Customer Reviews

Dr Heckle & Mr Jive

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

While in College in 1980, I used to shop the cut-out bin in the bookstore. I picked up this album for the track "Love is the Answer". Upon placing it on my turntable, I was astounded by the variety of sounds the album presented. I did know "Love is the answer", as well as a few others I heard on soft rock stations, but I was captivated by the track "Another Golden oldie night for Wendy". It was a rockin tune, really carried me back to my high school days in the mid 70's. These guys really can perform a whole spectrum of styles, and this album proves it. I wore out my vinyl edition and was ecstatic to see the re-issue. I heartily suggest this title if you wanna a blast back to your youth when music was fun.

The single 'Love is the Answer' (written by Todd Rungren) was a minor hit in the UK, yet received considerable airtime thanks to Tony Blackburn who announced it as his favourate ever recording. In fact it was the last tune Tony ever played on Radio 1.

I searched out the album at my local record store and was pleased to find it in the bargain section. When I got it home I was astounded by the album and it remained one of those LPs that would always get a complete play through, even when I had moved onto 'cooler' music.

However, times move on and I don't have a record deck anymore. So to find 'Dr Heckle & Mr Jive' at last available at Amazon is nothing less than a saving grace. I've bought 'The Very Best of...' but if you really wanna hear England Dan & John Ford Coley at their very best it really has to be 'Dr Heckle & Mr Jive', an undiscovered classic. For best results, wind the windows down, let the wind in your hair, crank up the volume and cruise. Sheer brilliance.

oh it is so good to see this album here on amazon.com "love is the answer" is one of my all-time favorite tear-making songs. it was the song we played at my wedding before that marriage ended which was needless to say a very sad thing. i have a hard time listening to this song without crying and looking back on the life that could have been. but it is still very good and I hope that you will get it. sorry there are no capital letters but i am sneaking this at work! good-bye!

If you are a country-rock music fan then you are sure to love this album. I grew up listening to this album with my parents and have loved it ever since. As a matter of fact, I love all the albums put out by this duo. Their harmony is second to none and the quality of their songs could easily compete with today's top groups. The version of "What's Forever For" is beautifully performed and is far better than the version recorded by Michael Martin Murphy. I am very excited that this album has been released on CD. For those of you who are fans of Dan Seals, this album is a must.

I still can't believe they haven't done a reunion tour like everyone else has.
But for me to find this on CD was like Christmas morning. It is awesome upbeat album that just sounds better as time goes by. All they need now is to make Dowdy Ferry Road on CD to put cherry on top!

I listened to this record all the time growing up. My dad loved it and I've been looking for it for years. I was excited to find it for him on your website. Now the only hard thing will be giving it up. It's a great record. Their version of "What's Forever For" is amazing and I think it's their best work and it's too bad that it's not more accessible in the U.S. I highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the group or familiar with Dan Seals solo work.

this was a cd bought for a friend overseas who had not been able to obtain it, plus a fan of England Dan etc. It was recommended

As the '70's faded away, unfortunately, so did England Dan & John Ford Coley. "Dr. Heckle and Mr. Jive" was last album released by this duo in 1979. In many ways, this album tries to take ED&JFC into a more rock-oriented style of music than I was used to hearing from the group. Still, some of their old song style is found in Todd Rundgren's "Love Is The Answer"- a WD&JFC classic tune in my opinion. It was the only big hit that came off this album. They also continued to sing songs also released by contemporaries on this album... "What Can I Do With This Broken Heart" (partly written by the duo), which was also done by Anne Murrey and "What's Forever For," which most people remember performed by Michael Martin Murphy a few years later. To their abilities though, the orchestrations are as equally as satisifying as Ms. Murrey's and Mr. Murphy's.

In melody and harmony, the two sound as good as ever, but I find this collection to be a little uneven and not as memorable. On some of the faster paced tunes such as the title track, they sound as if they are trying to orient themselves to the progression music was going at the time and not 100% matched or comfortable in the new mode. The two split up after this release and Dan Seals embarked on his successful career in country music in the '80's. In comparison to their previous albums, it would have been nice to see these two great artists go out on a higher note and stay true to the music they had been so successful in producing. Again, as with "Nights Are Forever," this is a Japanese import. I would hope a successful sale of these two ED&JDC albums on CD format spur a release of their "Dowdy Ferry Road" and "Some Things Don't Come Easy" albums on CD.

I was 16 when this album was released and worked in a family owned record retail business. All in the shop grew to love this album and, through our continual playing of the LP in the shop, we were told by the wholesalers that we sold more copies than all other record shops in Northern Ireland put together!
My poor wife will testify to the fact that I spent a lot of time during my honeymoon (a 'round the world' trip) trying to source the album (and others by ED&JFC) without success. Imagine my surprise and elation when I saw that Amazon had got hold of it!
The album was a classic of its time and that time, in my opinion, was the best time for good music. When balanced against other classic albums of that period such as Fleetwood Mac - Rumours, it is quite simply the best.
If you like easy listening/west coast pop/country rock this is THE album for you. Buy it; you'll never regret it!

Slowly but surely, more ED & JFC albums are indeed seeing the light of day on CD. A moderate fan would understandably be content with one of the many "Best Of" complications from this dynamic, yet underrated, duo; however, if you are looking for something slightly different from this pair, "Dr. Heckle & Mr. Jive" is the answer
( no pun intended!) This albums texture is like a Louisiana Gumbo - just chopped full of the expected and the unexpected. Dan & John were truly gifted, gifted songwriters, but unfortunately these guys were not given creative control often enough. ( Seals' country solo career finally gave him the accolades he truly deserved regarding his song writing, but that's another review! ) "Love Is The Answer" is the only true radio hit from this album. At the time, when the Billboard Singles Chart was engulfed by the BeeGees - during "Answers" top-10 entry, ED & JFC were indeed lucky... "Love Is The Answer" is just one of those great songs that says volumes about its subject in a matter of minutes. "Name your price, a ticket to paradise..." That's just an awesome opening hook. This particular tune was also written by the great Todd Rundgren. "Love Is The Answer" also shows-off Dan & John's harmony range - sort of in the same prior fashion as "Westward Wind" & "It's Sad To Belong". Seals once revealed that this album almost did not happen, that He & John were changing musically, and that the harmonic & business partnership was clearly over; However, all agreed, that "Love Is The Answer" seemed to be the glue that held the ship together. Some of the chords and riffs are a bit dated on this CD, but going past that, the writing is just about perfect. The semi- up tempo "What Can I Do With This Broken Heart" should have been at least a top-10 hit. It was released to radio barely cracking the top-50. It's just a good song. Period. It's also has Dan & John's "signature predictability" written all over it. The same goes for another song titled "Running After You". Again, up -tempo melody with a catchy hook- easy top-10. Dan & John were singer-songwriters, and unfortunately, in order to "stay alive" on the charts in 1979, record labels were demanding that it's acts followed the trend (Disco). It's obvious today, that Dan & John were not a dance craze act and should have never been pushed in such a direction. Now, lets talk about more of the expected. Anne Murray & Michael Martin Murphy must have both purchased this album and liked it. Murray had a smash with "Broken Hearted Me" and Martin-Murphy had a smash with "What's Forever For". Both of these songs appear on this CD, and the recording of these records in ED & JFC fashion are just as good, if not better, than the hits of the aforementioned artist. "Love Is The Answer", "Running After You", "What Can I Do With This Broken Heart", "Broken Hearted Me", and "What's Forever For" are songs all truly worth the CD purchase. Now, lets talk about the unexpected. I am just a huge fan of a song called "Rolling Fever". The opening hard core guitar riffs sounds like a cross between the Doobie Brothers & Badfinger. I'm sure for most ED & JFC fans, this must have sounded like metal. This tune should have made Seals a huge star. He was the sole writer, and this truly stretched him as a performer, and as a rocker. How interesting that Dan & John's sound also blended well together on the more edgier material. ..."Stopped at a café on the road to eat, waitress looked like she was easy street" and the chorus " Lady luck's got a way to make you believe her, She'll take a young boy, give him rolling fever". This was truly # 1 record material without a doubt. No disco here. This tune would have opened up another world for Dan & John. Mr. Cougar-Melloncamp could have had a field day with this record. Still could. Another surprise is the near perfect ballad "Only A Matter Of Time". From the opening "Don't say goodnight, we've got to work this thing out right" (been there) to "It's only a matter of pride that keeps us thinking we're on different sides" (been there) to "you going your way and me going mine Isn't what we came here for" (been there, too) Again, not one ounce of disco tinged, machine drummed, synthesized crap. This tune could have also gone to the top of Billboards page.
( Fortunately this tune saved Coley's 1981 solo outing titled Leslie, Kelly and John Ford Coley. Of course, in my opinion only, possibly ranking as the worst record ever put onto my turntable). The albums partial title cut / opening number also seems to switch gears. The tune titled "Hollywood Heckle & Jive"kind of infuses some water-downed disco licks, but surprisingly finds Seals hitting rocker like notes, especially towards the end of the "I've just gotta be a star" anthem. Again, this song was cleverly written. ... "City of the Angles won't you please set me free". And, "I've been working and I've been trying to talk to the people on Sunset and Vine". Considering the fact that this record almost didn't happen, someone apparently thought enough about it to re-release the album in a CD format. And truly, I'm glad they did!