I think it's unfortunate that Robert Palmer always gets lumped into the "Dad music" category. It's understandable considering the major hits that he had- "Simply Irresistable," "Doctor, Doctor," and "Addicted to Love." These are all powered, cheesy 80's pop songs that go hand in hand with REO and ZZ Top on classic rock radio. What you wouldn't know from these songs are both Palmer's smooth, smooth grooves as well as his more contemplative, insightful side. Palmer's also been known to throw in a decent cover here and there, including Little Feat's championing of cocaine, "Sailing Shoes," Toots' "Pressure Drop," Gary Numan's "I Dream of Wires," and Marvin Gaye's "Mercy, Mercy Me." These covers SCREAM smooth/insightful.
I'd like to share what I think is Palmer's best track, and is probably in my top 20 all time favorite songs. The third track and first single off the (excellent) 1980 album "Clues," Johnny & Mary is a poignant tale of a doomed couple set to a drum machine and (what I can only assume to be) a highly phased bass riff. Top notch.
In September of 2003, Palmer got "layed" for the last time as his body was put to rest after a heart attack.
Robert Palmer - Johnny & Mary
-Cole
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Kim Gordon @ Volume Festival
3 months ago
2 comments:
As far as "Dad songs" go, let us not forget about Palmer's brief time with The Power Station performing "Some Like It Hot"...
p.s... My word verification to post this comment was "flehacto"... Are you making these words up or does that actually mean something in Aborigine?
That's a made up word. Much like Palmer's music, Aborigine is a smooth language. They're so smooth, they took out all the c's and t's and h's. They're smoo'.
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