Cliff Richard - Back from the Wilderness Singles and Albums 1975 - 1995

Well said Jarleboy!

 

Two more singles were released, but, alas, not in the UK. Funny thing about the next album, too - only two singles, even though both were Top 5 singles. I heard one more was considered, but then dropped. Strange.

 

Single No. 80: 1981 January 12 — UK — EMI EMI 5123
A-side: "A LITTLE IN LOVE" (Written by Alan Tarney)
B-side: "KEEP ON LOOKING" (Written by Alan Tarney)
A-side and B-side produced by Alan Tarney





"SUDDENLY" was - in many ways - an unexpected hit, always a pleasure! The next release was back to business as usual, with two Alan Tarney songs adorning two sides of the coin. "A LITTLE IN LOVE" is a ballad dressed in a disco frock - it´s not quite a ballad, but not disco, as "DREAMIN´" had been. The arrangement is similar, as all Alan Tarney arrangements were at the time, but it´s a slower beat to this one. I have to admit that I didn´t like "A LITTLE IN LOVE" that much at first - I thought it was one of the weaker tracks on the album. There seemed to be too many sacharine parts of the instrumentation, and I felt the vocal hovered above an unconnected backing. When you got to know it, however, it really works. I remember hearing it on one of the earlier episodes of the TV crime show "Bergerac", and I loved hearing Cliff in an unexpected place. Lovely.

This is good song to test via headphones. Pick up your set and play this track. You will hear many things going on at once. Focus on the verses. There are two synth cords being played - one tone down, one tone up, repeat ad nauseam... When you first notice it, it´s almost irritating, but every little part like that works when it´s all put together.

Technically, the Song Database has this to say about the difference between the single and the album version: "This is edited from the I'm No Hero album version, cutting the first chorus after the key change that begins the repeated chorus on the fade-out." So there you have it.

The single reached No. 15 in the UK Charts, and was another welcome hit, though a bit lower than Cliff had become used to. More importantly for Cliff: It was another Top Twenty hit in the US, peaking at No. 17. Not bad.

One of his better Music videos, I think.

 

The B-side was one of Alan Tarney´s sprightlier songs, and I just love it! It moves along at a breack-neck pace, and it´s all drenched in lovely synth parts. It´s one of those songs that puts you in a good mood. Also notice the many-tracked Cliff vocals on this one, very obvious at the end of the song. A non-album B-side of this quality is a nice present to find.

 

And here´s a live version of the A-side.

 

Well now that we're in the middle of what I consider Cliff's finest hour, I suppose it's time to put my two cents in. I'm No Hero is an amazing album to me, and I still listen to it these days. The songs are terrific. The production got better on Wired For Sound, but the production on this album is pretty good. Good enough to make it work like it's supposed to.

Give the guy some great material, and he shines. I may be wrong, but I don't think his voice ever sounded like this again. It's clear as a bell in its tone, and for the life of me I don't know how he acquired the skill to make it break the way it does. He sounds like he's having the time of his life singing this material, and stays on top of every little soaring note and nuance with the grace of a true professional. This is the album where all those years of performing pay off. He's confident, strong, spot-on in tune, and manages to be both supple and brittle. Some of the best vocal work I've ever heard by anyone.

Years ago, I asked the question of another band, how many great songs does a band have to make, to be a great band. It was a rhetorical question, to which I answered, just one. If it's a great enough song it'll be around. Cliff's given us an album full of them here, and I'll always hold him in the highest regard because of it. I'm just thrilled that production technique was well developed enough at the time, to accurately capture this excellent effort.

I prefer the US album cover.



I guess I do always have to be difficult about something LOL.

 

Not difficult - just having an opinion. (I happen to prefer the UK one, but it´s all Down to taste. (Or to the lack of one, in my case.)

I also happen to love the "I´M NO HERO" - one of his strongest ever. Alan Tarney´s ways of producing songs may not be to everyone´s taste, but I love it, especially around this time. (He lost me later, but that´s another story.) "I´M NO HERO" is, along with the previous album, one of my most played Cliff album, and you´re right - he´s in good voice here, in control.

I wonder what our friends on the thread think about this single. Feel free to praise or criticise!

 

A well written description of the song!
A good choice for a single, very Alan Tarney , liked it at the time, catchy, but not a track I choose to play now.

 

It's always nice to have a non album track as a b - side, but this track does nothing to me I'm afraid.

 

I didn't hear this until 2001 when I bought the I'm No Hero remastered CD. I actually really like it. I wouldn't have minded it being included on the album 'proper'. Though at 10 tracks it's pretty perfect as it is. There's not much depth to Keep On Looking, but it still shows off the talents of Alan Tarney's songwriting and production skills. Not to mention Cliff's excellent main vocal alongside his (and Alan's) multi-tracked ones.

I think it might have stood a chance of being a hit had it been an A-side. It's very catchy and well constructed.

 

I remember reading an interview with Cliff when I'm No Hero was released. He explained that the boxing ring scenario represents himself with New Wave as the opposition in the ring slugging it out. It was something like that I seem to remember.

 

It makes more sense now!

 

Maybe that's why it worked so well. He pushed himself to stay on top of it. And he won. No resting on laurels vocally here. He's vibrant. Singing with so much emotion, it's as if his life depended on it.

 

When I bought the I'm No Hero LP in September 1980, A Little In Love was my favourite track. I earmarked it as the next single. Just one of those warm and cosy songs Cliff does so well. I liked the melody, even though the song gets a little repetitive towards the end. It's just the right length too.

It's chart peak of #15 seems a bit low. It deserved a top 10 placing, I think. It struck me that the release of Suddenly after Dreamin' might have hurt sales of I'm No Hero a little. The Olivia duet wasn't on Cliff's album, so fans might have been disappointed and not picked it up. I'm No Hero LP was just in the shops yet the Cliff single in the charts wasn't on it. This would never happen today, of course.

The fact that the release of second single A Little More Love was delayed until January 1981 would have meant the album was now probably off the charts too. Not great planning by EMI...

I'd never seen the single sleeve until today. I like this one. It's simple and direct. Cliff looks good in the picture too. Anyone buying this would be getting practically a double A-side in a nice picture bag. A good deal. I also note that this was around the time EMI dropped their famous red and tan record label design. I preferred it by far to the new, plainer one.

A Little In Love has that lush, smooth Tarney sound and Cliff perfectly compliments this. I've nothing negative to say about this release at all. Everyone is on form here.

 

For Mr. Richard, this was "fish-out-of-water" on at least two levels. In the UK, as seen here, this was issued on Jet, run by Don Arden (father of Mrs. Ozzy Osbourne), and whose biggest act was ELO (though aforesaid Ozzy broke through as a solo act on said label during this period). In the USA, it came out on Ms. Newton-John's label, MCA, where two catalogue numbers was used. It first came out in July as MCA-41286, then in October it was renumbered MCA-51007. With this release, Cliff recorded over the course of his long career for three different labels in the U.S. MCA family - Uni, Rocket, and MCA. (Then there was the matter of his having recorded for two different US EMI labels - Capitol, at the start of his career, and EMI America at the point this came out; plus his brief stints with Dot and, when he was on it, its then-distributed label Sire. Wonder why ABC subsidiary Dunhill never picked him up, given his onetime association with then-ABC-Paramount?) Wouldn't you know it, the U.S. pic sleeve didn't have the photo of Mr. Richard and Ms. Newton-John as the UK PS did.

When this was out, Mr. Richard lo and behold had three different records on the U.S. Top 40 at once - this, plus "Dreamin(g)" and "A Little In Love." The only time in his whole career he would have this distinction on our side of the pond. It turned out to be the apex of the mini-Cliffmania in the States. And after the last-titled, he wouldn't even make the Top 20 again in America.

 

Must've been when Andy Gibb was on one of his coked-up benders . . .

 

Thank you. You went the opposite way - I didn´t like it much to start with, but I grew to like it. As stated earlier, I often forced myself to like Cliff´s releases by playing myself into submission. Possibly this happened with this one, but I don´t think so. It grew on me.

 

We all respond differently to music. I love it, and I have som memories connected to it. Many reasons to like it.

 

Agree about there not being much depth to "Keep On Looking". That´s kind of the point. It´s a "throwaway" song that we want to keep. Such a joyful little thing. I wouldn´t have minded if it were part of the album proper, either. It´s about three minutes of happy music.

 

It makes sense. I always knew it was him, as the underdog, against a fearful opponent. Didn´t know that New Wave was the antagonist. Makes sense - and makes me like the cover even more.

 

Well put!

 

Agree with just about every word. And no, I don´t think "Suddenly" helped any. Delaying the release of second single probably "robbed" it of a Top Ten placing. Still, it did reasonably well. One of the singles benefitting from the Tarney sound - that actually worked.

 

Yes, it was a jolly old time for Cliff in the US. Won´t happen again, though. Still, it did happen then.

 

The I'm No Hero cover art is the pits. It's my least favorite cover on the CDs I have. I almost didn't buy it but I knew some of the songs and took a chance.

I really do like A Little in Love. The only problem I have is it takes too long to get to the catchy chorus. I think they should jump straight to the chorus the first time he says "you're a little in love." It sort of sounds like a misstep that he's got another verse before the actual chorus. Still, I always enjoy listening to this song.

 

Some places listed this release as early as Nov. 14, 1980 (source: "The New Singles" #850), while "The New Singles" #857 listed the release date as Jan. 9. In the U.S. and Canada, this was issued in late November/early December 1980 on EMI America 8068 with "Everyman" as the B side.

I certainly remember this record, that's for sure . . .