Y II Records | UK | 12″ | 1987 | YII T 003

Laurie Mayer: Dust In The Wind UK 12″ [1987]

1. Dust In The Wind
2. Bright Blue Night

This was a record that I’d wanted for long years before finally running across a copy that I deemed “affordable.” That is to say, it only cost me $20 two years ago instead of the going rate [then] of $40. I dearly love Torch Song’s first two albums, and this dates from after their split following “Ecstasy” in 1986. To its credit, this debut Laurie Mayer solo single from the erstwhile Torch Song vocalist has programming by Rico Conning, who was, in effect, the third member of  Torch Song, in addition to William Orbit’s production of this single’s B-side. But for the most part, this is a full band production with Mayer singing and playing keys with a host of new people on the rest of the instrumentation.

To answer your obvious question, yes; the A-side is the overly familiar mid-70s top 10 hit from Kansas®. Torch Song had done amazing things with unlikely cover versions on their two albums prior. Bobbie Gentry’s “Ode To Billie Joe” had been given an electro workover on the album “Wish Thing” that had taken the song as far as possible from its country-pop 1967 origins while still honoring its intentions to the fullest.  Then the band’s cover of Blind Faith’s “Can’t Find My Way Home” from their second album is hands down – my favorite cover version of all time! Has Ms. Meyer managed to redeem the steaming hunk of cheese that was Kansas’ calling card in 1977*?

In a word, no. Oh, her vocals are a beguiling as ever. The band turn in a polite arrangement but at the end of the day, the song has not even begun to transcend it’s Midwest-Prog-Lite® origins. There’s only so much you can do with a poor song, it seems. Quite frankly, they needed all the help they could get on this one, and unfortunately, the endlessly inventive William Orbit sat out production on this one, leaving the chair to Meyer and label owner Dick O’Dell. The track’s 4:30 length has the unfortunate tendency to sound interminable minutes longer under actual listening conditions.

Far more in line with expectation is the single’s B-side. “Bright Blue Night” could be a track off of “Ecstasy” and the fact that Orbit produced it [and probably plays nearly everything on it] means that it is much more accomplished and stands as an honorable offshoot of the Torch Song legacy. When this single got cast adrift on the sea of neglect, Laurie Mayer got sucked into the infinite void of space. Outside of contributing to some fine Etienne Daho albums, “Zoubi La Moucche” by Les Negresses Vertes, and “Beach Bump” by Baby Ford [!]♠, she tended to abet Orbit on his various post-Torch Song projects. The third Torch Song album is really yet another Orbit solo album so that was a waste. Mayer finally made a solo album in 2006, “Black Lining,” which I still need to obtain.

– 30 –

* Before I looked this up, I would have sworn that this song dated from 1975. It’s mind boggling to think that this hunk of tripe dated from 1977  – a.k.a. Punk Year Zero®!!!

♠ And Sacre Couer, she’s singing backing vocals together with Lorita Graheme of Colourbox on this one! I used to own this and I never remember hearing their distinctive vocals on it!