DEAN FRIEDMAN | LIVE PREVIEW
History has now shown that the 1970’s was an incredibly diverse decade in the story of popular music. It started with the break up of the Beatles and the discovery of David Bowie, then moved to the introduction of Glam rock and the birth of the super group with Fleetwood Mac, Queen and the Eagles, before ending with the explosion of American pop rock, and of course, the anarchy of Punk. It’s hard to think of a decade that has encapsulated so many different genres of music that all made it into the mainstream of popular culture and had such wide popularity, and of course, enormous commercial success. As a kid growing up at that time, my record collection was testament to this random musical assortment, ranging as it did from AC/DC to Madness, Marc Bolan to Dire Straits, Billy Joel to the Sex Pistols and 10CC to Sham 69.
The beauty of growing up in that era, was that there were no boundaries to limit your taste of music. Just because you liked Stevie Wonder, it didn’t mean you couldn’t embrace Judas Priest, and as a result, any type or style of music was fair game.
Now, my all time favourite band remains AC/DC, yet my all time favourite musician will always be Billy Joel, and I think the obvious differences between what both those artistes will ultimately leave to the world of popular music illustrates the point I am making. Despite my love for good, loud, heavy rock, I have always also been a sucker for a good singer songwriter, and for Billy Joel see also – James Taylor, Cat Stevens or Harry Chapin. However, there was one other artist, not as commercially successful as those four musical bards, but one who created an album, released in 1978, that remains one of the most important albums of my youth, such was the amount of air time I gave it, playing it constantly on my sister Jackie’s record player – we only had the one in our house – learning every word and phrase and memorising every harmony and key change. The album was ‘”Well, Well”, Said The Rocking Chair’. The artist was Dean Friedman, and on 25 September, Dean Friedman will be in Cardiff, at The Gate, as part of his current UK tour.
Friedman’s star burned very brightly, but also very quickly in the UK, and ‘Rocking Chair’ was by far his biggest commercial success in this country. The joyous title track basically sums up Friedman’s approach, quirky, high tempo, pristine vocal performance and a use of words that border on the sublime. The album contained music to move and inspire, but also had the gift of leaving you with a smile on your face. The blockbusting track of the album that made number three in the UK chart and a hit all around the world was ‘Lucky Stars’, a passionate duet with Denise Marsa that chronicled the usual stresses, insecurities and misunderstandings of any romantic relationship. Criticised by some as commercial and twee, it’s success possibly damaged Friedman, but I always really liked the song, yet also felt it was not representative of the rest of that seminal album. Some of the tracks on it such as ‘Shopping Bag Ladies’, ‘Let Down Your Hair’ and ‘Lydia’ are so incredibly touching that its impossible not to be affected by them emotionally, and then interspersed with almost comically uplifting tracks such as ‘S & M’ and ‘The Deli Song (Corned Beef on Wry)’ – one of the world’s most unlikely love songs – Friedman succeeded in delivering an album that surely contains some of the most contrasting styles of music ever put together on one record, especially when you factor in the anger of ‘Ive Had Enough’ and ‘Don’t You Ever Dare’. In a period of musical history that delivered an array of such eclectic music, ‘Rocking Chair’ itself was – and is – an incredibly eclectic album in its own right.
Due to my random and varied musical leanings that have continued to this day, I can’t profess to be a Dean Friedman superfan who has every recording he ever made, but I can profess to having ‘”Well Well”, Said The Rocking Chair’ in the top five of the most important albums of my formative years, probably the most important period for music in any person’s life. It is for that reason alone that I cannot wait to finally – after 35 years – get to see Mr Friedman play some of the tracks that so influenced, moved and made me smile all those years ago.
If you too are a child of the 70’s and you haven’t got a ticket yet, get one. I’m certain it’s going to be a night that will transport you right back to maybe the happiest times of your life. Listening to Dean Friedman on my sister’s record player, imagining I was in New York or New Jersey, the setting for most of Friedman’s songs, were certainly some of the happiest times of mine.
Good luck for your show Dean, and I hope you have a fantastic time in Wales!
The Gate Arts Centre, Cardiff, Wed 25 Sept. Tickets: £17.50 – £20 . Info: 0292048 3344 / www.thegate.org.uk
words: DAVID BRAYLEY