Customer Reviews

Precious to Me

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An interesting compilation of the late great Phil Seymour, Classic tracks from the self titled Debut are missing, included are "Baby It's You" "Precious To Me" and "Let Her Dance". A general spectrum is represented, more Rarities than hits. This CD takes you through from the Dwight Twilley Band's "Looking For The Magic" through rarities such as Tom Petty's "Save Me" the Textones' "Running" and the last tracks recorded before Phil's untimely death at age 42.

Phil Seymour was half of the great 1970's power pop act The Dwight Twilley Band, who were friends with Tom Petty and contributed one of the 70's great singles - "I'm On Fire". This collection touches on some of his solo career, but foolishly ignores his 2nd album entirely (he only made 2 albums!!!) The first album is represented by 3 (perfect) songs, and the rest are rarities. It is still a good collection and great showcase for Seymour's energetic vocals.

Best Tracks:
"Baby It's You" - The song that made me adore Phil Seymour as a pop talent. Peppy, energetic, and hook-laden, this song is about as perfect as power pop gets.
"Let Her Dance" - An updated version of the Bobby Fuller classic.
"Precious To Me" - Phil's only hit single - a self-penned classic with a singalong chorus.
"The First Mistake I Ever Made" - Cover of the Barry Gibb ballad that is totally worth hearing.
"Running" - Uptempo pop number (check out that sax!) done by Phil and the Textones.
"Just A Matter Of Time" - One of the rarities that makes this type of collection essential. Originally a soundtrack tune, this wouldn't have sounded out of place on either of Phil's albums or even the Candy album "Whatever Happened To Fun". Great vocals, arrangement, and melody.

Phil Seymour is best remembered as one-half of the Dwight Twilley Band (not forgetting their great guitarist Bill Pitcock IV - the third member of the "duo"), which produced some of the finest power pop of the 1970's, including the hit "I'm on Fire." After two albums (1976's 'Sincerely' and 1978's 'Twilley Don't Mind'), Seymour left to pursue a solo career. While waiting for a recording deal, he began recording solo sessions, as well as contributing session work for Tom Petty, 20/20, and Moon Martin. In 1980, he signed to Boardwalk Records after selling the label on a batch of demos recorded with fellow Tulsa natives 20/20. His self-titled debut was well received at the time (the single "Precious to Me" made it to number 22 on the pop charts) and has become highly revered in power-pop circles as one of the landmark albums of the era. He followed in 1982 with Phil Seymour 2, a less satisfying album both creatively and commercially. Seymour was left without a label when Boardwalk president Neil Bogart died shortly after the record's release. In 1984, he joined Carla Olsen's Textones, drumming and singing on their Midnight Mission album for A&M. While supporting the album, Seymour was diagnosed with lymphoma. He returned to Tulsa, carrying on at a diminished pace and recording infrequently, until the disease took his life in August of 1993 while he was preparing a new album. - Chris Woodstra, AMG

Precious To Me includes the same-titled hit single plus two other tracks from Seymour's solo debut (recently reissued). There are several alternate tracks from DTB recordings, plus various tracks from Seymour's later attempts to get a new solo recording contract. Also included are a Bee Gees tribute album track, and a cover of George Harrison's overlooked Help-era gem, "I Need You."