Should Robert Palmer have stayed on longer with the Power Station?

Possible reasons for staying:

1.) The Power Station album was a surprise success and provided his career with additional momentum.
2.) He recorded with most of the former members years later. Too much time had passed to recapture similar commercial success.

The reasons he left were discussed in the Wiki entry:
The Power Station (band) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia »

My personal opinion is that he should have stayed on for the tour. Questioning his professionalism was a bit harsh, as the decision included an element of risk. Michael Des Barres was a subpar replacement at best. The appearance at Live Aid would have only enhanced RP's profile. Touring and promotion would have occupied at most 3 months of mostly prime summer exposure. Riptide ended up being released in November of 1995. It gained serious traction obviously from "Addicted to Love," which was all over FM radio and MTV 30 years ago this summer. The album featured other hits "Hyperactive" and "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On." Sales for the album and the singles did extremely well.

Your verdict?

 

No.

 

No Compared to all the other styles he was into, PS would have bored him silly.

 

No. I really dug that Riptide took a lot of great elements from the Power Station sound and enhanced it with a bunch of Robert's own solo personas. Robert was always all over the map musically (in a good way) and I think Riptide really merged those into a powerhouse pop/rock Lp.

 

Wasn't he also in Vinegar Joe?

 

This is all true, but my only suggestion was only that he could have delayed recording and release of Riptide for a few months to tour and support the Power Station.

 

I guess in the spirit of being a team player he should have stayed but he always seemed to me like a guy who was never very happy being in one place (or sound) too long. Yes he did try to mimic Riptide a bit for a few years after for monetary reasons I suppose but I don't really think his heart was really in it. So my verdict is, if you had intentions of touring and one was booked for you then you need to honor that commitment. Does the fact that the other members still worked with him after lead us to believe that there were no hard feelings? Maybe...or maybe they just wanted the paycheck.

 

I wish Palmer had stayed longer.
That debut album was total pure 1985 magic. The commercial appeal of that albun was outright incredible.

It appealed to everyone who listened
Palmer should have gotten back in 1986 or minimum 1987.

They with Palmer could have been an incredible multi album success.

Just spun that original vinyl last week. Wow!! what a great year 1985 was for pop music and above all the Power station.

 

Yes...for selfish reasons. I was dating a girl (who happened to become my wife later on). She really liked Duran Duran at the time, and by extension, Power Station. So I bought tickets for a concert at Jones Beach. The only saving grace for me was that Robert Palmer was the lead singer. But he dropped out of the tour, to be replaced by Michael Des Barres. Oh well. We had a good time anyway, and it was one of the only concerts that I've ever been to where all the teenyboppers were screaming, sort of like a Beatles concert experience for me.

When we got married, my wife had the album, and I wound up liking it.

 

Probably very true. Chris Blackwell had said RP was a musicologist. So, he wouldn't have been the type to stay in one place very long, figuratively and literally. He'd lived all over, which might give further indication.

Only he brought more girls with him than in "Addicted to Love"!

After all this time, reading that Wiki entry was news to me that there was an actual tour booked. In retrospect, Riptide probably did better overall than the Power Station. It had always made me wonder if how could have achieved more by staying on for PS live gigs and appearances.

Back in 1986, as possible benchmarks, both Peter Gabriel and Steve Winwood had blockbuster albums and singles with Grammy nominations. They were bigger names having been in well known groups previously with some solo chart action, which at least indicated prospects for future big sales. By comparison, RP had been more of a cult figure with the exception of "Bad Case of Loving You" doing well in the States and "Johnny and Mary" was popular in Europe.

 

A better question is what the hell happened to his career at the start of the 90s? Problems with the record label?

 

You know Riptide was an amazing success summer 1986.

Just wish Palmer had stayed longer through 85 to early 86 and had given just a little of that Riptide magic to another Power Station album release.


What a shame about the back and fourth snipes at one another after Palmer left.

If he had stayed 85--86 Palmer could have had his solo albums. The power station would have had maybe with palmers presence another two or three good albums. It would have beem interesting to see how the station sound would have evolved with Palmer aboard in the next album or two if it had happened.

 

In a word...yes:

"Proud To Be a Honky Woman" - Vinegar Joe, The Old Grey Whistle Test, 1973.
I remember seeing him as a guest on The Mike Douglas Show!

 

It might have been cool. I really like the debut.

 

The thing that kills me is the AWESOME debut album rocked summer 1985. Than Palmer leaves what a shame the station with Palmer had at least one or maybe three more good albums going into the 90's. All the while Palmer doing his successful solo career.

 

Robert could have just agreed to a Tour, and then commit to his Solo album sessions. You can never go back, but it may have expanded his sales further out.

 

At the time I thought I read somewhere that Palmer left because the tour was never part of the original plan. I remember being disappointed he didn't tour with them but even if he toured with them I doubt he would have stuck around to make Power Station a regular thing.

 

Wow!! blast from the past. 1985 MTV.

 

Yes. Dance with the one what brung you.

 

Time for iPoddin' his first two albums.

 

Personally, I think he should have stayed longer with the Meters (and Lowell), but that's me. His solo debut from '74 is a revelation. What they achieved during the last 12 and a half minutes of that album is one of the greatest moments in funk history.

Man, it is muggy-hot tonight... Uncomfortably-so.