Tony Thompson's thunderous drum riffs kick the track off the track in the heaviest way possible before being joined by John Taylor's throbbing bass spasms and Andy Taylor's Nile-like noodling on guitar. Once the groove has been established, the suave, debonair and unmistakably cool vocals of Robert Palmer come in. Horn stabs, panning drum riffs and wailing guitar solo complete the supergroup's super song. Whether lounging by the pool or cruising around in The Blueberry, "Some Like It Hot" is a turnt-up Summer Jam.
Though it doesn't come anywhere close to the hippie glam boogie shuffle fabulousness of the T. Rex original, those well-intentioned noise polluters in The Power Station attempted to modernize "Get It On (Bang A Gong)" with a deeper rhythmic groove and over-the-top, squealing guitar pyrotechnics. It all sounds very mechanical to HERC's ears and rarely gets play here at The Hideaway. Still, the song is the side order of mayo to the big juicy burger that is "Some Like It Hot".
Yet when it came time to take the show on the road, Palmer bowed out of the utility to record his Riptide album and was replaced by journeyman Michael Des Barres, as witnessed first hand by HERC in a July 1985 concert. Tony and Andy played drums and guitar (on one track) respectively on Riptide while The Power Station's producer, Bernard Edwards, handled both the bass playing and production duties. Palmer's solo album Riptide was for all intents and purposes, The Power Station's second album in eight months. The most compelling evidence of this is the track below:
I think I was so upset Duran had split that I never gave Power Station much of a chance. I didn't even hear the whole album until 1988. Riptide, however, was another story. As uneven as it was, I loved listening to it then and will listen to it again today.
ReplyDeleteOnly as I was writing this comment did I realize that Thompson, Palmer, and Edwards have all left us.
Yes they have passed but you just know that Heaven has got a helluva band.
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