EDDIE MONEY – Where’s The Party? [Rock Candy remastered & reloaded]

Rock Candy specialists reissued / remastered all EDDIE MONEY early albums, and 1983’s “Where’s The Party?” is one of the singer’s most sounding AOR records.
When “Where’s The Party?” was released, Eddie Money was a hugely successful and famous artist with a string of hit singles and platinum albums to his name. Eddie’s raspy tones and his penchant for earthy blue collar rock had served him well, yet his lust for living life to the full had, before the release of his last album, taken a turn for the worse when ill-health nearly ruined his good fortune.

Luckily, Eddie continued to recover from this health set back and commenced the recording his fifth album “Where’s The Party?”, an album largely produced, as was his previous platinum smash ‘No Control’, by veteran studio wizard Tom Dowd (Kenny Loggins, Chicago) in Los Angeles.
Surrounded by a number of top sessions players including guitarist Steve Farris (Mr. Mister), great drummer Gary Ferguson, superb keyboardist Alan Pasqua, and members from The Steve Miller Band and Rod Stewart’s band, the recordings where carefully supervised to extreme detail.

In keeping with previous albums Eddie co-wrote a selection of radio friendly, tough-guy rock melodic tracks that gave full reign to his mellifluous voice.
Songs such as “The Big Crash”, “Club Michelle”, the catchy “Bad Girls” or the synth based, midtempo “Back On The Road” it firmly into the Money trademark sound of solid riffs and big shout-it-loud hooks.

And there’s “Backtrack”, a different beast from the Money’s standard. The song, the only produced by Spencer Proffer (Quiet Riot) is an atmospheric rocker with an intense cadence, piano breaks, crying guitars and Eddie’s delivering an emotive vocal performance. One of my favorite Eddie Money songs ever.

Indeed, as one of the best male vocalists of the era, on this record Eddie stands out like a sparkling diamond.
This remaster from Rock Candy is good, really warm. I would have preferred a more bright output, but seems they wanted a sound similar to a vinyl LP. Even the mastering respects the pretty long fade out as it’s on the original LP version.
Pretty overlooked at its time, “Where’s The Party?” is now regarded as one of Eddie Money’s finest moments.
Highly Recommended

01 – Maybe Tomorrow
02 – Bad Girls
03 – Club Michelle
04 – Back On The Road
05 – Don’t Let Go
06 – The Big Crash
07 – Where’s The Party
08 – Leave It To Me
09 – Backtrack

Eddie Money – vocals, sax, piano
John Nelson – guitars
Steve Farris – guitars
Frank Linx – guitars
Jimmy Lyon – guitar
Ralph Carter – bass, rhythm guitar
Michael Botts – drums, percussion
Gary Ferguson – drums
Gary Mallaber – drums
Art Wood – drums
Randy Nichols – Hammond B3, synthesizers
Duane Hitchings – synthesizers
Mitchell Froom – keyboards
Alan Pasqua – keyboards
Paulinho Da Costa – percussion

BUY IT !
www.amazon.co.uk/Wheres-Party-Eddie-Money/dp/B00R3TFMTK
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