gallagher and lyle. willie and the lapdog, the last cowboy, and love on the airwaves. review by alan haber. buhdge

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Willie and the Lapdog The Last Cowboy Love on the Airwaves Gallagher & Lyle River (2004) Too often dismissed as wimpy, middle-of-the-road lightweights, Benny Gallagher and Graham Lyle are in actuality class A songwriters and performers; their recorded legacy, distinguished by classy, hook-filled numbers, is merely the cap on a career that also includes a stint in McGuinness Flint, during which they wrote two of the greatest folk-and-country-tinged songs in pop history, "When I'm Dead and Gone" and "Malt and Barley Blues," and scribed for Mary Hopkin (her version of the terrific "International" is classic and superb). Gallagher and Lyle may be better known by some more for covers of their material than for the original versions of their songs, such as "A Heart in New York," one of Art Garfunkel's best solo recordings. Amazingly, the duo charted only twice in America, landing at number 49 and 67, respectively, on the Billboard pop singles chart with "I Wanna Stay With You" and "Heart on My Sleeve." Hardly a brush with chart longevity, and hardly fair considering the high quality of the music. Out of the eight original albums Gallagher and Lyle recorded and released during their time together (a few live recordings and many greatest hits albums appeared after they broke up) came many wonderful songs, some of which are contained on the three records under discussion here. Two of the duo's best albums, The Last Cowboy and Love on the Airwaves, are the homes for "Keep the Candle Burning," "Song and Dance Man," "Mhairu," "Love on the Airwaves," "The Runaway," "Every Little Teardrop," "Had to Fall in Love," and "Never Give up on Love." Any songwriter worth his salt would do well to have a song as great as any of these in his catalogue. Gallagher and Lyle's seemingly effortless songwriting, deceptively simple yet somehow complex, examines human emotion with great wit and a tremendous sense of melody. The harmony singing is always emotionally involving. They are the best interpreters of their own material, and it is a shame they were never a bigger success here in the United States. I wish they had stayed together longer, but separate careers eventually beckoned (Lyle went on to co-write such songs as "What's Love Got to Do With It" for Tina Turner). So leave it to a record company in Edinburgh, Scotland to re-release Gallagher and Lyle's complete catalog on CD. Straight reissues with no bonus tracks, they are budget priced and easily obtainable from import specialists. They are, one and all, most welcome, remastered with great care and they sound fabulous. If you're not a fan, try one and I know you'll be instantly hooked. Where to start? Among the three albums on review here, either The Last Cowboy or Love on the Airwaves will do, especially when you consider the songs I noted above. I have a soft spot for Cowboy, but, really, either album is a good first purchase. Airwaves is perhaps a bit slicker than Cowboy, but not to the album's detriment. It is perhaps more polished than its predecessors, but it's also more confidently performed. Willie and the Lapdog, Gallagher and Lyle's second album, is the fruit of a more folk-influenced duo, and therefore quieter and possibly more at peace with the world around it. Produced with great care by ex-Beatles engineer Glyn Johns, and with appearances by Pete Townshend on Bass Harmonica, and one of McGuinness Flint's namesakes, Hughie Flint, on drums, Willie has a homey feel, as if it is being played to an small audience gathered around a campfire on a warm summer's night. The instrumentation is appropriately sparse, and the songs, which come together to tell a heartfelt story, are imaginatively written and performed. The duo's singing is tremendous throughout. There is no substitute for excellence. Here are three excellent albums from one of soft-pop's greatest duos. Devour immediately. Alan Haber March 6, 2005
alan haber's pure pop buhdgeblog hot buhdge \| pop buhdge \| buhdge remembers television buhdge \| film buhdge \| books buhdge video buhdge \| buhdge fine print \| links about buhdge \| write for buhdge \| contact home (c) 2004 Alan Haber

Willie and the Lapdog
The Last Cowboy
Love on the Airwaves
Gallagher & Lyle
River (2004)

Too often dismissed as wimpy, middle-of-the-road lightweights, Benny Gallagher and Graham Lyle are in actuality class A songwriters and performers; their recorded legacy, distinguished by classy, hook-filled numbers, is merely the cap on a career that also includes a stint in McGuinness Flint, during which they wrote two of the greatest folk-and-country-tinged songs in pop history, "When I'm Dead and Gone" and "Malt and Barley Blues," and scribed for Mary Hopkin (her version of the terrific "International" is classic and superb).

Gallagher and Lyle may be better known by some more for covers of their material than for the original versions of their songs, such as "A Heart in New York," one of Art Garfunkel's best solo recordings. Amazingly, the duo charted only twice in America, landing at number 49 and 67, respectively, on the Billboard pop singles chart with "I Wanna Stay With You" and "Heart on My Sleeve." Hardly a brush with chart longevity, and hardly fair considering the high quality of the music.

gallagher and lyle's the last cowboy Out of the eight original albums Gallagher and Lyle recorded and released during their time together (a few live recordings and many greatest hits albums appeared after they broke up) came many wonderful songs, some of which are contained on the three records under discussion here. Two of the duo's best albums, The Last Cowboy and Love on the Airwaves, are the homes for "Keep the Candle Burning," "Song and Dance Man," "Mhairu," "Love on the Airwaves," "The Runaway," "Every Little Teardrop," "Had to Fall in Love," and "Never Give up on Love." Any songwriter worth his salt would do well to have a song as great as any of these in his catalogue.

Gallagher and Lyle's seemingly effortless songwriting, deceptively simple yet somehow complex, examines human emotion with great wit and a tremendous sense of melody. The harmony singing is always emotionally involving. They are the best interpreters of their own material, and it is a shame they were never a bigger success here in the United States. I wish they had stayed together longer, but separate careers eventually beckoned (Lyle went on to co-write such songs as "What's Love Got to Do With It" for Tina Turner).

So leave it to a record company in Edinburgh, Scotland to re-release Gallagher and Lyle's complete catalog on CD. Straight reissues with no bonus tracks, they are budget priced and easily obtainable from import specialists. They are, one and all, most welcome, remastered with great care and they sound fabulous. If you're not a fan, try one and I know you'll be instantly hooked.

Where to start? Among the three albums on review here, either The Last Cowboy or Love on the Airwaves will do, especially when you consider the songs I noted above. I have a soft spot for Cowboy, but, really, either album is a good first purchase. Airwaves is perhaps a bit slicker than Cowboy, but not to the album's detriment. It is perhaps more polished than its predecessors, but it's also more confidently performed.

Willie and the Lapdog, Gallagher and Lyle's second album, is the fruit of a more folk-influenced duo, and therefore quieter and possibly more at peace with the world around it. Produced with great care by ex-Beatles engineer Glyn Johns, and with appearances by Pete Townshend on Bass Harmonica, and one of McGuinness Flint's namesakes, Hughie Flint, on drums, Willie has a homey feel, as if it is being played to an small audience gathered around a campfire on a warm summer's night. The instrumentation is appropriately sparse, and the songs, which come together to tell a heartfelt story, are imaginatively written and performed. The duo's singing is tremendous throughout.

There is no substitute for excellence. Here are three excellent albums from one of soft-pop's greatest duos. Devour immediately.

Alan Haber
March 6, 2005