Robert Palmer

Robert Palmer - Live At The Apollo - 2001 - Eagle Rock

Robert Palmer concluded six months of touring (most of it in North America, with one month in Japan) in 2000 with the December 15 date at Harlem's famed Apollo Theater recorded for this album. Fronting a six-piece band and accompanied by backup singer B.J. Nelson, he performed a set heavy on his hit material from the second half of the 1980s -- starting with the Power Station's "Some Like It Hot" and including his own most popular songs "Addicted to Love," "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On," and "Simply Irresistible." Anyone hoping for earlier tunes had to be satisfied with three items from 1980's Clues, the near-title track "Looking for Clues," "Woke Up Laughing," and the influential "Johnny & Mary," which, Palmer said, "was a big hit for me in Guatemala, believe it or not." Otherwise, the non-single selections mostly came from the million-sellers Riptide (1985) and Heavy Nova (1988), with nothing at all from less-popular later albums Don't Explain (1990), Ridin' High (1992), and Honey (1994). In other words, this was a set that took no risks, and the efficient band played it in an equally risk-free manner. The large fan base Palmer had picked up in the mid-'80s had reason to be satisfied, but anyone who had known the singer during his earlier, more exploratory period, or after he had returned to trying different things in the '90s, would be disappointed. At this point in his career, having left major-label status behind some years back, Palmer seemed to be playing to his commercial strengths on this tour, but, like the music that gave him his biggest hits, the results could be bloodless and mechanical. William Ruhlmann © 2010 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/album/live-at-the-apollo-r627488/review

This concert was recorded in December 1988 during Robert's "Heavy Nova" tour. Many of the tracks on this album are from Robert Palmer's late '80's career. A good deal of the songs are from Robert's 'Heavy Nova' and 'Riptide' albums, but at the time he also played older and newer stuff that many people had never heard. The above review states that "the results could be bloodless and mechanical." This statement gives the impression of a band just "going through the motions" in a lacklustre fashion. The fact is that many of the tracks are played very similar to the album versions, and many people like to hear their favourite artists play like that. The album was mixed so as to keep audience noise levels down. This may add or detract from your overall enjoyment of the album. Some live albums are far too noisy. At least on "Live At The Apollo", Robert Palmer's vocals can be heard clearly, as can his great tight backing band. "Live At The Apollo" is a great dynamic live album from the late great British soul vocalist and HR by A.O.O.F.C. Listen to Robert's great "Riptide" album, Vinegar Joe's S/T album, and The Power Station's "The Power Station 33⅓" album

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 Some Like It Hot - Palmer, Taylor, Taylor 5:18
2 Hyperactive - Haynes, Nelson, Nelson, Palmer 3:13
3 Discipline of Love - Batteau, Freeman 3:01
4 Tell Me I'm Not Dreaming - Gruska, Omartian, Sudano 3:32
5 I Didn't Mean to Turn You On - Harris, Lewis 3:34
6 Looking for Clues - Palmer 3:40
7 Change His Ways - Palmer 2:59
8 Pride - Palmer 3:03
9 Woke Up Laughing - Palmer 5:06
10 Johnny & Mary - Palmer 3:15
11 Riptide - Donaldson, Kahn, Khan 2:13
12 Between Us - Palmer 3:21
13 Flesh Wound - Blair, Palmer 2:39
14 More Than Ever - Palmer 3:01
15 Simply Irresistible - Palmer 4:20
16 Casting a Spell - Palmer 3:20
17 Addicted to Love - Bert, Gordon, Moore, Palmer, Ranaldo 6:27

MUSICIANS

Robert Palmer - Vocals
Eddie Martinez, Ric Britton - Guitar
Frank Blair - Bass
David Rosenthal, Alan Mansfield - Keyboards
Donny Wynn - Drums
Brie Howard - Percussion
B.J. Nelson - Vocals

BIO

The career of blue-eyed soul singer Robert Palmer was a study in style versus substance. While the performer's earliest work won praise for its skillful assimilation of rock, R&B, and reggae sounds, his records typically sold poorly, and he achieved his greatest notoriety as an impeccably dressed lounge lizard. By the mid-'80s, however, Palmer became a star, although his popularity owed less to the strength of his material than to his infamous music videos: taking their cue from the singer's suave presence, Palmer's clips established him as a dapper, suit-and-tie lady's man who performed his songs backed by a band comprised of leggy models, much to the delight of viewers who made him one of MTV's biggest success stories. Born Alan Palmer on January 19, 1949, in Batley, England, he spent much of his childhood living on the island of Malta before permanently returning to Britain at the age of 19 to sing with the Alan Bown Set. A year later he joined Dada, a 12-piece, Stax-influenced soul group which soon changed its name to Vinegar Joe; after three LPs with the band -- a self-titled effort and Rock'n'Roll Gypsies, both issued in 1972, and 1973's Six Star General -- Palmer exited to mount a solo career, and debuted in 1974 with Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley, recorded with members of Little Feat and the Meters. With 1975's Pressure Drop, he tackled reggae, a trend furthered following a move to Nassau prior to 1978's Double Fun, which featured Palmer's first hit, "Every Kinda People." With 1979's self-produced Secrets, his music moved into more rock-oriented territory, as typified by the single "Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)." Palmer's stylistic experimentation continued with 1980's Clues, a foray into synth-pop aided by Gary Numan and Talking Heads' Chris Frantz which yielded the club hit "Looking for Clues." After 1983's Pride, Palmer teamed with the Duran Duran side project Power Station, scoring hits with the singles "Some Like It Hot" and "Get It On" (a T. Rex cover), which returned the singer to overt rock territory. After exiting the band prior to a planned tour, Palmer recorded the 1985 solo album Riptide, a sleek collection of guitar rock which scored a number one hit with "Addicted to Love," the first in a string of videos which offered him in front of a bevy of beautiful women.The follow-up, "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On," continued to play with the sex symbol image and hit number two, as did "Simply Irresistible," the first single from 1988's Heavy Nova. By 1990's Don't Explain, Palmer returned to the eclecticism of his earliest material; without any attendant soft-core videos, sales plummeted, but he stuck to his guns for 1992's Ridin' High, a collection of Tin Pan Alley and cabaret chestnuts. Two years later, Palmer's wide array of worldbeat influences cropped up again on Honey, which also featured guitar work from Extreme axeman Nino Bettencourt. Woke Up Laughing followed in 1998, it was an adventurous, if somewhat odd, collection of non-hit album tracks remixed and in some cases re-recorded.Rhythm & Blues, a slick set of adult contemporary pop, came out in 1999 to lukewarm sales and reviews. After a live album in 2001, Palmer bounced back with the future blues of 2003's Drive. However, Palmer had little time to enjoy it's release. On September 26, 2003 he died suddenly after suffering a heart attack. He was 54.