R. Dean Taylor The Essential Collection (CD - Spectrum Music, 2001) ***
Genre: American soul/pop
Places I remember: HMV at Bluewater Mall - £3.99
Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Indiana Wants Me
Gear costume: Two Of Us, Gotta See Jane, Taos New Mexico, Fire And Rain
Active compensatory factors: I'm breaking my self imposed 'rule' (more of a guideline really) not to include compilations in these posts, but, really - this is mostly about Indiana Wants Me anyhow.
Somehow, R. Dean Taylor ended up parlaying this prison escape drama into a number one single in 1970 and as a nearly teenager in Auckland/ New Zealand, I was hooked!
It's all there - the high drama and the voice, but something else hooked me and I think it's the connection to an exotic America. Indiana. My febrile brain, age 12, just fell in love with a quirky idealised version of America.
In other news: R Dean was not a one trick pony/ one hit wonder. His original songs are collected here, along with some stunning covers. The Beatles and James Taylor (no relation) songs don't veer much from the original arrangements but R Dean's vocals make them special.
Where do they all belong? Found in the soul section at HMV, but R. Dean, a Canadian, is a Motown recording artist so who knows. BTW the R stands for Richard - I know, I was expecting something else too.
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