{"id":1254,"date":"2021-08-15T16:09:51","date_gmt":"2021-08-15T23:09:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skierpage.com\/blog\/?p=1254"},"modified":"2022-05-02T20:07:14","modified_gmt":"2022-05-03T03:07:14","slug":"music-alan-tarney-solid-producer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.skierpage.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/music-alan-tarney-solid-producer\/","title":{"rendered":"music: Alan Tarney, solid producer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Leo Sayer&#8217;s &#8220;Once in a While&#8221; affected me as much as any other song. His urgent, increasingly desperate vocal stands out against the pleasant pop-rock stylings. After playing it 7 times in a row at increasing volume my landlord called: &#8220;There have been complaints&#8230;&#8221; Here&#8217;s the song. There was a music video but it was inappropriately jokey and embarrassing; Leo is singing his heart out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Once in Awhile\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_I1LANAI478?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption>off <em>Living in a Fantasy<\/em> album from Rhino\/Warners<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I&#8217;ve <a href=\"\/blog\/2020\/06\/music-trevor-horn-and-the-buggles-in-1979\/\">remarked before<\/a> about the vital contribution of the producer, people like <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Chic_discography#Artists_produced_by_Chic\">Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers of Chic<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Category:Albums_produced_by_Arif_Mardin\">Arif Mardin<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Trevor_Horn_discography#Productions\">Trevor Horn<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Alan_Tarney?\">Alan Tarney<\/a> wrote and produced this and he&#8217;s little heralded unlike those titans. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/music\/musicblog\/2015\/sep\/30\/cult-heroes-alan-tarney-pop-producer-a-ha-cliff-richard-st-etienne\">This effusive Guardian piece<\/a> reminded me of his songs that really stand out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Alan Tarney&#8217;s first big hit was 1979&#8217;s &#8220;We Don&#8217;t Talk Anymore&#8221; that he wrote for Cliff Richard. It&#8217;s OK and melodic, but nothing special, maybe because he didn&#8217;t produce it. I assume that big hit let him produce his songs. He spent 1979-1981 locked into a certain sound, exemplified by Barbara Dickson&#8217;s &#8220;January February&#8221;. Fairground organ, twelve-string strumming, workman-like drumming, good backing harmonies, and a great vocal performance \u2013 gotta be Alan Tarney.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Barbara Dickson January February TOTP 1980\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xaMPsFZQU1I?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption>from <em>the Barbara Dickson Album<\/em> on Epic<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"thrice-in-a-while\">Thrice in a while<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Alan Tarney liked his own song &#8220;Once in a While&#8221; so much he recorded it on two more records that he produced for Cliff Richard and <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Harbinger_(Dan_Seals_album)\">Dan Seals<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Once in a While (2001 Remaster)\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/fFF7vKyF2Lk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption>off <em>Wired for Sound<\/em> album on Parlophone UK<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cliff Richard&#8217;s version <a href=\"https:\/\/genius.com\/Cliff-richard-once-in-a-while-lyrics\">gains an extra half-verse<\/a>, a nice &#8220;Digging on this every night&#8221; pre-chorus, and he inserts some interesting vocal syncopations, but he doesn&#8217;t sound emotionally shredded. &#8220;What&#8217;ll I do if you walk away, Well I haven&#8217;t a chance&#8221; needs to leave blood on the floor! Cliff&#8217;s version is off his album <em>Wired for Sound<\/em>, whose title track is a rare piece of music about listening to music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>I like small speakers, I like tall speakers<br>Wall speakers<br>but most of all, I like <strong>loudspeakers<\/strong>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Corny, but earnest, a nice fit for Cliff. The music video (on Vevo and pulled from YouTube, but <a href=\"https:\/\/tidal.com\/browse\/video\/64668784\">here it is on Tidal<\/a>) has Cliff roller-skating while listening to his <a href=\"\/blog\/2010\/10\/audio-a-walkman-down-cassette-land\/\">Walkman<\/a>. Peak 1981!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"whydontyousayit\">Why don&#8217;t you sell it?!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"ELKIE BROOKS   WHy don&#039;t you say it\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JVLHQF_XfaA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption>off unobtainium A&amp;M single!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One lost excellent Alan Tarney song is &#8220;Why Don&#8217;t You Say It&#8221; by Elkie Brooks, another British singer (her biggest hits were &#8220;Pearl&#8217;s a Singer&#8221; and &#8220;Sunshine after the Rain&#8221;). Fairground organ, good backing harmonies, increasingly impassioned vocal \u2013 here we go again. I think I have the 45 RPM single somewhere, but let&#8217;s give her and Alan Tarney some money&#8230; you can&#8217;t! &#8220;Why Don&#8217;t You Say It&#8221; is not available on streaming services, or for purchase and download from any merchant \u2639. It seems to be a one-off single release. It isn&#8217;t a lost B-side <a href=\"\/blog\/2005\/04\/music-scritti-politti-b-sides-and.html\">unlike these hidden gems<\/a>; just another popular single lost in the transition to digital music, along with Prince&#8217;s singles on Paisley Park \ud83d\ude22 and so many more. Trying to find it I learned Elkie Brooks recorded a version of Peter Frampton&#8217;s wonderful song &#8220;Putting My Heart on the Line&#8221;; she&#8217;s got great taste. I wound up buying a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/gp\/product\/B00000G6V7\">used UK CD of her greatest hits<\/a> to get the one song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"a-ha-the-big-kahuna\">A-ha, the big kahuna<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Alan Tarney is most famous for producing a-ha&#8217;s smash &#8220;Take on Me&#8221; and four of their albums. That&#8217;s very different and shows his versatility, but no fairground organ.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Leo Sayer&#8217;s &#8220;Once in a While&#8221; affected me as much as any other song. His urgent, increasingly desperate vocal stands out against the pleasant pop-rock stylings. After playing it 7 times in a row at increasing volume my landlord called: &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skierpage.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/music-alan-tarney-solid-producer\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1254","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-music"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skierpage.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1254","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skierpage.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skierpage.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skierpage.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skierpage.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1254"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.skierpage.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1254\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1424,"href":"https:\/\/www.skierpage.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1254\/revisions\/1424"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skierpage.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1254"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skierpage.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1254"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skierpage.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1254"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}