EDDIE MONEY – Playing For Keeps [Rock Candy remastered & reloaded]

Many of you have been asking for missing Rock Candy reissues to complete collections, and here’s as requested EDDIE MONEY 1980’s album “Playing For Keeps”, fully remastered shaped from 24 BIT digital technology.
Eddie’s s first two albums certainly set the scene: panoramic melodic hard rock filled with memorable hooks supporting an instantly identifiable rasp. It was a tailor made sound that perfectly fitted the American airwaves sitting comfortably besides music from the likes of Boston, Foreigner and Journey. A reliable style that served Eddie well and it was masterfully replicated on this, his third, album.

Originally issued in 1980, ”Playing For Keeps” took the original Money format one stage further, upping the stakes by utilising producer in Ron Nevison. Nevison, of course, was the flavour of the time having learnt his craft engineering Led Zeppelin and The Who before embarking on a career guiding some of the world s most successful AOR albums including records from Jefferson Starship, Survivor and Heart.
Keeping the basics of his band in place (including super-guitarist Jimmy Lyons) the tracks were augmented by a number of high profile guests, including legendary drummer Carmine Appice.

Highlights include the classic Money rocker ‘The Wish’ (one of his best tracks), melodic midtempo opener ‘Trinidad’, the great ‘highway’ song ‘Get a Move On’, the pure Eddie melodic rocker ‘When You Took My Heart’, the driving ‘Satin Angel’ (love the guitar work here), and the FM AOR ballad ‘Let’s Be Lovers Again’ is a duo with the superb Valerie Carter.
On ‘Running Back’, Eddie try something different with a pop-semi-reggea rhtyhm that isn’t half bad, and now in perspective it’s cool, yet not classic Eddie Money.

While ‘Playing For Keeps’ wasn’t successful in sales as his previous LP’s, it was not for its lack of quality.
The album includes some very good rockers and Money’s soulful vocal and high energy delivery as usual. That Eddie Money is one of the best performers of his generation is in no doubt, with ‘Playing For Keeps’ solidly reinforcing that assertion.
Highly Recommended (contributors get lossless)

01 – Trinidad
02 – Running Back
03 – The Wish
04 – Get A Move On
05 – When You Took My Heart
06 – Satin Angel
07 – Let’s Be Lovers Again
08 – Nobody Knows
09 – Million Dollar Girl

Eddie Money – vocals
John Nelson – lead guitar
Jimmy Lyon – guitars, solos (tracks 1, 3, 5, 8)
David Lewark – guitars, solos (tracks 6, 9)
John Nelson – slide guitar (track 4)
Greg Douglass – guitars (track 1)
Bob Glaub – bass guitar (tracks 2, 5, 7-9)
Kenny Lewis – bass guitar (tracks 3, 4, 6)
Lonnie Turner – bass guitar (track 1)
Randy Nichols – keyboards
Robert Blass – keyboards (tracks 2, 3, 4, 6, 8)
Gary Mallaber – drums and percussion (tracks 1, 2, 5-9)
Carmine Appice – drums (tracks 3, 4)
Emilio Castillo – horns (track 9)
Steve Kupka – horns (track 9)
Valerie Carter – vocal duet on “Let’s Be Lovers Again”

BUY:
www.amazon.com/Playing-Keeps-Eddie-Money/dp/B00AB7B2F4