Rupert Holmes - Rupert Holmes (1975) [2008, Japan] {Paper Sleeve Mini-LP CD}
Pop/Rock, Soft Rock, Singer-Songwriter | EAC Rip | FLAC, Tracks+CUE+LOG+Scans (JPG) | 52:14 | 291,02 Mb
Label: Epic/Air Mail Archive (Japan) | Cat.# AIRAC-1481 | Released: 2008-08-20 (1975)
Rupert Holmes followed up "Widescreen" (1974) with a self-titled LP that utilized a band rather than an orchestra, and was somewhat more accessible in its sound. Yet Holmes still was true to himself in composing its musical vignettes, again produced by Jeffrey Lesser. “Studio Musician” was a powerful Wall of Sound explosion that would be reverentially covered by Barry Manilow on his chart-topping Barry Manilow Live album, while “I Don’t Want to Hold Your Hand” was such a spot-on, deadpan Beatles send-up that George Martin reportedly told Holmes it was superior to the original recording! “Everything Gets Better When You’re Drunk” sounds like a toe-tapping ode to the perennial pleasures of booze, but it has a dark undercurrent of irony. The most enduring song on Rupert Holmes, though, may be its least commercial. “Brass Knuckles” was longtime mystery buff Holmes’ attempt to tell a detective noir story in under four minutes of song. Its songwriter remains proud of this one-of-a-kind song’s lyrics having been published in numerous crime anthologies and even reviewed in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine.