ALBUM: Andrew Gold, ‘The Late Show – Live 1978’
Listening to this exce
llent live recording from 1978, it’s hard to believe that Andrew Gold wasn’t a bigger star. Not only did he have a string of perfect pop hits as a solo artist and in Wax, the ’80s duo he formed with 10cc’s Graham Gouldman, but he also made huge contributions to the success of other artists as an arranger, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter. He certainly helped Linda Ronstadt become the superstar she deserved to be thanks to his work on her breakthrough album Heart Like A Wheel, while he also played in her band for four years during the 1970s.
This never-before-released live show comes after Gold had left Ronstadt’s band and was enjoying some of his biggest success as a solo with his third solo album All This And Heaven Too, recorded on the last night of the tour at the Roxy in West Hollywood. You can hear the grand-finale energy and, even all these years on, it’s clear the band was having a huge amount of fun (at one point he even calls for drinks for everyone!). As a recording artist, Gold always had a soft-rock sheen, but one of the nice things about this release is that it shows his rockier side, which gives many of the songs an extra punch in the best possible way.
The set begins with the upbeat country rock of “I’m A Gambler” from Gold’s 1975 self-titled debut album (apparently Gold did indeed love a game of cards or blackjack), then he treats us to an unreleased track from his first band, the Rangers, called “Gambler” in which he tells us, “I ain’t no gambler but baby this ain’t no game.” Make your mind up, Gold! In fairness, the Rangers’ track was written by his friend and bandmate Kenny Edwards (who was also in Ronstadt’s band and a member of her first band the Stone Poneys), and this little rarity is a lovely addition to the hits-filled set list.
The two songs you would most associate with Gold are indeed both here. One of them is, of course, “Thank You For Being A Fr
iend,” otherwise known as the theme to The Golden Girls. (That version was sung by Cindy Fee, but the music was pretty much unchanged.) Even back in 1978, seven years before The Golden Girls first aired, the song causes a huge cheer to erupt from the audience. Although it was his big hit at the time, I’m sure it wasn’t too hard to see that this song would become something of a classic and one of Gold’s signature tunes. “Lonely Boy” is also here, and it’s arguably his greatest song. Not surprisingly, it’s offered at the end of the set before the encore, and you can almost hear the audience jumping and dancing along.
Other highlights include, the plaintive, slowly building piano ballad “Endless Flight,” and Gold’s making-contact-with-aliens sci-fi song “Oh Urania (Take Me Away)” which is actually strangely beautiful. “How Can This Be Love,” a toe-tapping piano-led song that really should have been the theme to some New York-set romantic comedy (it’s not too late to fix this moviemakers!) pops up, too.
He also explains his first ever single, “That’s Why I Love You,” as being written about his then-girlfriend and completed by “her ex-old man” (Gene Garfin) when he couldn’t think of any more lyrics. One can only wonder what this woman thought of two boyfriends (one current and one ex) collaborating on a song about her, but the result at least is particularly sweet: “It’s the smile upon your face, it’s your style and your grace, and that’s why I love you.”
The whole thing ends with Gold going back to his Beatle-obsessed roots with rollicking versions of “Doctor Robert” and Chuck Berry’s “Roll Over Beethoven” as the encore and a great ending to a real feel-good show.
Omnivore has done a particularly good job with the packaging, too, particularly for a live album (so many are minimum-effort affairs). The nicely designed booklet features never-before-seen photos from that night and affectionate and interesting liner notes by Gold’s friend and bandmate Brock Walsh.
Gold sadly passed away last year at the much-too-young age of 59, but this album is a great tribute to his talent and a nice reminder of just what a first-rate songwriter and performer he really was.
To get your copy of Andrew Gold’s The Late Show — 1978, visit the Omnivore online shop!
