The Driver

by

Terry Reid

Edit

Anyone reading this review is probably already familiar with Terry Reid and his loopy career history. Filled with bad luck, bad decisions and any other number of fits and starts, it's a shame that he would release such a cohesive, finished recording at a time that was just too late to do any real good in getting him his much-deserved recognition.

Part of what makes this a better-than-average album (did I say album?) is that some of the songs (Including the title song) are produced by Wunderkind Trevor Horn. This is as polished as anything Reid has done, and he manages it without losing any of the raw vocal power he's shown in the past.

As in his past efforts, the song selection is very good, mixing some of his own works with a couple of cover tunes. He covers The Waterboys' Whole of the Moon and Spencer Davis' Gimme Some Lovin'. These two selections might have been more a labor of love as he barely touched the original arrangements and chose instead to merely punch them up and smooth them out. (not that there's anything wrong with that).

Where he really shines are in songs like Fifth of July and the title tune ,The Driver, which show Reid at his song writing and performing best.I've heard the title tune any number of times and it still manages to raise the hairs on the back of my neck.

I can't say I'd recommend this to someone who is not at least a seasoned listner. It has little if anything in common with "today's" music. But for anyone who has a great appreciation for the wide history and subtle nuance contained in much of rock music, this release holds much to be enjoyed.

THOSE OF YOU EXCPECTING REID'S SOUND FROM THE 60'S & 70'S,BELIEVE ME YOU WILL NOT FIND IT HERE.I WAS VERY DISAPPOINTED WHEN I PURCHASED THIS ALBUM BECAUSE SOMEBODY HAD LUMPED IT IN WITH SEED OF MEMORY,RIVER,BANG BANG,SELF TITLED & LIVE AT THE ISLE OF WIGHT,WHICH ARE ALL EXCELLENT CLASSIC ROCK ALBUMS.THE DRIVER IS A TOTALLY DIFFERENT GENRE.I WOULD CALL IT A MIX OF DISCO & POP,NOT VERY GOOD WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING FOR THAT CLASSIC ROCK SOUND.KINDA FRUITY.SO TAKE THIS REVIEW FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH,IF YOU'RE EXCPECTING CLASSIC ROCK YOU WILL NOT FIND IT HERE.IF YOU LIKE THE 80'S SOUND MIXED WITH A LITTLE DISCO,POP & NUTTINESS, THEN HEY THIS ALBUM IS FOR YOU.IN MY OPINION THIS ALBUM IS NOT AN ESSENTIAL PART OF A TERRY REID COLLECTION, GO WITH HIS EARLY WORK.