MARC JORDAN – C.O.W. Conserve Our World [AOR CITY Series remastered] **HQ**

320_1 /// 320_2 /// HQ 1 /// HQ 2

Years ago we featured some titles from the great ＳＯＮＹ ＭＵＳＩＣ ＪＡＰＡＮ campaign titled Ａ Ｏ Ｒ Ｃ Ｉ Ｔ Ｙ １０００, a low-priced remastered reissue on 100 classic AOR / AC albums from their back catalog, many of them out of print or hard to find.
From these series we presented here a the 1987 MARC JORDAN album, now it’s time for for his 1990’s “Conserve Our World” (aka C.O.W.) fully remastered with a pristine sound quality.
On his 6th album “Conserve Our World” Jordan continued with the Lite AOR sound of the previous effort ‘Talking Through Pictures’, but even more commercial very much in the Mr. Mister style. And that’s no coincidence: Steve Farris, Pat Mastelotto and Richard Page all from Mr. Mister play on the album, but also a stellar cast including Bruce Gaitsch (Richard Marx), Gene Black (Tim Feehan, Wild Blue), Stan Bush, Timothy B. Schmitt (Eagles), Kevin Cronin (REO Speedwagon), Bruce Gowdy (World Trade, Unruly Child) and many, many more.

Opener ‘Big Love’ shows indeed the album’s ‘big’ glossy production (golden 1990’s) and it’s classic Marc Jordan with smoothness all over. Following cut ‘Edge Of The World’ is more midtempo with that huge sound of the time, a big AOR chorus akin Mr. Mister, and a fantastic Gene Black guitar solo in the Steve Lukather style. Awesome song and one of our favorites.
‘Burning Down The Amazon (Amazon)’ speaks about ‘save the Earth’, in this case, the Amazon forest, and includes a multi-vocalist set of backing vocals.

‘Bridges In The Dark’ is slower with a ‘Canadian style’ feel (reminds of Paul Janz), ‘Silent Night’ is something that Simple Minds could have recorded around the era, while ‘Inside My Piano’ is just that, mostly Jordan and his piano for an elegant ballad.
Jordan does a cover of Todd Rundgren’s song ‘Can We Still Be Friends’, more poppy than the original again with a great guitar work by Black and a precise drum work courtesy of Mastelotto.
As closer we have the synth spiced ‘Holding Up The Sky’ with a cool atmosphere and Bruce Gaitsch provinding some Richard Marx-esque touches.

Criminally ignored at the time of its release, “Conserve Our World” should be Marc Jordan’s more complete album. Smooth melodies, brilliant choruses, intelligent lyrics, top class performers, and that ‘huge’ production.
The regular CD release of this album is quite flat, solved with this excellent AOR CITY 1000 series remaster.
Highly Recommended

You saw it here first at 0dayrox

ＳＯＮＹ ＭＵＳＩＣ ＪＡＰＡＮ 【ＳＩＣＰ～5525－ＣＤ】
Ａ Ｏ Ｒ Ｃ Ｉ Ｔ Ｙ １０００ ＶＯＬ ２

01 – Big Love
02 – Edge Of The World
03 – Guns Of Belfast
04 – Burning Down The Amazon (Amazon)
05 – Bridges In The Dark
06 – Silent Night
07 – Inside My Piano
08 – Can We Still Be Friends
09 – Power
10 – Holding Up The Sky

Marc Jordan – lead vocals, piano
Steve Farris (Mr. Mister) – guitars
Bruce Gaitsch (Richard Marx) – guitars
Gene Black (Tim Feehan, Wild Blue) – guitars
Stuart Mathis, Danny Jacob, Doug Macaskill – add. guitar
Kim Bullard, John Capek – keyboards
Billy Ward, Pat Mastelotto (Mr. Mister) – drums
Mike Fisher – Percussion
Rick Sailon – electric violin

Backing Vocals:
Stan Bush
Renne Geyer
Richard Page
Timothy B. Schmitt
Kevin Cronin
Bruce Gowdy
Billy Sherwood
Amy Sky
Jane Wieldin

Out of Print
www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/SICP-5525