KEADY &
VALLINS “S/T”
 Teeming with
infectious hooks and delicate
textures, “Keady & Vallins”
stacks up favorably against now
heralded titans of soft pop / yacht
rock and pop disco-lite, living
in the intersection between Bobby
Caldwell, Steely Dan, and Saturday
Night Fever-era Bee Gees.
“Keady & Vallins” is an
all-too-familiar story of potential
left unfulfilled — glorious pop
music shunted by the impetuous
thrums of a music industry stricken
by decadence and a preference for
high turnover and rigorous
proprietorship. A tour with the Bee
Gees by Vallins and help from Robert
Stigwood resulted in a deal with
Polydor. After a pair of singles
produced by a young, upstart (now
hugely important head of Universal
Music Group) Lucien Grange achieved
moderate success in France, an album
was next: taped by Keady and Vallins
during downtime from other sessions.
They pulled world class talent from
the studio, from the pub down the
street from the studio, while
also (temporarily) pilfering
instruments from the shop below the
studio (price tags still affixed) —
to create a striking blend of
sepia-toned soft pop / yacht rock
and pop disco-lite.
Born out of a quick friendship
turned decades long songwriting
partnership between Gary Keady and
John Vallins, the full-length record
was meant to be a mark of the duo’s
growing promise as songwriters at
Chappell — the publishing house’s
self-proclaimed Australian facsimile
of the American duo Hall & Oates
(or maybe a two-person Bee Gees?).
But that’s not what happened, is it.
Dormant since its completion in
1979, the “Keady & Vallins”
album slots in perfectly amongst its
contemporaries as a classic. To
further cement its much-belated
legacy, “Keady & Vallins”
contains the original version of
Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams’
smash #1 hit ‘Too Much, Too Little,
Too Late’ (written by Vallins), and
features a coterie of preeminent
musicians, including Tommy Emmanuel
(guitar) and John Altman (strings).
link to
sample the album:
https://justordinarytones.bandcamp.com/album/keady-vallins
Track
List:
1. Tonight, Love is in Your Eyes
2. Christobel
3. Love Me Little, Love Me Long
4. Greatest Show on Earth
5. All the Lonely Nights
side B:
1. Love Of My Life
2. Last Taste
3. It’s Alright
4. Too Much Too Little Too Late
5. Something New
Catalog #: OT001 / LION LP -202
UPC: 778578320218
Format: black vinyl LP
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