MICHAEL DINNER / THE GREAT PRETENDER

Digitized from the original vinyl recording released in 1974 on Fantasy records.
Format: mp3
Bit Rate: 320 kbps
ALBUM INFO:
Produced By: John Boylan, A Great Eastern Gramophone Production
Engineered By: Paul Grupp
Recorded At: Captiol Records, Hollywood, California; Fantasy Records, Berkeley California; The Record Plant, Sausalito, California
Album Cover: Norman Seef
TRACK LISTING:
The Great Pretender / Jamica / Yellow Rose Express / Sunday Morning Fool / Last Dance In Salinas / Tattooed Man From Chelsea / Woman Of Aran / Pentacott Lane / Icarus / Texas Knight
All songs written by Michael Dinner
THE PLAYERS:
Michael Dinner - Vocals, Guitars
Guitar - Bob Warford, Ed Black, Don Felder
Steel Guitar - Ed Black, Sneaky Pete, Al Perkins
Keyboards - John Boylan, Andrew Gold, Larry Knechtel, Mike Utley
Fiddle - David Lindley
Accordian - Nick DeCaro
Bass - Michael Bowden
Drums - Mickey McGee, Gary Mallaber, Russ Kunkel
Percussion - Milt Holland
Background Vocals - Linda Ronstadt, Doug Haywood, Herb Pedersen, Ronee Blakley, Gail Davies
REVIEW:
No other way to say it, this is a great album, full of great tunes. For a first effort this album surpassed 95% of the stuff that was released in 1974. Of course that's my biased opinion but even that aside it'd be hard to argue that this is a well produced piece of work. The musicians are all well known, stellar performers and the songs themselves are all jewels.
The album has a definite country feel to it, the likes of other artists of the day like Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, (Who I've always thought should do a version of "Woman of Aran"), Danny Okeefe etc......
After his second attempt, Tom Thumb the Dreamer, Michael gave up on a music career and went into TV production and has been very successful thruout the years up to current times. I still can't help but wonder though how a man with all the talent this guy had could just walk away from something he was obiviously so good at. I would have loved to have a half dozen or more albums from him as I'm sure he'd have matured even more and written dozens of excellent tunes that we could all be singing along with. A pox on the record company for not supporting this artist the way he should've been supported. Maybe someday he'll put out that 3rd album when he has a little bit extra time.
Enjoy this one and if you don't find yourself singing along after the first couple listens I'd be real surprised.
CONTACT:

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Tom