Just under two years later, Mike set to once more, the end result being the Curt Becher-produced Looking Back With Love, whose title was, thankfully, about the worst aspect of the whole project. Given the limited promotion afforded by Boardwalk, it inevitably died a death, but not before Mike had surprised (OK, astonished) the majority of BB fans and commentators by delivering a largely enjoyable and by no means objectionable clutch of songs, and not least by singing as well as he had for many a year. For this latter fact, much kudos to the late Curt Becher, who'd previously produced two Association classics and ths knew a thing or two about recording vocals. The basic studio band was: Scott Blair/drums... Michael Brady/bass... Jim Studer/keyboards & synth, with additional guitar as required by George Doering
Looking Back With Love
(Studer/Thomas/Parker)
That this is amongst the weaker cuts on the album is in no way down to Jim Studer's production skills (assisted by Becher) but rather due to his songwriting. As an attempt to survey the sixties and seventies, it's hampered by a stunningly banal lyric, a pedestrian track, a sing-song delivery and Mike's worst (i.e. most nasal) vocal of the whole album. Still, it gets the dross over and done with... and the line "mod rockers dancing in a Liverpool street" is ever to be cherished as an example of total cultural misunderstanding. The only single released from the album, backed with "One Good Reason", it understandably died. Bruce Johnston lends a hand on the backups (the credited backing vocalists for the majority of the album are Becher, Studer, Brady & Craig Thomas), along with Larry Fox and Brent Nelson.
On And On And On
(Anderson/Ulvaeus)
Tha Abba classic reworked, with complete success, by Becher in an intriguing electro-pop style makes for an early highlight. Mike was born to sing lines like "so I took advantage of the fact that I'm a star", and does so with evident relish. He also contributes a solid bass vocal, and to these ears the "way down" at 2.43 into the track sounds suspiciously like cousin Carl (the vocoder is Craig Harris). After the Beach Boys toured Scandinavia in the summer of 1980, there arose a rumour that Brian co-wrote this song with Bjorn and Benny. Complete nonsense, of course. This is currently the only track from the album available on an official CD, having been included on a 1999 Abba tribute album.
Runnin' Around The World
(Haymes/Aaronson)
Lightweight to the point of drifting away were it not anchored by a muscular backing vocal arrangement (featuring a cheeky use of the famous "This Whole World" vocal riff), this totally inoffensive number was reportedly considered for use in a trainer commercial.
Over And Over
(Byrd)
A cod-reggae cover of a 1965 US #1 for the Dave Clark Five might seem an unlikely inclusion, and, yes, it stands out like a sore thumb, but it's never less than inoffensive (and at 2.20, short). The band for this cut was: Brent Nelson/drums... David White/bass... Larry Fox/keyboards & synth... and Doug Heath/guitar, with the bvs supplied by Becher, Fox & Nelson and additional percussion by LA studio veteran Paulinho Da Costa
Rockin' the Man In The Boat
(Studer/Arnold/Brady)
Saved from terminal anonymity by a nicely-phasedmiddle-eight, this track is cheerfully unambitious, and thus succeeds on its own terms. Pedal steel guitar by Jay Dee Mannis.
Calendar Girl
(Sedaka/Greenfield)
The Beach Boys had cut a very lacklustre version of this pop classic during the L.A. sessions, but Mike's version fairly crackles with energy from the multitracked intro to the fade, thanks to Jim Studer's inventive vocal arrangements. A sax solo by Craig Thomas helps things along nicely.
Be My Baby
(Greenwich/Barry/Spector)
Allegedly recorded with the same band as "Over And Over", this track actually had its genesis over a year before the album sessions, being recorded in July 1980 at Mike's home studio in Santa Barbara, and therein lies the great mystery of Looking back With Love - why isn't the presence of Brian Wilson on this track (keyboards, backing vocal) advertised? Whilst he's not exactly obvious on the released version - heavily augmented by Becher in his best electro-pop style - session tapes in several collectors' archives reveal his contribution; not outstanding, granted, but he's unquestionably there, and when you know what to listen for, his presence on the album track is obvious. The other musicians at the original session, produced by Brian, were Ed Carter/guitar and Bo Fox or Kim Calkins/drums. This aside, Becher's treatment suits the track down to the ground. Not for purists, admittedly, but great good fun.
One Good Reason
(Studer/Brady)
Buoyed by a splendid vocal arrangement, Mike has rarely been in better voice than on this lovely mid-tempo ballad, showing that given worthwhile material, he willingly, and ably, rises to the challenge.
Teach Me Tonight
(Cahn/DePaul)
Astonishingly, Mike turns in an even better vocal on the marvellous rendering of a timeless classic, and Studer contributes another sympathetic vocal arrangement. Tommy Morgan's harmonica solo provides a link with the classic Beach Boys era.
Paradise Found
(Love/Studer)
A beautiful and complex a cappella intro sets the tone for this sparkling jewel of a song, which finds Mike in his best vocal form for many, many a year and Studer reaching new heights of vocal arranging. A gentle ballad, lyrically simple without being insulting, and with a featured vocal of great sweetness from early-sixties songbird Joannie Sommers, this is the album's unquestioned highpoint, and all the better for having been 'set up' by the two preceding tracks.
© 1997, 1999 Andrew G. Doe/Middlefield Media. All rights reserved, used by permission. No part of this article may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing by the author.
Looking Back With Love in the album archive
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