Keith Don't Go?

In another of those gob-smacking moments of musical rediscovery, I found out this week that I know every single note of Nils Lofgren's 1st album from 1975. The last time this happened to me was when I first heard Santana's "Caravanserai" after a 25 year 'break' or, to a lesser extent, all those Steely Dan records, but this one came as an absolute surprise. I just can't remember listening to it, let alone owning it, although I must have played it a thousand times to imprint it so heavily on the cells at the back of my brain.

I can only suppose that this amnesia is due to the other things I did in 1975: listening to those great albums from the start of NY punk, seeing Radio Birdman every week and playing music for myself. All of those were of prime importance to me then. And, let's face it, Nils is a real 70s rock star / guitar god, isn't he? I would have baulked at that once Patti Smith caught my ear (although she would probably have adored him).

Oh well, at least I've found the album again even if it does remind me of other people occassionally. There's a smidgeon of Little Feat in the vocals and occassional funkiness and the production sounds exactly like a lot of mid 70s US rock releases - Steve Miller Band's "Ganster of Love", anyone?

But it's full of effortless, keening guitar playing, excellent, hummable pop melodies and lyrics that are actually quite heartfelt in a sort of adolescent way.

Please do try to enjoy a few of them...

mp3s:

Back It Up
If I Say It, It's So
The Sun Hasn't Set On This Boy Yet