KENNY LOGGINS – Keep The Fire [Japan AOR CITY 1000 series] *EXCLUSIVE*

Requested by many of you some time ago, here’s more from the stupendous “AOR CITY 1000 series” by Sony Music Japan, a campaign featuring a low-priced reissue on classic AOR / AC albums from their back catalog (many of them out of print or hard to find). This is KENNY LOGGINS‘ ”Keep The Fire”, taken from the original rare version CD including 2 bonus tracks.
”Keep The Fire” is Kenny’s third solo album after Loggins & Messina disbanded, and is perhaps best known for the hit single “This is It” and the title track. A young Michael Jackson sings harmony vocals on the track “Who’s Right, Who’s Wrong”, and we find songwriting collaborations from future Mr. Mister Richard Page (who provide backing vocals as well).

Kenny Loggins wasted no time establishing himself as a solo act after Loggins & Messina disbanded. Just a year after the duo said farewell, Loggins issued his solo debut ‘Celebrate Me Home’, and he was back the following year with the Top 10 hit LP ‘Nightwatch’.
By the time he started work on his third post-Messina release, ”Keep the Fire”, Loggins was fairly well established as a recording artist in his own right.

Released in October 1979, ”Keep the Fire” extended the platinum solo streak Loggins started with his debut LP. Where his previous solo efforts had found him working with producer and keyboardist Bob James to develop a smooth pop fusion sound, ”Keep the Fire” brought legendary rock producer Tom Dowd into the picture – which reflected his desire to broaden his scope.

It was a gradual evolution, however, and those first rock strides didn’t keep Loggins from continuing to incorporate those smooth Westcoast strains on ”Keep the Fire”, particularly on tracks like the vocoder-enhanced title cut.
Loggins also continued his songwriting partnership with Michael McDonald, teaming up to pen and perform the Grammy-winning No. 11 hit “This Is It.” Given that the duo had previously collaborated on the huge Doobie Brothers hit “What a Fool Believes,” further co-writes seemed like a natural next step, although Loggins admitted to feeling some pressure to continue delivering at that level.

Loggins continued to explore his collaborative side as a solo artist, a process that yielded ”Keep the Fire” co-writes with a list of artists that included McDonald as well as Stephen Bishop, future Mr. Mister bandleader Richard Page and Loggins’ wife at the time, Eva Ein.
At this point, Kenny Loggins also had enough stature to attract a number of high-profile guests, including sax player Michael Brecker, Little Feat guitarist Fred Tackett, and – adding background vocals to the song “Who’s Right, Who’s Wrong” – none other than Michael Jackson.

Loggins would slacken his pace over the next decade, completing an album every three years instead of maintaining the annual release schedule he’d maintained since the first Loggins & Messina LP, but his solo career only got bigger during the ’80s – partly as a result of the extensive soundtrack work he did for hit films like Caddyshack, Footloose and Top Gun, all of which afforded him major hit singles that continue to be a big part of his image today.
Highly Recommended

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01 – Love Has Come of Age
02 – Mr. Night
03 – This Is It
04 – Junkanoo Holiday
05 – Now and Then
06 – Who’s Right, Who’s Wrong
07 – Keep the Fire
08 – Give It Half A Chance
09 – Will It Last
BONUS TRACKS:
10 – This Is It (Live)
11 – Keep The Fire (Live)

Kenny Loggins – lead and backing vocals, guitar, vocoder
Mike Hamilton – guitar, harmony vocals
Fred Tackett – acoustic guitar
Brian Mann – keyboards
Michael McDonald – piano, harmony vocals
Max Gronenthal – ARP synthesizer programming
George Hawkins – bass, backing vocals, harmony vocals
Tris Imboden – drums, percussion
Milt Holland, Paulinho da Costa – percussion
Michael Brecker – tenor sax solo (6)
Richard Stekol – harmony vocals
Michael Jackson – harmony vocals (6)
Richard Page – harmony vocals
Jeff Bouchard – harmony vocals

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www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/SICP-5485