Customer Reviews

Solitary Men

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

 

 

This elusive 1983 title from one of the music industry's most celebrated European synth gurus and pop's (way underrated) male vocalist capture the solid pop rock atmosphere of the 80's. Despite the liner notes and essay inside the cd jacket this is by no means a "disco" project. The project harkens a strong resemblance to the Flashdance sound that was popular in it's hey day. After all Moroder was the driving force behind that soundtrack.Gone are the wah-wah disco sounding ingredients of Love to Love You Baby or I Feel Love.In place is a more refined solid synth rock sound without sounding cheaply contrived for even the flashy 80's. The so-called typical computerized auto pilot sound found on so many similar artists records of that era is absolutely absent here; it's all rock and soul. In addition, the soulful throaty and smoky r&b lead vocals by Joe "Bean" Esposito are undeniably his yet sound like a cross between Benny Mardones(Into the Night) and a hint of Michael McDonald (blue-eyed soul sound)!
the strongest tracks are Sloitary Man, Show Me the Night, Too Hot To Touch,Lady,Lady,Lady (from Flashdance) and to Turn the Stone (originally performed by Donna Summer and Abba's Frida). The bounus tracks are nothing spectacular, but hey they're included for free. The re-make of Moroder's Chase theme from Midnight Express has been given a pre-techno (1985) re-working...
This is the album where Moroder demonstrated that he could leave the disco production tag behind and move into the 80's. This is truly an 80's treasure find...

The album SOLITARY MEN originally released in 1983 contains some
of Giorgio Moroders FINEST WORK. Not only it includes great songs
like To Turn The Stone, My Girl, Lady Lady,White Hotel,Show Me The Night and so on, but working with the same team playing on FLASHDANCE, CAT PEOPLE, arranger and keyboardist Sylvester Levay and drummer Keith Forsey really makes it a milestone on Giorgio
Moroders production.Sparkling keyboard sound with catchy drums and STRONG SONGS makes this a
MUST HAVE! Most of the songs are composed my Giorgio Moroder and
some by Keith Forsey and Sylvester Levay.
In this Production the vocals are by Joe Esposito that has a powerful but beatiful voice.
The song To Turn The Stone includes the finest saxophone play i
have ever heard on any Giorgio Moroder production.It is performed by Dino Solera working with Giorgio on many occasions.
Almost any listener i have ever played this album for (and they are not Giorgio fans) have to agree this is a great album!
So dont miss This ! IT IS THE ONE TO BUY!

with anything Joe Esposito records. When you record a song like "You're the best" from the Karate Kid soundtrack one would think you have no chance of ever meeting the expectations of the listening public, but darn if Joe didn't do it here. He doesn't get top billing as he likes to keep a low pro, but we all know who carries this album. Groups like Cinderella and Guns and Roses missed the boat by passing over Esposito as their front man. Had they picked Joe, they'd still be putting out albums(though lame) like Aerosmith and the Stones are doing today. Esposito is a lot like Cameo except he's white and doesn't do R & B. It doesn't matter because when he sings he takes you on a journey around the continent of Asia and doesn't apologize for any of it. I fronted a Joe Esposito cover band called Myagi back in Omaha in the late 80s and we played both of his songs. We'd get 16,000 people to hear us play two songs. That's how good the music was and it's high time the rest of the world figured it out.

Combine the powerhouse synthesizers of Giorgio and powerhouse voice of Joe "Bean" Esposito and you have a brilliant one-of-a-kind treasure. The overall sound here is more "rock" than "disco" perse, as stated in the previous review, but overall it is very infectious, and kept entertaining with the talent involved. Featuring the thunderous title track, "Lady, Lady" from "Flashdance", and the catchy "Face to Face" and "The Chase" remix, this album is worth purchasing.

Great 80's cd that demonstrates great teamwork between the musicians. Sylvester Levay is in my opinion the driving force behind this project. His arrangements are definitely his trademark. Anyone familiar with his scorings for Airwolf, Hot Shots and Stallone's Cobra would agree. The best songs are written by Keith Forsey and Richie Zito. Joe Esposito's voice is incredibly powerful and pleasant to listen to. Funny that the reviewer in the cd-booklet praises Richie Zito for his great guitar work and bass lines, when there's actually nothing spectacular about them. Best part is the piano-riff in 'White Hotel' I think. The songs are beautiful and catchy. Too bad Joe Esposito isn't making music by the barrel; A waste of his great voice. The Bonus tracks do not fit in well at all with the rest of the cd, so thank god this one isn't protected and you can burn a copy and leave those out (phew!). Oh, and ehhh, when I was playing this cd real loud once, I thought I heard a faint ticking and scratching in the background. I think the mastertapes were probably lost and they remastered the music from a lp. It would explain why it took so long to be released. I could be wrong of course...

Had hoped this music was same as his music written for "Cat People", among the movie sound tracks Moroder has been involved with over the years. I was disappointed.