Esoteric Recordings / Cherry Red [Release date : 30.01.26]

Andrew Gold was one of the finest musicians and songwriters to emerge from the Los Angeles music scene in the mid 70s. Most will remember him as being one half of 1980’s pop duo, Wax, along with legendary English singer/songwriter and one time member of 10cc, Graham Gouldman.

Gold had established a reputation as an arranger and key member of Linda Ronstadt’s band before breaking out as a solo artist with his self-titled debut album in 1975.

This remastered Cherry Red anthology expands on the 4 solo albums he released through that decade, by including a CD of archived unreleased material, a fascinating live disc, and a DVD, plus bonus tracks.
7 Discs in total. It’s the ultimate Gold boxset.

CD1 : Andrew Gold

CD2 : What’s Wrong With This Picture

CD3 : All This And Heaven Too

CD4 : Whirlwind

CD5 : Out-takes and Unreleased

CD6 : Live Recordings 1976/7

CD7 : The Promotional Videos

The man’s talents bore the imprint of his parents’ DNA. A father who won Oscars for his movie music, “Exodus” and “On The Beach”, and a mother who voiced the songs for actresses Deborah Kerr and Audrey Hepburn in several Award winning Hollywood musicals.

The self titled, 1975 debut has consistently enjoyed rave reviews in the music media. Its seventies’ soft rock cachet, a mix of Sedaka, The Beatles and The Eagles (most notably ‘That’s Why I Love You’ and ‘Love Hurts’), leads ultimately to the album’s peak track, ‘Endless Flight’, a gorgeous love song with its feet firmly on the ground.

“Follow that” they said. So he did, with 1976’s What’s Wrong With This Picture’. The bittersweet hit single, ‘Lonely Boy’, a captivating slice of adult pop, charted worldwide. For the first time, despite his success as a producer, arranger and songwriter for other artists, he gained the attention of a global audience.

The sweet pop funk of ‘Never Let Her Slip Away’ was the big hit off third album All This And Heaven Too. The low key ‘Thankyou For Being A Friend’, prettied up by sweeping strings and a Beatlish middle section, would later become a popular component of US TV series soundtracks.

The workmanlike Whirlwind completed Gold’s solo album cycle, and he moved back into writing, playing and production, working with Cher, Vince Gill, Wynona Judd, Trisha Yearwood, and many others.

His craftsmanship as producer/ arranger of his own material often flew under the music media’s radar. There are two versions of ‘The Gambler’ on the boxset’s fifth CD, Outtakes and Unreleased. Version 2 is undoubtedly the better. It sounds like a go-for-glory dash at the end of a recording session, Gold’s running-on-fumes vocal delivery give the narrative a sense of authenticity.

Several of Gold’s concerts were recorded during the seventies, but were only released on CD in 2020 as boxset components.
Two gigs – Live At The Universal Amphitheatre, LA. 1977, and Live At The New Victoria Theatre, London 1976 – the latter was broadcast on the BBC’s Old Grey Whistle Test a year later.
These gigs comprise CD6.

The warm-as-a-summer-breeze version of Maurice Williams’ ‘Stay’ (a 1963 hit for The Hollies) and an affecting version of Buddy Holly’s ‘Learning The Game’ are memorable highlights of the LA gig.
The OGWT material really rocks out occasionally, most notably on the last minute or so of ‘Lonely Boy’ and turns a cool shade of mellow on ‘That’s Why I Love You’ and ‘One Of Them Is Me’. Gold does “romantic” like he was born to it.

We have not yet had sight of the DVD content. We’ll get it reviewed as available.

Gold died in his sleep from heart failure, aged 59, in 2011. Another highly talented musician who burned bright but left us too soon. RIP. ****1/2

Review by Brian McGowan

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