Release/Show Me to the Stage

by Henry Gross

Overview

Henry Gross left Sha Na Na the first chance he had, signing to ABC Records for a record that went nowhere. It was quickly followed on that path by a pair of LPs for A&M, then Gross made the jump to Lifesong Records, the label Terry Cashman and Tommy West had recently founded. Cashman and West produced Release, Gross' 1976 debut for the label that also happened to be his breakthrough, thanks to the soaring de facto Beach Boys tribute "Shannon." Much of the rest of Release exhibits some kind of debt to the Brothers Wilson, but neither Gross nor Cashman & West are content to stay still. The album opens with "Juke Box Song," a fairly kicky rocker where he sounds a shade like Glenn Frey, and eventually winds his way toward Harry Chapin territory on "Moonshine Alley," dabbling in a bit of a breezy beachside pop ("Lincoln Road," "One Last Time"), goofball blues ("Pokey"), and delicate McCartney whimsy ("Overton Square") along the way. Cashman & West gave this versatility a bit of a vivid Technicolor splendor, and Gross sold each style like the ex-showman he was, turning this into an underrated bit of West Coast studio pop. Released just a year later and produced by Gross himself, Show Me to the Stage isn't quite as good because it's a bit more limited in its scope. It's still cut from the same cloth, where the occasional crunchy rocker offers a palette cleanser amidst the luscious pop, and there are echoes of other big hits ("Come Along" seems to lift its intro from the Doobie Brothers' "Listen to the Music"), but it trades very heavily in McCartney and the Beach Boys, to the extent that "Help!" is turned into a Paul tune and "What a Sound" is an uncanny fusion of Pet Sounds and early surf-pop. If Show Me to the Stage is ultimately not quite as hooky or showy a release, it's nevertheless an exceedingly pleasant bit of '70s L.A. soft rock, and the two do make for a nifty two-fer. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	04/08/1994
Label:	Chiswick Records
UPC:	0029667410427

Tracks

1. Juke Box Song
2. Lincoln Road
3. Overton Square
4. Springtime Mama
5. Moonshine Alley
6. Shannon
7. One Last Time
8. Some Thing in Between
9. Someday
10. Pokey
11. Show Me to the Stage
12. String of Hearts
13. Painting My Love Songs
14. Come Along
15. Help!
16. What a Sound
17. I Can't Believe
18. Hideaway
19. Showboat
20. If We Tie Our Ships Together

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Henry Gross   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals (Background)
Allan Schwartzberg   Drums,Percussion
Tommy West   Vocals (Background)
Will Lee   Guitar (Bass)
Elliot Cahn   Vocals (Background)
Warren Nichols   Guitar (Bass)
Terry Cashman   Vocals (Background)
Marty Nelson   Vocals (Background)
Don Payne   Guitar (Bass)
Kenny Ascher   Conductor
Jimmy Maelen   Percussion
David Sanborn   Conductor
Philip Aaberg   Keyboards
Rick Marotta   Drums
Terence P. Minogue   Conductor
Tony Levin   Guitar (Bass)

Technical Credits

Terence P. Minogue   String Arrangements
Shelly Yakus   Engineer,Mixing
Terry Cashman   Producer,Executive Producer
Tommy West   Producer,Executive Producer
Henry Gross   Design,Composer,Producer
George Brown   Design,Coordination
Roberto   Design
Art Kane   Cover Photo,Photography
Bob Monkton   Design,Photography
George "Funky" Brown   Cover Art Concept,Cover Coordinator
Paul McCartney   Composer
Andy Abrams   Assistant Engineer
Kenny Ascher   Arranger,Horn Arrangements,String Arrangements
Joe Brescio   Mastering
Jake Hess   Composer
Don Puluse   Engineer
David Sanborn   Arranger,Horn Arrangements
John Lennon   Composer
Philip Aaberg   Arranger,Bass Arrangement,Guitar Arrangements
Thom Panunzio   Assistant Engineer