key change – some key changes come across as a bit unnecessary, but this one, I love. "Tell Me Why" was quite obviously influenced by the R&B styles of girl groups during this time. I love the harmonies used continually (but I'm a sucker for harmonies). It has a swingy, walking bass line, a pretty great middle-eight (though, it was quite some time before I understood what they were saying in the falsetto bit), and a fantastic vocal performance from John. "Can't Buy Me Love" is a brilliant anti-materialistic rocker. I tend to prefer the live version featured in Anthology, but there's no denying that this is a fantastic early Beatles rock song. Amazing bass line, very cool guitar solo (love the twangy sound of the guitar), and an incredible scream from my Paulie.

"Any Time At All" is another one of my favorites from this album and kicks off the B-side of the album.  It's lyrics are upbeat, there's a very cool middle eight with Paul pounding the melody out on the piano, and I love John's shout-y chorus (with Paul singing the echoing "Any time at all" because, again, John couldn't reach the notes). John had said that this song was an attempt to re-write "It Won't Be Long", which I can see – But since I love that song too, it doesn't detract at all. "I'll Cry Instead" features confessional lyrics set to a wistful, country-western musical backdrop. It's a captivating, snappy melody and flies by. This song clocks in under two minutes, and to me, there just isn't time to dislike it. My favorite part is "Don't wanna cry when there's people there" bit. "Things We Said Today" is one of my songs. I love the duga-dum acoustic guitar intro and Paul singing harmony with himself. I think the song is interesting lyrically, with the future tense of the song and how "the present" is somehow the past. I'm quite partial to the middle-8 bit too and the change from a minor key to a major key. "When I Get Home" is another Lennon rocker. I'm finding that I really do like the scream-y voice John uses on these early rock songs. "You Can't Do That" is another song I'm quite partial to. Wilson Pickett inspired, it's got great jangly guitar, nice background vocals, and I like the stop-start of the "I told you before, you can't do that." And there's a pretty nice scream before John launches into a very Lennon-esque guitar solo. "I'll Be Back" is a nice piece of songwriting with rather poignant lyrics. My favorite bit is "I thought you would realize…" It's kind of an unexpected choice as an album closer, but I like how it ends on the promise that "I'll be back again."

 

 

The record goes from blue to gold…

I believe I’ve mentioned this band before, but allow me to say few more things about the “punk-cabaret” band, The Dresden Dolls. I was introduced to their music several years ago. The first album I heard was Yes, Virginia and was the music immediately caught my attention. What is so cool to me is that the music is, more or less, rock, but is played on the piano. Also, for a band that doesn't consist of anything more than a piano and drums, the tracks are huge, your brain won't even realize that there are only 2 instruments being played here. I’m in love with the piano parts Amanda Palmer always has – really crazy chords, kind of a bastardization on Jazz and Classical… and the consistently dark and twisted lyrics… I dunno, there’s something about all of that that really appeals to me. And let’s not forget about Brian’s drumming – inventive and powerful.

 

The song I first became infatuated with was “Backstabber". It’s kind of a 4-minute litany of insults aimed at some unknown critic, but it has an amazingly catchy piano riff and a captivating melody – with fantastic drumming by Brian. For all of her venom and sometimes-frightening intensity, Amanda has a sharp wit and I think it’s quite apparent in this song. The other song that quickly became a favorite of mine is “Dirty Business”. I love the feel of this song, the powerful chords, and some of the sarcasm that Amanda delivers in the lyrics – and the way the song builds throughout the last chorus. It’s really an amazing song.

 

Fairly recently, I dusted off the DVD of a concert The Dresden Dolls did quite a few years ago and was immediately impressed again with their commanding stage presence and energy during a performance – and they obviously love performing. I’m so glad I’ve had the opportunity to see them live, because it was an amazing experience. One thing you can say about The Dresden Dolls, their brand of theatrics, cabaret, and dark confessionals is a refreshing change of pace. So yeah, if you can get past their somewhat unusual appearance and not be freaked out by them, check ‘em out. You may enjoy them!

Just being self-indulgent

Basics
What kind of iPod do you have? 16 GB Nano
How many songs are in your iPod?: 3586 on my iPod, but 5432 in my iTunes.
What song are you listening to right now?:  Unforgettable – Nat King ColeFirst Song Added: Isolation – American English (from my old iPod – 8/6/2006)
First Full Album Added: Please Please Me - The Beatles (from my old iPod – 8/6/2006)

Last Song Added: Oh Well, Okay (Live) – Elliott Smith (8/16/2012)
Last Full Album Added: Music Box – The Monkees (3/27/2012)

 
Put the songs in alphabetical order.
What is the first song?: Aba Daba Honeymoon (from Two Weeks With Love)–Debbie Reynolds & Carlton Carpenter
What is the last song? 99 Luftballoons - NenaPut the songs in album order.
What is the first song?: S. O. S. – ABBA (from ABBA)
What is the last song?: 99 Luftballoons – Nena (99 Luftballoons)Put the songs in artist order.
What is the first song?: Take On Me- a-ha
What is the last song?: Hide Another Mistake – The 88Put the songs in time order.
What is the first song?: KXOK Jingle – Bruno J. Grunion (0:04)
What is the last song?: On A Clear Day You Can See Forever Medley – Arthur Fiedler & Boston Pops (15:26)

Put it in genre order.
What is the first song?: I’m Yours/Somewhere Over The Rainbow – Straight No Chaser (A Cappella)
What is the last song?: Romance to Holocaust – Ravi Shankar (World)

Top 10 most played songs, with number of plays
1.: Landed – Ben Folds (113)
2.: See You Later – Elliott Smith (109)
3.: Wouldn’t Mama Be Proud – Elliott Smith // Paper Bag – Fiona Apple (93)
4.: Plainclothes Man – Heatmiser (92)
5.: LA – Elliott Smith (91)
6.: See You Later – Heatmiser (89)
7.: Cry Baby Cry – The Beatles (84)
8.: Rainy Days and Monday – Carpenters // After You’ve Gone – Judy Garland (78)
9.: Dirty Business – The Dresden Dolls (71)
10.: Truth Doesn’t Make a Noise – The White Stripes // Oliver’s Army – Elvis Costello (70)
Top 10 least played songs, with number of plays
1.: too many with 1 to list

Random Questions
How long have you had your iPod?:November 2008
Does if have a crapload of scratches on it?: No
What is your most favorite song of all time?: I don’t have a favorite song of all time
What is your favorite foreign language song?: Le Festin (from Ratatouille) - Camille
What's the most embarassing song that you have?: I have a number of embarassing songs on my ipod, but possibly "Cool Rider“ from Grease 2. That’s just not dignified, but have been too lazy to take it off
Search for the following terms:
"love" – 325 songs
"hate" – 6 Songs
"sex" – 7 Songs
"abstinence" - 0 songs
"light" - 38 songs
"dark" - 12 songs
"life" - 52 songs
"death" - 3 songs
"earth" - 5 songs
"fire" - 18 songs
"wind" - 23 songs
"water" - 12 songs
"heart" - 62 songs

Put your iTunes on shuffle and answer the following questions –

Describe yourself :
Crossroads – Eric Clapton

What do people feel when they’re around you?
Stardust – Hoagy Carmichael

Describe your current relationship :
Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now – The Smiths

Where would you like to be right now?
Down in the Tube Station at Midnight – The Jam

How do you feel about love?
Supersonic - Oasis

What is your life like?
Picture Book – The Kinks

What would you wish for if you only had one wish?
It's Too Late - Sondre Lerche

Say something wise :

Friday On My Mind – The Easybeats

How would you describe yourself?
Your Wonderful Parade - Carpenters

What do you look for in a girl/boy?
Where or When – Frank Sinatra

How do you feel today?
Doing All Right – Queen

What’s your life’s purpose?
Time Bomb – Rancid

What is your motto?
Are You Lonesome Tonight? – Elvis Presley

What do your friends think of you?
The Kill – The Dresden Dolls

What do your parents think of you?
Bend Me, Shape Me – The American Breed

What do you think about very often?
My Favorite Things – Julie Andrews (from The Sound of Music)

What do you think of your best friend?
Suffragette City – David Bowie

What do you think of the person you like?
Snow – Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Danny Kaye and Vera Ellen (from White Christmas)

What is your life story?
The End – The Beatles

What do you want to be when you grow up?
Love Child – Diana Ross and the Supremes

What do you think of when you see the person you like?
Too Cool Queenie – Stone Temple Pilots

What will you dance to at your wedding?
Jet (Live) – Paul McCartney

What will play at your funeral?
Miss Misery – Elliott Smith

Biggest fear?
Leave My Kitten Alone (Take 5) – The Beatles

Biggest secret?
Sentimental Fool – Roxy Music

Okay, so yeah... That was kind of a waste of time, but some of those answers in the last section kind of make me laugh.

 

Don't let 'em tell you what you wanna be....

What can I say about Paul McCartney that hasn’t already been written somewhere? Probably not too much, but I’m gonna try.

 

Paul McCartney is my favorite Beatle. I think it was the White Album picture that officially hooked me. I remember after I had gotten The White Album while I was in high school, I was laying on my bedroom floor looking at the photos included with that album. I remember looking at that picture of Paul (you know the one) and thinking, “Okay yeah, he’s pretty good looking.” Of course, there’s much more to Paul McCartney than a pretty face. He is an amazingly talented musician, songwriter, entertainer… I mean, how many people have written such a vast amount of songs that basically everyone knows? I can tell you, there aren’t that many songwriters you can say that about. His voice is so extraordinary – it’s distinctive, but so versatile at the same time. It’s pretty amazing that he could sing “Here, There and Everywhere” in such a sweet voice and alternatively launch into a song like “Lady Madonna” or “Helter Skelter”. There was a time when I didn’t realize the same person sang those songs! And as a musician – his bass lines were always melodic and distinct, he played some pretty awesome guitar solos, he can rock on the piano, and can even hold his own on the drums.
 

Anyhow, I’ve recently had the good fortune to get tickets to see Paul McCartney in concert – again! I’ve been lucky enough to have seen him twice before. In fact, my first real concert was to see Paul McCartney. Let me tell you, that was an amazing experience. I was able to see him towards the height of my Beatlemania – with my best Beatle friend – and it was the most incredible concert I’ve ever been to. Even the second time I saw him couldn’t compare. Also, up until that concert, I really couldn’t understand the girls during the ‘60s screaming and carrying on the way they did when they saw the Fab Four. And while I still don’t completely understand the logic of screaming during the performance of a song (how can you hear it if you’re screaming?), I do understand the involuntary emotional response that happens being so near such a magnetic and charismatic presence. I’ve never been a very scream-y person, but at the beginning and ending of each song, the excitement just is too much to keep bottled up.

 

Since I found out I’m going to see Paul again, I’ve dug up all of my Paul-related CDs and have been listening to him and The Beatles almost exclusively. This is something I haven’t done for about 7 or 8 years. It’s been interesting and amazingly, despite the fact that I know all of this music so well, it still triggers that emotional response in me. Giddiness, exhilaration, and a bit of wonder at the awesomeness of the songs.

 

I think my favorite Paul album post-Beatles is Ram. “Too Many People” has been one of the songs I’ve been constantly going back to this week. I really love the song. The guitar, the drums, the way it builds… To me, it’s a pretty great way to open an album.  “Dear Boy” is another track on the album that I tend to keep going back to. I know I’ve mentioned it before, but I’m such a sucker for harmonies, and this song is saturated with them. Absolutely catchy melody, simple lyrics, and so many layers of McCartney,  that one could almost get lost in it. My favorite bit is the last 30 seconds of the song when there are all those parts going on at the same time. Oh my god! It’s almost as good as a guitar solo for me!  I also must mention the fantastic guitar riff in “Smile Away”. But really, the entire album is incredible. It’s strange for me to think that this album was actually met with a fairly poor critical reception – especially since it’s so well revered now.

 

Oh well, before I close for now, I do want to say one last thing. While I am definitely a Maccaholic, I don’t want you to think I play that stupid game of “who was better? John or Paul?” I just refuse to play that game, just as I reject any suggestion that the Beatles could have done what they did, been what they were (or are) to millions of us, without George or Ringo. They all had a very important part in the band and are all amazingly talented individuals. And like Paul said in Living In The Material World, “I always likend us [The Beatles] to four corners of a square. People say, ‘Ah, well, John and Paul were the important ones.’ But I say, ‘No, no, it’s a square.’ Without any of the four corners, you collapse.”

 

So, be prepared for more entries about “My Boys”, but until then, I’ll leave you with this:

With only the blue light of the TV on…

I obviously have a thing for great pop songs with notable lyrics – I suppose it’s the writer in me that I always take notice of lyrics – particularly when unusual words are used or great imagery is utilized. So I suppose it would be no big surprise that I dig Elvis Costello, who once in an interview jokingly referred to himself as “rock and roll’s scrabble champion.”  His lyrics are unique, memorable, meaningful, funny, and clever.  As a songwriter, he’s really great. He’s written a ton of really tight pop songs. And his voice, while it’s been criticized rather often being called “limited and harsh”, in the opinion of this rather unimportant individual, it’s pretty great. It works well for his songs and is distinctive and I love it.

Elvis Costello has been a staple of my music collection for quite a few years now and I’ve even had the pleasure of seeing him live in 2008. The first song I had heard by him and truly took notice of was “Human Hands” off of the album, Imperial Bedroom. It’s a fantastic song with a cool piano part (Steve Nieve is a very talented pianist), great rhythm and amazing lyrics.  Starting with the crash of chords and drum fills before settling into a slightly reggae rhythm. The piano during the chorus is awesome. Some of my favorite lines are… well, the first line is pretty great: “I’ve been talking to the wall and it’s been answering me.” Paints a very specific image. And the chorus is also a lot of fun to sing along with because of the rhythm of the words with the music: “Whenever I put my foot in my mouth and you begin to doubt that it’s you that I’m dreaming about, do I have to draw you a diagram?” I also love the line “Tighter and tighter, I hold you tightly. You know I love you more than slightly.”

 

A couple other songs I’ve had moments of infatuation with are “Blue Chair” and “I Want You” from Blood and Chocolate, “Oliver’s Army” from Armed Forces, and “You’ll Never Be A Man” from Trust.

 

I love the chorus in “Blue Chair”... but my favorite part is the middle eight (though, I don't think that's what it’s called since it's actually 16 measures). I especially like the line "We can watch our troubles rise like smoke into the air and drift up to the ceiling". I also LOVE the ending. As for “I Want You”, that song does something to me. I disagree with some of the interpretations of the lyrics though... there are quite a few people who seem to think he's a psycho stalker who is going to kill the girl. I don't get that image at all... I think of it more of a guy who is devastated by his girl cheating on him. After finding out, he's obsessing over the situation... wanting to know every detail, even though it hurts him to know. But that's just me... The song itself though is awesome. I love the twang of the guitar after the intro. I love Elvis' passionate, slightly hoarse, sometimes sarcastic sounding vocals. The lyrics are pretty steamy too... though, it might have something to do with the fact that every other line is "I Want You"... but the line "did you call his name out as he held you down..." Very erotic. The whole song has a very steamy and erotic feel to me... My favorite part is (big surprise) the guitar solo.

 

“Oliver’s Army” is an upbeat melody with great piano flourishes and rather serious lyrics. My favorite part is during the last verse when he’s singing harmony with himself. I kind of have a thing for harmonies, specifically when the vocalist is harmonizing with themselves. And the line of the chorus, “And I would rather be anywhere else but here today” is a line that has run through my head in a number of different situations throughout my life! “You’ll Never Be A Man” I adore for the lovely countermelody in the piano (Steve really shines in this song), the harmonies, and the clever lyrics and rhymes in the chorus.

 

Anyhow, I suppose that’s enough for the time being, but you will undoubtedly be hearing more about Elvis Costello in the future.

And I couldn't help but sing along...

Another mini-post…

Like I’ve mentioned before, I had a major crush on Keith Partridge during my early-teenage years, so I listened to a lot of The Partridge Family. I owned every one of their albums and even would sit in front of the television with a tape recorder and microphone to tape the songs that weren’t available on a record. I even joined the David Cassidy International Fan Club after seeing the address inside one of the CD covers I owned. Yeah, I was a huge fan… I even got to see David in Vegas on my 17^th birthday.

Anyway, the first song I really liked of theirs was their biggest hit, “I Think I Love You”. Of course, it was very shortly after obtaining the CD of their greatest hits that I began to explore all their music. Looking back on it now, many years later, I can see why my dad complained that all their songs sounded the same, BUT they did have some pretty damn good pop songs.

A few of the non-hits that I keep coming back to are “Maybe Someday”, (It’s got a brass part during the chorus that hooks me – something I never noticed while watching the performance on the show), “Twenty Four Hours A Day”, “That’s The Way It Is With You” (lovely piano intro), “Rainmaker” (more pretty piano part), “Love Is All That I Ever Needed” (nice bass intro – and co-written by David Cassidy), “You Are Always On My Mind”,  “There’s No Doubt In My Mind” and “Last Night”. Are any of these songs super innovative or revolutionary? Not by a long shot. Are the lyrics sappy and silly? You bet. It’s unobtrusive ‘70s bubblegum pop. But what these songs do have to offer are carefully crafted pop music with cushy arrangements and some nice vocals provided by David Cassidy.