The 1980 Listening Post - Jamie Sheriff - No Heroes

 Reviewed by Robert Sliger

Released: 1980 Jamie Sheriff No Heroes Genre: Grand-ish Pop Rock Rating: 2 out of 5 Highlights: (there are no real “Highlights” here for me, so I’ll give each tune a little note, and you can deconstruct at your own discretion - or interest level) If you like a little Pomp with your Rock, have I got a cheesy Canadian treat for you! Jamie Sherrif is like a poutine with an extra side of curds. He sings and plays credibly but was going for something grander than the writing could support. This is innocuous swing-for-the-fences pop-rock, borrowing heavily from many better writers and more impassioned recording artists. He seems to be having fun, and we’re also meant to. But I’ve heard so many albums with big ambitions that don’t have the goods to deliver, so I can’t say I did. Sheriff is what can happen when Queen, ABBA, and Billy Joel get drunk playing Atari video games in an arcade and decide to put a record together with sober studio pros… in one day… while still drunk. The backing musicians do pro-level work: tight and controlled with solid arrangements (except maybe on track 8—more on that below). Based on the Internet Archive page I listened to No Heroes on, this is a very polished studio recording, with excellent instrumental and EQ balance, good dynamics, and decent punch. So there’s that. My Car: No, not Gary Numan’s car. That one has a level of inventive cohesion sorely missing from this hot-tempo, low-result dance pop. Coming Attraction: Its bombastic pop-rock shimmer is coming, but I wouldn’t necessarily call it “attractive.” Could It Be Love: Could it be The Cars’ “My Best Friends Girl”? Too Late For Siouxsie: Can I assume he’s talking about Siouxsie Sue by the spelling? If so, the answer to this Queen-Billy-Joel-derived ditty is “It’s never too late for Siouxsie.” Other than the cute horror keyboard samples, this song is definitely too late for me. Sexy Thing: Sheriff doing the Oingo Boingo thing. Or…the other way around? That minor mode guitar riffing is pretty solid, tho. No Heroes: Another Joel banger not written by Joel. Or Jim Steinman, for that matter. The Meatloaf vibes are strong with this one. Sample lyric: “He said, ‘Our hero has been shot. It’s gonna hurt a lot. I guess we’re really on our own now.” Really? How much did that string section cost? Polydor gave this dude some cash to make this. All Shot Down: Southern boogie rock mixed with a little Broadway. This one goes about like you think it would based on the description. Not well. I can’t get that damned sing-along out of my head, so maybe that’s something. Soldier: Did they really add the drum corps rolls at the beginning? That was a cliche before 1980. Then they double down on it at the end. Gag. Waitress In A Diner: Sounds like an outtake from an Andrew Lloyd Weber musical. In that context, it’s actually pretty good. If you’re into Weber, you’ll prolly like this. I mean, I didn’t, but I won’t judge you if you do.