This review was delayed a day as I
caught a bad stomach bug over the weekend and spent most of yesterday evening
and today in bed. I feel I’m on the road to recovery though, and that means the
Odyssey must also move forward.
It has been almost exactly a year
since I reviewed an album by this next artist (Sept. 22, 2014 to be exact) but
it was good to be back.
Disc 784 is….Precious Time
Artist: Pat
Benatar
Year of Release: 1981
What’s up with the Cover? This is what a manic pixie dream
girl looks like when she has an edge. I noted in my last Pat Benatar review
back at Disc 667 that at age nine I knew Pat Benatar was stirring
something in me even if I wasn’t sure what it was. This cover just reinforced
that feeling a bit stronger at age 11. Then I couldn’t tell you what it was but
now I’m pretty sure it’s something in the eyes…and the shoes.
How I Came To Know It: I grew up with Pat Benatar (not
literally obviously, and a good thing too, given what her mere picture did to
me as a kid). My brother owned her first three records and years later I have
the same three on CD.
How It Stacks Up: As just noted, I have three Pat
Benatar CDs. Of the three, I rate “Precious Time” second best, a good distance
behind “In the Heat of the Night” and a notch above “Crimes of Passion.”
Ratings: 3 stars
“Precious Time” starts with a bang, as “Promises in the Dark” blasts out, part
power pop, part Meatloaf-inspired opera and all big vocals.
Pat Benatar songs aren’t that fascinating on their
own, but they are beautifully produced by Benatar’s main squeeze and guitarist
Neil Geraldo who knows exactly how to showcase Benatar’s voice.
Like a lot of the record’s tracks, “Fire and Ice” could be a pop song or smooth
contemporary if they stripped out the power chords and slowed them down.
However, when you have Pat Benatar, honour demands you let her blow the top of
the music. That’s exactly what she does, hitting every note and filling the
room with bombast without ever sounding shouty.
Those are the two big hits on the record, as far as
I remember (I’ve known this entire album so long I have a hard time separating
the hits from the deep cuts). The deep cuts have lots to offer as well.
“Just Like Me” and “It’s a Tuff Life” have a slight New Wave sound, which works for “Just Like Me” but falls flat on the
unfortunately spelled “It’s a Tuff Life.”
New wave generally doesn’t suit Benatar’s seventies power vocals, but Geraldo’s
guitar was built for it and on these songs he holds things together. You can
see on this album he is trying to do something a little different, with mixed
results.
When I was a kid one of my favourite deep cuts was “Evil Genius” which is a song about a
super smart kid who grows up to become…a murderer! When I was a kid I thought
the narrative of this song was the height of cool:
“They were so ecstatic when the
letter arrived
A certified genius at the age of
five
They planned his future so
carefully
He was everything they hoped he'd
be”
Now when I hear this stuff I wonder who the hell
sends a letter certifying someone’s five year old as a genius? I’ve been
through the whole ‘treat the gifted kids differently’ carousel and never once did
my Mom receive a formal letter. If she had, I’m sure she would have framed it.
Or maybe I didn’t get it because only the really
smart kids got the letter. That seems more likely. But then I would’ve turned
out a murderer, according to the logic of the song, so it’s just as well no
letter arrived. But I digress…
The important thing is that when Benatar hits the
high notes in the chorus singing “why’d
you have to do it, evil genius?” (hint: because his Mom framed the letter) the
vocal is so sublime it doesn’t matter that the song’s entire plot is spotty.
Most of this record is merely OK, but even the
weaker tracks are buoyed by Benatar’s vocal, making them a fun listen as well.
Because of this record I thought that Pat Benatar
was the first person to ever record “Helter
Skelter” (we didn’t go in for the Fab Four in my house growing up). When I
finally heard the original I remember thinking how I preferred the Pat Benatar
version. Musically heretical, I realize, but true. Later I would learn to love
the Beatles version as well. While reviewing this album, I decided to give them
both a listen back to back and… I once again have to go with Pat Benatar. Some
heresies just never die.
My love for this album never dies either. I don’t
have the youthful enthusiasm for it like I did when I was 11, but the good
stuff has held up well over time, and the bad stuff is less bad and more just run-of-the-mill.
Best
tracks: Promises
in the Dark, Fire and Ice, Just Like Me, Evil Genius, Helter Skelter
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