From Zoot to Chrome - The Rick Springfield Retrospective - Big Hits - Greatest Hits Volume 2

 

Big Hits

Greatest Hits Volume 2

2025

Sing Records

Hits! Hits! Hits!

Or are they?

You know what this is? A great collection of songs, many of which were never put on vinyl, some didn't stream until recently. 

Stuff from Shock/Denial/Anger/Acceptance, an album of his I adored when it came out. And some from Venus in Overdrive, which I gave a B+ to here: https://septenary.blogspot.com/search?q=venus+in+overdrive.

And my favorite RS song, the one he did with Foo Fighters. The one I would've put Throttle Back Sparky back together for if I was invited to participate in the RS tribute record (which I wasn't), "The Man that Never Was."

And stuff from Rocket Science and Songs for the End of the World.

The unreleased singles, "Who Killed Rock and Roll?" and "Party at the Beach Bar" are both worthy additions to the RS pantheon of songs I would like to see live. 

In other words, "hits" is doing a lot of heavy lifting on this offering but, man am I glad to have this on vinyl and in my collection.

4.75 out of 5

ASide: I'll Make You Happy, What's Victoria's Secret, The Man That Never Was, Will I?, Light This Party Up, Venus in Overdrive, Automatic

BlindSide: Wide Awake, Our Ship's Sinking, Down, World Start Turning (Orchestral Version), Little Demon Live N ew Year's Eve 2019, Party At The Beach Bar

From Zoot to Chrome - The Rick Springfield Retrospective - Automatic

 

Automatic

SVR Records

2023

The man just won't stop recording. And, unlike the guy who kept getting mistaken for, Rick is operating at high energy. He won't slow down. I don't think he can. But he's not aggro. His blood just courses with adrenalin and God and sex and love. Depression will do that to you.

He's 74 here. And this is the best he's sounded, popwise, in ages. Well, since Rocket Science. Which was just a couple years past. 

It gets a bit mired in the electro-dance pop that Rick sometimes finds himself gravitating to. 

The first half is a good RS record. The second half is a bit of a drag. 

ASide: Exit Wound, She Walks With Angels, Automatic, We Are Eternal

BlindSide: Broke House, When God Forgets My Name, Heroes

DownSide: Fake It Til You Make It, Did I just Say That Out Loud?

From Zoot to Chrome - The Rick Springfield Retrospective - The Red Locusts

2021

Lollipop Records

If The Beatles were fronted by Rick, it would sound like this. Because that's what this is. "Locusts"? "Beetles"? 

Remember that Zoot did a fantastically bizarre version of "Eleanor Rigby" in the late 60s? This is just keeping that fire burning.

Thing is...while it's deeply John and Paul flavored, it's 100% Rick. 

Where Utopia's Deface the Music was seemingly designed to say, "See? It's easy to do what they did!" The Red Locusts seems to be saying, "Man, we loved what they did. We hope we came even slightly close."

Paul Ramon was the name Paul McCartney would use as a pseudonym in his very early days with the silver beetles.

So, it makes sense that, when he would write an album in the style of The Beatles and early Power Pop, Rick Springfield would use that name as nod to the great Paul McCartney.

He teamed up with the Bissonette brothers and the three of them, along with a keyboardist and an additional guitarist to create The Red Locusts. Rick said, “We wanted to do an album that was influenced but would send us to Beatle jail”

Give a listen for a sec.

The song Miss Daisy Hawkins is based on the original name for Eleanor Rigby and could definitely get them in that jail.

As an inveterate lover of all things Rick Springfield, when I learned that this was available on vinyl, it became a grail.

It's a perfect Power Pop homage to the greats.

4.25 out of 5

ASide: Another Bad Day for Cupid, Miss Daisy Hawkins, Honestly

BlidSide: Sons and Daughters, Glow Worm

DownSide:

 

From Zoot to Chrome - The Rick Springfield Retrospective - Jack Chrome and the Darkness Waltz by The Morris Springfield Project

Jack Chrome and the Darkness Waltz

2021

Ambition Records

Until about 2 weeks before this writing I had no idea that this project existed. 

Russell and Rick have known each other for decades. Morris sent Rick a song. Rick sent one back. Next thing you know, they are collaborating on a bluesy, folksy, dark meditation on the Dias de Los Muertos. 

It's moody and emotive. It would work in a David Lynch movie and I think I could hear Tom Waits covering this whole album. 

4 out of 5

ASide: I Am Jack Chrome, Carmelita's Dance

BlindSide: Death Drives a Cadillac, We Are the Dead, La Calavera Catrina, The Darkness Waltz

 

The 1981 Listening Post - Rick Springfield - Working Class Dog

 Rick Springfield - Working Class Dog

#83

By Tami Fitzkoff

March 1981

Rick Springfield

Working Class Dog

Genre: Rock Springfield 

Allen’s Rating: 5 out of 5

Tami’s Rating: 5 out of 5

Highlights:

Love Is Alright Tonight

Jessie’s Girl

Carry Me Away

I’ve Done Everything For You

(Allen’s additional Highlights:

Hole in My Heart

The Light of Love

Everybody’s Girl

Daddy’s Pearl)

Rick Springfield stole my heart the moment I heard the song “Love Is Alright Tonite.” I was only eight years old but I fell hard for the music and for the handsome dude who was singing and playing. Rick had this beautiful vulnerability that I couldn’t put into words at that age. His self-deprecating, insecure and earnest lyrics combined with his gorgeous looks, punchy-rock music and his electric guitar licks… ah… a girl can still swoon 39 years later. 

When Allen so kindly gave me this record to review, I was all ready to just give it 5 stars for nostalgia’s sake. But you know what? After listening to the whole thing about three times, I’m convinced it actually deserves 5 stars. The first six songs would make it 5 stars easily for being perfect 80’s power pop/rock. His lyrics are heartfelt and sincere. Three of the last four songs are kinda forgettable and add some serious cheese to the mix, but as a whole Working Class Dog is an 80’s power pop gem.  

LOVE IS ALRIGHT TONITE

Fantastic song. The quick guitar licks capture your attention immediately, the driving beat and the lyrics are great. Although, admittedly, it’s a bit weird to hear the following words now…  “Don’t worry daddy I’ll have her home a respectable hour. Go to sleep daddy you won’t think about tonight”….”gonna love her daddy she’ll be feeling it tonight.” Slightly creepy! But the song is just kick-ass. 

JESSIE’S GIRL

C’mon. Is there a person alive who doesn’t like this song? A classic. This is one song that when it comes up on my music shuffle I will never skip it. It’s just the quintessential perfect 80’s rock song. And isn’t it interesting the man singing can get anyone to sleep with him?  BUT, of course, he wants the one person he can’t have. I just wanna hug him and say, “Rick, I’m available even though I’m married to a woman.”

HOLE IN MY HEART

A kind of power rock ballad that sounds Cheap Trick-y. I like it.

CARRY ME AWAY

Love love love. Just a great, catchy song. He’s afraid of love. He wants something real.  Carry him away. “You’ve got the power you’ve got the love to take me to heaven or lead me to heartbreak.”

I’VE DONE EVERYTHING FOR YOU

Another gem. When you hear the opening riff of this song, followed by the fast drums it makes you want to put your pedal to the metal. You can’t drive 55 when listening to it because Sammy Hagar penned the lyrics to this ditty. It’s the only song on the whole album that Rick didn’t write, but it feels like he did— which is why it works so well. So many good lyrics in this song and one of my faves, “I’m going out on the town tonight and get as wild as I can be. I’m gonna find out what it’s really like to be loose, high and free.”

THE LIGHT OF LOVE

This sounds like the background music of every 80’s movie. It’s catchy and pumping.

He also hints at his next album’s biggest hit with this lyric, “Baby Are you lonely? Don’t Talk To Strangers.”

EVERYBODY’S GIRL

The reggae/power pop song. Hated it the first time I heard it but it’s grown on me. 

DADDY’S PEARL

The music sounds like The Cars with the drums and the guitar licks and Cheap Trick’s vocals. Its undeniably catchy.

RED HOT AND BLUE LOVE

Rick gets breath-y in his vocals and tries to make a serious blues song. He probably wanted to showcase his guitar skills. It’s not bad, but it’s skippable. 

INSIDE SILVIA

Rick gets even more breath-y in this ambient love song about (ahem) being inside his lover. The music reminds me of the opening of STYX Mr. Roboto with the keyboard and ethereal music. After quite a few listens the song is growing on me. Pun intended?

https://open.spotify.com/album/4KKFWTePKtgb6mOwFDqxYa?si=F1gMYLx9SImXp5L_cHQznA

The 1985 Listening Post - Rick Springfield - tao

Rick Springfield - Tao

#88

March 27 1985

Rick Springfield 

Tao

Genre: Pop Rock

2.75 out of 5

Highlights:
Walking on the Edge

Somehow I managed to miss this album. And, as you know, I love Rick. So that’s weird. I mean, I know the record exists, I just never bothered to listen to it. 

I don’t really know what Rick is doing. I mean, I do. He’s writing songs the way he knows how. But he’s also really doubling down on the bass/drum sound that makes it he’s closer to dance rock. That drags everything down, IMO. And so do the synths. 

I know that Rick suffers from sometimes debilitating depression. This album feels like he’s trying to work it out in his songs but doesn’t trust his own musicianship. He’ll get closer to that about 20 years later on the hard to find shock/denial/anger/acceptance record.

This is Rick in the weeds. He’ll recover. But it’ll take a while.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/tao/309485010

The 1984 Listening Post - Rick Springfield - Hard to Hold

Rick Springfield - Hard to Hold

#191

July 23 1984

Rick Springfield

Hard to Hold

1.75 out of 5

Highlights:

Love Somebody

Yeah. I know. It’s a soundtrack. But it’s also filled with Rick Originals. And I love me some Rick. And I’ve also never heard this whole thing. So, there.

You wouldn’t think Power Pop would work with that big, echoey, stadium sound but the leadoff track, “Love Somebody” actually does. In fact, it gets a little bit too close to the 84 Springsteen sound. But, that’s the era, no? 

From there the album falls apart in a morass of bad ideas. I commend Rick for trying new things but, dude, “Bop Til You Drop” is bad. I know the synthesizers worked on Success Hasn’t Spoiled Me Yet but here they sound like you’re auditioning for Breakin’ 3, Electric Boogalee. Unrelentingly bad duet ballad “Taxi Dancing” and the inexplicably instrumental, “S.F.O.” complete Side One and I’m hesitant to turn the record over. 

It doesn’t get better. How Graham Parker managed to find his way on to this thing is beyond me as I’ve never seen the movie. But, even his lesser work is an improvement on the garbage on this platter. 

The Parker, Hendryx and Gabriel tracks save this from being a complete disaster. But, you can just listen to that one song and forget this exists. 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hard-to-hold/309677793

The 1983 Listening Post - Rick Springfield - Living in Oz

Rick Springfield - Living in Oz

April 1, 1983
Rick Springfield
Living in Oz
4.75 out of 5

Highlights:
Human Touch
Alyson
Affair of the Heart
Living in Oz
Me & Johnny
I Can’t Stop Hurting You
Like Father, Like Son

It’s no secret that I am an inveterate Rick Springfield fan. We saw him in concert at the House of Blues a couple weeks after our wedding. How did this happen? How did I become so infatuated with him?
Simple.
We had a turntable in our first apartment. I went on a tear at Amoeba and bought a BUNCH of albums. Knowing that Beth loved Rock I bought Working Class Dog for her as a gift. I figured it would be a laugh. Ha ha.�And then, one afternoon, while she was at work, I put it on.
And that was it. Brilliant. I have been a Rick fan ever since. I even have Sahara Sands on CD. Rick was asked to be on an episode of Oprah featuring 1 hit wonders. He demurred. Cuz he’s had a dozen top 40 hits.
Two of them are here.
But how is this album?
Pretty damned good. But you have to like this brand of Power Pop, emphasis on the Power but still very poppy.
Side One is a relentless onslaught of Springfield at they height of his power rock powers. True story: I’ve never heard Side Two.

Some of the record is a wee electronic for it’s own good. Tim Pierce is still the axe man but the synthesizers take up too much. The album is so replete with electronic keys and drums. They isolate the album in a specific time, the way the tropical sounds on Success Hasn’t Spoiled Me Yet almost does, and that’s to it’s detriment since a lot of the songs here are quite excellent. Rick wouldn’t put out an album this solid again until 2016’s Rocket Science (although I have a very soft spot for 2004’s Shock/Denial/Anger/Acceptance and 2008’s Venus in Oblivion.
Told you I was a fan.

Listening Post: Rick Springfield - Venus in Overdrive

Taking a breather from the retrospective nature of Listening Posts (and the redundant nature of the Van Halen Brothers Masturbation Projects), I got a note today that there was a new Rick Springfield album released (thanks, Mr. Orwell, I mean, iTunes!).
If you know me, you know that I am a Springfield fanatic. I came to him late, which is sort of a theme of mine. I was actually buying my girlfriend a vinyl copy of Working Class Dog (mocking the whole way) and spent an afternoon listening and saying, "WTF? This is great!".
Since then I have collected every album of Rick's on vinyl, save Sahara Snow & Anger....which are on CD.
This is the first ephemeral only Rick purchase. So, when I want to share it with my daughter, I will be hauling out an external hard drive and saying, "THIS is my music collection, behold the....abstract disposable, intangible nothingness!"

Is Venus in Overdrive good?
It's a shitload better than that crapfest album of covers he did a couple years ago, that's for sure.
And it's an interesting companion piece to Shock/Denial/Anger/Acceptance. Where that album took the dense depression that was Rick's wheelhouse in the late 90s and early aughts and melded it to a thick power pop conceit, ViO is much more acceptable.
In a way, Venus bridges the gap between Jessie's Girl and Beautiful You. Rick is accessible again, visiting the same pop hookiness (and mining his own sound in the process) of the former and melding it with an elder statesman viewpoint.
Much of it sounds like he listened to too much Jimmy Eat World but, that's okay, because I like Jimmy Eat World.
She is as good a John Lennon song as anyone has ever mimicked (and without anything new, it's nice to have someone besides Utopia to ape the sound), it actually kind of reminds me of The Monkees' Porpoise Song.
Allmusic is pretty dead on when they say that Mr. PC is a dynamite Foo Fighters tune, but I think it's got a little more teeth than Mr. Grohl can muster.
I feel bad for Rick, to be honest. He's a good little popsmith who is pigeonholed as a nostalgia act. His appeal is limited, perhaps by age, perhaps by his dedication to a song style that no one seems to be interested in anymore. it's kind of a shame. The same thing is sort of happening to REM.
I'm not sure anyone will buy this album that isn't already a fan, so Rick is preaching to a pretty devout choir. I have to wonder if there is anything to get new fans to buy this, though. I wish they would. The world needs a little Power Pop.

Buy Venus in Overdrive

Grade B+
A Side: Victoria's Secret
Blindside: 3 Warning Shots & Mr. PC
Downside: God Blinked (Swing it Sister) [late model Adam Ant quasi-neurotic angular dance music.]