Search - Eye to Eye :: Eye to Eye / Shakespeare Stole My Baby

Buy This Lost Classic Before It Goes Out Of Print Again

Eric R. Last | San Bruno, CA United States | 11/13/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In 1982 a rumor was swirling around that Steely Dan had recorded a "secret" album with a new name and a new female vocalist. Well, of course the rumor turned out to be untrue, but Eye To Eye's eponymous debut album, and the 1983 follow up "Shakespeare Stole My Baby" do feature production by Gary Katz, who helmed the Steely Dan albums, as well as guest appearances by Donald Fagan and a lot of the same studio musicians that the Dan were known to favor (Elliot Randall, Larry Carlton, Jeff Porcaro etc.). In spite of the personnel overlaps, Eye To Eye forged an identity quite distinct from Steely Dan. Singer Deborah Berg and keyboard player Julian Marshall co-wrote all the songs on both albums. Berg has an amazing, beautiful high voice, almost totally free of vibrato, and she sings in a cool, detached, ethereal style. The instrumental backing is crisp, danceable techno pop, dominated by Marshall's keyboards but benefiting from the ultra-tasty flavoring added by the all-star guests. The debut is the better of the two albums, but some of the criticism I've read of the second album is truly unwarranted. Stylistically the two albums are very similar, the songwriting is stronger on the debut, but this is a "two-fer" after all, with a second album included for free, so why complain? It's a great deal! I consider the debut a 5-star effort and the follow up worthy of 3 stars. By the way, for anyone interested in buying this collection, I'd advise not waiting around too long. It took 20 years for someone to finally put this music out on CD, and lots of times CD reissues of acts that didn't sell well in the first place don't stay in print very long. So grab it now, while you have the chance. There is some great music here!"

Eye to Eye/Shakespeare Stole My Baby

Gavin Hadley | Avon, IN USA | 08/20/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A friend put me onto these two albums several years ago describing the "group" as a "female Steely Dan"; a pretty accurate description considering they were both produced by Gary Katz, long time SD producer and friend. In fact, Don Fagen plays the keyboard on a few cuts of Shakespeare along with a list of musicians that reads like a who's who of music. I won't list them all but Larry Carlton, Steve Lukather, Jeff Porcaro, Rick Derringer and so forth. Back when I first heard these albums, I was amazed that they had never made the transfer to CD. They were done on digital tape no less....it seemed a natural to find their way to the "new" format, CD. I even called Warner Bros. to find out who had the master tapes, all to no avail. Well somehow, Wounded Bird got their hands on the masters and voila, here they are on one CD. Eye to Eye is actually just one lady by the name of Deborah Berg. Rumor has it she joined some sort of religious sect in the 80's and never performed again. Pity. The music: it may sound a bit 80ish to some or perhaps somewhat dated, but the lyrics are catchy and the music takes lots of unanticipated turns as it weaves its way. Sounds like a pretty fair description of the old Steely Dan stuff doesn't it? Great music, great musicians, a very good recording and......you get two for the price of one. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Highly recommended."

Dreams Can Come True

Marcus F Deger | East Dundee, IL United States | 06/28/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One of my dreams for the past decade was that someway, somehow, this overlooked duo's records would find their way to CD. While never gaining any mass exposure, the songs range from lively, melodic tunes ("Jabberwocky", "Shakespeare") to plaintive, soulful love songs ("Are You Listening?"). Certainly too sophisticated for popular radio, they are also too exquisite to categorize; but you'll enjoy elements of jazz, pop and even Brazilian tempos. Donald Fagen and Larry Carlton are just two of the name musicians who thought enough of Eye to Eye appear on these discs. Even after almost 20 years, this music's impact and maturity stand up - in fact, it towers over most of what is out there today. What a shame they were never recognized properly at the time, but this release gives us a chance to appreciate these neglected gems once again in a CD format."