Frankie Miller

Frankie Miller - [IMPORT] [EXTRA TRACKS] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED] - 2003 - Eagle Rock/Eagle

Frankie Miller was one of the hottest young singers to emerge during the golden age of seventies' rock. There were many great pop and rock singers hitting the headlines during those happy days. Rod Stewart, Paul Rodgers and Joe Cocker were all prime examples of successful artists who had their musical roots firmly ensconced in soul and the blues. Then Frankie was discovered singing on the thriving London pub rock scene in the summer of 1971, it seemed like he would soon take pride of place among the ranks of megastars. He had all the right qualifications. A powerful, raspy voice, cheeky good looks and a feisty attitude. He was determined to get to the top with the aid of the best possible backing bands and producers. However, the music business is always a hard nut to crack and, despite his best efforts, Frankie never quite got into the big league. Even so, at the peak of his career he scored at least two palpable hits and unleashed a succession of fine albums which reflected his impeccable tastes in good-time rock and soul. © www.alexgitlin.com/index.htm
This is a very good R&B/Soul/Rock album, reminiscent of the great John Fogerty in many ways. Check out Frankie's album, 'Once In A Blue Moon' (1972), where he is backed by Brinsley Schwarz. Frankie also sang with Bees Make Honey and Ducks Deluxe. If anybody has any info on albums by these groups, please post. It would be very much appreciated.

TRACKS

01.Fool in Love
02.Heartbreak
03.Rock
04.I Know Why the Sun Don't Shine
05.Hard on the Levee
06.Ain't Got No Money
07.All My Love to You
08.I'm Old Enough
09.Bridgeton
10 Drunken Nights in the City
11 Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever (Single A-Side) - Not on 1975 album
12 I'm Old Enough (Single B-Side) - Not on 1975 album

Tke album was originally released on Chrysalis and/or Repertoire in 1975, and one version contained the tracks, A Fool In Love (live), Hard On The Levee (live), Sail Away (live), Drunken Nights In The City (live), & Walking The Dog (With Rory Gallagher live). It's a pity they were not included on this CD issue. If you have any info on the 1975 album, please post info.

CREDITS

Elliot Mazer Producer
Stu Perry Percussion, Drums
Chris Stewart Bass
Mick Weaver Keyboards
Chrissy Stewart Guitar (Bass)
Frankie Miller Guitar, Guitar (Rhythm), Vocals, Main Performer
Chris Welch Liner Notes
Henry McCullough Guitar, Vocals (Background)

BIO

Blue-eyed soul singer Frankie Miller made his name on the English pub rock circuit of the early '70s, and spent around a decade and a half cutting albums of traditional RB, rock roll, and country-rock. In addition to his recorded legacy as an avatar of American roots music, his original material was covered by artists from the worlds of rock, blues, and country, from Bob Seger and Bonnie Tyler to Lou Ann Barton and the Bellamy Brothers. And Miller himself scored a surprise U.K. Top Ten smash in 1978 with "Darlin'," giving his likable, soulful style the popular airing many fans felt it deserved all along.
Frankie Miller was born November 2, 1949, in Glasgow, Scotland; he began singing with local bands beginning in 1967, in a style influenced by American soul singers like Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, and Otis Redding. After a few years, he moved to the more fertile music scene in London, where he soon met ex-Procol Harum guitarist Robin Trower in the summer of 1971. Impressed with Miller's talents as a raw soul belter in the vein of a Rod Stewart or Joe Cocker, Trower offered him a job as lead vocalist of his new band Jude. It wasn't to be Miller's big break, though; internal conflicts split the group apart by the following year, and Miller returned to the London pub rock circuit. During 1972, he made frequent appearances at the
-Tally Ho in Kentish Town, often sitting in with Brinsley Schwarz, and signed a solo record deal with Chrysalis. Using the Brinsleys as a backing band, Miller recorded his debut album, Once in a Blue Moon, that year. Though it wasn't a hit, it was reviewed respectably; more importantly, when Miller sent a copy to New Orleans RB legend Allen Toussaint, he was impressed enough to produce Miller's next album. Miller traveled to New Orleans in 1973 to record High Life with an authentic Toussaint-led backing band, resulting in one of his most acclaimed and artistically satisfying albums.
Upon returning to England, Miller assembled a Stax-style backing band -- dubbed simply the Frankie Miller Band -- featuring guitarist Henry McCullough, keyboardist Mick Weaver, bassist Chrissy Stewart, and drummer Stu Perry. This group traveled to San Francisco to record The Rock (named after Alcatraz), which was released in 1975. The band dissolved not long after, and Miller put together a new outfit called Full House, featuring guitarist Ray Minhinnett, keyboardist Jim Hall, bassist Charlie Harrison, and drummer Graham Deacon. They issued the aptly titled Full House in 1977, which, oddly enough, became fairly popular in Sweden. However, once again, Miller's backing band imploded, and he was back on his own for 1978's Double Trouble, which produced his first British Top 30 hit in "Be Good to Yourself." Late that year, Miller scored a runaway Top Ten hit in the U.K. with "Darlin'," a single included on his 1979 LP Falling in Love (aka Perfect Fit). (Typical of Miller's luck in the record business, his best-known song wasn't an original.) 1980's Easy Money was recorded in Nashville, and some of 1982's Standing on the Edge was recorded at Alabama's legendary ~Muscle Shoals Sound Studios. During this period, Miller also had a Scottish hit with his cover of Dougie McLean's "Caledonia." 1986's Dancing in the Rain was his final studio album.
In August 1994, Miller suffered a devastating brain hemorrhage that left him in a coma for five months. Unable to walk or talk upon his emergence, Miller rehabilitated himself enough to begin writing songs again; at a late-'90s benefit concert in Edinburgh, Miller's new collaboration with Will Jennings, "The Sun Goes Up, the Sun Comes Down," was performed by Bonnie Tyler, Paul Carrack, and Jools Holland. © Steve Huey, All Music Guide, © 2007 All Media Guide, LLC