Back in my arms (Robert Palmer) (LP 3440)

Robert Palmer  Pressure Drop (Vinyl, Island Records, 1975) ****  

Genre: New Orleans funk, pop, ska, reggae 

Places I remember: Little Red Bookshop

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Trouble

Gear costume: Here With You Tonight

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5

Active compensatory factors: The man has class - just look at that cover, and Little Feat are used on several songs as the backing band to provide musical support on Palmer's second album. On my two highlighted songs they feature prominently - that's Lowell George's slide guitar on Here With You Tonight. George also contributed to Trouble on which Feat pianist Bill Payne plays the fantastic intro.

The whole album is pretty stunning and in Mojo Magazine's June 2009 (issue 187), the album was ranked as No. 20 on their list of the 50 best records released by Island Records.

On this album, Palmer has yet to develop his cool rock guy persona, instead he adapts his voice impressively to serve each song. The songs are varied - I'm not fond of the disco strings, but the funk and reggae moments do the business.

Where do they all belong? A Greatest Hits CD provides an overview and is a great place to start.

Turn my blue heart to red (Robert Palmer) Single # THREE HUNDRED

Robert Palmer Bad Case Of Lovin' You (Doctor, Doctor)/ Love Can Run Faster (Island, K7517, 1979)

Okay - sorry - obviously I have way more than 300 singles. Here we are at that number and I've just started on the P's! 

Yes yes, don't worry! The countdown will continue beyond the 300, through the vinyl and into the CD singles. Like a top - once it's spinning we need to see where it goes.

What a great song to begin the 300's. If you have the inclination - put on headphones with a large stretchy cord thing so that the plug won't come out of the computer as you dance around to this song.

Doctor doctor - give me the news! This one needs to be heard loud and the feets need to move and groove.

Bad Case... is Palmer's cover of a Moon Martin song. It was remixed with heavier guitars for a later compilation but this version still sounds pretty raw and exciting to my ears.

Hidden gem: Coming off one of his earlier albums (Double Fun), the B side is in the cool reggae style Robert Palmer has to himself.