 Lou Christie This companion volume to Rhino's groundbreaking Lou Christie anthology Enlightnin'ment fills in some of the gaps left by that collection, and continues the Lou story through the 70s and up to the 90s. Because it spans 30 years of a very productive career on one disc, Beyond the Blue Horizon suffers a bit from musical schizophrenia, but Lou's voice carries every song forward with that incredible falsetto. What we really need is a three-or-four disc box set along the lines of the Dusty Springfield anthology, that would show Lou's versatile navigation of popular music throughout his career in all its breadth. Still, this is a great CD, selling the listener magic all the way through. Kicking off with an alternate version of the 1963 hit "Two Faces Have I," the CD launches a musical tour of four decades of Lou. The early period is represented by lesser known classics like "Big Time" and the chamber-pop "Merry-Go-Round," leading into the mid-60s glory days of hits like "Painter" and the notorious "Rhapsody in the Rain" (here presented with alternate lyrics). This gives way to the "bubblegum" period ("She Sold Me Magic," "Indian Lady") which are not bubblegum at all, really. Many of these songs feature the bizarre, frantic vocal support of the Tammys, who provide the ideal blend for Lou's highly unique vocal approach. It's great stuff, the kind of stuff oldies radio might play if it had any balls whatsoever. Good as the first half of this disc is, it only gets better, as it features four songs from the 1974 country-pop masterpiece Lou Christie. And while it would have been nice to have performances like "Saddle the Wind" or "Morning Rider," it's hard to argue with the brilliant "Hey You Cajun" and of course the tour-de-force "Beyond the Blue Horizon." The medley of "Good Mornin'/Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" is charming and wonderful. Now how much would you pay? But wait, there's more! Another perfect pop song, "Riding in My Van," captures that spirit of '76 we could all use now and then. This is the sort of song that the Gap is bound to discover at some point, using it to sell pants, and if that happens, well, more power to Lou. A brilliant song, with that soaring falsetto and an unrestrained optimism. This brings us to Lou's truck-driving years, when he more or less retired from "the game" but emerged occasionally to record would-be hits like the shocking but catchy "Bitch of Fantasy" (perhaps the ultimate guilty pleasure song). The disc closes with four tracks recorded between 1989 and 1994, including a memorable duet with Lesley Gore, and the epic "The Clouds of Rock Roll On," which appropriates Lou's own "Look Out the Window" melody to address the fate of the "oldies" singer in the 90s. The man has still got it. This CD is absolutely wonderful, even while I can't say it flows perfectly (as is the case with many anthologies). So many great songs, such a testament to Lou Christie's enormous talent and enduring appeal. With so many so-called hipsters wasting all time listening to whatever the new "cool" retro trend is these days, it would do everyone a world of good to rediscover some of the genuinely great music hidden in plain sight.
Review by Vindaloo Lyman |