Andy Bown - Come Back Romance, All Is Forgiven

EMI Records

Better known for his work with The Herd and Status Quo, Andy Bown is one of many British artists whose pursuing of a solo career generally flew under the radar while their session work or teeny-bopper phase brought in the most recognition. Of the four solo albums Bown released in the 1970s, "Come Back Romance, All is Forgiven" might just be the best. 

Kicking off with a romantic guitar pickup and prominent piano part, "Drowned in Texas" shows Bown's skill not only as a singer-songwriter, but as a keyboardist as well. The song is a perfect piece of pop rock, with a beautifully emotional and bittersweet vocal performance, layered in instrumentation and tasteful backing vocals, and excellent production quality. The song could've benefitted from being a little longer, and the fact that this was never a hit, even a minor one, was a shock. You'd never guess Bown was making sugary pop songs for the young teen audience roughly ten years prior. 

Shifting into a jazzier, more up-beat rhythm vaguely reminiscent of late Steely Dan is "317 (Manhattan Blues)". More rasp has creeped into Bown's voice, making him sound like a mix between Al Kooper and Billy Joel in the best way possible. The song is fun, with imaginative lyrics, unique voices, more lovely piano work and soul tinges around the edges. A commonality with all the songs on this album is great production and high single potential. 

Now foraying into country-influenced rock 'n roll is "Too Good to Last", which despite the redneck leanings the instrumentation is prone to, is not nearly as bland or uninspired as country music tends to be, and it grows on you very quickly once the fiddles die down. The song gets back into a good rock groove by the time the second verse rolls around, turning into a real stomp-your-feet-and-clap-your-hands type affair. The guitar work and effects are simply excellent and help to make the track all the more memorable.

Carrying over some of the country influence with now added lyrics of domesticity, "The Real Thing" is a song so heartfelt and sweet it could give you cavities, with tones and coloring that seem straight out of 1950s Hollywood in some odd way. 

Returning back to the jazz-influenced pop rock potential hits comes the Todd Rundgren reminiscent "Good Enough Reason". The lead vocal sticks out because it has seemingly been cleaned up and polished, and the backing vocal work remains lovely as ever. Though the song would benefit from a lack of fiddles, this doesn't take away from the overall quality, and the prominent bass part makes the song danceable enough that I could see the 'disco sucks' crowd shunning it. 

The dial has switched back to slower songs now, giving us the unexpectedly bluesy and romantic "Blood on the Keys". The track is short, simple and sweet, with a sharply defined emotional punch expertly brought to the foreground through the bass, electric keys and soft vocal performance. Adding a dash of the country-rock influence from before is the harmonica, being used in place of a guitar, which doesn't make all that much sense but is endearing nonetheless, with all the instruments coming together for a wonderfully dramatic swell at the end. Truly, the romance has come back. 

Continuing with the slow, swoony romance bit is the very appropriately titled "Love Love Love". A great amount of love, effort, and stark emotional vulnerability gives the song the atmosphere that fares well with the lonely teenage girl audience, well complimented by the drum rolls and slide(?) steel guitar. The sound is oddly American for a Brit, which would confuse those who exclusively listen to American Top Forty hosted by Casey Kasem had it charted, but also results in a just plain enjoyable chorus. It is truly a wonder how Andy Bown never ended up a highly commissioned lyricist. 

Returning us back to the land of danceable, funk-infused songs is the brilliantly upbeat "Nobody's Fool". The thin, raspier vocals have returned as well and accompanying them are fun organ and guitar fills, and maybe even some horns. The drum and vocal work are positively excellent and an exquisite saxophone solo help to round the whole thing out. 

Everybody has a groupie song. Andy Bown's is the surprisingly sympathetic "Backstage Pass". The song serves as a cautionary tale of sorts, a word of warning that chips away the illusions of glamour so many rockstars have built up for themselves. But, there are two sides to every story, as some of the fault is certainly on the groupies in this song, like Bown is asking them why they do this to themselves. The guitar is symphonic and fresh, poignant and lovely all throughout the song, but especially during the solo. Truly one for the books. 

You'd think a song entitled "I've Got God on the Phone" would be quite overtly religious, but luckily that is not the case. Another tonal shift accompanied by horns, yet-again-thinned-out vocals, and a piano part that I really dig brings us the tale of a man who is down on his luck and desperate for a solution, all told in colourful lyrics such as "I sell poision air from a pea-green hearse/Teaching hangman to tie a noose/I wink at dogs and I hum the blues" and "I pick my teeth with a tennis racket/Got pink buttons on my straight jacket". The contrast between the upbeat instrumentation and the bleak lyrics, and that guitarists are really earning their pay, makes this song stick out as one of the most memorable from the whole album.

Now we have arrived at the closer, ladies and gentlemen. "Fine Rain" serves as the perfect comedown from such a great album with this, with all the bleak lyrics from the previous and none of the upbeat instrumentation. The song also helps to prove the point that every singer-songwriter is a depressed schmuck at some point or other, and the highlights of the song, instrumentation wise, is the featuring of saxophone and strings and a simple yet very effective introduction. There are a few uplifting moments in the prechorus and chorus, and the gospel backing is certainly a treat. 

It really is a shame how such a magnificent album could be released and yet go unnoticed for its whole life. Do yourself a favor and go find some time to listen to this album. 

Rating: 5/5