Search - David Essex :: All the Fun of the Fair/Gold & Ivory

The best of Demon's David Essex reissues

02/29/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Demon has released David Essex's six CBS/Columbia albums in three separate sets. This package, which features his third and final albums for the company, is the best of the bunch, capturing two great discs and a fantastic bonus track. Plus the packaging is first rate, with a 12-page booklet and outstanding sound quality. "All the Fun of the Fair" (1975) is a terrifically consistent disc, loosely based around a carnival theme. The title song is one of Essex's most atmospheric pieces, capturing the seedy glamor of a British funfair, complete with rollercoaster sound effects and a decidedly theatrical vocal. Some of Essex's most FM-rock-oriented tunes are found here, including the guitar-heavy "Circles," "Rolling Stone," "Won't Get Burned Again" and "Watch Out (Carolina)." Surprisingly, the huge hit to emerge from this disc was the U.K. No. 1 "Hold Me Close," a lightweight singalong which finds David in full Paul McCartney silly-love-song mode. Still, it's a charmer. "Gold & Ivory" (1977) was Essex's last album for CBS before moving to Phonogram, but it ranks as one of his finest. He recorded it with his road band and it has a loose, playful feel that is hard to resist. His songwriting has rarely been sharper than on the title cut or the moving marriage-gone-wrong ballad "Good Morning (Darling)." On the flip side, the Dylan-esque "Lend Me Your Comb" is a pure romp that is one of the most fun things he has ever written or recorded. No clue why that track was not a single. The whole album is remarkably consistent and is rounded off with the wonderful bonus cut "Stay With Me Baby." Essex gives a great, goose-bumpy reading of the soul-man tune; strange it only scraped the British charts. Same thing with "Gold & Ivory," but the chart placing doesn't reflect the disc's timeless quality."