Long time TOTO amazing members, the talented brothers MIKE & STEVE PORCARO composed and recorded the official soundtrack / main theme for the 1997's European Football Champions League final game. The song was played during the half-time intermission in front of of 70.000 people attending the match, and later released as CDsingle including two extra versions.
"Young At Heart" is an anthemic AOR tune with the classic Toto flavor featuring lead vocals by no other than Joseph Williams and the exquisite drumming of Carlos Vega. A rare, enjoyable out of print collector's piece.
01 - Young At Heart (Radio Edit) 02 - Young At Heart (Long Version) 03 - Young At Heart (Instrumental)
Bass, Percussion: Mike Porcaro Keyboards: Steve Porcaro Lead and Background Vocals: Joseph Williams Drums, Percussion: Carlos Vega
Frontman of melodic power-pop wonders The Tubes, FEE WAYBILL recorded in 1984 his first solo album "Read My Lips", much more AOR oriented than his main band. While The Tubes already flirted with radio-friendly AOR on their excellent '83 album, Waybill definitely turn things in that direction here, spiced with touch of smooth of LA West Coast.
Many called this "Read My Lips" as a 'missing Toto album', as the overall sound & style here are in the vein of Isolation or Fahrenheit. Not strange, as Steve Lukather co-wrote most the songs and play here alongside the Toto crew including Jeff Porcaro, Steve Porcaro and Bobby Kimball contributing backing vocals. But also top 'cats' like David Foster, Mike Landau, Paul Jackson, Jr., Jerry Marotta, Michael Boddicker, Bill Champlin, Tom Keane and Richard Marx (also involved in songwriting)... as you see, an AOR dream-team. Although the poppy 'Who Said Life Would Be Pretty' is not exactly my cup of tea, the rest of the material is like a delicious cherry pie for '80s suckers.
Just check the punchy, guitar driven numbers such as the title track, the flamboyant and quite heavy 'Thrill Of The Kill', or the killer 'Saved My Life' (my favorite), mixed with the dynamic 'Nobodys Perfect', the slightly funky 'Who Loves You Baby' (very Toto-ish) and the superb power ballad 'I Don't Even Know Your Name', again with a Toto feel. More in a West Coast trait yet plenty of AOR there's 'Caribbean Sunsets', a terrific tune akin Player / Toto and where you can hear David Foster's touch and Lukather in its full potential, then the elegant 'I Could've Been Somebody' closes this really good album.
Despite its horrible cover artwork, Fee Waybill's "Read My Lips" packs inside some of the finest AOR / musicianship you could find in any '80s record. Great songs co-written by the likes of Lukather, David Foster, Richard Marx, etc provide varied material, you have top notch performances by the who's who in the genre, and production is huge. This BGO remastered edition sounds million bucks.
01 - You're Still Laughing 02 - Nobody's Perfect 03 - Who Loves You Baby 04 - I Don't Even Know Your Name 05 - Who Said Life Would Be Pretty 06 - Thrill Of The Kill 07 - Saved My Life 08 - Carribean Sunsets 09 - Star Or The Show 10 - I Could've Been Somebody
Fee Waybill - vocals Steve Lukather, Mike Landau, Paul Jackson, Jr - guitars David Foster - keyboards, backing vocals Michael Boddicker, Erich Bulling - keyboards Steve Porcaro - keyboards, synthesizers Tom Keane - keyboards, backing vocals Larry Klein - bass Jeff Porcaro, Jerry Marotta, Tris Imboden, JR Robinson - drums Paulinho Da Costa - percussion Humberto Gatica - percussion overdub Larry Williams, Marc Russo, Gary Grant - horns Richard Marx, Bill Champlin, Bobby Kimball - backing vocals
"Breaking All The Rules" always has been PETER FRAMPTON's lesser known / heard album in part due to the record company clumsiness to properly promote the record and because Frampton indeed broke some rules here; he decided to make a rocking LP instead a Top 20 hit generator. Of course there's a brilliant sweet melody in the slow, touching 'Going To L.A.' which should have been a hit in the charts, but most the material here rocks, and pretty hard.
For this matter Frampton enlisted a terrific back-up band including the half of Toto; Steve Lukather & Jeff Porcaro. Lukather trade some killer licks with Frampton (the title track is awesome) but also contributing with his trademark, distinctive rhythm guitar, while Porcaro provide his unique 'groove-touch' all over the recording.
A proof of the guitar driven nature of this album is opener 'Dig What I Say', starting the record in a rocking mood with solos all over it, something unusual for a Frampton release. Here he also uses guitar synth to good effect. The cover of 'I Don't Wanna Let You Go' is done in an absolutely classic Frampton vein but even here the guitar swirls like never before. Check Porcaro's hi-hat fills here, a master in this game.
Written by the Alessi Bros 'Rise Up' is another tune with a hit potential, there's an elegant midtempo on 'Wasting The Night Away', a rocky version of the classic 'Friday On My Mind' (also done by Gary Moore), while 'Lost A Part Of You' is the ballad on the album with some hints to Frampton's biggest hit I'm In You.
For the end we have the aforementioned title track 'Breaking All The Rules', a seven minute tour de force plenty of killer riffs, a melodic verse and a superb Frampton / Lukather duel in an almost hard rocking piece.
This is the 2005 release of the album for the first time on CD, and there's has been some controversy about the 'remastering' statement. Obviously you need to digitally master the original analog tapes for a digital transfer, but that's not necessarily a re-mastering. I have read in some audiophile forums some people arguing the album was digitized 'as it is', some saying it was indeed re-mastered. To my ears, this hard-to-find 2005 CD edition of 'Breaking All The Rules' has been re-mastered, with some 'air' added to the sonic atmosphere, but overall preserving the original feel of the LP. Anyway, this baby rock, and rocks good.
01 - Dig What I Say 02 - I Don't Wanna Let You Go 03 - Rise Up 04 - Wasting The Night Away 05 - Going To L.A. 06 - You Kill Me 07 - Friday On My Mind 08 - Lost A Part Of You 09 - Breaking All The Rules
Peter Frampton - vocals, guitar, keyboards, guitar synthesizer Steve Lukather - guitar, background vocals Jeff Porcaro - drums John Regan - bass guitar Arthur Stead - keyboards, background vocals Ed Mantleone - add. guitar
![much more AOR oriented than his main band Now You Know FEE WAYBILL - Read My Lips [remastered] (1984)](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3_v6iV5XK4Q4mqntApvpm0Kh56Awj-BRPh3DYBCMUjroJ8U-ssDHGWQU9BZMIrFVwrodnXRQPCmGrUIzF4h5KZAkhgOGAmDZwMdMYjcwOi9w4Sr1ZBPZgNB4UDGMtKkz9VhlXzXQLhGHI/s1600/Fee+Waybill+-+Read+My+Lips+%255Bremastered%255D+front.jpg)
![much more AOR oriented than his main band Now You Know FEE WAYBILL - Read My Lips [remastered] (1984)](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFQLxEL9F2b8LjM1g3kn17tCT2oKHTD_fk8U4-dC2r0h_nQJPx56Uc1FmDYmqbiDBpM_W8Hn1re-Sw4fqEh7losrtDNt2IHGiMzSWl_FszzwPzQvP5UrB0SgmVcF0PNaK2ng0YrqZuXYW/s1600/Fee+Waybill+-+Read+My+Lips+%255Bremastered%255D+back.jpg)
![heard album in part due to the record company clumsiness to properly promote the record a Now You Know PETER FRAMPTON - Breaking All The Rules [remastered] (1981)](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTadqIHsuKFRUOgT8v_sGoNcw6xAPms0aM8h5ibRVrc_rOUm9EQsXigIJ4i-Misc9xRRw9WWaiEwRjdnal00yaJHJvjUB-5YZDe1gGfeXvIX3bOCp5LOFbejJmYuc6g5_x6idXKGgSD-2o/s1600/PETER+FRAMPTON+-+Breaking+All+The+Rules+%255Bremastered%255D+front.jpg)
![heard album in part due to the record company clumsiness to properly promote the record a Now You Know PETER FRAMPTON - Breaking All The Rules [remastered] (1981)](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj88TkbLt0d_R3_DJMtlL7k3KUIasVF681ozm80hA3cQBqovgJ5efR_W8_qMa-XvmCggw97_KHx0pB-iUtpKBuBYVb-a36hjYVGnCDi-RKB75uPvGRFoVgnnXIkxUKi8SalR2g4-TB1Tt7Z/s1600/PETER+FRAMPTON+-+Breaking+All+The+Rules+%255Bremastered%255D+back.jpg)