🎷 AotW: Horizon Gordon Michaels - STARGAZER (SP-737)

[Captain Bacardi]

Gordon Michaels
STARGAZER
A&M/Horizon SP-737

Released 1979

Format: Vinyl/Cassette/8-Track

Produced by Hugh McCracken

Songs:

• 1. Stargazer - 4:07
  2. Monkey Mother - 3:15
  3. Indoor Lovers - 3:36
  4. This Is Love - 4:32
  5. Turnin' Brown - 3:13
  6. Find The Angle - 3:17
  7. Bermuda - 3:02
  8. Ugly Ramona - 3:40
  9. Danny Dies In Dublin - 3:48
  10. Favorite Songs - 3:21
  
  All music and lyrics composed by Gordon Michaels. All selections published by Koosah Music, Inc. (BMI) except "Favorite Songs", published by Clancy Music (BMI).

Musicians:
Gordon Michaels - Guitar, Piano, Arranger, Harmonium, Keyboards, Vocals, Oberheim
Richard Tee - Piano, Keyboards
Tony Levin - Bass, Chapman Stick
Rick Marotta - Drums
Hugh McCracken - Bass, Guitar, Harmonica, Arranger
Ed Walsh - Synthesizer, Programming, Oberheim
Mike Mainieri - Percussion, Marimba, String Arrangements
Arthur Jenkins - Percussion
Linda Reddwolf - Vocals, Harmony
Lisa Gilkyson - Vocals, Harmony
David Sanborn - Alto Sax
George Marge - Flute, English Horn
George Young - Flute
Bill Brown - French Horn
Guillermo Figueroa - Violin
Richard Hendrickson - Violin
Lucy Stoltzman - Violin
Judy Geist - Viola
Richard Sher - Cello
Fred Sherry - Cello
Ida Kavafian - Concertmaster

Engineer: Kevin Herron
Assistant Engineer: Scott MacPherson
Associate Engineer: Michael Getlin
Production Coordination: Christine Martin

Art Direction: Roland Young
Design: Chuck Beeson
Photography: Mark Hanauer



Capt. Bacardi

 

[Dave]

Most of the songs are are fairly decent and the memorable ones are ones which relentlessly stick in your head ("Stargazer", "Monkey Mother", "Bermuda", "Ugly Ramona", "Danny Dies In Dublin", "Find The Angle", "Turnin' Brown") while a few are pretty forgettable ("Indoor Lovers", "Favorite Songs", "This Is Love") and both factions sound pretty "sound-alike" from so-so Jazz/Pop Crooner, Michaels...

An OK album with good, if not supportive, studio musician backing, though don't go too far out'ta your way to get a copy (a one mail-ordered item) like I did; I'm sure one will turn up near you--in the Dollar Section which was where mine went...!

Gordon, to my knowledge, hasn't recorded anything else since...



Dave

 

[Mr Bill]

I really like this album... Quirky vocals, interesting music... All in all a good listen.

By this point A&M had transitioned Horizon from a strictly jazz imprint (the sunrise label) under John Snyder into an imprint catering to music that was not entirely jazz-based but largely uncategorizable (blue label) under Tommy LiPuma. This is not surprising since in the "pop music" world things were transitioning from Disco to Punk/New Wave. Horizon even got a third face lift nearly a decade later as one of the of the imprints of Christian label Word Records under that label's arrangement with A&M.

--Mr. Bill

 

[Captain Bacardi]

This is an interesting album. Not jazz at all, although he's backed by a stellar jazz ensemble. Gordon Michaels sounds like different artists with each song. There's a strong Paul McCartney resemblence on tunes like "Ugly Ramona" and "Indoor Lovers". The songwriting is actually pretty good, but Michaels' singing doesn't do a whole lot for me. I really liked "Turnin' Brown" and "Bermuda". 2 & 1/2 stars.


Capt. Bacardi

 

[WillDockery]

This is an interesting album. Not jazz at all, although he's backed by a stellar jazz ensemble. Gordon Michaels sounds like different artists with each song. There's a strong Paul McCartney resemblence on tunes like "Ugly Ramona" and "Indoor Lovers". The songwriting is actually pretty good, but Michaels' singing doesn't do a whole lot for me. I really liked "Turnin' Brown" and "Bermuda". 2 & 1/2 stars.


Capt. Bacardi

Good to find this thread, as I've been having a discussion with a friend who knew Gordon Michaels back in the 1970s, and was wondering where he wound up... still looking for that answer...

--
Poetry & Music by Will Dockery:
http://www.myspace.com/willdockery

 

[Dave]

Clever---but fairly forgettable--array of smooth Paul McCartney pop... Good stable of musicians, really give this "jazz" outing a fairly strong pop camouflage, though hardly made the dent on pop radio it should have, though still sports some nice grooves...

-- Dave