Year : 1980 (Rock Candy Remastered 2022)
Style : Rock
Country : Scotland
Audio : 320 kbps + scans
Size : 118 mb
Bio:
Blue-eyed singer Frankie Miller made his name on the English pub rock circuit of the early '70s, and spent around a decade-and-a-half cutting albums of traditional R&B, rock & roll, and country-rock. In addition to his recorded legacy as an avatar of American roots music, his original material was covered by artists from the worlds of rock, blues, and country, from Bob Seger and Bonnie Tyler to Lou Ann Barton and the Bellamy Brothers. And Miller himself scored a surprise U.K. Top Ten smash in 1978 with "Darlin'," giving his likable, soulful style the popular airing many fans felt it deserved all along.Frankie Miller was born November 2, 1949, in Glasgow, Scotland; he began singing with local bands beginning in 1967, in a style influenced by American soul singers like Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, and Otis Redding. After a few years, he moved to the more fertile music scene in London, where he soon met ex-Procol Harum guitarist Robin Trower in the summer of 1971. Impressed with Miller's talents as a raw soul belter in the vein of a Rod Stewart or Joe Cocker, Trower offered him a job as lead vocalist of his new band Jude. It wasn't to be Miller's big break, though; internal conflicts had split the group apart by the following year, and Miller returned to the London pub rock circuit. During 1972, he made frequent appearances at the Tally Ho in Kentish Town, often sitting in with Brinsley Schwarz, and signed a solo record deal with Chrysalis. Using the Brinsleys as a backing band, Miller recorded his debut album, Once in a Blue Moon, that year. Though it wasn't a hit, it was reviewed respectably; more importantly, Miller sent a copy to New Orleans R&B legend Allen Toussaint, who was impressed enough to produce Miller's next album. Miller traveled to New Orleans in 1973 to record High Life with an authentic Toussaint-led backing band, resulting in one of his most acclaimed and artistically satisfying albums.Upon returning to England, Miller assembled a Stax-style backing band -- dubbed simply the Frankie Miller Band -- featuring guitarist Henry McCullough, keyboardist Mick Weaver, bassist Chrissy Stewart, and drummer Stu Perry. This group traveled to San Francisco to record The Rock (named after Alcatraz), which was released in 1975. The band dissolved not long after, and Miller put together a new outfit called Full House, featuring guitarist Ray Minhinnett, keyboardist Jim Hall, bassist Charlie Harrison, and drummer Graham Deacon. They issued the aptly titled Full House in 1977, which, oddly enough, became fairly popular in Sweden. However, once again, Miller's backing band imploded, and he was back on his own for 1978's Double Trouble, which produced his first British Top 30 hit in "Be Good to Yourself." Late that year, Miller scored a runaway Top Ten hit in the U.K. with "Darlin'," a single included on his 1979 LP Falling in Love (aka Perfect Fit). (Typical of Miller's luck in the record business, his best-known song wasn't an original.) 1980's Easy Money was recorded in Nashville, and some of 1982's Standing on the Edge was recorded at Alabama's legendary Muscle Shoals Sound Studios. During this period, Miller also had a Scottish hit with his cover of Dougie McLean's "Caledonia." 1986's Dancing in the Rain was his final studio album.In August 1994, Miller suffered a devastating brain hemorrhage that left him in a coma for five months. Unable to walk or talk upon his emergence, Miller rehabilitated himself enough to begin writing songs again; at a late-'90s benefit concert in Edinburgh, Miller's new collaboration with Will Jennings, "The Sun Goes Up, the Sun Comes Down," was performed by Bonnie Tyler, Paul Carrack, and Jools Holland. In 2016, an album called Frankie Miller's Double Take saw release. The album featured a clutch of unreleased Miller originals he'd recorded prior to his hemorrhage, all performed by admirers of Frankie's, including Elton John, Rod Stewart, Kid Rock, Huey Lewis, Paul Carrack, and Willie Nelson.
Album:
Rock Candy Records has been reissuing / remastering FRANKIE MILLER albums, and as requested, here’s one of his best: 1980’s ”Easy Money”, including 5 bonus tracks.Mention the name FRANKIE MILLER to any musician of a certain era and their face will immediately light up regarding his singing ability and subsequent influence on a generation of British vocalists. The owner of one of the finest bluesy voices of the era, Frankie’s shadow loomed long and hard across a multitude of styles, with enough true grit and authority to carve out a top tier reputation. Compared in the same exalted breath as Rod Stewart, Paul Rodgers, Terry Reid and Joe Cocker, Frankie quickly established a reputation second to none.For ”Easy Money” there was the need of bridging Miller’s brew of bluesy pop style with a commercially viable sound suitable for audiences in the early 80s. It sits well alongside his previous records, but ‘Easy Money’ incorporates more polish than before. ‘Why Don’t You Spend the Night’ remains one of Miller’s best songs, and it’s great to hear his solo version of ‘Tears’ – later re-recorded as a duet with Bonnie Tyler in 1983.Frankie Miller’s previous 1979 album had provided the Glaswegian born singer songwriter with a major hit single in ‘Darlin’ but it also presented a major conundrum. The vibe of the LP leaned towards a mellower, perhaps even a pop direction, something that was totally incongruous with his persona and ambition. Frankie was a unique vocalist with a roughhewn voice that conjured up vignettes of a tough life lived with fearless abandonment.Having developed an in-concert reputation that would be the envy of many a rock n’ roll, soul and blues singer, his musical direction had not been made progressively clearer with each passing album as they embraced different styles.”Easy Money”, Frankie’s seventh album, was if anything a return to his roots. It was recorded by a cabal of players known as the Hitmen, who also doubled as producers, and mastered by expert George Marino. The results were impressive, allowing Frankie to flex his muscles and voice with complete authority.The songs were on-point and focused giving the record a cohesive vibe. Even the ballads sounded more ‘Miller’ and the production, although contemporary, was rooted in a far more organic space bringing out the best of both worlds.Of course, any committed Miller fan would want to seek out the songs that ring with immediate hooks and for those we need only to look at ‘Cheap… Thrills’, ‘So Young, So Young’, and the superbly soulful and funky ‘Gimme Love’.Other strong tracks are ‘Heartbreak Radio’ (later picked up by Kim Carnes in 1988) and ‘No Chance’. As ever, it’s his sandpaper-laden vocals which give the album so much appeal. These are songs that ooze class but have inbuilt heft that root them in the kind of scene that Frankie had earlier occupied in clubs and pubs.The bonus tracks are also collectibles, especially the rocking ‘Beggin’ For Trouble (Demo)’, and the rare single B-side ‘Sail Away’ (a Randy Newman cover) produced by the great Russ Ballard.
Line Up:
Vocals – Frankie Miller
Electric Guitar – Reggie Young
Acoustic Guitar – Bobby Thompson
Bass – Joe Osborne
Drums, Percussion – Larry Londin
Production:
Engineer – Brent King
Liner Notes – Malcolm Dome
Mixed By – John Jansen
Remastered By – Jon Astley
Tracklist:
01. Easy Money
02. The Woman In You
03. Why Don’t You Spend The Night
04. So Young So Young
05. Forget About Me
06. Heartbreak Radio
07. Cheap…Thrills
08. No Chance
09. Gimme Love
10. Tears
11. Lock Up Your Secretaries (Demo) (Bonus Track)
12. The Woman In You (Demo) (Bonus Track)
13. Beggin’ For Trouble (Demo) (Bonus Track)
14. Lonely Eyes (Demo) (Bonus Track)
15. Sail Away (EP B-side) (Bonus Track)
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