A look into the musical world of Trevor Rabin: composer, performer, and a man of many careers.
Introduction:
A series of essays wherein I explore the numerous musical identities of my favorite musician: from child prodigy to teen idol to guitar hero to singer/songwriter to award-winning in-demand film composer.
Featuring news/updates and commentary/analysis of Trevor's career and associated projects. Comments are disabled but please feel free to contact me at rabinesque.blog@gmail.com.
Showing posts with label the secret discography. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the secret discography. Show all posts
As loyal readers are aware, last year I published an essay on one of the early Rabbitt singles, "Hallelujah Sunshine" (aka "Hallelujah Freedom"), originally released in 1973. And I could have actually proven my assertion entirely had I been aware that the single had also been uploaded to YouTube the year prior by Brian Curran, who is a veritable treasure trove of ZA musical history courtesy of his South African Rock Encyclopedia website. However, I would like to state that since I wrote the essay back in 2020, I maintain it was composed via my own original research (as is much of the content of this blog).
But - and this is a rather big conjunction - but there is a wrinkle to this particular single in my opinion. And that is...the two songs don't appear to be sung by Trevor. So readers: you be the judge. Give it a listen and let me know what you think - email is in my banner.
I will say long-time die-hard fans are aware that in 1973 Trevor and Ronnie were serving their compulsory conscription in the ZA Army, so it's possible Trevor wasn't able, time-wise, to contribute as much to those tracks as he normally would. It doesn't sound like it's at the wrong speed or anything which would affect the vocal in such a way. So I'm a bit mystified, but perhaps the revelation is forthcoming. As the passage of Time has proven, there is always more to learn.
One of a series which examines Trevor’s musical career in South Africa.
(Author's note: this essay was originally written in 2020.)
For those collectors who are constantly on the lookout for uncommon items, the four early Rabbitt singles are among the rarest of finds. Even my South African connection hasn't been able to track any of them down for me, although fans have been treated to a couple uploads on YouTube: the original version of "Locomotive Breath" as well as "Backdoor of My Heart."
However, with one of those - "Hallelujah Sunshine" - we can at least listen to a version which half of Rabbitt also performed on, and it appears on Margaret Singana's 1977 album Tribal Fence.
You probably want to stop me at this point to note: "But those songs have two different titles!" This is true, but I believe that Rabbitt's version may have been retitled thanks to government censorship. And if it sounds like too much of a stretch for credulity's sake, I will state that two songs which contain hallelujah as the first word of a two-word title both credited as being written by someone with the surname of Campbell? What are the odds?!
Continuing with my assertion, the song is actually titled "Hallelujah Freedom" - written and originally performed by Junior Campbell, a Scottish singer/songwriter who had a hit in the UK and Europe with the song in 1972. Rabbitt's version was recorded and released in 1973. Viewing the production credit, I'd say it's a fair assumption that Mutt Lange produced the session.
Margaret's version was recorded for Tribal Fence featuring Trevor on guitar, bass, keyboards and backing vocals, Neil Cloud on drums, with additional guitar and percussion by Julian Laxton and additional backing vocals by Rene Veldsman with Avril and Miriam Stockley. Trevor arranged and co-produced the track.
And why would the South African government censor such a song? In 1973 it was standard practice for anything which could be considered remotely objectionable, just as they censored Rabbitt's first version of "Locomotive Breath." Specifically, when you consider the song's lyrics - which portray an oppressive situation - well, I would say it's fairly obvious that they would seek to suppress anything which could possibly be construed as political.
Oh, they took away the love inside me
that memory will always ride me.
They broke my heart and I could not stand the pain.
Oh, they tried to make me crawl behind them
they even tried to break my mind in
they grabbed my pride and they threw it in my face.
But seriously, listen to the song and when you get to the chorus, substitute "sunshine" for "freedom" and it works just fine. I don't believe it's out of the realm of possibility to posit that the government considered freedom a dirty word at the time.
It's a perfect fit for Margaret's proud and powerful voice, and from the arrangement I would say it's probably rather close to Rabbitt's version, though perhaps a bit more on the pop side of things. The way all the voices sing out the closing refrain of just gimme freedom is an inspiring message of protest to conclude this album with, a work which acknowledged there were two worlds in South Africa, and one of them was on "the other side of the fence."
But the significance of the song - how it can speak to any situation of struggle - means it's easy to understand why Trevor performed it more than once in the course of his career, and directed it at a nation which needed to hear its' message as many times as it could be expressed.
Thanks to a tip-off from a regular reader...this is an upload - I believe - of a track from one of the Lekker Kitaar albums which Trevor recorded under his Trevor Terblanche pseudonym. Most of that material is instrumental, so it's still my best guess as to the actual source, since this features Trevor also singing the song in question which does appear to be based on John Lennon's cover (from the Rock n'Roll release) of Ben E. King's 1961 classic in terms of arrangement. It is worth noting that all three of those albums each had a Beatles-related song included in the tracklist.
Long-time readers of the blog are aware I first posted about the album The Bull and The Lion back in 2018, and this week an article regarding the album and its' place in South African music history was published on The Arts Desk website.
It provides well-researched historical context as well as an insightful review, and it's great to see this kind of coverage for a lost fusion classic. As the album is now available across most if not all streaming platforms, I highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Jacaranda and curious regarding Trevor's forays into jazz during the ZA years.
For this, my third interview-length conversation with Trevor in eleven years, I wanted to focus the discussion on his new release as I had listened to it numerous times prior to our meeting (without the context of lyrics and liner notes) and had plenty of questions to ask about the songs. Rio is a definite event in Trevor’s career, having not released a solo vocal album for over 30 years, but there are also some tangential threads to be found. I always try to provide good conversational points for the Maestro and I can only hope he shares my opinion.
In part one, we discuss the newest member of the Rabin family, his son Ryan’s musical journey, Trevor’s relationship with his past and his heritage through the lens of South Africa, youthful hijinks, and a few of the wonderful and meaningful songs from Rio.
As always, many thanks to Trevor for being so generous with this time and an interesting and engaging conversationalist; with additional thanks to Henry Potts and Cee for technical support, and also the good people at Chipster PR & Consulting.
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What I wanted to start with is the namesake of this album, who is going to be two at the end of the month, talk about time flying! And she’s absolutely adorable. So since you’ve created a piece of art which is her namesake - you know what kind of relationship you’re going to have with her, you know, as she grows up. Have you thought about what kind of relationship you want for her to have with your art, given that you’ve now created a piece of art that is named for her?
Oh wow, that’s a good question. To be quite honest I haven’t thought about it to that degree but obviously I hope she - when she gets married, you know - when she’s older she’ll look upon it and say “That was my grandfather, he made that for me!” So beyond that I haven’t really thought about it.
I know family is very important to you - and to your entire family - that you all have really deep enduring bonds. And so, you know, I’m just thinking about the continuum, from Ryan to Rio, and how I know that he is going to make sure that she realizes how important it is. That she comes from an artistic family, she comes from a family that is very close and has a lot of traditions that are meant to endure, and I feel like this is another piece of that. Of course it completely makes sense why you would name it for her, but also in the bigger picture it makes sense to me. And I just thought it was such a wonderful gesture.
When I first thought about it, I thought, well I should speak to Ryan and Kyly about this and I said, “You know I think I’m gonna call the album Rio, what do you feel about it?” And they were great with it, they said, “Oh fantastic!” And I have to say, she doesn’t stop singing, she sings constantly. And every time she sings I’m listening for it, as I did with Ryan, to see whether I could judge how musical. But you know at two years old you could deviate from a melody just because you don’t have the capacity at that point to kind of intellectualize what it is or hear really what it is. But I’ve been doing exactly the same thing I did with Ryan. And I’m not sure what the conclusion is yet.
Well I imagine in a few years that she’ll be sort of led along the path of musical inclination to see how she feels about it; you had said in previous interviews that you and Shelley had never forced Ryan to take music lessons or to do anything like that, but just as a way of general enrichment and then of course he grew into it as something that he loves because I think he’s growing up inside of it. It’s like oxygen, you’re living inside of this atmosphere.
Absolutely; I very consciously didn’t want to try and push Ryan into anything with regard to anything musical. But other than doing what I did when I was five years old, although he started a little later than five - late bloomer, I think he was six-and-a-half - piano lessons, and I decided I didn’t want to do it myself, because I think an outside source might be a more healthy thing. And I got a teacher, I can’t even remember who it was, but I used to sit in the living room while he had his lesson once a week and that was really the full extent of influencing him to become a musician. And then halfway through these lessons, he was at school, and now he’s 12 years old, and he says, “Oh Dad, do you wanna come hear our band?” I said, “What band?” And he had a band, they were playing the lounge of the guitarist place and I said, “Okay, do you need a keyboard, or -?” And he said, “No, I’m a drummer!” and I said, “You’re a drummer?” and it’s not like I wasn’t involved in him every second of the day kinda thing but this was just something he took upon himself and he went in, someone had a drum kit and it felt good and he enjoyed it. Next thing, I bought him a drumkit and he became a drummer and when he went to USC he took a music course - and this was his idea by the way - he was already in a band and they were touring, and touring all over the country and he said, “I think I’m going to leave the band and go to college,” and he went to USC. And, you know, did a music degree, and the initiative was all his, I must say. And GROUPLOVE was all his although they lived here for two years while they did the album and they did it in the second studio we had here, well, a room that was a studio.
Right, your original studio.
Well no, not even my original studio, it was a room that first was a gym, and then a storage place, and we just put all the equipment in there, set up a recording situation and he recorded them there.
Oh okay - I’d been thinking it was your original studio, you know, the one in the garage.
Yeah no - and that’s gone now, it’s on the same property but it’s a very different place now. The garage has cars in it, thankfully.
Going forward, I really wanted to talk about “Thandi” and “Egoli” because I think those songs are very important, not only within the context of the album but within the context of your history. And so “Thandi” - is it about poaching?
100% yes.
Ah okay - see, because I’ve been listening without the context of lyrics and liner notes, so I’ve been very carefully trying to work it out. And loving some of these lines, for example, the lines that open the song: Buried in shame/dust in my eyes/looking for ways to be there.
Right.
And to me that speaks of someone who is, you know, feeling horror and remorse at a situation where there isn’t really anything that you can do, or very little.
Isn’t that the hardest thing, it’s like watching someone being beaten or something and there’s nothing you can do to help because you’re shackled somewhere. It is a helpless kind of feeling. This is - the only thing I can do is just talk about it. It’s horrific, and it’s been happening for decades obviously, probably centuries. What was I watching the other day - it was about Ferdinand, the reason for the First World War. He was such a hunter, I think it was something like 200,000 kills or something. It’s like, how do you go to sleep at night? If I stand on an ant I’m like, “Ah, I didn’t mean that,” but it’s not as bad as going out and killing this beautiful lion or elephant and holding it up like it’s a trophy. I just don’t understand it.
I feel like a lot of Western culture is predicated on what I call “blood sacrifice.”
Yeah.
Not only war, and conflict, but also, yeah, hunting. And that people believe they’re enacting the primal impulses of our species but I think we’ve evolved far away from that. I really feel the deep sadness of the song you’ve been able to express. Now Thandi, it’s a name endemic to South Africa, but what is it meant to be the personification of in terms of the song?
Actually, if you look up Thandi the Rhino you’ll find a whole story about this particular rhino, but really that’s just the name and there’s a story about that but this is essentially purely about the poaching. And the poachers, sometimes the rangers can get to them, but you know it’s a losing battle and the ivory just keeps moving, and these horrific murders I think they are.
Yeah, and strictly for greed. It’s horrible.
100% greed. And happily my piano has plastic keys, which is another thing that’s also dangerous to the earth but at least it’s not ivory.
Right. So, at the beginning of the song there is a collage of sounds and things like that. Is one of those sounds Rio, her voice?
No, that’s an actual rhino.
Okay, because I know there’s another animal growl as well.
Yes, all of those are the sounds of a rhino. You know, different rhinos.
Oh I see, and so you did some pitch-shifting on them for texture?
Not so much pitch-shifting but reverb and placements are changed for reasons of Art.
I think it does create this atmosphere that’s really interesting. I like the blending of the rock energy of the verses and then the more mbube style of the choruses and how it shifts really well. It gives me a “Me and My Boy” vibe in terms of the energy, is that Ryan on drums?
That’s Lou Molino.
Because the energy of it, in terms of the drum track, was making me think of Ryan. Because we know Ryan is a very high-energy player.
Right. Actually, Lou played great on this album.
Oh yeah, absolutely! I particularly love his playing on “Big Mistakes.” The sounds that you got from it, all of that cracking on the snares and things like that. To me, it’s like an absolute banger, feel-good hit of the summer kind of thing. It even kind of makes me think of the Captain Cuts aesthetic, I know that you weren’t going for that necessarily, you’re working in an idiom that you’re thoroughly familiar with.
Right.
You’re a master of melodic rock. But at the same time, you know, you’ve heard all their songs. So you know that they’ve always got such a great hook and really big energy, like EDM or Emo or a combination of the two, and that their songs just reach out and grab you. And that’s what it made me think of.
Initially the idea of the song is I wanted to get this particular guitar sound which is when the song first comes in. And once I had that sound, that allowed me to carry on, if you like. And then Lou’s idea of how the drums were gonna sound, what they were gonna do, came in it just kind of flowed from there. But really the essence of the song is just remembering early years and the mistakes we all make as teenagers and the curiosity that leads us to some unfortunate places.
Because I was going to ask: are you willing to disclose one of these big mistakes?
No.
No.
(mutual laughter)
It really is just a question of: I cannot believe I went through that and lived to tell the story. You know, it could just be the irresponsibility of having a fast car during Rabbitt, for example, and speeding with a dear friend of mine who just passed away who was the engineer on the Rabbitt albums. Here’s something specific: we raced one Sunday and we were at least cognizant enough to consider that there’s no one on the road and do it on that day. But you know anything could have happened besides writing ourselves off, but yeah things like that came to mind and just came through in the lyrics.
Since you just said that, I was thinking of that infamous story of how the three of you had won a car in a battle of the bands thing -
Oh my goodness!
- and you were driving it without a license to your gigs.
Oh, you know, we used to - how can I put this - one member would say “So-and-so’s coming to pick the car up and we’re going out,” and my parents would say, “Oh okay.” And I’d wait until they were busy on something and I’d just drive. And you know I could barely see above the steering wheel, and we all used to do that, we all drove that car into the ground. ‘Cause we couldn’t really drive.
That’s what it was for, right?!
That’s absolutely what it was for, and it was before Rabbitt. The start of Rabbitt was really Ronnie Robot, Neil Cloud, and myself and we functioned under the name Conglomeration for years and years and years and then I started working with Patric van Blerk who became the guardian, if you like, of the band.
Right.
And that’s when it evolved into that. But yes, Sound 69 it was called. And we won a car and we were so excited. I think all the parents thought: “What are they excited about? We’re gonna have to take them in this car, what do we even need it for?” and it became a pivotal thing. Eventually we were driving ourselves to gigs in the car, and you know it stopped even being a concern that we were driving without a license.
Since we’re in the South African years, I wanted to talk about “Egoli” a bit and also wanted to note that other people were wondering what the title meant, well, I knew thanks to Margaret Singana. I think on one of the tracks on Tribal Fence she makes a reference to it, she says, “Egoli: City of Gold” and so for years now I’ve known what that meant. And so as soon as I saw the title I thought “Oh this is great!” because I love it when you work in that idiom. I was going to state that to me the song is expressing your specific experience of the South African diaspora, for your specific generation, that all of you have this deep ambivalence regarding your homeland: the place that you were born, the place of your family, the place of your youth and whatever good memories that you do have. But also of course a place of incredible terror and corruption and cruelty. And so therefore having to deal with that emotional baggage all of your life. I feel like you’re expressing that in the refrain, that you’re asking for things to heal yourself and to heal the nation -
Take me up and feel my soul
erase the pain and make me whole.
Take my hand and show the way
I’ll be home on Judgement Day.
- meaning that you’re trying to seek a specific emotional unity that I think is particularly characteristic of the South African diaspora.
That's an amazing recognition of what it's all about because, you know, in the song I was hoping to put across a sound musically that is happy. I did a show, the Mandela concert, in South Africa and met with him and had lunch with him. Which was one of the most incredible times, because he was an absolute hero of mine. I’d known about Mandela all my life, my uncle was his lawyer for decades.
Right.
So, meeting him was just so exciting. In ‘94 this possibility like a rainbow opened up, that this country’s gonna be healed and become just a fantastic place, there wasn’t gonna be bloodshed. And that happened. But once Mandela went, that’s what the song is about. It’s like a kleptocracy, particularly Johannesburg which is obviously the biggest economical hub, if you like, in South Africa. The corruption is just way beyond belief. There’s so many issues. And what keeps this kleptocracy sustained is there’s just so much wealth in the country and the government just seems to keep on doing this. I think it might be moving towards a different solution because the ANC are just not as strong as they used to be. I don’t think they’re so weak that they would lose an election but certainly there would be coalitions formed now and the hope and desire is that it’s just not so corrupt and insular.
And so therefore it was very moving to me to listen to this and come away with a fuller understanding of what you’re trying to express. I think that any great nation has an ambivalent populace, because often you’re dealing with a land that you love, a place that raised you, nurtured you. but at the same time also a nation that is capable of terrible things. And as you grow into an adult you have to start recognizing that.
Absolutely.
And some people choose never to do that, but we won’t go down that road. So “Paradise” is a very interesting song to me, this riff - and I know you’re probably gonna say “You’re crazy!” - this riff sounds like something that Mutt Lange would have written for Shania back in the day.
You know, that’s quite amazing, someone else had mentioned that. And I hadn’t even thought about it until then. One of the things about Mutt that I don’t think people knew when he started doing that first great Shania album is that Mutt was a massive Country fan all his life. We used to do sessions together when I was a session musician, a lot of it was Country stuff. There’s a deep understanding, I think, in South Africa with Country, but Mutt became an absolute expert at it. I like what he did with Shania.
Yeah absolutely. Because of the uses of “Rule Britannia” and “By Hibernia” in the lyrics, is this a song about the UK?
Yes, in the chorus, it’s about once again a happy-sounding song but with a pretty dire prediction that Paradise is leaving.
Right.
You know, I love England, I loved living there. But obviously the power of the Empire was so substantial in the early years. I don’t know if you watch The Proms, where they play the most beautiful Elgar music. I’ve always loved Elgar, so I don’t know if that makes any sense.
Like the heritage of what England represents.
Yes exactly.
And I feel very vindicated to have figured that out.
That’s quite amazing, I can’t believe you don’t have the lyrics and you’ve been hearing all these things, that’s great.
Musician, songwriter, engineer/producer, and legendary figure in the ZA rock world Julian Laxton passed away on September 9th. As long-time fans are aware, the combined efforts of Trevor, Julian, and Patric van Blerk are responsible for the amazing production of the two Rabbitt albums which Trevor appears on, but particularly their second release A Croak and A Grunt in the Night. Yet another great production project from the team was Margaret Singana's album Tribal Fence from 1977.
This article notes many of Julian's achievements in the music scene over the years, although they fail to note that he came to prominence with '70s era seminal rock band Freedom's Children.
Trevor posted this tribute to his personal Facebook page last week:
It’s hard to believe that my brother in sound has passed. Julian Laxton was one of a kind. The 1st guitar player to blow me away. I was speechless. Johannesburg city hall. Early seventies. He was also the 1st engineer to blow me away. He was an absolute magician in the studio. He always managed to match his unbelievable imagination with technique and talent. No one could do what Jules did. A visionary. Jules was always loving and kind to me. A gentle soul with a fierce undeniable talent. I cannot believe you’re gone my brother. I loved you and will miss you . Trevor.
My condolences to his daughter Kashya and family, friends, and fans throughout the world.
My deep gratitude to the Southern African Music Archive channel on YouTube for posting the full version of "Auld Lang Syne Rock" which is more along the lines of the recordings which The Beatles used to make for their fan club during the holidays, with all the boys taking a turn at the mic to give their well wishes to the loyal listeners. This has also been posted on the official Rabbitt page on Facebook.
A very happy and healthy 2023 to everyone, with the hope that we all find our way to better days and desired pursuits.
As I posted back in November, it's been announced that Duncan, Ronnie and Neil are reuniting for a Rabbitt reunion tour of South Africa, which will begin in October of this year.
Archival footage of the band has begun popping up on the new Facebook page for the band (launched last year), portions of which fans have seen over the years in various documentaries and interviews. Most importantly they have begun posting full performances of various songs such as "Charlie," "Hard Ride," and "Baby's Leaving." And even more astonishing, a portion of Rabbitt's actual appearance on Dingley's Bookshop. I had been under the impression that the clip we knew of was from the opening credits of the show (as Duncan composed the theme and the band performed it) but it is actually from the episode in which they appeared, playing along to "Working For The People." And proving that Trevor did have an actual speaking part (though this is not enough to judge his acting).
It had seemed fairly obvious to me that Duncan has had all this in his possession - as his brother Bill was employed with the SABC for many years - and I appreciate that he's allowing these videos to be enjoyed by everyone now.
For anyone wishing to view the footage from the band's televised appearances be sure to visit the new Rabbitt Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/rockrabbitt/
I hope all my readers are safe and cozy during this holiday season, however you observe. Here are some recent finds...
The first one is from last year, I hadn't seen any mention of it on social media previously. Trevor's brother Derek appeared on the Where Are They Now program hosted by Cindy Alter. Alter is herself a well-known figure in the history of South African pop/rock as she was the leader of the all-girl band Clout who had a big hit in 1978 with their cover of "Substitute" (not The Who song, but rather by The Righteous Brothers) as well as overseas success in the UK. Cindy ended up working with Trevor later on in Los Angeles, though I don't believe anything from their collaboration was ever officially released.
This is a very interesting discussion regarding the Rabin family as well as Derek's explorations as a musician and then his shift into entertainment-related law as well as serving as Trevor's legal council, in addition to Cindy's own recollections of the time. I was amazed how alike Derek and Trevor sound in terms of their inflections, and they share a similar sense of humor as well.
Derek also provides yet another version of Trevor's development deal with Geffin, which adds a bit of specific chronology to the story in that the Asia proposition comes first (which he ultimately turned down although Geoff Downes has intimated they weren't interested either), and then the move to Los Angeles and period of songwriting for a possible album, which could be said to be the source of most of the material he then brought to Chris and Alan. So in Derek's version Trevor was dropped due to Geffin's lack of interest in the material he demo'ed at the time rather than refusing to join Asia. Derek does verify that Trevor was in talks with RCA for a deal when the call came from Chris.
For those craving even more Rabbitt tales, Duncan and Patric have also been guests on the program (which is a veritable cavalcade of ZA's popular music past) and so here are their episodes as well.
This year another Yes-related podcast debuted - Yesshifts - hosted by a father-son duo of Yes enthusiasts, and one of their episodes is specifically a discussion of what might have happened to YesWest if they had actually continued as Yes without Jon Anderson.
Uploaded to YouTube this month, Yes' appearance on Rockline in October of 1987 to promote Big Generator - all of the band is present for this interview.
And for anyone who might be interested, if you are a patron of the Have You SEEN This? podcast, I made two appearances recently with co-host Jen - to discuss the lesser-known 1987 films Siesta and Gothic (episodes 119 and 122). Those episodes are only available for Patreon members, and joining for only $2.00 a month is a great way to support an entertaining and insightful podcast about odd and obscure films! We are working on recording another Trevor-related episode for next year.
Uploaded today by the fabulous Marq Vas, another track from the 1977 maxi-single Morning Light; a song which Duncan had also recorded previous to joining Rabbitt. As long-time fans are aware, this release was Trevor's last hurrah in the band, and the back cover features a message from Duncan, Ronnie and Neil acknowledging his departure and their desire to continue on, and they did so with the album Rock Rabbitt later that year.
One of a series which examines Trevor’s musical career in South Africa.
Spotted on Instagram: yet another side project from 1976, possibly featuring the same line-up as on the You And Me release (also from '76). I'm assuming the name comes from the Los Angeles-based '70s era soccer team (football to the rest of the world, that is). If you page through the entire photo set you'll hear excerpts from one of the songs on side one as well as "Rumble in the Jungle" which was written by Trevor.
One of a series which examines Trevor’s musical career in South Africa.
Author's note: I first wrote about this subject in 2011 on the Yesfans forum but I decided to create a more formalized and better-researched essay sometime after that, and so here it is (finally).
The most powerful of voices can break through barriers of prejudice and oppression, especially with the help of South Africa's biggest hitmakers. This is the story, and the triumph, of Margaret Nomvula M'cingana (her surname later anglicized to Singana) - known to those who loved her as Lady Africa.
The reason I have titled the essays on Trevor's work during his time in South Africa "The Secret Discography" is because for many years not much was known about the numerous projects and sessions he created and performed on, apart from his role in Rabbitt, to fans in the rest of the world. Trevor has never been particularly forthcoming regarding this period, other than stating that he played on hundreds of recordings for all types of music, as well as responding to a few pointed questions. As the reach of the Internet began to extend everywhere, more information and credits were shared by record collectors all over the world, including South Africa. Websites and blogs devoted to the musical history of South Africa during the apartheid era began to appear and our knowledge grew from there. It is interesting to note, however, that among the credits which are listed on Trevor's official site, only Rabbitt and Margaret Singana are included in regard to that era. And seeing that information is what originally sparked my curiosity and began my search, many years ago...a search which has been wholly rewarding in terms of discovering such an inspirational and amazing talent. I choose to believe that her inclusion was meant as a gesture of respect and affection on Trevor's part.
Margaret's initial progress from Queenstown to the City of Gold in the 1950s to become a singer was slowed due to the inherent limitations of the apartheid system, but at key moments her talent was readily recognized by those who could lend a hand, and her career began with local theatre and the hit single "Good Feeling," (credited to Margaret Singana and the Symbols) but she came to worldwide prominence in 1973 as a lead vocalist in the musical Ipi N'Tombi and its' cast album The Warrior. As the liner notes predict: Whatever the outcome we are sure that lead singer Margaret Singana must certainly gain international recognition based on her incredible performances on this album. When anti-apartheid protests put an end to touring of the production, back in Johannesburg she continued on with recording the albums which made her a song stylist success on both sides of the national charts, as well as inroads into the international market courtesy of a contract with Casablanca Records. And for this it was especially wonderful that she had Patric van Blerk, Julian Laxton, Allan Goldberg, and Trevor Rabin on her side. This is not to imply that any of those individuals should inhabit a "white saviour" type of role, but rather that at least they could put their power and privilege to better use by giving Margaret a platform through which to gain further popularity and reach. The popularity of these recordings led to success in terms of sales and awards, but sadly her momentum was halted by a stroke she suffered in 1978. Margaret eventually returned to singing, and recorded another great anthem in 1986, the Shaka Zulu theme song "We Are Growing" (produced by Julian Laxton) but even with her sporadic appearances in the music scene, her passing in 2000 was the tragic loss of a national treasure: penniless and neglected.
There is more than one reason to enjoy Margaret's body of work - not merely due to Trevor's involvement, but for the inherent joy of her singing, over a wide range of musical styles. But I do believe that one of the major achievements of Trevor's career in the South African era was the time and care he put into these albums, these songs, contributing to the effort of making Margaret a star by providing his musical best. His profession allowed him to cross the color line and work with whatever musicians he desired to, music serving as the universal language and connection between human beings. But it also illustrated how wide those divisions were, how unjust and morally reprehensible.
It has been a difficult task to discern between the myriad releases and re-releases of Margaret's discography, but after several years research I have been able to verify - as I initially ascertained - that there are four mid-70s era albums which Trevor worked on for her. I have noted, where applicable, the various editions and titles. Lady Africa (1973)
Love Is The Power (1974)
Stand By Your Man (1975)
(aka Nomvula, reissued internationally as Where Is The Love in 1976)
Tribal Fence (1977)
(aka I Never Loved A Man)
Each album would usually feature at least a couple songs penned by Patric and Trevor, and this one from Stand By Your Man I think is particularly interesting, called "Open Your Mind." Trevor's music is a definite stone groove, an example of how he could compose in just about any idiom one could think of.
Primarily Margaret's choice of material for her Jo'Burg releases was meant to be inclusive and populist, consisting of rock, pop, soul, disco and traditional selections. Some were performed in Xhosa, such as "Hamba Bikele" but most were English-language songs. Her voice was so incredibly powerful and yet could embody the emotional import of whatever song she applied it to, from the country classic "Stand By Your Man" to the disco celebration of "I Surrender."
This particular track is notable for Trevor's dominant presence as producer, arranger, and playing most every instrument (including drums) as well as backing vocals on the chorus. From Tribal Fence, Margaret's cover of "Have You Ever Seen The Rain?" (beginning at 6:29 in this video) featuring a reggae arrangement.
Another favorite of mine from Tribal Fence is "Why Did You Do It?" with Trevor's arrangement skirting the line between rock n'roll edge and funk groove - Trevor once again playing nearly everything, accompanied by Rabbitt bandmate Neil Cloud on drums. Trevor's bass playing provides a great bottom end on this one, in my opinion.
Though none of Margaret's Jo'Burg releases have been reissued on CD to my knowledge, the 1996 compilation Lady Africa is a fairly inclusive collection of material, although I would encourage those interested in hearing Margaret's music to search YouTube as well as resources such as the Soul Safari and ElectricJive music blogs for further selections - short of buying the actual albums, which I would recommend to serious collectors, especially Tribal Fence, as that album was primarily stewarded by Trevor and Julian, with Trevor arranging the songs on Side One and Julian arranging those on Side Two (labeled as "The Other Side of the Fence") in addition to their production and performing contributions. Julian also provided engineering and the "magic" mix.
One of a series which examines Trevor’s musical career in South Africa.
As I posted previously, Trevor gave another interview last year which I wasn't aware of at the time, but at least in terms of one particular detail it is one of the most interesting.
Discussing the history of Rabbitt with Sound of the Movies host Michael Hollands, Trevor related how Duncan Faure was brought into the band:
"After the army, I had produced a guy called Duncan Faure, just a single he had - it didn't actually catch and soon after then we thought it would be nice to have a keyboard player in the band and a second singer so we got him in the band and that's how it really began and how we went on."
Admittedly it surprised me because this anecdote seems counter to previous narratives, such as when T.H. Cutler noted in her history of the band that Trevor, Ronnie and Patric van Blerk attended a show of Duncan's (in either 1974 or early 1975 I would estimate) and they asked him to join the band. Duncan had made his debut as a recording artist back in 1972 with the band Orange Cash Boat, dubbed - as Mary Fortney noted in her biographical essay on Duncan - "South Africa's Youngest Pop Sensation." A few years later, Duncan would immortalize his early years in the song "I Was Eleven" which was recorded by Rabbitt as well as The Rollers.
Returning to Trevor's recollection...it is true that Trevor co-produced a single for Duncan - the release of which was also documented by T.H. Cutler - and the A-side was later re-recorded by Rabbitt for the "Morning Light" maxi-single.
"When You're Without Her"/"Ballad of a Human Being" released 1975.
It's possible that Patric was scouting for talent as per his usual and even though this particular single didn't succeed they appreciated Duncan's obvious abilities and appeal and figured he would be an asset to the band. Duncan himself did assert in an interview from 2014 that when he joined the band it was before they had developed their local popular following. However, the fact that Duncan's participation on Boys Will Be Boys! is limited to one song does suggest that he joined while they were finishing up work on the album at the very least, which was in 1975.
The DNA of a teen idol: Duncan in the '70s.
Speaking of Our Boys...eagle-eyed Cee noticed this about a particular upload of "Hold On To Love" - it contains what appears to be some additional footage of Rabbitt (after the 3-minute mark) performing the song on television with a string section, parts of which we've seen over the years (an excerpt from "Searching" for example). Again, it's these rare glimpses which make me positively ache for some kind of in-depth career retrospective/compendium of the beloved Lekker Four.
One of a series which examines Trevor’s musical career in South Africa.
It's amusing to me how the topic of Trevor's side career as a disco maven comes up from time to time and I have yet to finish my essay on it! But this is an interesting find: for anyone who utilizes a streaming platform like Spotify, Apple Music or Napster (for example) - you can now listen to The Tee Cee's "Ecstasy" via a compilation series titled Disco Music History. It's definitely a needledrop because I can hear a bit of vinyl noise at the beginning but it sounds as good as any transfer you might find on YouTube. The track appears as the lead-off on Volume 7 of the series. I believe you have to search by the name of the series because it would yield too many results to search either by song title or artist (because the "Various Artists" attribution is used in this case). Although there's no applicable credits on the actual album save for production and arrangement I would assume the proceedings in this case are enacted by his usual cast of characters: Kevin Kruger on drums, Rene Veldsman on vocals, with Trevor handling everything else (especially that exquisitely funky bass) as well as Pro Arte providing the orchestration and Hennie Hartmann the engineering. Maybe another person on percussion? There's a lot of additional percussion used. I would love to know who the couple are on the bookend tracks and if they managed to make it through a complete take for either song without laughing.
Speaking of those two, I will say that out of the four tracks on Disco Love Bite, the title track and "Ecstasy" are the best in terms of both salacious mood and sheer musicality, although "The Machine" has a fair amount of guitar and keyboard parts to enjoy. Of the two disco projects we can recognize as authentically Trevor's, in a manner of speaking, I find I enjoy this album more than either of the Disco Rock Machine releases.
So if you have a Trevor playlist of some kind or a Guilty Pleasures one, or maybe even "Discotheque in My Kitchen" (and someone to flip the lights on and off) then here's another track to help you get your groove on during these trying times. It's good exercise, you know. *wink wink*
(With eternal thanks to Dearest Friend of the blog Cee for visual assistance with the physical media. And also many thanks to everyone who has helped spread the word of my review series, such as Yes fandom leading light Henry Potts of Bondegezou. I truly appreciate everyone who has taken the time to read the blog and also provide engagement via links and other comments on social media.)
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I will start out this next review by stating that Face To Face is my least favorite of Trevor's solo work overall, and thus I haven't been in a particular hurry over the near-decade of this blog's existence to write about it. But now there's a box set and so here we are. Trevor held much the same opinion, so at least we are in agreement.
Trevor offered this explanation for Face To Face lacking focus and overall quality in his liner notes for the 2002 reissue:
Around the time of this album I produced a number of albums in London, however, I was strongarmed by some "suits" to record my album in South Africa to save money. This was a mistake as I was really on a creative roll in London, which was broken by going back to South Africa for this project.
So by his own admission, Trevor was engaging in parallel careers much as he did in South Africa. However - I put it to you, dear reader, that in fact what happened with Face To Face is Trevor literally overbooked himself, and there is journalistic evidence of this very thing. But before we get into that, let's go back to the original Chrysalis press release (an excerpt of which is included in the CD booklet) to see how the process was explained at the time.
The production of Rabin's second album Face To Face differs from his debut insofar as instead of laying down a rhythm track and creating over it, this time our man first recorded the whole LP in the studio with a band, Rabin on bass and various musicians handling the other instruments. A "live feel" having been obtained, the perfectionist Rabin then wiped the tape clean apart from his bass work and began all over again, little-by-little adding his own virtuoso interpretations. Rather like stepping backwards to move forwards you might think, but this approach has added extra impetus and has resulted in several steaming heavy rock tracks - notably "The Wanderer."
Uh...okay. So does this mean that Trevor actually wasted time and money by recording the entire album at a fairly costly facility with a band and then declared he was going to do it all over again himself? Because I can imagine the answer to that would be: "Okay, you want to re-record everything? Then let your production company pay for it this time." And how would they do that, you ask? Well, Blue Chip Music owned the studio, after all.
So now we can set the stage for Face To Face...
As reported in various trade publications such as the UK music industry magazine Music Week: in June of 1978, Trevor signed a non-exclusive production deal with Chrysalis Records in his capacity as Head of A&R for Blue Chip Music. Most if not all of the production assignments Trevor obtained during the London years were under the auspices of Blue Chip, the production company formed by RPM co-founder Matt Mann and his business partner Ivor Scholosberg.
One of Rabin's first productions for the company is the House of the Rising Sun disco album by Hot R.S. which has already been a chart hit in France. A single will be rush-released, "reflecting Chrysalis' bid to break into the disco market in a major fashion," said a spokesman.
I don't want to go into this too much because I do have another entire essay in the works regarding Trevor's foray into disco in South Africa and the like, but this deal is the basis for the Disco Rock Machine 2 release which was to come the following year. Trevor played on TheHouse of the Rising Sun but it was produced by Kevin Kruger, a long-time friend and fellow session musician in South Africa. As most fans know, Kevin played drums on Beginnings (and thus Trevor Rabin) as well as Face To Face. And I would assume that Trevor's A&R acumen helped to obtain his studio singer cohort Rene Arnell distribution for her solo debut, though it turned out to be a singular occurrence. Call Me appears not to have had a UK release, however, only European distribution for any territories not covered by RPM.
I bring this up because many long-time fans have viewed a scan of the article which appeared in Music Maker chronicling a behind-the-scenes look at the conclusion of Trevor's months-long sessions at RPM, and the revelation that he had produced three albums simultaneously: Face To Face, Rene's album Call Me, and Disco Rock Machine 2 featuring his mainstays - vocalist Rene Arnell, RPM's house drummer Kevin Kruger, and engineer Hennie Hartmann.
So if we were to imagine Trevor's story is true, if in fact the "suits" at Chrysalis ordered him to cease his work at AIR Studios (where he had recorded with famed engineer Geoff Emerick and Dave Mattacks on percussion duties as well as other alleged individuals who will apparently remain forever unnamed) and relocate to cheaper digs, it would certainly make sense to return home to a studio he was already thoroughly familiar with. I'm not entirely certain how relocating outside the UK would have been cheaper unless there was a tax dodge involved, maybe? It's not like there weren't budget studios in London, after all. However, if Trevor had multiple projects he was contractually obligated to complete for the year and two of them were going to have be recorded in South Africa anyway...and that's not even taking into account the whole "starting from scratch" scenario. Or, if the insistence on saving money was supported by using the studio which was owned by the production company he already worked for, well, there wasn't much Trevor could do to counter that argument.
Because we have some verification of the actual situation courtesy of Jon Ossher's article, I think it's fairly easy to posit an entirely different scenario than the explanation Trevor offers in hindsight. Of course given the caprices of Time that's likely how he actually remembers it.
Let's back up the timeline - Trevor recorded in part at AIR Studios, which was co-owned by George Martin. There was an anecdote in the press regarding Martin making an offer to produce Face To Face but Trevor turned him down. I asked Trevor about this claim when I interviewed him in 2012 but he could not recall it and didn't believe it was true. I could believe it and yet also not believe it because who would turn down George Martin? Well...Trevor might, the very picture of self-determination that he was and is. But would George Martin offer to produce him? Sure, anyone could see how talented Trevor was. Now here's a wrinkle for you - Chrysalis and AIR were affiliated companies. Chrysalis was a co-owner of the studio's Lyndhurst location (opened in 1992) and likely served in the same capacity for the Oxford Circus location (the original facility, opened in 1970), where those Face To Face sessions took place. So how can it be perceived as too expensive when the record company co-owns the studio?
Trevor is quoted in Ossher's article as stating he was planning to complete the mix of the album in London; the preview he offered the writer and the "suits" at RPM was only four songs. Mixing sessions, and mastering the vinyl cut, those things cost money too, but money he was apparently going to spend in London regardless. All of these details aren't doing Trevor's excuse any favors.
Returning to my central point, I believe that perhaps - for better or worse - the reason why Face To Face displays a lack of focus and songwriting craft is because the greater part of that effort went into Call Me. I think that the story of one album is actually two albums - but only one of them is wholly successful in terms of ambition and execution, and it's not Face To Face.
Trevor and Rene at RPM Studios
Was this an act of artistic sacrifice? Perhaps, though I would characterize it as unwitting rather than intentional. But there's not a bad track on Call Me, and I can't say the same for Face To Face.
The primary strength of Call Me is Rene's songwriting (on her own and in partnership with Cynthia Schumacher), proving to an international audience she is far more than a mere girl singer (as she already possessed a measure of fame in South Africa), but Trevor's playing, arrangements and production skills provide a beautiful framework for the material, a variety of moods and textures on offer. Rene's powerful and soulful voice is entirely compelling, and there's an overall sophistication and touches of grandeur which elevate the songs above the usual pop-rock fray. And when you compare the two versions of Rene's "Hold On" (aka "Hold On I'm Coming") - Trevor as producer/arranger versus Rene and Ernest Schroder as producers and Eric Norgate as arranger - I think the results speak for themselves (although Trevor might have played guitar on the original version).
There are also elements which directly link this album to Trevor's own work. For example, "Sooner Or Later" and "Running Away" could have, should have been recorded for Face To Face as well. Listen to those tracks and tell me you can't imagine them on that album. Go ahead, I'll wait. And as I've previously opined on the blog, then there's "Paying My Dues" and how the arrangement prefigures "Owner of a Lonely Heart" so thoroughly it's like Trevor plagiarized himself (not that I'm actually suggesting he did, of course). And in that context - on somebody else's record - he could be far more adventurous than he would have been allowed to be on his own.
So I consider it rather a missed opportunity that Trevor didn't write songs with Rene, although that wasn't his style or his identity. He was the wunderkind who did just about everything himself. But I think it could have made for a better album if he had. I like to imagine it was all a shared project and have combined my favorite tracks from both into what I consider to be a great "what if" release. I actually recommend listening to both albums to appreciate the full picture of where Trevor was at from a musical perspective in 1979 - because he didn't invest his own work with everything he was capable of, just sayin.'
And Rene's harmonies are a integral part of Face To Face for certain, providing a particular emotional intensity which Trevor, for all his stacked layering wizardry, can't quite access on his own.
Some reviews of the time appear to be in favor of the more "gritty" Trevor in terms of his rock n'roll reductionism, while others criticize Trevor for continuing on as a one-man band. But it seems everyone agrees that this album is attempting to establish a different identity for him as more of a hard rocker/guitar hero. It was my belief that Chrysalis was trying to make Trevor into yet another pub rocker but he's just too melodically-oriented for that kind of thing. And Trevor has acknowledged the pressure to evolve into something which didn't feel authentic to him, as he notes in a 2004 interview:
I think Face To Face suffered from some of the issues we talked about in terms of making contrived music. When I made that album I thought “I’ve got to do something like this,” rather than letting the process happen.
* ~ * ~ *
Side One
"I'll Take The Weight"
I'll say that whatever faults this album can be said to have, the music is well-composed overall. I love the way this one lopes along, with some appealing layers introduced along the way. But only the chorus is interesting to me from a lyrical standpoint, and as with many of the choruses Trevor comes up with, it's catchy. I like the I'll take the weight off your shoulders. I'll take the load off your life. Trevor's vocal is attempting some kind of effect, but whatever it is, I don't know that it works. The middle eight is also really strong, with that driving riff framing a solid solo.
"Don't You Ever Lose"
As with more than a few tracks on the album, Trevor and Rene's harmonies are so perfectly layered. The lyrics on this one aren't so cringe-worthy, but again - what the actual fuck is up with his delivery? It's like he's trying to sing more as a hard rocker, I suppose, but doesn't really know how. I might attribute it partly to the change in his register, as Trevor is now singing as more of a mid-range tenor, so he sounds like he's straining at times. But musically this fits in with the overall mission statement. The organ on the bridge kind of derails that mood, though, just briefly. There's a lot of keyboard elements throughout the album which I do appreciate.
"I'm Old Enough (To Make You A Woman)"
This song could reasonably be considered a "low moment" of the album (in Trevor's words) but you know what? It's equally awful and wonderful. There, I said it. It's been said no pleasure is a guilty pleasure, but...yeah, I'll cop to this one. Trevor is really better suited to pop themes as a vocalist and the yearning he infuses these...cheesy...lyrics with? It's delicious. And somewhat interestingly an inversion of the expected subject matter when it comes to age difference in relationships.
I often wonder if because he was compared to Queen so many times in reviews of Trevor Rabin he decided to actually sound like Queen, and in terms of his guitar tone he absolutely recreates the Red Special as if he had borrowed it from Brian May (and we know that would never happen, so it's an impressive achievement). I'm also betting Dave Mattacks played on this song. I have no basis for this opinion save that I've listened to a lot of Kevin Kruger's drumming and this strikes me as somewhat different.
"The Wanderer"
I have no idea what this song is actually about - Trevor's then-manager Pete Smith wrote the lyrics. It's about a girl who's a pirate, maybe? I've tended to imagine it that way because I do think about such things. But without knowing the actual lyrics, well - especially these which aren't particularly clear. Trevor's delivery doesn't sound so awkward, finally. There's some kind of chorusing or delay effect used on his voice in the chorus that's really interesting.
But the bridge between the verses and chorus? It rocks so hard, especially that bass! It's really engaging as a track, musically-speaking. It's definitely the most "hard rock" which strikes me as authentic in terms of genre expression.
"You"
This is, arguably, Trevor's worst ballad (though I also feel that way about "Would You Feel My Love" which apparently he likes? So what I do know, right?) and the best part about it is that it's brief. I feel like maybe he wrote the lyrics in 10 minutes after struggling to come up with something for many days prior. I get why it's generic but that same quality is not particularly attractive in terms of the sentiment it's meant to convey. The track itself isn't that inspiring either, to be honest. For me, this is the lowest moment on the album.
Side Two
"Now"
Speaking of borrowing guitars, Trevor has claimed he did borrow one of David Gilmour's for this track. In my "Five from five" essay I have opined why I feel this is the best track on the album, and I've read various commentary over the years which shares that opinion so I'm gratified. It's the track with the most ambition, and I think it delivers overall - a melding of Trevor's musicality and his production prowess. The emotion he means to convey is absolutely realized, both musically and vocally. The song is dramatic, but in a wholly appropriate way. The solo is perhaps the first of Trevor's sonic experiments particularly in that vein and the various layering Trevor incorporates in the fade-out, panning between the channels, is an interesting use of textures.
"The Ripper"
I have discussed this track previously in my Halloween Special essay from 2012, the song is about the Yorkshire Ripper, and is one of the UK-specific references on the album, as Peter Sutcliffe had been terrorizing the countryside for nearly a decade (and thus, was news during the period of this album's creation and recording). Pete Smith wrote these lyrics as well, and the tone of the words along with the music is...inappropriately playful? As it is written in first-person narrative, so from the POV of the killer. But that is a UK thing, a sardonic sort of memorializing and part of a tradition, as I also note in the aforementioned entry. I do like Trevor's vocal on this track, further cementing my whole ambivalence about this song in general. The outro solo is certainly masterful but it's a little much for my tastes.
"Candy's Bar"
This song has a particular lighthearted mood to it which I enjoy. It strikes me as the most English song Trevor has ever written, and I don't just mean because it's about a quaint little place down in Yorkshire. There's a bit of humor in his vocal at times and touches of whimsy, such as his use of a concertina in the second verse. It's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it kind of inclusion but when you do finally catch it, it's just...funny. But in a way which makes one smile.
"Always The Last One"
Although I believe "Now" is the best track on the album, the closer is a very close second. It's a perfect summation of Trevor's talents: a well-composed song which is expertly performed, arranged and produced, infused with the appropriate emotional heft. It has a certain kind of grandeur to it even as it is also a hard-driving rock song, with an appropriately shredding solo in the middle eight. From what I can surmise from the lyrics, it's about a relationship of some kind (more platonic than romantic, I would say) which has faded away due to time and distance, and the narrator is attempting, if not to revive it, then at least assure the other person they remain connected because their bond is just that deep. I have a theory as to who it's about but I don't actually know. The bridge before the chorus even borrows from "Now" in terms of the backing vocals included (or maybe it's the other way around). And there's a kind of metallic "echo" at the very end which is a really fascinating detail to me.
* ~ * ~ *
Weirdly, it seems like the two covers for Face To Face are expressing different concepts for Trevor's image: the UK cover an extreme close-up of that beautiful face and a guitar headstock emblazoned with his name, melding the two things in the minds of the public - but wait! You can see seemingly reflected images inside the tuning pegs: a bass headstock, a keyboard, and a vocal microphone. This guy does it all! The back cover is wholly staged and maybe a little cheesy but what warms my fangirl heart is the vintage outfit (because Trevor never gets rid of anything) - those silver pants and striped tank top actual Rabbitt-era togs and kinda rock n'roll, I guess? The choice of the Les Paul he wields goes along with the cover photo, and I suppose it's rather more Guitar Hero. But I continue to be mystified that Trevor was never photographed for album covers or publicity photos with his Strat - which is his guitar, as integral to his image as a player as Eric Clapton's Blackie was for him. But the UK variant truly is the best album cover of the Chrysalis releases: attractive and clever and graphically interesting. And best experienced as an actual album cover: to hold in your hands and appreciate the immediacy of the images. (Yes I have several copies of the vinyl, but I'm a collector, I collect things, okay?! It's not a problem or anything.)
As I noted prior, the CD booklet contains some of the text of the original press release (which was indeed also included in the programme for Steve Hillage's 1979 UK tour on pages 14 and 15; long-time fans are aware Trevor was the opening act). And I will say that instead of reprising the UK cover art for the album three times in the booklet, why not include a live performance shot from that tour? They're out there, after all. Trevor's even promoting his own album, wearing one of the t-shirts fans could purchase (Oh wait, now that would have been an actually interesting idea for new merch!).
Like this one.
Or even this one.
And no image of the alternate cover? Why?! However, it is a good thing the UK cover has become the prevailing image of the album because the US cover is just...what?! Trevor as a member of the skinny tie-and-vest set does not compute, although the leather pants prefigure the true glory days to come. There was another setup featuring Trevor wearing a black blazer and I think I like that better? But those shots are rare to find. I get the whole photo positive-negative thing but I'm not sure what that has to do with the notion of being "face to face" with...anything? At least with the UK version the close-up of Trevor's face is conceptually appropriate.
Why are there two covers? I don't know but it is interesting that Rick Derringer released an album with the same title and a very similar photo to the UK version a year later.
There is a single edit of "Don't You Ever Lose" (which was originally released on a "maxi-single" with tracks from Trevor Rabin) listed as a bonus cut on the back cover and the disc itself, however it is not actually included. And I know I'm not the only one who has asked about this, but I honestly don't expect to receive a response, nor should anyone else who inquires. It's just a fuck-up, I guess - oh well! I assume it would have been a needledrop like the single edits on Trevor Rabin. It's not that I feel particularly cheated or anything but I think when you're asking people to pay over a hundred dollars for a deluxe box set, then you should strive to ensure there aren't any issues with it.
This is my speculation of course, but since long-time fans know of the existence of at least one track which didn't make the album ("Big Money") it would have been nice to have a real bonus in the form of something truly rare - but perhaps such a thing is no longer possible.
