Player (1977) Goodbye (That's All I Ever Heard) - LOST 70s GEMS

Player's debut 1977 release is a mixed bag; not in terms of quality but in terms of style and I love it! There is the Countrypolitan closer, Tryin to Write a Hit Song, though that wasn't written by the band, there are tough rock tunes (Melanie and Cancellation) that sound like Foreigner or the Little River Band and then there are more Bee Gees Disco flavoured tracks and California Soft rock/pop rock. The hit single Baby Come Back and the opener Come On Out feature a strong layered keyboard and harmony sound reminiscent of Hall and Oates' Silver album, Come on Out has a bronco rhythm full of Prog turnarounds full of many notes (like the sparkling 'wind-chimes sounding' keyboard under the line 'Come on outside') with a rugged lead vocal, packed with a litany of synthesizers vamps(clavinets,); not to mention a throbbing bass-line taken from She's Gone.

 In fact the stop watch sounding keyboard ticking away during the opening of This Time I'm in it for Love sounds like it was taken directly from the opening of Hall and Oates' Gino (the Manager). A lot of the lead vocals have the deep gruffness of Steely Dan, while Movin Up has the punchy high harmonies of Poco with the raucous, chicken scratch guitar of uptempo funk bands like The Commodores or Wild Cherry. Love is Where you Find It has the thin falsetto chorus of Hall and Oates and the sweet funk rhythm guitar of songs like Back Together Again or Every time I look at You; it generally reminds me of again of mid 70s Hall and Oates. Every Which Way is supremely mellow with a Michael McDonald era Doobie Brothers patented funky 'Mario Kart' keyboard part, but it starts with a luscious multi tracked, synth part warbling in and out alongside a vibraphone part, a combo of instruments popularised by Yacht Rockers Starbuck.

 Goodbye That's All I've Ever Heard is a hidden gem on this diverse and promising debut album with it's combination of pretty much all the above elements in one track it is unique. The song starts similar to the openings of Every Which Way and Come on Out, with stacks of sweet but regal keyboard chords and lilting guitar sustains before entering the verses with another Steely Dan half spoken word verse.
 This tune reminds me of the folk rock band, America, particularly in their less acoustic days in the latter half of the 70s such as Woman Tonight, Are You There, Slow Down where there is a twangy guitar or jazzy synth lick every few bars; in Goodbye it's a tremelo-ed, digital synthesizer like a ripple or electric eel that dominates the verses. The chorus is built around a stacked harmony rendition of the title before a mini bridge section based around a hard rock guitar figure sliding back and forth in call and response to a circular vocal melody that starts with "Love is Strange.."
 

Goodbye also has the serene, mellow sunset mood of America and the harmonies sound especially angelic n this cut resembling America' harmonious vocal blend. The quiet bridge is very reminiscent of Kenny Loggin's baroque sounds with it's gentle/night time mix of playful flute, oscillating vibraphone and plucked flamenco strings; it's a Prog touch as well as very Adult Contemporary and the ending is a brief reprise of these elements with a short phrase played back and over again by the ripply, tremelo synthesizer, the vibes and the flute. It's impressive, the vibes would return on Wait Until Tomorrow from their heavier follow up album, 78's Danger Zone and even Kites on their recent album, 2013's Too Many Reasons.
It's a solid pop rocker with shades of America and others like Kenny Loggins, while the band had more in common with latter 70s blue eyed soul artists like Doobies, Orleans and particularly synth soul-stars like Ambrosia and Hall &Oates and especially the artists with deep vocals and smooth layered keyboards like Steely Dan and Gino Vannelli. They weren't very original but they were interesting, Play on Player, Play on