september is the month for dead celebrities
Robert Palmer dead at 54. He suffered a heart attack last night.
Robert Palmer pretty much defined the stylized, video-friendly music of the 80's. He's one of those artists who has MTV to thank for his fame; I believe more people were fans of his videos featuring leggy backup singers than his actual music.
He was a barely known quasi-soul singer until the 1980 release of his album Clues. Looking for Clues and Johnny and Mary were great, quirky songs that preceded the new wave explosion of the early 80's.
Following that album, he released Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley, featuring members of Little Feat, and this effort showed off his funky and soulful side, something which the Robert Palmer fans from his new wave cycle would barely even recognize.
In 1983, he released Pride, which contained the funkadelic You Are In My System, gaining him a bit of popularity.
His break came at the height of the new wave craze in 1985 with the release of Riptide, featuring Hyperactive and Addicted To Love - the song that most people associate Palmer with and the one that shot him to fame.
His next album. Heavy Nova, came out in 1988 and he garnered a hit with that one also, the catchy Simply Irresistible. At this point, his songs began to all blend into eachother, as he used the same basic formula for each subsequent hit.
In 1985 he joined up with other 80's new wave stars Michael des Barres, Andy Taylor, John Taylor, Tony Thompson and Bernard Edwards to form the "super" band Power Station. They scored big with Some Like it Hot and a remake of Marc Bolan's Bang A Gong.
For those who know only of Palmer's post 1985 efforts, it would be worth your while to check out his earlier stuff and to realize that the man was more than a video star with catchy riffs.
Rest well, Mr. Palmer.
[I have no personal stories to tell about Palmer or his music except for the time we made up new words to Addicted to Love and ended up with Mike Ditka for Lunch.]
Comments
Holy crap!
What did he die of?
That's so young!
Please tell me it wasn't a drug OD. :-P
Posted by: Dean Esmay | September 26, 2003 08:44 AM
A heart attack. Which I suppose could have been triggered by drugs; let's hope not.
Posted by: James Joyner | September 26, 2003 08:49 AM
Wow, this hit me like a ton of bricks. This guy's music was a big part of the soundtrack for my high school years in the mid/late '80s. I mean let's face it, wasn't the "Addicted to Love" video everything every high school boy aspired to? Fronting a rock band with 5 models (never mind that if you watch the drummer, she's nowhere near the beat of the song, and maybe that was the whole point. Ain't supposed to be looking at the drumsticks.)
Despite my wearing out two cassettes of "Riptide" over the years, I'll cite "Sneaking Sally Through the Alley" as my favorite Palmer song. Should be better known than it is, it has a great groove. Listening back to the "Power Station" album, it sounded better back then than it dows now, but their "Bang a Gong" cover still rocks and sounds great LOUD.
He won't be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but a lot of people got a lot of fun out of his music. And, he got all the honeys. In the end, isn't that really what rock is all about?
Posted by: Mark | September 26, 2003 09:09 AM
Holy Crap. He was so young. I dont think im comfortable with people dying so young :(
Posted by: Drew | September 26, 2003 09:11 AM
Wow, September truly is the month of dead celebrities...
Posted by: Justine | September 26, 2003 09:15 AM
Michele, would that have been as the main course, or as a guest? One wonders.
Posted by: Chuck | September 26, 2003 10:11 AM
Michael Des Barres actually took over as the Power Station's lead vocalist when they did their tour. Palmer wasn't interested in doing live shows with the band.
Posted by: mikeski | September 26, 2003 10:16 AM
Very sad loss. I think his best song was Hyperactive which, unfortunately, didn't even make onto his greatest hits album.
Posted by: Fred Chico-Hamilton | September 26, 2003 10:26 AM
Good Lord. Is it just me, or are people in the entertainment industry dropping like flies this year?
Posted by: Lisa | September 26, 2003 10:28 AM
Daaamn! That's crazy! He and Ritter died pretty young; both were a surprise...Damn!
Posted by: Ravenwolf | September 26, 2003 11:06 AM
Doctor,doctor,gimme the news ,I got a bad case of ,,Argh,d'oh,dead
Posted by: mbruce | September 26, 2003 11:13 AM
I always prefered his Powerstation output. That rauchy cock rock sung in a lounge singer style was good fun. They managed to do one of the few T Rex covers that was better (and raunchier) than the original. The bloke was certainly prolific that is for sure.
Posted by: Andrew Ian Dodge | September 26, 2003 11:34 AM
What he said.
Posted by: Thlayli | September 26, 2003 11:59 AM
Simply unbelievable.
Posted by: Ryan | September 26, 2003 12:09 PM
The Power Station was one of my favorite fleeting supergroups, along with the Traveling Wilburys and the Honeydrippers.
Feeeeel the heeeeeaatttt . . .
Posted by: Crank | September 26, 2003 12:55 PM